1 00:00:04,440 --> 00:00:07,560 Speaker 1: On this episode of Nut's World, I am your host 2 00:00:08,080 --> 00:00:10,400 Speaker 1: in for New King Rich in a sense, Sean Hannity, 3 00:00:10,520 --> 00:00:12,680 Speaker 1: and I'm going to be turning the tables on my 4 00:00:12,720 --> 00:00:15,520 Speaker 1: good friend, former Speaker of the House, New King Rich, 5 00:00:15,840 --> 00:00:18,759 Speaker 1: and today I will be asking the questions of Newt 6 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:22,479 Speaker 1: about his brand new critical book. It's called March to 7 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:27,000 Speaker 1: the Majority, The Real Story of the Republican Revolution, now 8 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:38,720 Speaker 1: out in bookstores all across the country today. All right, 9 00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:41,480 Speaker 1: mister Speaker, New king Rich is with us. It's great 10 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:44,879 Speaker 1: to be here with you, sir. This might be the 11 00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:49,000 Speaker 1: defining conservative book in the modern era. I've never been 12 00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:53,760 Speaker 1: so concerned, worried, afraid, if you will, even for the 13 00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:55,680 Speaker 1: future of our country. I think we're in the wrong 14 00:00:55,720 --> 00:00:59,840 Speaker 1: direction on every major issue. I think America's adversaries are 15 00:00:59,840 --> 00:01:02,800 Speaker 1: on the march. I think our economy is a disaster. 16 00:01:02,880 --> 00:01:05,959 Speaker 1: It doesn't need to be, and by every measure, were 17 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:09,080 Speaker 1: not fulfilling the promise of the American dream, and that 18 00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:13,160 Speaker 1: of course facilitated by freedom and by limited government and 19 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:15,480 Speaker 1: the principles that you and I hold near and deer 20 00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:18,880 Speaker 1: in a constitutional republic. So you wrote this book, and 21 00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:22,039 Speaker 1: it's called March to the Majority. You are a number 22 00:01:22,080 --> 00:01:26,600 Speaker 1: one New York Times bestselling author, and I was with you. 23 00:01:26,800 --> 00:01:29,039 Speaker 1: I had the honor to be with you, to be 24 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:32,960 Speaker 1: your MC the night you became speaker. And this was 25 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:35,560 Speaker 1: in nineteen ninety four, and the party was at the 26 00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:38,600 Speaker 1: Cobb Galleria, and it's a night that I'll never forget. 27 00:01:38,760 --> 00:01:41,000 Speaker 1: Republicans had been out of power in the House of 28 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:45,679 Speaker 1: Representatives for forty years, and you came up with a 29 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:52,919 Speaker 1: series of teaching tools for Republicans to message and principles 30 00:01:52,960 --> 00:01:56,200 Speaker 1: to stand on. And it was called Renewing American Civilization, 31 00:01:56,840 --> 00:02:00,640 Speaker 1: and that evolved into the Contract with America. Well, why 32 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:02,960 Speaker 1: is this important? It's important for a lot of reasons. 33 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:06,680 Speaker 1: March to the Majority. The real story of the Republican 34 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:11,000 Speaker 1: Revolution is now out in bookstores everywhere around the country 35 00:02:11,280 --> 00:02:16,120 Speaker 1: Panity dot Comamazon dot com. And you know, I got 36 00:02:16,160 --> 00:02:19,120 Speaker 1: to tell you something. I want to ask how you 37 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:21,320 Speaker 1: did it and how we can apply it to today, 38 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:23,079 Speaker 1: and I really want to turn it over to you. 39 00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:24,760 Speaker 2: Let me first of all, thank you for doing this, 40 00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:27,440 Speaker 2: because I know how really amazingly busy you are with 41 00:02:27,919 --> 00:02:31,080 Speaker 2: a radio show, with TV show. March to the Majority, 42 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:34,960 Speaker 2: I think is totally relevant to today. I think all 43 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:38,119 Speaker 2: of the principles that enabled us, which we developed Joe 44 00:02:38,160 --> 00:02:40,840 Speaker 2: Gaylor and I, as you know, Joe well my partner 45 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:45,800 Speaker 2: in that whole project. We spent sixteen years growing a majority, 46 00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:50,120 Speaker 2: and then we spent four years maneuvering Clinton in designing 47 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:53,440 Speaker 2: the only four balanced budgets in your lifetime, welfare reform, 48 00:02:53,800 --> 00:02:56,600 Speaker 2: the largest capital gainst tax cut, got him to come 49 00:02:56,639 --> 00:02:59,600 Speaker 2: to the State of the Union and announced proudly that 50 00:02:59,639 --> 00:03:02,040 Speaker 2: there of big government is over, which I have to 51 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:05,360 Speaker 2: confess I felt compelled to stand and applaud at that point, 52 00:03:05,639 --> 00:03:07,639 Speaker 2: sitting right behind him, because you know, when you get 53 00:03:07,639 --> 00:03:10,080 Speaker 2: a liberal Democrat to say theyre big Government's over, you 54 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:13,560 Speaker 2: know something big has happened. And so March the Majority 55 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:18,240 Speaker 2: tries to explain in a way that is totally relevant 56 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:20,520 Speaker 2: and every person who wants to figure out how to 57 00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:23,680 Speaker 2: solve our country's problems. I think March the Majority is 58 00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:26,679 Speaker 2: like a cookbook. These things work, These are the things 59 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:29,000 Speaker 2: we did. This is what we learned, and we learned 60 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:32,079 Speaker 2: it very painfully. You know, we lost in eighty eighty two, 61 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:34,960 Speaker 2: eighty four, eighty six, eighty eight, ninety ninety two. So 62 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:37,200 Speaker 2: when we finally won in ninety four, people said, oh, 63 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:40,840 Speaker 2: you were really lucky. Now we had cheerful persistence and 64 00:03:40,880 --> 00:03:43,640 Speaker 2: we kept trying. And I think a lot of this 65 00:03:43,720 --> 00:03:47,240 Speaker 2: relates directly to where we are today. You have to 66 00:03:47,280 --> 00:03:50,040 Speaker 2: have a Republican party which can communicate. And I think 67 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:54,720 Speaker 2: it's very compelling that Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump, and our 68 00:03:54,760 --> 00:03:57,320 Speaker 2: team in nineteen ninety four all had the same pattern 69 00:03:57,720 --> 00:04:03,640 Speaker 2: of big ideas, constant repetition, winning