Newt Gingrich Is a Pretty Smart Guy...

How Do You Stay Relevant without Running for Office? Newt Knows How....

Those of you who are involved at all in the GOP here in SC have probably gotten called like me from Newt Gingrich's American Solutions for Winning the Future Camp. He's having a series of forums nationwide to discuss how America needs to address the issues affecting itself today and in the future. There will be one in Florence at FMU's Bruce Auditorium on Sept. 29th. No, Newt won't be there - at least I don't think so.

You're probably asking , 'Mickey, aren't there enough people talking about how to fix America right now?'. Maybe, but they all seem to be running for President. Therefore, can they all be really trusted in what they say, or are they just kowtowing for votes? I think we all know the answer.

Running for President is a strange fish. Timing is everything. I personally know guys who are planning runs for Congress in 2012 now. Why? Timing. The pack is already full for 2008, but if you run once and lose, you lose a lot juice - ask John McCain and John Edwards. Planning that first run should not be taken lightly. So, what better thing to do than discussing the issues and providing solutions? No argument here....

If Gingrich does this right - finding answers to issues, and keep writing those books, I have little doubt that he will be the leading candidate for President in 2012, particularly if a Democrat (Ok, Hillary Clinton is a lock for the Dems) wins in November. Hey, it's never too early to plan. That's how Social Security got all messed up.

Of course, Gingrich has some baggage. He is the Dems version of Hillary. He's said some dumb things here and there. No doubt he is a lightning rod for criticism, but he did architect the single most effective vision for the GOP in the past 25 years. Makes a decent resume in the future, but let's find out what the solutions are next week....

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