Gingrich: If Obama Won't Work, He Shouldn't Be Paid

Newt Gingrich insists that President Barack Obama should forgo his pay this year if he’s going to resort to a "kindergarten play" instead of acting like the leader of the United States.

Gingrich’s criticism today targeted administration officials’ comments during the New Year’s holiday weekend that Obama will skirt Congress this year. The president reached that tactical decision because he decided “that he no longer needs Congress to promote his agenda and may even benefit in his re-election campaign if lawmakers accomplish little in 2012,” according to an Associated Press story that Newsmax reported Saturday.

“Absent any major policy pushes, much of the year will focus on winning a second term. The president will keep up a robust domestic travel schedule and aggressive campaign fundraising and use executive action to try to boost the economy,” according to that report.

Gingrich lambasted the approach during an Iowa caucuses campaign stop today, saying: “For the president’s staff to announce that he’s now going to govern without Congress? Well, that means he’s not going to govern. He’s going to be a candidate for an entire year. He shouldn’t take his salary. He shouldn’t pretend he’s president because he’s just a candidate because he’s not doing the job of a president.”

The fact that the AP report noted that Obama won’t turn his back completely on Congress didn’t appease Gingrich, who viewed some TV talkers discuss the issue today, according to the Des Moines Register’s Iowa Caucuses blog.

“The comments I heard this morning were outrageously unconstitutional,” Gingrich said. “I hope the White House press corps will go ask them: ‘Are they serious about this?’ As I understand it, they said they are going to try to govern without the Congress next year? That is technically impossible. This is like a kindergarten play. How are you going to pass appropriations bills? How are you going to deal with anything for 12 months? I looked at the TV this morning and thought, ‘These guys are just totally out of touch with reality.’”