Speaker Gingrich Rallies CT GOP
House Speaker Newt Gingrich told a sold-out audience at the 31st Annual Prescott Bush Dinner Thursday night that Republicans can return as elected leaders at the state and federal levels by ”using the truth and common sense,” and embracing the mantle of reform.
“We are at a crossroads,” Gingrich told the 800 party activists, donors and elected leaders. “We will have an opportunity like no other time since Ronald Reagan.”
Gingrich was the headliner at the annual event which honored Lt. Governor Michael Fedele of Stamford with the Prescott Bush Award for leadership and Vincent Nolan of Danbury with the Fenton “Pat” Futtner Award for grass roots activism.
Lt. Gov. Fedele gave a penetrating and often emotional speech about the opportunities America provided his family, begriming when he emigrated as a young boy from Italy.
“If people think capitalism is over, they should point to me and see why’s it’s not,” said Fedele, who build a computer software business from scratch before serving in local government and 10 years in the General Assembly. Fedele said he did it by following his father’s advice, “you have two things in this life, your name and your hand shake.”
Nolan also thanked his parents in his remarks, noting that were both Democrats, who were active in Southington politics. Then the 1972 Presidential candidacy of George McGovern made Nolan a Republican overnight. Former State Senator David Cappiello recalled the time he met Nolan doing a door to door canvas for a local petition.
They two met on a winterly day after Cappiello waded through a foot of snow to get Nolan to sign the document. Nolan asked how he could, and the rest was a history of working for candidates in Danbury and the 5th Congressional District.
Governor M. Jodi Rell praised House Leader Larry Cafero, R-Norwalk and Senate Leader John McKinney, R-Fairfield, for their tenacity and courage in stopping the Democrats from moving destructive legislation in the waning hours of the session. Gov. Rell said the coming weeks and months were going to be a real test of Republican resolve to not agree to tax increases and to insist on spending cuts and reform of government functions.
Wednesday night, the Legislative Session ended at midnight with no two-year budget agreement.
Political Aristocracy Must Be Stopped
Speaker Gingrich incorporated many of Fedele’s themes in his 45-minute address, done without notes, which touched on what he called “a growing political aristocracy that doesn’t care what the people think as long as they hold power.”
He said the unearned transfer of wealth to the United Auto Workers for the bailout of General Motors and Chrysler, was the “best return of investment in political donations in American history.
Gingrich said Republicans had to talk in common sense language to the American voters and to offer honest solutions to what kind of government and bureaucracies the people should tolerate. He used a slogan used by the Polish resistance in the 1970’s to Soviet domination “2 plus 2 equals 4″ which was a reference to the pattern of abuse written in the George Orwell novel – “1984.”
Gingrich said in 1984, if the state decides that 2 plus 2 equals 5, then it equals 5, or 3.
“But it equals four,” said Gingrich. “Sort of like, if you can’t afford a house….”
The crowd responded, “then don’t buy it.”
The same was true for the $9 trillion in borrowing that is supposed to reinvigorate the economy, Gingrich argued.
“Does anyone, anyone think borrowing $9 trillion dollars is going to do it?, giving it to a tired bureaucracy to manage and that will somehow fix our economy?” Gingrich asked.
The Speaker spent time before, during and after dinner signing autographs, taking pictures and mingling with attendees before departing for an interview with FOX NEWS, which brought a satellite truck up to the hotel parking lot to accommodate the man who brought Republicans out of the wilderness in 1994.
All told, the event raised $300,000 for the state party.
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The Prescott Bush dinner event video is now posted on the all Newt Gingrich website, RSSNewt.com. He did a great job and it also showed some lively Republicans are fighting the good fight for freedom in Connecticut. (Click the “Trackback” link just above to view.)
As a nation, we are getting to the point of Poland under Communist occupation where soon: One plus one equals two may need to be our battle cry too.