Newt Gingrich Calls Obama a Con Man

An April 2010 file photo of former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.

/ AP Photo/Bill Haber

Commentary by Dan Farber, Editor in Chief of CBSNews.com:

President Obama came into office with a promise to change how Washington works. It hasn't worked out well so far, and many supporters of the president who helped to catapult him into office are frustrated, at least according to various polls.

During a nationally televised press conference on Friday, Mr. Obama was asked if he had changed Washington.

He responded first with some of his administration's accomplishments, but then blamed the lack of a more cooperative spirit in Washington on the dire economic situation he inherited and the Republicans.

"Now, if you're asking why haven't I been able to create a greater spirit of cooperation in Washington, I think that's fair. I'm as frustrated as anybody by it. I think part of it has to do with the fact that when we came into office, we came in under very tough economic circumstances, and I think that some of the Republican leaders made a decision: We're going to sit on the sidelines and let the Democrats try to solve it. And so we got a lot of resistance very early."

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, who may have presidential aspirations, is apparently really frustrated with the president. The respected politician has taken criticism to a new level of insult, describing Mr. Obama as a "con" man who is "authentically dishonest."

Speaking to the National Review Online, Gingrich said, "This is a person who is fundamentally out of touch with how the world works, who happened to have played a wonderful con, as a result of which he is now president."

"I think he worked very hard at being a person who is normal, reasonable, moderate, bipartisan, transparent, accommodating — none of which was true. In the Alinksy [Ed. note: Saul Alinksy, an American community organizer] tradition, he was being the person he needed to be in order to achieve the position he needed to achieve . . . He was authentically dishonest," he continued.

On Fox News Sunday, the former Speaker criticized the president's economic policy by merely saying, "The thing that the president doesn't understand and the thing that Keynesian economics get wrong is real simple: Do you want people to have enough money to invest to create jobs? If they have a surplus of income so they can create jobs, that's somehow bad and the president wants to take away the income. That means he's leaving them with no money to create jobs."

Gingrich's more inflammatory comments on Mr. Obama's character were in response to a similarly inflammatory article by Dinesh D'Souza published in Forbes, contending that the president channels the "anticolonial ideology of Barack Obama Sr." and "is trapped in his father's time machine."

D'Souza concluded, "Incredibly, the U.S. is being ruled according to the dreams of a Luo tribesman of the 1950s. This philandering, inebriated African socialist, who raged against the world for denying him the realization of his anticolonial ambitions, is now setting the nation's agenda through the reincarnation of his dreams in his son."

D'Souza can make his argument that Mr. Obama is an anticolonialist trapped in his father's time machine, and people can debate it. But claiming that Mr. Obama scammed or conned his way into office or is conducting the affairs of state under false pretenses rather than with some unfulfilled promises is a stretch — even for the Obama skeptics and his potential competitors.

[vicada46]

Mr. Gingrich is a deeply jealous man. His frustration has reached yet another low. He can't seem to hide his hatred for 'this guy that seemingly comes from nowhere to rob' him and his ilk in his party the presidency.
He has, at this stage, realized that no matter what he says or does, the White House will forever elude him.

[Captha3210]

THE PRESIDENT RECOVERY PLAN!

NOTE: If you believe the Republican Party and the white control media President Obama has done NOTHING in the two years he has been President! LIE LIE LIE!!! There plan is to lie to the public and demonize President Obama effort for recovery! Like the stimulus package that Republicans voted for under Bush/Cheney and President Obama increase! Or immigration a plan was wrote up by Senator John Mc Cain and Senator Teddy Kennedy! Now Mc Cain is against a plan for immigration under President Obama! Republican hold up unemployment benefits for American citizen JUST BECAUSE! President Obama put together a plan for small businesses and Republican that said all along we need a plan for small businesses vote against President Obama's plan!
1. President Obama change healthcare better then any of the 43 pass Presidents! Got a bill past that seven decade of politician could not do! Healthcare benefits cover adult children under their parent policy until 26 years of age! Before you where cut off at 22years old!
2. President Obama is closing the prison in Cuba prosecuting inmates that former President Bush claim where trying to kill Americans!
3. President Obama is closing down the needless war in Iraq bringing American troops home! A war started for NOTHING causing over 4,400 Americans troops deaths for NOTHING under Bush!
4. President Obama is investing billions into sending Americans to college thought taxes cut and funding
5. President Obama has successfully negotiate with Russia reducing arms for a better America and a better world for the future.
6. President Obama has started talk with other country on Global warming for a better America!
7 President Obama sign a stimulus package that kept millions American from losing their job kept police and firefighter employed company in businesses and stabilize the country headed for a recession!
8. President Obama gave $4,000 deduction if you purchase a new energy efficient new car !
9. President Obama gave tax deduction to American citizen that purchase energy efficient applicants.
10. President Obama sign a bill to start off shore drilling that will bring jobs to Americans! And reduce dependents on oversea oil! Because of BP oil spill President Obama secure 20 billion&when the cap was 75 million!
11. President Obama approve 30,0000 more troops in Afghanistan and smartly put a time table on their return home. Even after the idiot Republican called him stupid for setting a deadline! SHOWING TRUE LEADERSHIP! He has a plan Bush & Cheney DID NOT!
12. President Obama pass the best credit card reform bill in America history!
13. President Obama put more regulation on the banking industry then any other President before him!
14.President Obama put together a plan for small businesses and Republican that said all along we need a plan for small businesses vote against President Obama's plan!
15. Under President Obama fraud in healthcare has been expose and many people prosecute and the Buddy System under past Presidents crush!
16. Under President Obama he over turn don't asked don't tell for the military!

