http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/07/2016-newt-gingrich-scandals-accomplishments-veepstakes-running-mate-trump-gop-republican-214050 The Millennial’s Guide to Newt Gingrich
Who is Newt Gingrich, and why do people get so worked up about him? Here’s your primer.
By Julia Ioffe
July 14, 2016
If you’re of a certain age, there’s not much you know about Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House. You might remember his failed 2012 presidential campaign, in which he briefly led the GOP field, and during which he declared, “By the end of my second term, we will have the first permanent base on the moon and it will be American.” If you’re a little bit older, like me, you might remember that he was the man who shut down the government back sometime around the blizzard of 1996. And today, you likely know him mostly as the gadfly circling the yellow-orange head of the presumptive Republican nominee, constantly telling the media that he, the eternally humble public servant, would not say no if called on to be Trump’s running mate. “If Trump offers the position and is serious about it, which I think he would be after our conversations, listen, I would feel compelled to serve the country," Gingrich has said. Others say that, behind the scenes, Gingrich is not so phlegmatic: he has been actively lobbying to get Trump’s VP slot. On Tuesday, Trump told the Times that Gingrich was on his short list (and that he was “excellent”) and Fox News suspended its contract with Gingrich as a commentator in anticipation of such a nomination. By Wednesday, there was word that he was in a plane with Sean Hannity on his way to meet Trump—whatever that means.
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