Gingrich Reflects On Past, Looks Ahead Says Gop Revolution Could Have Been Handled Better; Predicts Clinton Defeat

Emerging from a self-imposed absence from the spotlight, House Speaker Newt Gingrich admitted Wednesday that he had “a lot of second thoughts” about the way the Republicans handled their 1994 takeover of Congress.

Though he did not back away from Republican proposals on issues such as balancing the budget and reforming Medicaid, Gingrich said his party had erred in not communicating its positions better and responding to Democratic attacks sooner.

“We didn’t think we were involved in a public relations game,” he told reporters.

By his own count, Gingrich said he has been mentioned in 10,837 negative ads across the country, or the equivalent of 90 hours of television. He said the tactic was to destroy the messenger if the message couldn’t be defeated. “I think they clearly damaged me,” he said.

During the discussion, Gingrich:

Predicted the tide would turn in Republicans’ favor once the impact of the Clinton administration’s seizure of FBI files on Republicans sinks in with the public. “Go back and look at Nixon, and you see a very similar pattern,” he said.

Said a private poll done for Republicans of House races showed Republicans and Democrats running even. “The odds are” that the party will pick up seats in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, he said.

Denied Democratic assertions, based on a Los Angeles Times story, that he used six non-profit foundations to funnel money for his own political campaign. The newspaper, he said, “recycled things that are not a valid characterization” of what had transpired. “These are falsehoods.”