REMEMBER PRESIDENT OBAMA CAME INTO OFFICER AFTER 8 YEARS OF THE WORSE PRESIDENT IN AMERICA HISTORY. IN LESS THAN 26 MONTH THIS PRESIDENT HAS DONE MORE THEN ANY OTHER PRESIDENT GIVEN THE CONDITION THIS COUNTRY WAS IN

[Captha3210]

WHERE ARE THE AMERICANS THAT VOTED FOR CHANGE
Bush turn a surplus into a debt! Bush was a proven idiot elected two times! The healthcare plan President Obama past whether you like it in it?s final writing, it is a historical change! THAT WILL BENEFIT ALL AMERICANS!!!!! Something never done by a sitting President. President Obama receive the country with a higher debt then the former President receive losing nearly 750,000 jobs a month under President Bush and Republican rule! President Obama increase the stimulus package from 350 billion under Bush/Cheney to 850 billion which stop the recession and stabilize the country! Two wars started by Bush/Cheney ( Afghan. and Iraq) one the Iraq war for NOTHING causing the needless death of 4,400 plus Americans lives for NOTHING! There was no WOMD?.Weapon of Mass Destruction ?.NONE.. Yet Bush/Cheney continue the war allowing Americans to put their life on the line for NOTHING! Today Republicans want to be rewarded for their part in the needless murder of American soldiers! To think there are American that will vote Republicans back into office in direct disrespect of American troops that fought and died for their lives. In a war the Republican knew where WRONG! This notion that President Obama must create jobs that Republicans allowed to be sent oversea! President Obama has been in office nearly two years and is expected to turn the country around from 8 years of destroying the country under Republican and Bush/Cheney! President Obama is redirecting the country re-tooling the country and turning the country around! Republican have been the party on NO not allowing the change to take place. So if Americans where smart they would vote Republicans out of office and give President Obama the power he needs for CHANGE! White Americans are misguided and uninformed. They are fed lies and because of the lies they believe in the wrong thing to change America for the better! White Americans should no that 43 white President did NOTHING to correct white poverty! 61% of Americans receiving food stamps and welfare are WHITE! Newt Gingrich?is now attacking WHITE PEOPLE for receiving food stamps! Blaming them for the downfall of America after his party REPUBLICANS) are responsible for the horrible condition of TODAY! Republicans have a proven record of failure and given America jobs to oversea counties! Turning the country backward is the agenda of the Republican Party! Hate and divide is the agenda of the Republican Party! Promoting anger is the agenda of the Republican Party! Pledge to America is nothing but a waste of paper and Republicans are beting on white that HEAR IT! BELIEVE IT! and REPEAT IT! and don?t investigate past the idiot the fool the racist that informed them!

[Arviebird]

State, "the meeting came to a screeching halt after the comments became too base to report" and that should be the end of it. How pathetic our leaders and ex leaders really are. Perhaps we are better off than the Mexicans and the Arabs because they end conflict with weapons. But acting like small children isn't the answer. We've all been there once. Don't want to resort to this behavior again. Shame on him and all that support this junk.