the argument, being willing 70 00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:05,960 Speaker 2: to mix it up with the news media and take 71 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:08,760 Speaker 2: the case. As Margaret Thatcher used to say, first you 72 00:04:08,840 --> 00:04:11,400 Speaker 2: win the argument, then you win the vote. And I 73 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:14,080 Speaker 2: think that there are some lessons in March the Majority 74 00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:18,599 Speaker 2: that every Republican elected official and every would be elected 75 00:04:18,600 --> 00:04:21,640 Speaker 2: official ought to read and take to heart. These lessons 76 00:04:21,640 --> 00:04:24,359 Speaker 2: grew out of a tremendous amount of hard work. And 77 00:04:24,440 --> 00:04:26,640 Speaker 2: you know, because you were there and you were part 78 00:04:26,720 --> 00:04:29,719 Speaker 2: of it. You saw how we criss crossed the country 79 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:33,960 Speaker 2: day after day recruiting candidates. We developed a tape program 80 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:37,600 Speaker 2: to train people and had some fifty five thousand people 81 00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:41,159 Speaker 2: getting a tape every single month, People like John Bahner, 82 00:04:41,160 --> 00:04:43,520 Speaker 2: who on only became speaker in his own right. The 83 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:46,760 Speaker 2: number of congressmen who were state legislators who got the 84 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:50,400 Speaker 2: tape and thought, hey, I can go to Congress Governor Pataki, 85 00:04:50,400 --> 00:04:53,320 Speaker 2: who even when he was governor, kept listening to the tapes. 86 00:04:53,720 --> 00:04:56,200 Speaker 2: This is a book about how it happened, but it's 87 00:04:56,240 --> 00:04:58,240 Speaker 2: also a book about how it can happen again. 88 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:02,080 Speaker 1: I want to really put emphasis on something you're bringing 89 00:05:02,160 --> 00:05:05,440 Speaker 1: up here, because you're right. We met in nineteen ninety 90 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:08,640 Speaker 1: at Holiday Inn Indicatur, Alabama. You were giving a big 91 00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:12,560 Speaker 1: speech there, and we really technically had a very sketchy 92 00:05:12,640 --> 00:05:18,279 Speaker 1: system for signaling back to the radio station our interview, 93 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:20,080 Speaker 1: but we managed to pull it off. It was called 94 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:23,080 Speaker 1: the Marti system. You obviously, now today we have so 95 00:05:23,160 --> 00:05:26,679 Speaker 1: much more sophisticated equipment to do so very easily and cheaply, 96 00:05:27,279 --> 00:05:29,160 Speaker 1: and even if you just face time for crying out 97 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:31,680 Speaker 1: loud or you could do what we're doing here. But 98 00:05:32,440 --> 00:05:35,040 Speaker 1: that was nineteen ninety I went to Atlanta in nineteen 99 00:05:35,120 --> 00:05:38,080 Speaker 1: ninety two, so I got to watch the entire build 100 00:05:38,160 --> 00:05:41,960 Speaker 1: up to that night in November nineteen ninety four, and 101 00:05:42,880 --> 00:05:46,920 Speaker 1: what I noticed is when you created Renewing American Civilization, 102 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:50,200 Speaker 1: a series of tapes and ideas that you were laying 103 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:53,120 Speaker 1: out and the candidates you were recruiting and they were 104 00:05:53,200 --> 00:05:56,159 Speaker 1: listening to these tapes. My point is it was all 105 00:05:56,279 --> 00:06:00,640 Speaker 1: rooted in ideas. It was rooted in principles that you 106 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:04,560 Speaker 1: knew would make America a better place. I don't think 107 00:06:04,640 --> 00:06:09,240 Speaker 1: conservatism is hard. Those principles that help bring you to 108 00:06:09,320 --> 00:06:13,160 Speaker 1: a majority, to the march to the majority, those principles 109 00:06:13,200 --> 00:06:19,040 Speaker 1: that applied today, I would argue, would apps solutely work again. 110 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:21,640 Speaker 1: And I think that's what you're saying in this book, 111 00:06:21,680 --> 00:06:23,400 Speaker 1: But a lot of people don't know them. 112 00:06:23,960 --> 00:06:27,160 Speaker 2: We'd gone through a huge process of trying to train people. 113 00:06:27,600 --> 00:06:31,039 Speaker 2: We created a campaign academy. Joe Gailor thinks he probably 114 00:06:31,080 --> 00:06:35,560 Speaker 2: taught automnately ninety thousand people over the years we created 115 00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:39,159 Speaker 2: the tape program. We were doing special orders of hour 116 00:06:39,279 --> 00:06:43,040 Speaker 2: after hour of teaching people. And I think it's important 117 00:06:43,080 --> 00:06:46,000 Speaker 2: to recognize as a continuity. I always tell people, if 118 00:06:46,080 --> 00:06:48,880 Speaker 2: you haven't done it, go to YouTube and pull up 119 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:54,200 Speaker 2: Ronald Reagan's October nineteen sixty four, a Time for Choosing speech, 120 00:06:54,279 --> 00:06:56,880 Speaker 2: which he did on television for Cold Water. It's all there. 121 00:06:57,600 --> 00:07:01,120 Speaker 2: I participated as a young congressman. I helped organize the 122 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:04,520 Speaker 2: first Capitol Steps event, which was in September of nineteen 123 00:07:04,640 --> 00:07:08,000 Speaker 2: eighty with Ronald Reagan, and we brought all the federal 124 00:07:08,040 --> 00:07:10,760 Speaker 2: candidates in for the House and Senate. He had five 125 00:07:10,840 --> 00:07:13,920 Speaker 2: big ideas. He described it as a contract with America. 126 00:07:14,520 --> 00:07:19,400 Speaker 2: So we come along fourteen years later, we basically recreate 127 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:22,720 Speaker 2: the same event, and if you look at the contract 128 00:07:22,760 --> 00:07:26,160 Speaker 2: ideas in nineteen ninety four, Reagan would have endorsed every 129 00:07:26,160 --> 00:07:28,480 Speaker 2: single one of them. So there's nothing magic about this, 130 00:07:29,080 --> 00:07:32,080 Speaker 2: But it's funny. People. I don't know if they get 131 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:35,240 Speaker 2: bored or if they don't just don't slow down enough 132 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:39,840 Speaker 2: to understand. It takes constant repetition. I have a poster 133 00:07:39,960 --> 00:07:41,800 Speaker 2: that I got when Clissa and I made a movie 134 00:07:42,280 --> 00:07:44,840 Speaker 2: about John Paul the Second called nine Days to Change 135 00:07:44,840 --> 00:07:49,080 Speaker 2: the World, that says in Polish, for pauland to remain Poland, 136 00:07:49,120 --> 00:07:52,280 Speaker 2: two plus two must always equal four. And it's a 137 00:07:52,280 --> 00:07:55,800 Speaker 2: direct repudiation of Orwell's nineteen eighty four where the head 138 00:07:55,840 --> 00:07:57,880 Speaker 2: of the government guy says, if we tell you it's five, 139 00:07:57,920 --> 00:08:01,360 Speaker 2: it's five. If we tell you it's three, and they're 140 00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:04,480 Speaker 2: saying that they're objective truths, Well, the same thing's true here. 141 00:08:05,040 --> 00:08:07,760 Speaker 2: There are things that Reagan said, things I've said. You 142 00:08:07,840 --> 00:08:10,360 Speaker 2: had the town hall meeting with Donald Trump, who was 143 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:14,720 Speaker 2: the third great articulator of these kind of ideas. And 144 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:17,960 Speaker 2: the fact is that we can go right back to 145 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:21,080 Speaker 2: the same page, we can run the same place, and 146 00:08:21,120 --> 00:08:24,360 Speaker 2: they work. Their great virtue is that they grow out 147 00:08:24,360 --> 00:08:27,560 Speaker 2: of the American people. They're not theoretical and they grow 148 00:08:27,600 --> 00:08:31,400 Speaker 2: out of historic experience. They're not just abstract ideas. And 149 00:08:31,840 --> 00:08:35,000 Speaker 2: I wrote March to the Majority in part to get 150 00:08:35,040 --> 00:08:38,960 Speaker 2: across to people that there are straightforward, almost like a cookbook. 