RICHARD A. CASTER - ESSAY
NEWT GINGRICH
Born in 1943, Newton Leroy Gingrich always dreamed of becoming the Speaker of the US House of Representatives. His Mother,
16 year old Kit Daughetry married 19 year old Newton McPherson. On June 17th 1943, their son Newt was born in Pennsylvania.
Newt’s mother divorced Mr. McPherson when Newt was only one year old. After her divorce she married Bob Gingrich, who
served his country in Korea and Vietnam during Newt’s childhood. This created a very strong bond between Newt and His
Mother, Kit.
At the age of ten, Newt took a bus to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to lobby the mayor to open a zoo, literally proving Newt’s destiny
of becoming a great politician. In 1956, the Gingrich family moved to Orleans, France and then Stuttgart Germany while Newt
was only fifteen years old. During his stay in Europe, Newt had his “epiphany” while visiting the battlefield of Verdun, France.
He declared that he would become a politician who would prevent such carnage.
In 1960, the family moved to Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia where Newt entered Baker High School. He was socially
awkward, not good at sports, and wore thick glasses. He made his first close friend there, Jim Tilton. He ran Tilton's successful
campaign for student body president. Friends say, while Newt was still in high school, he was already talking about his plans to
become Speaker of the House. He also vowed to marry his geometry teacher, Jackie Battley. In 1961, Newt graduated from high
school while secretly dating Jackie. The next year, over his stepfather’s objections, Newt married his old geometry teacher
Jackie Battley. They had their first child in 1963.
After receiving a bachelors and a PhD in History, Newt started his first teaching career at West Georgia College at the age of 27.
Four years later in 1974, Newt made his first bid for Congress against 20-year democrat incumbent, Jack Flynt. Newt lost with
48.5% of the vote. Also that year, “Big Newt,” Newt’s Father, died of cancer at the age of 48. Newt lost his second bid for
congress with 48.3% of the vote in 1976. Realizing his mistake of trying to get the moderate, black, and environmentalist votes
in the past, Newt ran as a hard core conservative republican, while painting his opponent as a liberal, winning him his third bid
for Congress. In 1981, Newt divorced Jackie and married Marianne Ginther, a personnel clerk with the Secret Service.
After writing a book and becoming the Right wing Media star at the 1984 Republican National Convention in Dallas, Newt went
after democrat Speaker of the House, Jim Wright, on a series of ethic charges. Wright resigned due to the charges, making this
one of Newt’s first great victories as a leader in the Republican Party.
After becoming House Majority Whip and winning two more elections, Newt lead the charge against the Clinton Administration
and orchestrated the “Contract With America.” The contract included promises of bills that would limit Congressional terms and
create a Line-Item Veto which would allow the President to veto certain parts of a bill instead of only the whole bill. In 1994,
Newt gathered 300 GOP congressional candidates on Capital grounds to sign the “Contract With America.”
November of that year, the republicans took control of the House and the Senate. This was the first time the republicans
controlled the House since 1952. On Jan. 4th 1995 Newt’s dream became a reality. He was sworn in as Speaker of the House. In
December of 1995, Newt was named “Man of The Year” by Time Magazine. In 1997, the democrats attacked, using the media to
slander the Speaker. After a constant barrage of attacks, the liberals filed ethics charges against Newt. Finally after a long
agonizing process he was cleared of all charges by the Ethics Committee. The next year, after even more pathetic slandering,
Newt determined it would be better not to put his country and himself through the ordeal, so he decided not to seek re-election
for House Speaker. He also retired from his seat at the end of 1998.
In 2007, Newt has given reason to believe that he might run for President of the United States of America. Only time will tell if
this great man will go down in history as a Speaker or as a President.
CASTER ENDORSES GINGRICH
With the Democrats and the liberal media in full swing bringing Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and Al Gore front and center for
the Democrat Presidential primaries, the Republicans need a man who will lead the charge against them. A man who has the
Ideas and the courage to defeat them, I believe this man is Newt Gingrich. Throughout his whole life he has shown consistent
conservatism, and willingness to fight the status quo. If Newt Gingrich were to become our next President, I trust he would fight
the war on terror with the convictions that are needed to do the job.
President Gingrich would bring America back from the brink of liberal destruction and remind us all that we are still one nation
under God.
That is why I support Newt Gingrich for President.
RAC
FROM THE EDITOR
Are you familiar with Richard A. Caster?
He is a political activist from Northwest Arkansas, who is doing independent research on the American political process.
RICHARD IS 16 YEARS OLD! There's hope America. There is hope.