[Captha3210]

Talk about white racist ignoracne and bullying just look at the white so-call Christian protesting with sign at a white soldier funeral! The shame is that many whites don't speak out against the evil! Attacking the dead is shameful! White racism in America is ones of the strongest forms of bullying and has gone on for century! So when people are told to stand up to the bully with the notion he or she will back down . That is not true and only happen in white movie and white TV shows! Blacks have stood up spoke out and march and died and where beat and murdered standing up to white racist bullying! And the white racist bully mentality gets stronger over the years! Under President Obama their have been more threats to an American President's life! That has taking on record numbers! More white militant group Under President Obama more white anti-America groups! Hate and divide is the Program of the white Republican Party that also encourage bullying and hate and divide! HELLO TEA PARTY"...... We see white reality shows that encourage bullying and fights verbal and physical like MTV " Real World" Jersey Shore"The Challenge: Cutthoat". The Housewives of "whatever"...... Then it's Jerry Springer" a white disgusting show that not only encourage violent but promote the show for it's violent! Many white show on TV encourage bullying and violent then have the nerve to wonder why American children of all race are violent and become bully! They look at Judge Judy a white woman that is educate and in authority. But treats the litigant that come into the courtroom like second class citizen! She scream yells and calls litigant names like idiot 'fools' ignorance' moron' and one white male litigant she refer to as "This Thing! This makes her a bully because number one she already has power over the litigants! Given to her by America's justice system! Second she knows that if the litigant respond like she talked to them she can just dismiss their cases.... THAT IS EVIL!... THAT IS A BULLY!!!!! That same bullying behavior is taught to America's young that is taught to white police officers that abuse their authority and bully black women and children black senior citizen and especially black males! That racist bullying is in America's government and has been forever! So we all must wake up and take responsibility for not identifying the racist bullying in America and how it is taught. Whites must take a leadership stand against bullying in America! They are the majority and with that comes responsibility! White are more likely to be in authority and as a matter of history have disrespected authority and theirselves!

[Captha3210]

In a lumber warehouse 30 miles from Washington, House Republican leaders unveiled "A Pledge to America," the most unrevealing look yet at how the party claims it would lead if it regains control of the lower chamber in November. "This new governing agenda, claim to be put together because of listening to the people, offers plans to create jobs, cut spending and put power where it belongs: in the hands of the people," said minority leader John Boehner. By giving voters a peek at their playbook six weeks before the midterm elections, Republicans attempted to neutralize charges that the GOP had become the "party of no."John Boehner and Republicans politician truly believe that white people are all RACIST & STUPID and will forget the Republican record of failure! John Boehner believe that white people HEAR IT! BELIEVE IT! and REPEAT IT! And will not investigate past the idiot the fool the racist that inform them! This Pledge in my opinion comes before Republicans "Apologize To America"! Apologizing for voting for a needless war in Iraq and causing the needless death of over 4,4 00 plus American troops in Iraq! For demonizing any and all effort of President Obama in cleaning up the mess Republicans create! Like the stimulus package that Republicans voted for under Republican President G. W Bush and criticize President Obama for increasing the stimulus and stabilizing the country! The Republicans need to apologize for turning a surplus into debt and sending the country toward a recession! Or the fact that there was NO plan for the Iraq War and the Republcan didn't order proper armor that could have save 750 American troops LIFE! The Pledge to America" is nothing more then a photo copy of " Contract With America" that started the Republican lies! All the extreme Republican with extreme view was not address in this garbage of " A Pledge to America"! Like addressing abolishing "Social Security" or Healthcare for 31 million Americans! Republicans have a proven record of failure and prove of one failure is Sarah Palin who quit her job as Governor. Because she could not handle the job only now the quitter wants to be President of the United State!

[rosebudlynn62]

People are idiots! They forget easily about the Iran Contra scandal, the SAVINGS and LOAN scandal and the HUD scandal. All under the Ronald Reagan presidency. And of course the complete failure of nancy Reagan;s just say no campaign. He was sick with dementia long before he acknowledged it to the public and Nancy was running the show. Republicans want smaller government-- and what-- just let greed and corruption run rampant. Rules must be in place and followed because we all have to pay a price for democracy. This price is law and order!

I am also sick of the Sharon Christine and sarah Palin. (From Nevada, Delaware and Alaska) They are so ill informed and unequipped to run for office. They are not able to put a sentence together unless it is written for them by their staff. I support women in office like Hillary Clinton who is intelligent and possess critical thinking skills. (and yes, I am a 63 year old female who marched for women's rights and against the Viet Nam war). But those three are a very sorry bunch of losers. If Sharon and Christine O'Donnell win I will never travel to Nevada or Delaware again. I shudder to think they will be making laws for us and manage huge financial sum when O'Donnell house was foreclosed and she didn't have a paying job for five years and illegally used campaign funds for her day to day living. Just what we need up in DC incompetence!!!!

