A best-selling author and prominent Ronald Reagan expert said Tuesday that former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is only the third GOP presidential candidate since the Barry Goldwater era who truly understands conservatism.
Political science professor Paul Kengor, the author of “God and Ronald Reagan,” and “The Reagan Presidency: Assessing the Man and His Legacy,” as well as “The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism,” told Newsmax in an exclusive interview that Gingrich “is truly a child of Reagan.”
Last week, GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney challenged Gingrich’s ties to the Reagan legacy with a well-orchestrated media attack suggesting Gingrich had tried to undermine the Reagan agenda. But when the issue came up in the GOP debate in Jacksonville, Romney appeared willing to concede Reagan’s turf to Gingrich.
“I'm not suggesting -- the speaker was a congressman at the time Ronald Reagan was president, so he -- he, of course, was closer to the Ronald Reagan era than I,” Romney said.
Kengor, who teaches political science at Grove City College in Pennsylvania, told Newsmax on Tuesday: “Gingrich, with the exception of Ronald Reagan and Jack Kemp, is the first major Republican primary candidate to understand conservatism since 1964. There was Goldwater in ’64, and then you had Reagan who understood Goldwater. He understood conservatism. Jack Kemp understood it. And Gingrich understands it as well.”
Note: Do You Support Gingrich or Romney? Vote in Urgent Poll — Click Here Now
So why the confusion over Gingrich’s conservative credentials? Aside from the tsunami of campaign ads airing in Florida, Kengor notes that Gingrich is given to making occasion statements complimenting the leadership or governing styles of progressive figures such as FDR or Woodrow Wilson. But he said such observations from Gingrich, a history professor before running for Congress, are historical in nature.
“Ideologically, he’s a true conservative,” Kengor said, adding that “Anybody who believes he isn’t, they’re just wrong.”
According to the best-selling author, beyond ideology Gingrich shares a Reagan characteristic — an ability to effectively articulate conservative ideals.
“What’s so unique about Newt is that he can articulate conservatism,” Kengor tells Newsmax. “He can communicate it. You have people who understand it and are conservative, [but] they can’t articulate it. But Newt can.”
Note: Do You Support Gingrich or Romney? Vote in Urgent Poll — Click Here Now
© 2012 Newsmax. All rights reserved.