"Warming up to Newt Gingrich"

So writes a member of RedState.com today.

After writing that he was initially incensed at Newt's comments about Paul Ryan's plan back in May, he writes:

The key insight from the Gingrich contract is that we have to propose solutions that don’t just fix the problems, but are so much better than the status quo that people will willingly opt-in to a system that is also fiscally sound. An opt-in model is our chance to demonstrate that the free market can do things better and cheaper.

Now, of course, this is the point Newt kept making when the controversy kept coming up. Also, it needs to be said, Newt did not call Ryan's plan "right-wing social engineering." He was talking in general about not wanting to force massive unpopular change on the American people, not the Ryan plan specifically.

Newt wrote a newsletter praising the plan, as well as in numerous interview, for goodness' sake!

He further writes on the topic:

If conservative solutions to our nations problems are not just fiscally responsible, but better, Americans will willingly choose the conservative option when given the choice. After seeing the Cain-Gingrich debate on entitlements, I’m starting to believe that entitlements can actually be reformed without some of our most vulnerable citizens getting the shaft or being coerced into a more fiscally sound system. Giving Americans a choice also makes it much more difficult for liberals to demagogue much-needed reforms (although we know that it still won’t stop them from trying). Many of the important reforms to entitlements and taxes in the new Contract with America allow people to opt-out. And unlike Obama’s hollow promises that people could keep what they have now with Obamacare, these opt-out provisions aren’t undermined by other policy provisions to drive one of those options out of business. This kind of option model might also be a really good idea for practical reasons rather than just politics. It forces the politicians to come up with ideas that are good enough for people to willingly opt-in.

Notice what happened: the media misreports what Newt said back in May, and only now -- after Newt gets to talk without the media filter -- do people start to understand Newt's point. This is another reason why Newt needs to keep doing such events as the debate from last Saturday. He gets to explain his policies without the ignorant (and misleading) media getting in the way.

The post concludes:

We need a conservative president that can put pressure on the legislature by making the case directly to the people. We need a president with the right solutions and enough political acumen to make it happen. We need someone who can fight for conservative principles in the face of a hostile media and uninformed public. I’m starting to think that Newt Gingrich might be the one candidate that is up to the task.