151 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:43,880 Speaker 2: There're straightforward ways to understand the American people, to communicate 152 00:08:43,960 --> 00:08:46,480 Speaker 2: with the American people, and if you do it and 153 00:08:46,520 --> 00:08:50,480 Speaker 2: you're persistent, you're going to be rewarded with enormous opportunities 154 00:08:50,800 --> 00:08:52,040 Speaker 2: to reshape the government. 155 00:08:52,440 --> 00:08:56,160 Speaker 1: We new began this education effort, and it was an 156 00:08:56,280 --> 00:08:59,800 Speaker 1: education effort, and you were able to get Republicans elected. 157 00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:03,000 Speaker 1: Go back to the time before that. I mean, forty 158 00:09:03,080 --> 00:09:05,400 Speaker 1: years in the wilderness was an awfully long period of 159 00:09:05,440 --> 00:09:08,640 Speaker 1: time for a party to being the minority. And I 160 00:09:08,640 --> 00:09:11,880 Speaker 1: think you took that on. I'm not speaking ill about Michaels, 161 00:09:11,880 --> 00:09:14,839 Speaker 1: but it was sort of like a mentality that they 162 00:09:14,920 --> 00:09:18,480 Speaker 1: accepted they would be a permanent minority. When you got 163 00:09:18,520 --> 00:09:22,920 Speaker 1: into the House and you were putting this strategy, this plan, 164 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:27,800 Speaker 1: implementing this plan, putting together the strategy. When you got 165 00:09:27,840 --> 00:09:30,559 Speaker 1: to the House, how did you get these other members 166 00:09:30,559 --> 00:09:33,920 Speaker 1: now to take you seriously? Because I remember when you 167 00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:37,880 Speaker 1: became speaker, you said, I am a genuine revolutionary, and 168 00:09:37,960 --> 00:09:40,880 Speaker 1: you are, and you are and you remain well. 169 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:43,960 Speaker 2: I mean, I think, first of all, I was extraordinarily 170 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:49,319 Speaker 2: fortunate because Guy Vanderjack, the congressman from Michigan, was the 171 00:09:49,440 --> 00:09:53,280 Speaker 2: chairman of the campaign committee. And Guy thought that we 172 00:09:53,320 --> 00:09:55,840 Speaker 2: ought to try to become a majority. And I went 173 00:09:55,920 --> 00:09:57,960 Speaker 2: to see him before I was even sworn in, and 174 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:00,120 Speaker 2: I said, you know, we've been out of power for 175 00:10:00,160 --> 00:10:03,080 Speaker 2: twenty four years. Shouldn't we have some kind of a 176 00:10:03,120 --> 00:10:06,000 Speaker 2: plan to become a majority? And the said that's exactly right. 177 00:10:06,520 --> 00:10:08,240 Speaker 2: He said, why don't we have a planning committee? And 178 00:10:08,280 --> 00:10:10,800 Speaker 2: you chaired. I hadn't even been sworn in yet, so 179 00:10:11,200 --> 00:10:15,360 Speaker 2: as a freshman, I was empowered to work on how 180 00:10:15,400 --> 00:10:18,000 Speaker 2: to become a majority. And I was very lucky because 181 00:10:18,040 --> 00:10:20,520 Speaker 2: Bill Brock, the former Senator from Tennessee and an old 182 00:10:20,559 --> 00:10:23,640 Speaker 2: friend of mine, was the Republican National Committee chair. So 183 00:10:24,240 --> 00:10:28,880 Speaker 2: after Margaret Thatcher got elected in nineteen seventy nine, her 184 00:10:29,040 --> 00:10:32,200 Speaker 2: campaign team came over to brief people, and because I 185 00:10:32,240 --> 00:10:34,880 Speaker 2: was chairing this committee which we had invented, I was 186 00:10:34,920 --> 00:10:37,480 Speaker 2: able to bring them into the House to talk about 187 00:10:37,480 --> 00:10:39,640 Speaker 2: what they had done to win. And so I had 188 00:10:39,640 --> 00:10:43,199 Speaker 2: this weird standing as a freshman. The older guys basically 189 00:10:43,559 --> 00:10:46,000 Speaker 2: thought I was a nuisance. They didn't think whatever happened, 190 00:10:46,040 --> 00:10:47,880 Speaker 2: and at a practical level they were right. I mean, 191 00:10:48,160 --> 00:10:51,319 Speaker 2: this is nineteen eighty We don't get there till ninety four. Finally, 192 00:10:51,400 --> 00:10:55,400 Speaker 2: Dick Cheney resigned as Whip to go to the Pentagon 193 00:10:55,440 --> 00:10:58,360 Speaker 2: as Secretary of Defense in nineteen eighty nine, and Trent 194 00:10:58,400 --> 00:11:01,760 Speaker 2: Lott had left to become the Senator, and Jack Kemp 195 00:11:01,760 --> 00:11:04,280 Speaker 2: had left to run for president and then ended up 196 00:11:04,280 --> 00:11:07,520 Speaker 2: as Secretary of HUD. The vacuum was so great that 197 00:11:07,640 --> 00:11:09,920 Speaker 2: I ran for a whip, and you can see, even 198 00:11:09,960 --> 00:11:12,960 Speaker 2: after a decade of work, I barely won. And I 199 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:16,000 Speaker 2: had both Bob Michael and George H. W. Bush opposed 200 00:11:16,040 --> 00:11:17,840 Speaker 2: to me and doing everything they could to stop me, 201 00:11:18,360 --> 00:11:21,520 Speaker 2: because it was already clear inside the conference that I 202 00:11:21,760 --> 00:11:24,920 Speaker 2: was genuinely committed to big ideas and that I was 203 00:11:25,280 --> 00:11:28,520 Speaker 2: in a sense of revolutionary And of course, when George H. W. 204 00:11:28,600 --> 00:11:31,600 Speaker 2: Bush broke his word and instead of saying, read my lips, 205 00:11:31,679 --> 00:11:33,600 Speaker 2: no new taxes, he said, read my lips, I'm going 206 00:11:33,640 --> 00:11:36,800 Speaker 2: to raise taxes. I led the rebellion against him, and 207 00:11:36,880 --> 00:11:39,679 Speaker 2: we actually won in the House conference. We beat the 208 00:11:39,720 --> 00:11:42,880 Speaker 2: President and the minority leader, and that was the decisive 209 00:11:42,920 --> 00:11:46,599 Speaker 2: turning point because I think for most of our supporters 210 00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:49,880 Speaker 2: back home, they suddenly said, gosh, these guys are serious. 