Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says he won’t decide ’til this fall whether he’ll seek the Republican Party’s 2008 presidential nomination. But Gingrich says he’ll be at the Iowa Republican Party’s Straw Poll in August to man a booth for his “American Solutions” group that’ll hold a forum on the Internet in late September.
“If there’s a space there for a citizen-candidate who has very clear proposals and very bold solutions, I’ll probably run,” he says. “But if there isn’t, if somebody’s already taken all the ideas — we’re going to give the ideas away. Anybody that wants them can have them — Democrat or Republican — and if somebody is already filling that space, then I’ll happily come back and do a second novel and I’ll do a second workshop next year…I’ve got plenty of things to do with my life.”
If Gingrich does run, he promises he will skip the “cattle calls” featuring all the candidates on one stage. Last week’s TV debate featuring 10 Republican presidential candidate was “goofy” according to Gingrich. “In the Lincoln-Douglas Debates, you had two adults, seven debates, three hours each. Now, you have somewhere between ‘American Idol’ and ‘The Bachelor.’ You know, 10, 11, 12, 15 people standing in a row passively waiting for 30 seconds while a TV personality dominates,” Gingrich says.
Gingrich contends participation in such events “demeans” the presidency. Gingrich signed copies of his newest book at bookstores in Council Bluffs and West Des Moines Tuesday.