Gingrich Graces Morningside with His Presence
September 22, 2011
Former Speaker of the House and Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich spoke on Tuesday at Morningside College. Mr. Gingrich spoke for about an hour and a half during a question and answer session involving local Sioux City citizens and a smattering of students. About a hundred people attended the event and were very receptive to the former Speaker. Questions ranged from economic concerns to immigration reform, and Gingrich responded with a surprising amount of candor and intelligence.
Gingrich, while not citing specifics, tried to convince the crowd that a new, more complex contract with America is required to fix the problems in the country. There was very little original material in his outlines of fixing the country, being a rehash of GOP ideals in four main points. These are to cut taxes, get rid of regulation, invest in American energy, and to make businesses comfortable in order to spur growth.
Mr. Gingrich has a long history in Washington politics and that experience is not serving him well. He came to a college campus and engaged with older, white, conservative voters. Most of his ideas to fix America are repackaged tactics from the Reagan era, and Gingrich touted his experience with the former president. “I’m the only candidate who worked directly with Reagan.” While using this claim as a strategy to bolster support, it seems to have backfired.
Gingrich is a rather uninspiring candidate. He rehashed old ideas, engaged with older voters, and stood on the laurels of a president who served before most college students were born. Daniel Whithorn, a Morningside student, said “I didn’t feel inspired to go out door to door and tell people to vote for him.” Gingrich barely made an attempt to engage with younger voters, which is odd since he came to a college campus to speak.