Thursday, November 12, 1998 - Vol. Two, No. 46 - Media Inquiries: Keith Appell (703) 683-5004

Media Called Him Lenin, McCarthy, Scrooge, the Grinch, Manson, A Threat to the Human Species

"Bombastic and Ruthless" Gingrich Haters

     Looking back at Newt Gingrich, Brit Hume on Fox News Sunday noted the media "hated the guy. Thought he was poison. Thought he was evil." In case anyone had any doubt, here's a fraction of the proof:

• "So how do you put an end to what Jim Wright called mindless cannibalism? Do you put a muzzle on Newt Gingrich?" -- CBS's Kathleen Sullivan, June 1, 1989.

• "I think he's looking at a more scientific, more civil way of lynching people." -- NPR reporter Sunni Khalid on C-SPAN, October 14, 1994.

• "Rejecting the House's gentlemanly ways, he waged such constant guerilla war against the Democrats he was attacked for McCarthyism...bombastic and ruthless." -- CBS's Eric Engberg, November 2, 1994.

• "[His] slash-and-burn rhetoric against Democrats has made him the poster boy for political resentment and rage." -- ABC's Jim Wooten, November 4, 1994.

• "RADICAL GEEK." -- Newsweek caption under picture of young Newt, November 7.

• "A lot of people are afraid of you. They think you're a bomb-thrower. Worse, you're an intolerant bigot. Speak to them." -- ABC's Sam Donaldson, November 13, 1994.

• "For pianos and parsleys, peanuts and pajamas/Why he'd even take kiddies away from their mamas/The Gingrich said things that Whos thought were shocking/He'd take back each present and empty each stocking." -- CBS's Charles Osgood, December 11, 1994.

• "Uncle Scrooge: Tis the season to bash the poor. But is Newt Gingrich's America really that heartless?" -- Time cover, December 19, 1994.

• "How the Gingrich Stole Christmas!" -- Newsweek cover, December 26, 1994/January 2, 1995 issue.

• "You called Gingrich and his ilk 'trickle-down terrorists who base their agenda on division, exclusion, and fear.' Do you think middle-class Americans are in need of protection from that group?" -- NBC's Bryant Gumbel to Dick Gephardt, January 4, 1995.

• "These are some of the things said about your son. A very dangerous man... visionary...bomb-throwing guerrilla warrior...abrasive." -- CBS's Connie Chung to Newt's mother on his first day as Speaker, January 4, 1995.

• "To most African-Americans, Newt Gingrich is one scary white man." -- Time's Jack E. White, Jan. 16, 1995.

• "Newt Gingrich's Contract with America signal[s] a radical shift...that may bode ill for the health of snail darters, spotted owls, and even the human species." -- Time's Dick Thompson, February 27, 1995.

• "The poster child for Republican extremism." -- NPR's Mara Liasson, November 12, 1995.

• "Newt Gingrich teaching manners is like Charles Manson teaching nonviolence." -- Newsweek's Eleanor Clift, November 18, 1995.

• "The pompous thug of late-night cable." -- Time article naming Gingrich 1995 Man of the Year.

• "Newt Gingrich seems like some crazy guy. A car bomber who wants to blow the country up! With that sort of idiot grin on his face!" -- ABC pundit Chris Matthews, December 27, 1995.

• "What will turn on -- or turn off -- the voters in 1996?...The Gingrich who stole Medicare?" -- New York Times writer Peter Passell, January 2, 1996.

• "Gingrich was no longer amusing as Newt the Menace, and now was seen as the Bad Seed." -- Time's 1996 Year in Review book.

• "He's like Lenin. They both made a revolution by shooting people -- Newt shot Democrats, Lenin shot everybody-- and then they didn't have enough sense to stop shooting once they'd won." -- ABC's Sam Donaldson, January 8, 1997.

• "The speaker will forever remain his own caricature -- a Dennis the Menace meets Darth Vader kind of guy. A fellow, for instance, who wants to give all children in America laptops but take away their free school lunches." -- Gloria Borger in U.S. News, April 7, 1997.