[Captha3210]

Under former President Ronald Reagan the Republican party high jack Christianity many had not seen a church in years! Reagan today is like a Republican GOD but Republican will never acknowledge that he serve the last two and a half year suffering from Alzheimer and refuse to resign! So in reality Reagan didn't run the country! He would rather put the country at risk!The white Republican Party are a bunch of phoney that realize that white people ( their base) HEAR IT! BELIEVE IT! and REPEAT IT! And will not investigate past the idiot the fool the liar the racist that inform them! The Tea Party back Republicans are well aware of that fact and are supporting true stupid idiot Republican with extreme and insane change! Like turning over social security to Wall Street" and sending more jobs oversea. Republican Pat Toomey is sick and has always back bills to destroy the financial strength of America and wants corporation to pay NO taxes! Christine O'Donnell is a sick Devil Worshiper and whites are following and vote for her with no problem! Republican are responsible for the horrible condition of the country! There plan is to demonize any effort that President Obama attempted or gets past in the senate to fix the mess they create! Sarah Palin is a proven idiot and a quitter and the front runner for Republican President! GO FIGURE??? This just proves that white people are misguided and un-educate about America's moral standard in the world! Today because of un-educate white Americans. America is seen as a third world country and plain stupid! White Republican have been the problem in this country for many years! Two wars and the Iraq War for NOTHING! Causing the needless death of American citizen! White American want to reward Republican for stupidity and murder of American troops! The financial downfall of America happen under Republican after receiving a surplus from the Democrat President! 9/11 happen under Republican rule because of Republican policy and their deep hatred for Muslim and their racist belief. The same belief system that is destroying America! The white control media is behind the white Republican Party and support their efforts to regain power!

[Captha3210]

The Republicans are WRONG! They have a proven record of being WRONG! BUT... Republican successfully have sold white people and some minority their stupidity! The Tea Party are angry and the country with the help of the white control media are force to hear that over and over! The Republican are constantly saying" the American people are against or for this and that" or referring to polls that only 250 to 5,000 white people participate in ! They have lied about healthcare and convince many stupid white people they are the better politician! Even after Republicans sent American soldier to Iraq for NOTHING! They no that white people HEAR IT! BELIEVE IT! and REPEAT IT! and NEVER investigate past the idiot the fool the racist or liar that gave then the information! WHITE PEOPLE BELIEVE WHAT OTHER WHITE PEOPLE TELL THEM!!! Republican idiot Newt Gingrich is a good example! He knows he can say whatever he wants and the lack of white leadership and the racist mentality of white American will believe him! He can lie about President Obama's policy and lie about President Obama. The white racist American are just find with it and the others whites are just silence! To think that the white control media WILL NOT talk about the failure of going into Iraq and causing the needless death of American troops! To think that the white control media WILL NOT talk about the fact that former President Ronald Reagan suffer from Alzheimer the last two and a half years in office! This man is looked at as a GOD and referred to constantly! Trickle down "Reaganomic" DID NOT WORK! 4,400 plus American troops are dead for NOTHING and the Tea Party and the Republican Party are angry about spending money on Americans! 4,400 Americans troops are dead didn't spark anger under Republican President Bush! The white control media talks about the cost of healthcare BUT not the cost of the lives lost for NOTHING! They talk of President Obama spending BUT not the fact that he is spending the money to stabilize and re-tool the country after Republicans mess it UP!

[rosebudlynn62]

newt is a has been. he needs to shut up and go away. Just like Cheney, their time is LONG over. He is the biggest hypocrite critical of Clinton over the Lewnisky issue and he was carrying on with a staffer. What a snake. He needs to get a hobby and that does not include spewing hate and lies. Like Rush, there is a difference between free speech and hate speech.

[rosebudlynn62]

I am sick to death of all the smears about our President. After the Bush war on Terror LIES and his stupidity, Our president deserves a chance to clean up the mess left by Bush. This country is still racist and the republicans gleefully and publicly want him to fail None of them give a rip about the common american man and woman and will do what is best for the country. Blocking every good thing the president wants to do is their only focus. They deserve canidates like C.O'Donnell, a person who publicly condems ************ and yet practices witchcraft yes, those are glowing qualities Republicans will support as long as she WINS for their party. Not that she is academically qualified or has a flexible point of view but that she will be a REPUBLICAN to vote against Obama. It is just pathetic.

[Arviebird]

Rosebudlynn, too true. Our president has been the most elegant man we've ever witnessed. He's been stifled at every turn because we really have many Neokkk's and they want him to fail. He'll never win cause there is just too much money and bad genes attempting to cause him to fail. Can you see them all with big cigars yucking it up in some fancy hotel?
Obama is a jewel and we don't deserve him. Newt was a low brow way back when and he's only become less than he was before. Shame on him.