211 00:11:50,679 --> 00:11:54,079 Speaker 2: And when we designed the contract the way we designed it, 212 00:11:54,160 --> 00:11:55,599 Speaker 2: we said we're going to vote on these in the 213 00:11:55,679 --> 00:11:58,800 Speaker 2: first hundred days. We couldn't promise we'd pass them. We 214 00:11:58,840 --> 00:12:01,440 Speaker 2: could promise we'd vote on them, and we designed it 215 00:12:01,480 --> 00:12:04,400 Speaker 2: so we could keep our word, and everybody signed up. 216 00:12:04,440 --> 00:12:05,800 Speaker 2: I think a lot of them signed it because they 217 00:12:05,840 --> 00:12:07,959 Speaker 2: figured there was no chance it was going to work. 218 00:12:08,160 --> 00:12:10,720 Speaker 2: But why not, you know, at least humor newt people 219 00:12:10,840 --> 00:12:14,360 Speaker 2: saw us for the first hundred days actually keeping our word. 220 00:12:14,960 --> 00:12:16,800 Speaker 2: And every time we'd pass something, I'd go to the 221 00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:19,280 Speaker 2: floor of the House with a copy of the contract 222 00:12:19,280 --> 00:12:21,920 Speaker 2: from the TV guide ad and I would put a 223 00:12:21,920 --> 00:12:24,240 Speaker 2: whole punch in it. And so one by one we 224 00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:27,240 Speaker 2: did every single thing we promised, and that created a 225 00:12:27,280 --> 00:12:30,880 Speaker 2: real base. But I think what happened two things. One 226 00:12:31,280 --> 00:12:34,480 Speaker 2: the disaster of Watergate, the collapse of Nixon after we'd 227 00:12:34,520 --> 00:12:37,800 Speaker 2: won the largest majority in American history or in modern history, 228 00:12:37,800 --> 00:12:41,959 Speaker 2: sixty percent. The agony of watching their friends get wiped out. 229 00:12:42,120 --> 00:12:46,040 Speaker 2: Almost half the Republican conference was defeated the Ford Reagan 230 00:12:46,080 --> 00:12:50,199 Speaker 2: primary fight. They were so tired that they didn't have 231 00:12:50,240 --> 00:12:53,720 Speaker 2: any extra energy except to go through the motions. And 232 00:12:53,760 --> 00:12:56,199 Speaker 2: we arrived as new people, with new energy and new 233 00:12:56,200 --> 00:12:58,240 Speaker 2: idealism and new optimism. That was part of it. The 234 00:12:58,280 --> 00:13:03,640 Speaker 2: other one truth is I suspect on election day not 235 00:13:03,800 --> 00:13:07,200 Speaker 2: more than ten Republicans thought we'd be a majority. That 236 00:13:07,240 --> 00:13:09,520 Speaker 2: a number may be high. Bob Walker and I used 237 00:13:09,520 --> 00:13:11,840 Speaker 2: to think there might have been five. And I remember, 238 00:13:11,880 --> 00:13:14,960 Speaker 2: for example, two saturdays before the election, I was at 239 00:13:15,000 --> 00:13:17,920 Speaker 2: the Gallery in Houston, and I'm walking down the hall 240 00:13:18,080 --> 00:13:20,480 Speaker 2: with Bill Archer, who's the ranking member of Ways and 241 00:13:20,559 --> 00:13:23,079 Speaker 2: Means and had been there since nineteen seventy two. It's 242 00:13:23,080 --> 00:13:26,280 Speaker 2: a great guy, great conservative, And I said to him, 243 00:13:26,320 --> 00:13:28,760 Speaker 2: I hope that you and your chief of staff are 244 00:13:28,840 --> 00:13:30,480 Speaker 2: planning how you're going to take over the Ways and 245 00:13:30,559 --> 00:13:34,440 Speaker 2: Means Committee. And he literally stopped in mid stride and 246 00:13:34,440 --> 00:13:38,000 Speaker 2: looked at me, said, you're really serious. I said, Bill, 247 00:13:38,559 --> 00:13:41,680 Speaker 2: you're going to be the chairman in ten days. You 248 00:13:41,720 --> 00:13:44,080 Speaker 2: had better get ready. And you could just see that. 249 00:13:44,160 --> 00:13:46,040 Speaker 2: It never occurred to him that it was real that 250 00:13:46,120 --> 00:13:48,480 Speaker 2: we were going to do it. But all the way through. 251 00:13:49,160 --> 00:13:51,640 Speaker 2: This is why we talk about cheerful persistence so much. 252 00:13:52,840 --> 00:13:54,760 Speaker 2: About a third of the Republicans were mad at me 253 00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:57,439 Speaker 2: because I was making noise, and all the Democrats were 254 00:13:57,440 --> 00:13:59,200 Speaker 2: mad at me because I was trying to take away power. 255 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:01,840 Speaker 2: You had to get up every morning and decide, even 256 00:14:01,840 --> 00:14:03,960 Speaker 2: though that's true, I'm going to keep doing what we 257 00:14:04,080 --> 00:14:06,000 Speaker 2: need to do to become a majority, and I'm going 258 00:14:06,040 --> 00:14:09,040 Speaker 2: to be cheerful about it no matter what happens that day. 259 00:14:09,280 --> 00:14:11,320 Speaker 2: And that was the key to getting through it. 260 00:14:11,679 --> 00:14:14,280 Speaker 1: And they were not cheerful back, I will tell you 261 00:14:14,280 --> 00:14:16,280 Speaker 1: as a side note, a number of years ago, I 262 00:14:16,320 --> 00:14:19,640 Speaker 1: went back and I had to search. I think it 263 00:14:19,720 --> 00:14:22,240 Speaker 1: was my brother in law that found them on eBay 264 00:14:22,520 --> 00:14:28,120 Speaker 1: old VHS takes of Renewing American Civilization. I actually had 265 00:14:28,120 --> 00:14:30,840 Speaker 1: to get the tapes. I just wanted to listen to them, 266 00:14:31,320 --> 00:14:33,960 Speaker 1: and I started to go through them. I want to 267 00:14:33,960 --> 00:14:38,280 Speaker 1: sort of step back a hair and talk about the evolution, 268 00:14:38,560 --> 00:14:44,120 Speaker 1: about how the ideas behind this education effort evolved into 269 00:14:44,200 --> 00:14:47,080 Speaker 1: the contract. And I have a very specific memory of 270 00:14:47,120 --> 00:14:50,360 Speaker 1: election day nineteen ninety four and you were there, and 271 00:14:50,400 --> 00:14:53,040 Speaker 1: you had your entourage, and I'm just some small little 272 00:14:53,080 --> 00:14:55,680 Speaker 1: local talk show host, you know, running up to you 273 00:14:55,880 --> 00:14:59,360 Speaker 1: and annoying you and saying, you really believe you're going 274 00:14:59,400 --> 00:15:02,880 Speaker 1: to have the majority tonight? And you said absolutely, how 275 00:15:02,920 --> 00:15:04,920 Speaker 1: many seats do you think you'll pick up? And I 276 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:07,160 Speaker 1: think you actually nailed the number of my memories. 277 00:15:07,560 --> 00:15:09,520 Speaker 2: No, all, we were off by one. We did not 278 00:15:09,680 --> 00:15:12,080 Speaker 2: count on defeating Russnkowski and Chicago. 279 00:15:12,360 --> 00:15:32,160 Speaker 1: Okay, that was a big win. All of a sudden, 280 00:15:32,160 --> 00:15:36,200 Speaker 1: you're elected, like Reagan once famously said, Okay, won the election. 281 00:15:36,280 --> 00:15:38,880 Speaker 1: Now what do I do? So now you had to 282 00:15:38,920 --> 00:15:42,200 Speaker 1: implement those ideas you had made a big promise. But 283 00:15:42,480 --> 00:15:47,359 Speaker 1: the ideas to the contract, to the election, to governance, 284 00:15:47,680 --> 00:15:50,080 Speaker 1: that's really a whole process in and of itself. 285 00:15:50,440 --> 00:15:52,160 Speaker 2: Well, you know that's why we called it March to 286 00:15:52,200 --> 00:15:54,320 Speaker 2: the Majority because it wasn't a jump, It wasn't a 287 00:15:54,320 --> 00:15:57,880 Speaker 2: big leap, but it was day by day, gradually finger through. 288 00:15:58,240 --> 00:16:02,200 Speaker 2: For example, the concept of opportunity society actually came from 289 00:16:02,200 --> 00:16:05,400 Speaker 2: a speech I heard Reagan Gibbons seventy nine, and he'd 290 00:16:05,400 --> 00:16:08,200 Speaker 2: picked up the idea of opportunity society from a speech 291 00:16:08,240 --> 00:16:11,440 Speaker 2: given by the head of the NAACP. And then gradually 292 00:16:11,440 --> 00:16:15,240 Speaker 2: that became in the House, the Conservative opportunity society. And 293 00:16:15,280 --> 00:16:17,280 Speaker 2: we created a budget which you call the Budget of 294 00:16:17,320 --> 00:16:21,080 Speaker 2: Hope and opportunity. So all of these words gradually evolve. 