You probably thought you knew Newt Gingrich: he was the man who hated government so much that as Republican House Speaker he even shut it down. He was the thorn in Bill Clinton’s side througout the 1990s. He was undeniably a significant figure in modern conservatism.
Well, it turns out you were wrong. Newt Gingrich is in fact a communist, business-hating Maoist. At least, that’s what you’d have gathered if you watched cable news today. The GOP establishment was in full meltdown mode over his attacks on Mitt Romney’s time at the private equity firm, Bain Capital. They clearly fear it’s going to give the Democrats a bipartisan gloss on banging Bain come the general election and they have one priority: shut Newt down. Now.
So grab the popcorn. You’ve heard of “trial by media”? This is more like “Stalinist show trial by media.” Enjoy.
Image from Shutterstock/Yayayoyo
Michael Lester
Originally from Scotland, Michael was a freelance video editor before joining TPM in the summer of 2011. He lives in New York with his wife and two cats and is a lifelong fan of The World Famous Dundee United.
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