work with your constituents, you would ask around about what he was like or she was like to work with. and here we re getting people who actually worked with newt who don t say it s not that they hold back judgment, as you suggest, they offer judgment, and it s negative. how do you explain that? what s their motive in attacking him, even if he s not going to be the nominee? i understand sue molinari and peter king are from the northeast, where we don t do very well in new york city, in general. and so sometimes it s in the congressman s district interest not to support somebody like newt. mitt romney is the safer candidate. tom coburn. coburn is an outspoken guy, regardless. but i m going to give you that one, chris. i understand that. but let me say this. when newt came to power as speaker, we had deficit projections of $2.7 trillion for the next decade. after four years, we had surpluses of $2.3 trillion. unemployment went to 4.6%. welfare reform was accomplished in which chi
projections of $2.7 trillion for the next decade. after four years, we had surpluses of $2.3 trillion. unemployment went to 4.6%. welfare reform was accomplished in which childhood poverty was decreased and two-thirds of the people on welfare got jobs. now, this was done under a bipartisan administration, working with bill clinton, and sometimes fighting bill clinton very famously and very openly. and yet, despite the chaos, the achievements and the accomplishments speak for themselves. and that s why i think he s doing so well among republican voters who have been watching this whole process for six months, tuning in on every single debate and saying, debate after debate, newt gingrich seems to be the winner. well, one of the people who watch newt in action is me, congressman, back when i was the speaker, tip o neill. i watched a couple things, which i think are objectively wrong about him. there are some strengths. he s obviously very smart. and in many ways, he brought the republi
$2.3 trillion. unemployment, 4.6%. welfare reform was accomplished. childhood poverty was decreased. two-thirds of people on welfare got jobs. this was done under a bipartisan deal. despite the chaos, the achievements speak for themselves. that s why he s doing so well among republican voters who have been watching this process and tuning into the debate. debate after debate, newt gingrich seems to be the winner. back when i was a speaker, i watched things that i think are wrong with him. he s got strengths. he s very smart. he brought the republicans into power. he called democratic leaders corrupt. that was the word. he likes that word corrupt.
after four years, we had surpluses of $2.3 trillion. unemployment went to 4.6%. welfare reform was accomplished in which childhood poverty was decreased and two-thirds of the people on welfare got jobs. now, this was done under a bipartisan administration, working with bill clinton, and sometimes fighting bill clinton very famously and very openly. and yet, despite the chaos, the achievements and the accomplishments speak for themselves. and that s why i think he s doing so well among republican voters who have been watching this whole process for six months, tuning in on every single debate and saying, debate after debate, newt gingrich seems to be the winner. well, one of the people who watch newt in action is me, congressman, back when i was the speaker, tip o neill. i watched a couple things, which i think are objectively wrong about him. there are some strengths. he s obviously very smart. and in many ways, he brought the republicans into power. but lack ook at how he did it. he