295 00:16:21,720 --> 00:16:25,440 Speaker 2: Reagan first proposed welfare reform running for governor in nineteen 296 00:16:25,520 --> 00:16:30,160 Speaker 2: sixty five. We passed welfare reform in nineteen ninety six. 297 00:16:30,800 --> 00:16:32,560 Speaker 2: So when I say we stood on his shoulders, I 298 00:16:32,560 --> 00:16:35,600 Speaker 2: mean literally, and the march the majority tries to capture 299 00:16:35,640 --> 00:16:37,480 Speaker 2: this sense. When I would say this to part of 300 00:16:37,480 --> 00:16:40,520 Speaker 2: the reason why people should read this, particularly younger people 301 00:16:40,520 --> 00:16:43,640 Speaker 2: who want to someday be involved in politics. This is 302 00:16:43,680 --> 00:16:46,840 Speaker 2: a book which reminds you that it doesn't just spring 303 00:16:46,880 --> 00:16:50,000 Speaker 2: out magically one morning, that you work at it and 304 00:16:50,040 --> 00:16:52,240 Speaker 2: you work. It's like becoing a good professional golfer or 305 00:16:52,280 --> 00:16:55,400 Speaker 2: a good pro football player anything else. You work at it, 306 00:16:55,440 --> 00:16:57,200 Speaker 2: and you work at it, and you work at it, 307 00:16:57,480 --> 00:17:01,280 Speaker 2: and gradually it all comes together. And I think that 308 00:17:01,360 --> 00:17:03,760 Speaker 2: as you're pointing out that you can take a set 309 00:17:03,760 --> 00:17:06,960 Speaker 2: of ideas. For example, I was actually in a planning 310 00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:10,600 Speaker 2: session we were in Somalia, and my friend who was 311 00:17:11,480 --> 00:17:14,359 Speaker 2: running this particular planning session said, you know, we're going 312 00:17:14,440 --> 00:17:16,480 Speaker 2: to give them food. We're not going to teach them anything. 313 00:17:16,760 --> 00:17:18,680 Speaker 2: They're not going to learn anything about democracy. They're not 314 00:17:18,680 --> 00:17:20,200 Speaker 2: going to learn anything about the work ethic. And I 315 00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:23,040 Speaker 2: said to him, well, we don't teach ourselves any of this, 316 00:17:23,119 --> 00:17:25,240 Speaker 2: why should we expect to be able to teach anybody else. 317 00:17:25,680 --> 00:17:29,119 Speaker 2: And literally, as I left his place, I called Nancy Desmond, 318 00:17:29,119 --> 00:17:31,399 Speaker 2: who was running our operation. I said, we're going to 319 00:17:31,400 --> 00:17:34,880 Speaker 2: do a course on what it takes to renew American 320 00:17:34,920 --> 00:17:38,720 Speaker 2: civilization because it hit me that the vacuum was that big. 321 00:17:39,320 --> 00:17:41,399 Speaker 2: That's part of the reason I wrote March the Majority, 322 00:17:41,440 --> 00:17:45,720 Speaker 2: because I think the vacuum of understanding how you represent 323 00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:49,800 Speaker 2: the American people and how to be effective in representing 324 00:17:49,840 --> 00:17:52,600 Speaker 2: them is as big today as it was in the 325 00:17:52,680 --> 00:17:57,119 Speaker 2: nineteen eighties. We need the Republican Party to reinvest in 326 00:17:57,240 --> 00:17:59,800 Speaker 2: learning how to be a party based on the pop 327 00:18:00,040 --> 00:18:02,919 Speaker 2: in her will and based on the American people and 328 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:05,960 Speaker 2: not just a party based on raising money and hiring consultants. 329 00:18:06,840 --> 00:18:09,399 Speaker 1: It is amazing. And as I was reading The March 330 00:18:09,480 --> 00:18:11,640 Speaker 1: to the Majority, and I was stricken with the fact 331 00:18:11,720 --> 00:18:14,359 Speaker 1: how things have so changed dramatically. I mean the idea 332 00:18:14,400 --> 00:18:18,520 Speaker 1: that the Contract with America is a TV guide at 333 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:22,000 Speaker 1: I guarantee you there are people listening to this podcast 334 00:18:22,119 --> 00:18:25,240 Speaker 1: right now that don't know what TV guide is, but 335 00:18:25,359 --> 00:18:28,400 Speaker 1: how pivotal it was. It was in almost every American household. 336 00:18:28,400 --> 00:18:30,199 Speaker 1: That was the way that people found out where their 337 00:18:30,200 --> 00:18:34,600 Speaker 1: favorite TV shows were. Obviously the pre boom of cable everything. 338 00:18:35,080 --> 00:18:39,520 Speaker 1: So all of a sudden, the ideas become the strategy, 339 00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:43,520 Speaker 1: become the March to the Majority, and now you're in power. 340 00:18:44,280 --> 00:18:47,040 Speaker 1: And I remember these moments really well. You were not 341 00:18:47,200 --> 00:18:52,879 Speaker 1: even sworn in a speaker, and the backlash by the 342 00:18:53,040 --> 00:18:58,440 Speaker 1: media establishment, the backlash by the Democrats was almost instantaneous. 343 00:18:58,960 --> 00:19:01,520 Speaker 1: Correct me if I'm wrong, But before you were sworn 344 00:19:01,600 --> 00:19:04,040 Speaker 1: in as a speaker in January of ninety five, in 345 00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:07,919 Speaker 1: December of ninety four, you were the ging rich that 346 00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:12,720 Speaker 1: stole Christmas, Newsweek and Time magazine when they were actually influential. 347 00:19:13,240 --> 00:19:16,080 Speaker 1: Had you on the front cover. I think breaking Tiny 348 00:19:16,119 --> 00:19:17,160 Speaker 1: Tim's crutches. 349 00:19:17,320 --> 00:19:19,119 Speaker 2: I didn't just steal tiny Tim's crutch. 350 00:19:19,160 --> 00:19:22,199 Speaker 1: I broke it. I wasn't good enough to steal it. 351 00:19:22,560 --> 00:19:25,840 Speaker 2: The question they asked was so lovingly unbiased. It was 352 00:19:25,960 --> 00:19:29,560 Speaker 2: how mean will Gingriich's America be to the poor? Newsweek 353 00:19:29,600 --> 00:19:31,919 Speaker 2: the following week had me is a doctor Zeus figure 354 00:19:32,320 --> 00:19:35,280 Speaker 2: and I was the grinch that stole Christmas. The Reagan 355 00:19:35,400 --> 00:19:39,040 Speaker 2: model of communicating, which is also the Ginglish and Trump model, 356 00:19:39,560 --> 00:19:42,200 Speaker 2: is what the average reader got out of that was, oh, 357 00:19:42,240 --> 00:19:44,639 Speaker 2: he's for a welfare reform, and so all of the 358 00:19:44,680 --> 00:19:47,720 Speaker 2: liberal efforts to attack me just backfired. By the time 359 00:19:47,720 --> 00:19:50,879 Speaker 2: we got done with the debate in ninety six, ninety 360 00:19:50,880 --> 00:19:54,440 Speaker 2: two percent of the country favored welfare reform, including eighty 361 00:19:54,480 --> 00:19:57,320 Speaker 2: eight percent of the people in welfare. They picked probably 362 00:19:57,359 --> 00:20:00,680 Speaker 2: our strongest single issue to attack us on, and all 363 00:20:00,680 --> 00:20:03,600 Speaker 2: that did was remind the average hard working American, Oh yeah, 364 00:20:03,720 --> 00:20:06,480 Speaker 2: I'm with Gingrich now. I mean, I think they managed 365 00:20:06,520 --> 00:20:08,679 Speaker 2: to batter me as a person pretty well, but they 366 00:20:08,680 --> 00:20:11,679 Speaker 2: didn't manage to batter the ideas at all. Part of 367 00:20:11,720 --> 00:20:14,320 Speaker 2: March the Majority is not just how do you win power, 368 00:20:14,560 --> 00:20:17,040 Speaker 2: but then how do you use power, and that's how 369 00:20:17,040 --> 00:20:19,920 Speaker 2: we got to four consecutive balanced budgets, which I think 370 00:20:19,960 --> 00:20:22,399 Speaker 2: if George W. Bush had understood what we were doing, 371 00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:25,000 Speaker 2: he would have had a much more effective and a 372 00:20:25,080 --> 00:20:26,680 Speaker 2: much more successful administration. 