Gingrich: GOP victories could set model for nation

Newt Gingrich speaks Wednesday at the Eldridge Hotel before heading to a speech at the Dole Institute. The conservative author said Republicans would have enough time to field a high-quality candidate for 2012.

Gingrich speech highlights

Snippets from the speech given by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on Wednesday at the Dole Institute of Politics:

On Chris Christie of New Jersey and Bob McDonnell of Virginia becoming governors and key faces in the Republican Party:

“I certainly think those are bigger jobs than talk radio hosts.”

Health care reform

“It’s not a question about financing. It’s a question about the whole nature of the health system, which is why the current bills are so ludicrous.”

Challenges from China and India

“At the end of the movie ‘2 Million Minutes,’ you realize that we are a country aggressively preparing for the 1956 Olympics, and we’re not going to win any medals in 2012 preparing for the 1956 Olympics. … I believe that it requires us to fundamentally rethink litigation, regulation, taxation, education, health, energy and infrastructure. That’s going to be a huge fight, a huge challenge.”

The fight against terrorism

“We are in a setting where we are arguing over Afghanistan, which is like arguing over Guadalcanal. … If I’m fighting a global war, Guadalcanal is a skirmish in the war.”

His Wednesday visit to the Kansas University Natural History Museum:

“It may be the best university natural history museum in the United States, and it’s an extraordinary facility.”

The face of the 1994 Republican takeover of Congress saw something he liked in Tuesday night’s election results.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Republicans Chris Christie of New Jersey and Bob McDonnell of Virginia capturing the governorships could provide a model for the party in the rest of the country.

Wednesday night in Lawrence, Gingrich said people in the two states were engaged in dialogue about critical issues they faced. The GOP victories came months after huge Democratic victories in the fall, including the election of President Barack Obama.

“Suddenly it got time to make a decision, and you could see (voters) close up,” Gingrich said. “You could see them think it through, and suddenly both states began to clarify themselves. I think for the country we need that kind of conversation, and I think we’re actually ready to have it.”

The conservative author and history professor spoke to more than 300 people in a packed Dole Institute of Politics, and more than 100 people watched the speech and question-and-answer session in an overflow room.

Gingrich addressed a variety of topics in front of an audience that was generally friendly and applauded him several times. He said the country faces several challenges in trying to compete with India and China in coming decades and also in fighting terrorism.

“We need, in national security, a grand national strategy that is honest about our opponents, clear about the threat, and outlines a coherent strategy of meeting those threats,” he said.

He wouldn’t rule out his own challenge to Obama in 2012, saying he won’t make a decision until the February before the election, but Gingrich also voiced confidence that nationally Republicans will have a deep bench and enough time to field a high-quality candidate.

“Why is it that people are anxiety-ridden?” he said. “They are anxiety-ridden because it’s the nature of the national media to be anxiety-ridden.”