Gingrich: Obama Gave ‘Most Pro-government Speech Since LBJ’

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on Tuesday said that President Obama delivered “the most pro-government speech since LBJ” in his State of the Union address.

Appearing on CNN, the former presidential candidate cited Obama’s claim in particular that his initiatives “will not add a dime to the budget,” and predicted that such a claim would come back to haunt the president.

“That’s the line that will cripple Barack Obama,” Gingrich said.

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Obama used the phrase repeatedly while reeling off a laundry list of new programs he wants to implement.

Gingrich thought the speech clearly defined the president as a liberal.

“He’s legitimately a liberal,” Gingrich asserted. “He believes in big government. He wants the money.”

Gingrich, however, said he was impressed with the Republican response delivered by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. He said that Rubio “presented himself in an attractive, reasonable way” and “helped himself tonight become a bigger national player.”

Gingrich also thought Rubio’s response “should be well-received in the Hispanic community,” which in turn will help attract Latino voters to the Republican Party.

“Marco Rubio took a big step to bring the GOP back to being a major player everywhere in the country,” Gingrich said.

Gingrich likened the president’s initiatives to an unrealistic family vacation.

“If we plan a trip to Disneyland, we can go almost for free . . . if we save all our bottle tops,” he said.

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