373 00:20:27,040 --> 00:20:29,280 Speaker 1: It's interesting because if you go back, he did a 374 00:20:29,320 --> 00:20:31,920 Speaker 1: couple of things. Let me start with you followed through 375 00:20:31,920 --> 00:20:35,800 Speaker 1: on your promise, and your promise was the contract with 376 00:20:35,840 --> 00:20:37,840 Speaker 1: America and that you would vote on them in the 377 00:20:37,840 --> 00:20:41,600 Speaker 1: first one hundred days. And I think promises made have 378 00:20:41,760 --> 00:20:44,840 Speaker 1: to be promises kept by politicians. I think that is 379 00:20:44,920 --> 00:20:48,920 Speaker 1: probably the single most disappointing thing I hear from conservatives 380 00:20:49,440 --> 00:20:52,240 Speaker 1: is Republicans say one thing on the campaign trail and 381 00:20:52,280 --> 00:20:55,720 Speaker 1: they don't follow through. You followed through, which was number one. 382 00:20:56,480 --> 00:21:00,119 Speaker 1: But Clinton tried to govern from the hard left the 383 00:21:00,160 --> 00:21:02,800 Speaker 1: first two years of his presidency, and that was when 384 00:21:03,280 --> 00:21:07,119 Speaker 1: Hillary Care was being debated. It went over like a 385 00:21:07,160 --> 00:21:10,359 Speaker 1: dead balloon, and that resulted, in part to your rise 386 00:21:10,440 --> 00:21:14,320 Speaker 1: to power and to Bill Clinton's credit. Politically speaking, it's 387 00:21:14,400 --> 00:21:17,440 Speaker 1: very savvy. I think you would agree with that. He 388 00:21:17,480 --> 00:21:21,840 Speaker 1: got into a series of negotiations with you that resulted 389 00:21:21,880 --> 00:21:24,480 Speaker 1: in your right him saying the era of big government 390 00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:26,919 Speaker 1: is over. And the end of welfare as we know it. 391 00:21:27,680 --> 00:21:30,840 Speaker 1: Those are not Democratic Party ideas. But he was a 392 00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:34,800 Speaker 1: southern governor from Arkansas, maybe a little more conservative naturally 393 00:21:34,880 --> 00:21:38,679 Speaker 1: than he had portrayed himself in the general campaign. But 394 00:21:38,760 --> 00:21:41,280 Speaker 1: it was that moment, and I remember when you guys 395 00:21:41,280 --> 00:21:44,520 Speaker 1: had your big debate together. It was that moment to 396 00:21:44,640 --> 00:21:48,800 Speaker 1: me that showed that, Wow, this is going to happen. 397 00:21:49,119 --> 00:21:52,000 Speaker 1: These are going to be real changes now. I want 398 00:21:52,040 --> 00:21:54,960 Speaker 1: everybody to understand and really really highlight this. Whre now 399 00:21:55,040 --> 00:21:57,760 Speaker 1: thirty one trillion dollars in debt as a nation today 400 00:21:58,440 --> 00:22:04,080 Speaker 1: this year three and you were the last speaker, the 401 00:22:04,119 --> 00:22:06,879 Speaker 1: only one in my lifetime, to balance a budget for 402 00:22:07,080 --> 00:22:11,680 Speaker 1: consecutive years. You had a partner in that talk a 403 00:22:11,720 --> 00:22:15,200 Speaker 1: little bit about that dynamic, that relationship and the opening 404 00:22:15,720 --> 00:22:21,240 Speaker 1: of his overreach towards this area of compromise and basically submission. 405 00:22:21,280 --> 00:22:24,160 Speaker 2: As far as I'm concerned, part of what I tried 406 00:22:24,160 --> 00:22:27,000 Speaker 2: to communicate and march the majority is that it is 407 00:22:27,040 --> 00:22:29,520 Speaker 2: a process. It's a series of steps. It's not a 408 00:22:29,520 --> 00:22:31,520 Speaker 2: giant leap. You don't wake up one morning in this 409 00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:33,879 Speaker 2: bam you get there. But part of what happened was 410 00:22:34,440 --> 00:22:36,480 Speaker 2: he'd been the youngest governor in the country in nineteen 411 00:22:36,520 --> 00:22:39,320 Speaker 2: seventy eight. He lost in nineteen eighty and it totally 412 00:22:39,400 --> 00:22:42,159 Speaker 2: shattered him, and he went around for two years moping, 413 00:22:42,160 --> 00:22:44,960 Speaker 2: and they finally won re election, but he was very 414 00:22:44,960 --> 00:22:48,119 Speaker 2: aware that he could lose, and so in June of 415 00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:51,359 Speaker 2: nineteen ninety five, they apparently had this huge meeting at 416 00:22:51,400 --> 00:22:53,199 Speaker 2: the White House and Clinton listened to all of his 417 00:22:53,280 --> 00:22:55,160 Speaker 2: liberal friends tell him, you know, you've got to stand 418 00:22:55,200 --> 00:22:57,240 Speaker 2: up to Ginglish, You've got to fight for the true faith. 419 00:22:57,920 --> 00:22:59,280 Speaker 2: And when they got done, he said to him, if 420 00:22:59,320 --> 00:23:01,080 Speaker 2: I do what you want me to do, I will 421 00:23:01,119 --> 00:23:04,760 Speaker 2: be defeated in nineteen ninety six. But if I find 422 00:23:04,800 --> 00:23:07,240 Speaker 2: ways to work with Gingrich, I'll probably get re elected. 423 00:23:08,240 --> 00:23:10,760 Speaker 2: And I'm not going to sit here and commit myself 424 00:23:10,800 --> 00:23:13,720 Speaker 2: to being defeated. And that was the turning point, and 425 00:23:13,760 --> 00:23:17,080 Speaker 2: so he and I would meet regularly. We spent thirty 426 00:23:17,119 --> 00:23:21,760 Speaker 2: five days together negotiating a balanced budget, and we would talk. 427 00:23:22,080 --> 00:23:24,840 Speaker 2: We would both sit and just chat chat chat, driving 428 00:23:24,880 --> 00:23:28,640 Speaker 2: our staffs crazy. At times he would try to concede things. 429 00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:30,920 Speaker 2: At one point, I remember Leanne Panetta was a chief 430 00:23:30,920 --> 00:23:34,199 Speaker 2: of staff, and Panetta jumped up physically and said, you 431 00:23:34,280 --> 00:23:37,720 Speaker 2: can't do that. We lost control of the House having 432 00:23:37,800 --> 00:23:40,560 Speaker 2: voted for that. You are just you're betraying all the 433 00:23:40,600 --> 00:23:43,480 Speaker 2: people who voted for that in ninety four. And Clinton 434 00:23:43,520 --> 00:23:45,840 Speaker 2: stared at him. I'd never quite seen a president dressed 435 00:23:45,840 --> 00:23:48,600 Speaker 2: down by his own staff, And he turned to me 436 00:23:48,600 --> 00:23:51,720 Speaker 2: and said, well, I guess that's when I can't give away. No, 437 00:23:51,840 --> 00:23:53,960 Speaker 2: we found something else. But it was that kind of 438 00:23:54,040 --> 00:23:57,800 Speaker 2: human dynamic, and I think he suddenly got intrigued with 439 00:23:57,840 --> 00:24:00,400 Speaker 2: the idea that he could be the present and who 440 00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:03,200 Speaker 2: balanced the budget for real, comparing to the mess we're 441 00:24:03,240 --> 00:24:07,200 Speaker 2: in right now. People don't remember, but Alan Greenspan was 442 00:24:07,240 --> 00:24:11,000 Speaker 2: sharing of the Federal Reserve and Greenspan gave a speech 443 00:24:11,720 --> 00:24:13,639 Speaker 2: I think it was in ninety nine where he said 444 00:24:14,400 --> 00:24:16,960 Speaker 2: they had now projected that we would pay off the 445 00:24:17,080 --> 00:24:20,720 Speaker 2: national debt by two thousand and nine, and they had 446 00:24:20,720 --> 00:24:23,000 Speaker 2: a working group at the Federal Reserve trying to figure 447 00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:25,560 Speaker 2: out how would you manage the money supply if you 448 00:24:25,600 --> 00:24:28,160 Speaker 2: had no debt, because they'd never thought about it. Last 449 00:24:28,160 --> 00:24:30,160 Speaker 2: time we were total out of debt was eighteen thirty five. 450 00:24:30,640 --> 00:24:33,480 Speaker 1: Especially going out of the Carter years into the Reagan years, 451 00:24:33,520 --> 00:24:35,080 Speaker 1: right there were a couple of tough years there. 452 00:24:35,359 --> 00:24:38,280 Speaker 2: That's right when you look at how the trajectory we 453 00:24:38,280 --> 00:24:40,520 Speaker 2: were on when I left office, and then you look 454 00:24:40,560 --> 00:24:43,639 Speaker 2: at how it all got squandered. Hopefully we're going to 455 00:24:43,640 --> 00:24:45,760 Speaker 2: get back on that trajectory. And part of the purpose 456 00:24:46,200 --> 00:24:49,000 Speaker 2: of March the Majority is to say, to for example, 457 00:24:49,080 --> 00:24:53,400 Speaker 2: budget committee members or incumbent congressmen or candidates, look, this 458 00:24:53,520 --> 00:24:56,800 Speaker 2: can be done. We have done it. It's not a theory, 459 00:24:57,200 --> 00:25:00,240 Speaker 2: it's a fact, and here are the things you can 460 00:25:00,320 --> 00:25:03,600 Speaker 2: do to get this done. And I think that makes 461 00:25:03,600 --> 00:25:05,800 Speaker 2: it a really really important moment in time. 462 00:25:21,359 --> 00:25:23,720 Speaker 1: Could you give us a little more insight. You talked 463 00:25:23,720 --> 00:25:27,000 Speaker 1: about what thirty five straight days meeting with Bill Clinton? 