Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich gives a speech at The Dole Institute for Politics on Wednesday. Among the many topics discussed, Gingrich addressed the recent economic crisis, ways to improve national security and current issues facing both the Republican and Democratic parties. He also debated on the future of the Obama presidency, and how its success could lie on the shoulders of bipartisanship.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich carried out his role as the Dole Institute for Politics’ first Distinguished Visiting Fellow yesterday, spending the day meeting with and talking to students, faculty and community members in numerous diverse settings.
Gingrich first visited the Natural History Museum in Dyche Hall, which made such an impression on him that he gushed over it at all following events.
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Gingrich visits KU
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich visited the KU campus on Wednesday to talk with students and faculty.
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Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at the Dole Institute of Politics
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich gave a speech at the Dole Institute for Politics on Wednesday. Among the many topics discussed, Gingrich addressed the recent economic crisis, ways to improve national security and current issues facing both the Republican and Democratic parties.
“I had a tremendous time looking at fossils,” Gingrich said.
He followed up his museum visit with a Pizza and Politics lecture in the Adams Alumni center’s Bruckmiller room at noon. Gingrich’s presence brought more than 100 people to enjoy the food and conversation combo, more than twice the previous record attendance since the program’s inception five years ago. Here he explained President Obama’s political future depends on whether he will be a Jimmy Carter or a Bill Clinton. He said that Carter failed because he refused to take the opponent’s policies into consideration, whereas Clinton was willing to work with Gingrich and his Republican majority after the 1994 congressional changeover. Gingrich then took questions from KU students from a variety of political backgrounds on his past in Congress and the future of the Republican party.
Chelsea Mertz, Topeka senior and Pizza and Politics coordinator, scheduled the visit to Pizza and Politics.
“They had scheduled him for the Dole forum program,” Mertz said, “So I asked if we could do the lunch program as well. It’s been a little hectic, but it’s gone really well.”
Eric Foss, president of the KU College Republicans, explained the success of this student-centric event.
“A lot of us political junkies started becoming aware of politics just around the same time he was leading the Republicans, regaining control of Congress,” Foss said. “We’re all very excited that he chose to come.”
After sipping a Diet Coke and hearing student’s thoughts, Gingrich got a chance to share his own during a visit to Jonathan Earle’s class “Conspiracy Theories and Paranoia in American History.” Earle is the Dole Institute’s program director and associate professor of history, which Gingrich himself used to teach at the University of West Georgia.
“We here at the Dole Institute like to bring in people who matter in contemporary politics,” Earle said, “With Speaker Gingrich we had kind of an interesting package, because he started out as a college teacher. We were really able to meet all of those goals.”
Next on Gingrich’s agenda was a reception downtown for the friends of the Dole Institute, before heading to the Dole Institute on west campus for his final obligation for the visit.
The Dole Institute began seating those lined up outside at 6 p.m. Less than an hour later the building was filled to its capacity of 525.
Gingrich emerged shortly after 7:30pm and spoke for about 45 minutes about his view of the country’s current issues. He said the nation faces threats from radical Islam and Chinese progress that everyone is scared to address. He also said the country needs a unified vision of America and its future, as Ronald Reagan had.
Though discussing serious subject matter the former Speaker of the House consistently cracked jokes all day about things such as Carter ineptitude and Eisenhower’s wily interstate development.
Earle said the Institute hopes to replicate the visit’s success in the years to come.
— Edited by Betsy Cutcliff
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Comments
Former Speaker of House causes stir at KU
Vadislav nailed it. Stir makes the visit sound negative, yet there was nothing of the like in the actual article.
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