Politics: Newtisms

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Politics Newtisms A glossary of Newt Gingrich's historical references and out-of-nowhere terminology. By David Weigel Posted Friday, Dec 09, 2011, at 06:39 PM ET The moment comes, inevitably, at a key point in any Newt Gingrich speech. Members of the audience lean in and whisper: "Huh?" As speaker of the House, Gingrich was notorious (ask the Romney campaign!) for pulling ideas out of the ether. During his post-congressional wilderness years, he's written an average of a book every nine months. We can quote the man himself: He is a "cultural teacher, with a political campaign to change a government." A mere voter or reporter hears him mention a random concept, and gets flummoxed. Be flummoxed no more! Below is a work-in-progress guide to the names and phrases Gingrich whips out to score extra points with conservatives. Previous Slate word watches—Bushisms, Palinisms—tracked candidates' malapropisms. This is different. This will track and demystify the terms Gingrich tosses out to demonstrate his brain size. If Gingrich keeps coining them, I'll keep updating this page. If you need a Newtism explained, email david.weigel@slate.com and I'll get on it. Saul Alinsky "Obama believes in a Saul Alinsky radicalism which the press corps was never willing to look at," Gingrich said at a South Carolina stop last month. In this case, the media means "outlets other than Fox News," as Glenn Beck conducted a multiyear Alinsky seminar on the cable outlet. The original community organizer, Alinsky—who died in 1972—helped build the organizations that trained the young Barack Obama and wrote the handbook Rules for Radicals. Gingrich and other conservatives see ... To continue reading, click here. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate The Misery Caused by the Facebook "Feature" That Hides a Bunch of Your Mail Charlize Theron's Bitter, Mean, Fascinating Performance Carries Young Adult Be Very Afraid of a Pair of Bills That Threaten Internet Freedom	Advertisement
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