464 00:25:27,680 --> 00:25:30,840 Speaker 1: How much time was that alone time? I mean, I 465 00:25:30,880 --> 00:25:33,120 Speaker 1: know when staffs get together it takes out a very 466 00:25:33,119 --> 00:25:36,359 Speaker 1: different dynamic. How well did you get to know him? 467 00:25:36,760 --> 00:25:38,720 Speaker 1: Where are you guys on the phone late at night 468 00:25:38,840 --> 00:25:41,280 Speaker 1: and talking into the wee hours in the morning. 469 00:25:41,840 --> 00:25:43,960 Speaker 2: We'll talk my phone. Occasionally he would ask me to 470 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:47,320 Speaker 2: come down and we'd break out some bourbon and just 471 00:25:47,359 --> 00:25:48,919 Speaker 2: the two of us and just sit and talk for 472 00:25:48,960 --> 00:25:50,919 Speaker 2: a while. I mean, it wasn't all that common, but 473 00:25:51,119 --> 00:25:54,280 Speaker 2: four or five times He also knew that on foreign 474 00:25:54,359 --> 00:25:56,920 Speaker 2: policy I would protect him. At one point he wanted 475 00:25:56,920 --> 00:26:01,200 Speaker 2: to attack some of Saddam Hussein's facilities, and we talked 476 00:26:01,200 --> 00:26:04,119 Speaker 2: it through, we did it together, and I think that 477 00:26:04,280 --> 00:26:07,680 Speaker 2: had a real impact on him. He knew that while 478 00:26:07,680 --> 00:26:10,359 Speaker 2: I was prepared to be a very tough partisan, I 479 00:26:10,440 --> 00:26:13,280 Speaker 2: was also prepared to be very fair, and I described 480 00:26:13,320 --> 00:26:16,479 Speaker 2: this in March the majority. I used the negotiating model 481 00:26:16,760 --> 00:26:19,719 Speaker 2: that was a box. One side of the box was 482 00:26:20,119 --> 00:26:22,879 Speaker 2: what you have to have. One side of the box 483 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:25,199 Speaker 2: is what I have to have. One side of the 484 00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:27,880 Speaker 2: box is what you can't give up, and one side 485 00:26:27,880 --> 00:26:29,760 Speaker 2: of the box is what I can't give up. Now 486 00:26:30,080 --> 00:26:32,960 Speaker 2: in the middle of those four lines, there's a deal. 487 00:26:33,920 --> 00:26:36,680 Speaker 2: And I practiced something I'd learned from the US Army, 488 00:26:36,960 --> 00:26:40,640 Speaker 2: which was listen, learn, help, and lead. And I practiced 489 00:26:40,640 --> 00:26:43,640 Speaker 2: the listen, learn part a lot. And so the star 490 00:26:43,680 --> 00:26:45,960 Speaker 2: would always be what is it you could never do? 491 00:26:47,440 --> 00:26:49,280 Speaker 2: If it turned out to be something I absolutely had 492 00:26:49,280 --> 00:26:52,439 Speaker 2: to have, then we had to fight. But if what 493 00:26:52,520 --> 00:26:55,240 Speaker 2: he could never do wasn't central to what we were doing, 494 00:26:55,240 --> 00:26:58,359 Speaker 2: I could say, I can give that up, but here's 495 00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:01,680 Speaker 2: what I have to have, and we would negotiate back 496 00:27:01,680 --> 00:27:04,879 Speaker 2: and forth, and I think people underestimate you have to 497 00:27:04,920 --> 00:27:08,720 Speaker 2: get together long enough to understand each other and have 498 00:27:08,760 --> 00:27:13,760 Speaker 2: some sense of trust because you're asking people to take risks. 499 00:27:14,080 --> 00:27:16,359 Speaker 2: You're saying to the prior the United States, this is 500 00:27:16,400 --> 00:27:17,960 Speaker 2: going to make your base angry. I mean, when he 501 00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:20,920 Speaker 2: agreed to sign welfare reform, even when he was signing it, 502 00:27:21,200 --> 00:27:23,560 Speaker 2: and even when ninety two percent of the country wanted it, 503 00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:27,360 Speaker 2: one half of the Democrats voted no. I just think 504 00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:31,520 Speaker 2: about that because they just couldn't do it. And I 505 00:27:31,560 --> 00:27:35,080 Speaker 2: think that that's really important to understand that a number 506 00:27:35,080 --> 00:27:37,359 Speaker 2: of these things he signed, the largest capital against tax 507 00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:40,640 Speaker 2: cut in history. Well, if you are a left wing Democrat, 508 00:27:40,680 --> 00:27:44,240 Speaker 2: this is why. By the way, the left never fully 509 00:27:44,359 --> 00:27:48,120 Speaker 2: liked Hillary. There wasn't the scandals. It was that when 510 00:27:48,160 --> 00:27:51,119 Speaker 2: it mattered, Bill Clinton sold them out. There was a 511 00:27:51,160 --> 00:27:54,000 Speaker 2: grudge there That is pretty astonishing. 512 00:27:53,720 --> 00:27:56,440 Speaker 1: In many ways. You're telling me about Bill Clinton that 513 00:27:56,480 --> 00:27:59,920 Speaker 1: I don't think most people know. You also, though, had 514 00:28:00,280 --> 00:28:04,040 Speaker 1: taken a lot of heat from within your caucus, and 515 00:28:04,080 --> 00:28:07,119 Speaker 1: it was interesting, But this part I found painful to 516 00:28:07,160 --> 00:28:10,720 Speaker 1: watch because you had led them to this point and 517 00:28:10,760 --> 00:28:13,119 Speaker 1: then you had some of your top lieutenants turn on you. 518 00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:15,240 Speaker 1: That had to be disappointing. 519 00:28:15,600 --> 00:28:17,639 Speaker 2: Well, I was. I mean, it's partly because I was 520 00:28:17,680 --> 00:28:21,760 Speaker 2: probably too aggressive. Sometimes when you lead a revolution, you 521 00:28:21,840 --> 00:28:24,600 Speaker 2: get to going too fast and your followers can't keep up, 522 00:28:25,160 --> 00:28:26,920 Speaker 2: and then you're frankly not a good leader. And I 523 00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:30,560 Speaker 2: would say that in some ways I was so determined 524 00:28:31,080 --> 00:28:33,280 Speaker 2: to push on every front when we got elected that 525 00:28:33,400 --> 00:28:36,080 Speaker 2: night that you were with us. In nineteen ninety four, 526 00:28:36,840 --> 00:28:39,800 Speaker 2: I concluded that we were going to take on the 527 00:28:39,960 --> 00:28:42,760 Speaker 2: entire national establishment in some ways very similar to Trump 528 00:28:42,760 --> 00:28:46,880 Speaker 2: in twenty sixteen and seventeen. And I concluded that I 529 00:28:46,920 --> 00:28:50,760 Speaker 2: would last four years, but that I probably couldn't last 530 00:28:51,040 --> 00:28:54,320 Speaker 2: against the entire weight of the establishment. I thought I 531 00:28:54,360 --> 00:28:59,120 Speaker 2: had a window to really dramatically change things, and so 532 00:28:59,440 --> 00:29:02,720 Speaker 2: I actually we've been part of November and December nineteen 533 00:29:02,800 --> 00:29:07,000 Speaker 2: ninety four after we won studying Wellington, because Wellington's campaign 534 00:29:07,080 --> 00:29:10,200 Speaker 2: in the Peninsula, he's always outnumbered, and he's always having 535 00:29:10,240 --> 00:29:13,080 Speaker 2: to find ways to win despite being outnumbered. Because I 536 00:29:13,120 --> 00:29:15,560 Speaker 2: assumed we'd always be outnumbered, we'd have the weight of 537 00:29:15,600 --> 00:29:18,640 Speaker 2: the national media, we'd have the unions, we would have 538 00:29:18,680 --> 00:29:22,200 Speaker 2: the Democratic Party, we'd have most of the bureaucracy. I mean, 539 00:29:22,240 --> 00:29:24,720 Speaker 2: all of these things coming crashing down on us, and 540 00:29:24,800 --> 00:29:27,600 Speaker 2: we had to find a way to create an alliance 541 00:29:27,640 --> 00:29:30,520 Speaker 2: with the American people. And I always thought that the 542 00:29:30,600 --> 00:29:34,080 Speaker 2: ninety sixth election would be more difficult than ninety four 543 00:29:34,840 --> 00:29:37,440 Speaker 2: because we hadn't won reelection in sixty eight years, not 544 00:29:37,480 --> 00:29:41,320 Speaker 2: since nineteen twenty eight. So everything we did was designed 545 00:29:41,320 --> 00:29:44,000 Speaker 2: to both achieve our goals, which were, by the standard 546 00:29:44,040 --> 00:29:47,200 Speaker 2: of that time, revolutionary. I mean, balancing the budget for 547 00:29:47,200 --> 00:29:52,320 Speaker 2: four years was revolutionary. Replacing welfare with work was revolutionary. 