Eleven years ago, I ghosted a book for then-Rep. Mark Sanford titled “The Trust Committed to Me.” The theme was the importance of having citizen legislators, and at the time, Sanford was one of the few who had made — and kept — a self-imposed three term limit.
One of the occasional stars of the book was then-Speaker Newt Gingrich. And with Mr. Gingrich’s steady rise in the GOP presidential polls, I keep coming back to an episode I took from Sanford’s notes in which we get a look at the way Newt ran his caucus, and why so many older conservatives have a hard time embracing him on the presidential trail.
…in 1997, at the beginning of my second term…we voted on whether to increase committee funding by 14.5 percent. A number of us said we didn’t think it was such a good idea. The leadership pulled us aside and applied intense pressure to get us to change our minds, insisting we really needed to vote for this measure.
After 11 Republicans voted against the funding hike, Mr. Gingrich unleashed a charm offensive on the recalcitrant members:
Newt Gingrich was steaming. He said first, everyone is going to be here [at a mandatory GOP House conference meeting]; if necessary the sergeant at arms (policemen) would be sent out to round up any stragglers. The member sitting next to me leaned over and said, “In the eight years I have been here, I have never heard of a mandatory conference meeting.” I was thinking, “Great timing, why now?” The Speaker then said, “The eleven genuises who thought they knew more than the rest of the Congress are going to come up and explain their votes.” My colleague leaned over again and this time exclaimed, “I have never heard of anyone having to explain their vote.” Finally the Speaker said, “Those of you who had planned to go to John Kasich’s wedding on Saturday are not going. No one is going anywhere until we get the votes we need to pass this rule.”
…
I wasn’t thrilled about going up to the podium, and mercifully, I didn’t have to go first. Instead, Steve Largent, an NFL Hall of Famer who probably liked butting heads, walked straight up. Some 230 members were jammed into the room, not very happy with us for having delayed their trip home. Steve’s first words were addressed to Newt Gingrich, not ten feet away. His tone was matter-of-fact, even pleasant: “Mr. Speaker, I am not intimidated.”
They all made their way to the podium eventually, but Largent’s direct challenge to Gingrich’s bullying got Newt to back down.
Thus is usually the case with bullies of all stripes. Remember that as this presidential campaign moves forward.
