Gingrich Ponders 2012 Presidential Run

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: Newt Gingrich

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who has stayed active in Republican circles since leaving office, told reporters in Virginia last night that he is considering running for president in 2012.

Gingrich and his wife "will look seriously and we'll probably get our family totally engaged, including our two grandchildren, probably in January, 2011, and we'll look seriously at whether or not we think it's necessary to do it," he said, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

"And if we think it's necessary we'll probably do it," Gingrich said. "And if it isn't necessary we probably won't do it."

"I think it's conceivable that by 2012 you could have a second Contract for America," the former Speaker added.

(CBS)

The Contract With America was crafted by Gingrich and other Republicans in 1994 and helped propel the GOP to a majority in both houses of Congress. It outlined a number of promises, many related to taxes and spending.

On CBSNews.com's "Washington Unplugged" last week, Gingrich said the GOP "got off track, it failed to perform, and it got fired."

"That's the great genius of America, if you don't do your job, the customer gets to choose somebody else," he continued.

Gingrich toyed with a run for the GOP nomination in 2008 but ultimately decided against it. Last night, he explained his attitude towards working with President Obama and Congressional Democrats: "Cooperate when you can, offer a better solution when possible, stop something only if you have no alternative."

In late 1995, Gingrich was a key player in the shutdown of the federal government. His budget battle with then-President Bill Clinton ultimately hurt Gingrich's public image, thanks in part to reports that he had engineered the shutdown in part because he did not like the seat he had been given during a flight on Air Force One.

In his comment last night, Gingrich discussed his opposition to federal spending under President Obama, saying that he "know[s] of no experience in the last 50 years where a big-government spending program has successfully restarted the economy."

"The president is setting out a path of very high taxes, very big bureaucracy, moving power to Washington, redistributing wealth, punishing people who are successful, rewarding people who are not successful," he added.

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by vetsence March 8, 2009 8:54 AM EDT: I think the moral hypocrisy of people like Newt is something to beware of. It is one thing to make an immoral decision, but quite another to make it in conjunction with a great effort to take another person down for doing similar things. President Newt? No way for me.; Reply to this comment


by lami987 March 7, 2009 9:23 PM EST: A serial divorcer like him better not do it. Would be a disgrace to the republicans.; Reply to this comment


by actornaught March 7, 2009 7:48 PM EST: Contract on America. And this disgraced scumbag wants to say out loud that he wants to be president.

go newt go... yeah... keep going... bye bye...; Reply to this comment


by tonyatq March 7, 2009 6:12 PM EST: Maybe he will pick BIG RUSH for his running mate.; Reply to this comment


by tonyatq March 7, 2009 6:09 PM EST: IT WILL BE A COLD DAY IN HELL BEFORE NEWT GET BACK IN OFFICE. HE NEED TO GO BACK TO GA. MAYBE GET HE GET SOMETHING DONE DOWN THERE.; Reply to this comment


by actornaught March 7, 2009 5:50 PM EST: newt is a scumbag, the worst of the worst, and the general public knows it. So go ahead and run newt run, and guarantee 4 more years of what will probably be an even larger democrat majority.; Reply to this comment


by harbinger19 March 7, 2009 2:37 AM EST: In a half century as a politcal junky, the last 25 as a reformed Democrat, I have never encountered a politician as intelligent, articulate and intellectually truthful as Newt Gingrich.It is difficult to see anyone of either party besting him.
Posted by won12 at 3:27 PM : Mar 6, 2009

He's a fvck-monkey. Fvck-monkeys cannot be trusted. If he could d1ck his wife like that just think what he could do to the rest of America that he does not even know..

Here's some advice from an Independent--stop running candidates that cater to your party--or you will keep losing--because there is NOT enough of you to win on your own and most of us despise neo con azzholes.; Reply to this comment


by harbinger19 March 7, 2009 2:31 AM EST: Actually, if you listne to his ideas, some of them are pretty good. But, of course you have to LISTEN. Not much of that going on right now.
Posted by McHineguy at 1:17 PM : Mar 6, 2009

We've listened to Newt before- Always lots of great ideas that seem to fizzile out once power is assured and his assistants are spread eagled across his desk. Face it--Newt is a has been who can talk the talk but he does NOT walk the walk--This is NOT your grandad's America anymore--time to retire all adulterers, liars, hypocrites and self righteous lawyer azzholes.; Reply to this comment


by harbinger19 March 7, 2009 2:25 AM EST: The failed runs of Guiliani and McCain says it all--we are not electing male hoars--if you committed adultry and think you want to get in the White House (especially if you are a hypocrite that blasted Clinton while you did the same thing) we don't want you. You can run and run--but you are on the political treadmill and will get NO WHERE.; Reply to this comment


by dakotaclark March 6, 2009 9:22 PM EST: Hmmm...

Newt Gingrich must be mentally ill if he actually thinks he has a chance of getting elected POTUS.

His chances of that are the exact same as him becoming the next Pope or Czar of Russia.

What a loser!; Reply to this comment