548 00:29:52,480 --> 00:29:54,480 Speaker 1: This is a sidebar. I can't help myself. I'm the 549 00:29:54,560 --> 00:29:56,880 Speaker 1: talk shows. Did you ever reach out to you during 550 00:29:56,880 --> 00:29:58,120 Speaker 1: that Lewinsky time? 551 00:29:58,720 --> 00:30:01,800 Speaker 2: We talked occasionally and he understood sort of where things 552 00:30:01,840 --> 00:30:04,520 Speaker 2: were at. The truth is, the day the House was 553 00:30:04,560 --> 00:30:07,680 Speaker 2: voting to impeaching, he called me to talk about Saddam 554 00:30:07,720 --> 00:30:12,760 Speaker 2: hussein remarkable ability to compartmentalize. He knew that he had 555 00:30:12,760 --> 00:30:14,959 Speaker 2: caused his own trouble, and he knew he had to 556 00:30:15,040 --> 00:30:17,560 Speaker 2: endure it, and of course he fought ferociously to survive 557 00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:21,280 Speaker 2: and succeeded. In honesty. I think I had warned my 558 00:30:21,320 --> 00:30:24,280 Speaker 2: troops out. I think four years of ging which was 559 00:30:24,320 --> 00:30:27,400 Speaker 2: about half a year more than they were capable of enduring. 560 00:30:27,920 --> 00:30:30,400 Speaker 2: And I wasn't smart enough to modulate him back off. 561 00:30:30,600 --> 00:30:33,040 Speaker 1: I'm not sure. I mean, I remember you wrote Lessons 562 00:30:33,120 --> 00:30:35,800 Speaker 1: Learned the Hard Way not long after that, and I 563 00:30:35,840 --> 00:30:37,840 Speaker 1: thought maybe you were a little hotter on yourself at 564 00:30:37,840 --> 00:30:41,840 Speaker 1: that time, because the accomplishments speak for themselves. We haven't 565 00:30:41,960 --> 00:30:45,240 Speaker 1: balanced the budget since the four that you balanced, and 566 00:30:45,440 --> 00:30:47,720 Speaker 1: what an amazing book. I just want to say to 567 00:30:48,200 --> 00:30:53,040 Speaker 1: your listeners, look this book. If you care about the future, 568 00:30:53,440 --> 00:30:58,680 Speaker 1: if you understand the need for guiding principles and an 569 00:30:58,720 --> 00:31:02,120 Speaker 1: agenda that will resonate and also help save the country. 570 00:31:02,760 --> 00:31:06,080 Speaker 1: March to the Majority by New Gingrich is the roadmap. 571 00:31:06,440 --> 00:31:08,560 Speaker 1: It was the roadmap for you, but it's also the 572 00:31:08,680 --> 00:31:11,640 Speaker 1: roadmap moving forward. You know you mentioned a number of 573 00:31:11,640 --> 00:31:15,200 Speaker 1: times that well, Ronald Reagan gave this speech and I 574 00:31:15,280 --> 00:31:18,760 Speaker 1: picked up this from his speech that shows how timeless 575 00:31:18,760 --> 00:31:22,200 Speaker 1: these principles are. I'm going to bet sometime in history, 576 00:31:22,240 --> 00:31:24,520 Speaker 1: people are going to look at this book and they're 577 00:31:24,520 --> 00:31:26,200 Speaker 1: going to learn from New Gingrich, and they're going to 578 00:31:26,200 --> 00:31:29,720 Speaker 1: look at historically at your speakership and the time that 579 00:31:29,800 --> 00:31:32,400 Speaker 1: you led and say that's the way to do it. 580 00:31:32,720 --> 00:31:35,160 Speaker 1: If we go back to that, we'll be serving the 581 00:31:35,160 --> 00:31:37,560 Speaker 1: American people. But I know we have to wrap up. 582 00:31:37,640 --> 00:31:40,720 Speaker 1: It's called March to the Majority. It's now in bookstores 583 00:31:40,760 --> 00:31:43,640 Speaker 1: all across the country. It's on Amazon dot com, Hannity 584 00:31:43,680 --> 00:31:45,640 Speaker 1: dot com, new it's going to put up on his 585 00:31:45,720 --> 00:31:48,040 Speaker 1: website a way to get autograph copies of the book. 586 00:31:48,560 --> 00:31:50,400 Speaker 1: Mister Speaker, First of all, it's an honor for me 587 00:31:50,480 --> 00:31:54,360 Speaker 1: to join you on your podcast, and of course you're 588 00:31:54,520 --> 00:31:56,640 Speaker 1: on my radio and TV show about the book. A 589 00:31:56,720 --> 00:31:59,880 Speaker 1: must read for anybody that cares about how to really 590 00:32:00,040 --> 00:32:01,640 Speaker 1: get America back on track today. 591 00:32:02,040 --> 00:32:05,560 Speaker 2: One of the great pleasures of these years has been 592 00:32:05,720 --> 00:32:08,920 Speaker 2: having you as a personal friend. It really means a 593 00:32:08,920 --> 00:32:12,040 Speaker 2: lot to me, and I've watched with great admiration how 594 00:32:12,040 --> 00:32:14,640 Speaker 2: hard you work at how passionately you love this country. 595 00:32:14,680 --> 00:32:16,840 Speaker 2: And so it was a great honor that you would 596 00:32:16,880 --> 00:32:19,280 Speaker 2: be willing to chat with me about March the Majority. 597 00:32:19,640 --> 00:32:21,920 Speaker 1: No dishonor is all mine. I mean, think about this 598 00:32:22,080 --> 00:32:25,520 Speaker 1: nineteen ninety and you know, here we are thirty some 599 00:32:25,640 --> 00:32:27,880 Speaker 1: odd years later, and you've always kind of been the 600 00:32:27,920 --> 00:32:30,480 Speaker 1: big brother that I always needed. With three oldest sisters 601 00:32:30,520 --> 00:32:33,480 Speaker 1: and the one I wanted. I value your friendship way 602 00:32:33,480 --> 00:32:35,840 Speaker 1: more than you'll ever know. I think this is one 603 00:32:35,840 --> 00:32:38,320 Speaker 1: of the most important books people can read right now 604 00:32:38,360 --> 00:32:41,520 Speaker 1: before the twenty twenty four election. I'm asking everybody go 605 00:32:41,600 --> 00:32:45,320 Speaker 1: OUK at your copy bookstores around the country, Amazon dot com, 606 00:32:45,760 --> 00:32:50,480 Speaker 1: Hannity dot com, New Cayrich's website, and you know, I 607 00:32:50,520 --> 00:32:55,320 Speaker 1: got to thank you, mister speaker March to the majority. 608 00:32:55,360 --> 00:32:59,440 Speaker 1: I believe it's on nutsworld dot com and Nutsworld is 609 00:32:59,440 --> 00:33:04,720 Speaker 1: produced by Gingrich three sixty and iHeartMedia. Our executive producer 610 00:33:05,120 --> 00:33:09,840 Speaker 1: is Guarncy Sloan. Our researcher is Rachel Peterson. Artwork for 611 00:33:09,920 --> 00:33:13,160 Speaker 1: the show created by Steve Penley, who's phenomenal. Love of 612 00:33:13,280 --> 00:33:16,840 Speaker 1: him special thanks to all the team at Gingrich three sixty. 613 00:33:17,320 --> 00:33:20,400 Speaker 1: And if you're enjoying nuts World, I hope you go 614 00:33:20,440 --> 00:33:23,600 Speaker 1: to Apple Podcasts and both rate us with five stars 615 00:33:23,640 --> 00:33:25,560 Speaker 1: and give us a review so others can learn what 616 00:33:25,560 --> 00:33:28,720 Speaker 1: it's all about. And right now, listeners of newts World 617 00:33:28,720 --> 00:33:33,520 Speaker 1: can sign up for Newts three free weekly columns. That's 618 00:33:33,560 --> 00:33:38,760 Speaker 1: at Gingrich three sixty dot com slash newsletter Gingrich three 619 00:33:38,800 --> 00:33:43,000 Speaker 1: sixty dot com slash newsletter, Mister Speaker, it's been my honor. 620 00:33:43,280 --> 00:33:48,000 Speaker 1: It always is. Congratulations, and this march to the majority 621 00:33:48,240 --> 00:33:50,360 Speaker 1: is the answer. The answers are here.