hat tip : Jo Anne Zarola

While in congress, Newt
•Founded the Conservative Opportune Society which met weekly to discuss ideas many of which were adopted by Reagan during his second term supporting the group’s conservative goals on economic growth, education, crime, and social issues.
•Co founded the Congressional Military Reform Caucus and the Congressional Aviation and Space Caucus
•Led charges against the Democrat Speaker of the House Jim Wright
•Became House Minority Whip in 1989
•In 1990, he came up with a paper titled ”Language, a Key Mechanism of Control”, that encouraged Republicans to “speak like Newt” and contained lists of “contrasting words” – words with negative connotations such as “radical”, “sick,” and “traitors” – and “optimistic positive governing words” such as “opportunity”, “courage”, and “principled”, that Gingrich recommended for use in describing Democrats and Republicans, respectively…Now we know why he is so good with words during the debates.
•Gingrich and several other Republicans, in an effort to offer an alternative to Democratic policies and to unite distant wings of the Republican Party came up with a Contract with America which laid out ten policies that Republicans promised to bring to a vote on the House floor during the first hundred days of the new Congress if they won the elections. The contract was signed by Gingrich and other Republican candidates for the House of Representatives. The contract ranged from issues such as welfare reform, term limits, tougher crime laws, and a balanced budget law, to more specialized legislation such as restrictions on American military participation in UN missions. In the November 1994 elections, Republicans gained 54 seats and took control of the House for the first time since 1954.
•Congress fulfilled Gingrich’s Contract promise to bring all ten of the Contract’s issues to a vote within the first 100 days of the session
•Legislation proposed by the 104th US Congress included term limits for Congressional Representatives, tax cuts, welfare reform, and a balanced budget amendment, as well as independent auditing of the finances of the House of Representatives and elimination of non-essential services such as the House barbershop and shoe-shine concessions.
•Newt led the Republican majority to an re-election in 1996, the first time Republicans had done so in 68 years, and the first time simultaneously with a Democratic president winning re-election.
•In 1996, Newt pushed for the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act which was intended to reconstruct the welfare system. The act gave state governments more autonomy over welfare delivery, while also reducing the federal government’s responsibilities. It instituted the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, which placed time limits on welfare assistance and replaced the longstanding Aid to Families with Dependent Children program. Other changes to the welfare system included stricter conditions for food stamp eligibility, reductions in immigrant welfare assistance, and recipient work requirements. The said act was signed into law on Aug 22, 1996.
•Pushed Clinton for a Federal Balanced Budget- The plan included a total of $152 billion in Republican sponsored tax cuts over five years. Other major parts of the spending plan called for $115 billion to be saved through a restructuring of Medicare, $24 billion set aside to extend health insurance to children of the working poor, tax credits for college tuition, and a $2 billion welfare-to-work jobs initiative. Plan was to have a balanced budget by 2002 but was achieved in 1999, three years ahead of schedule.
•Through the Contract with America, Gingrich was credited with the largest Capital Gains Tax Cut in US History with the 1997 US Tax Relief Act

There is a lot more to say about the life and achievements of Newton Leroy Gingrich during what can be considered the first chapter of his life including his struggles with Clinton, the Government Shutdowns, the 84 politically motivated ethic charges, of which 82 were discharged and two upheld on a technicality. Bill Clinton’s IRS formally exonerated Gingrich of any wrong doing in 1999. An objective study of Newt Gingrich’s history will give the reader a very strong impression that the man has incredible leadership qualities and an unquestionable record of conservative achievements over a 30 year period. Love him or hate him, the man is uniquely qualified to be the 45th President of the United States. Some may chose to nitpick on his record and his personal failures but it is ultimately undeniable that he had proven himself capable of doing great things and God willing, he may be called upon for his greatest task yet….the task of turning this great country around and pulling her from the precipice that three years of Obama had brought the country to. I strongly encourage all of you to join me in saving our great country. May God Bless you all.