Glenn Beck characterized Newt Gingrich as a big government “progressive” in the Teddy Roosevelt mold during a radio interview. Beck criticized Gingrich for his support for government initiatives to expand healthcare and curb global warming.
It was a label that Gingrich embraced, saying that in the area of healthcare, “I’m a Theodore Roosevelt Republican and I believe government can lean in the regulatory leaning is okay,” according to the transcript of the Glenn Beck radio show.
Gingrich cited Roosevelt’s support for the passage of food and drug laws. The former history professor said, “There are minimum regulatory standards of public health and safety that are I think really important.”
Beck had made it clear he was no fan of the first President Roosevelt.
“Regulation and the government scares the crap out of me and I think most Tea Party kind of leaning conservatives,” he said, “and Theodore Roosevelt was the guy who started the Progressive Party.”
Gingrich specifically repudiated the Teddy Roosevelt of 1912, who ran as a third-party candidate after failing to wrest the Republican nomination from President William Howard Taft. T.R. founded the Bull Moose Party, as his Progressive Party was known colloquially. Both T.R. and Taft lost to Woodrow Wilson, as they split the Republican vote.
The 1912 T.R. had “become a big government, centralized power advocate” Gingrich said.
He was careful during the interview to explain that he was opposed to the efforts of Democrats like Al Gore to exert control over the total American economy.
Gingrich explained to Beck that Big Government programs like Medicare and Social Security were a fact of life, but that they could be changed to open them up to promote individual liberty. The introduction of market mechanisms into both programs would improve an individual’s freedom of choice. He argued that the expansion of Medicare to provide a drug benefit improved the program.
Beck would rather see government entitlements rolled back.
On the subject of health insurance, Gingrich said he believes that everyone should have coverage, which Beck said was the same as the individual mandate in Obamacare. Gingrich would provide subsidies to make insurance affordable to all.
Obamacare and anti-global warming initiatives are anathema to the Tea Party conservatives to whom Beck is a political and spiritual godfather. Beck is outspoken about his support for Michele Bachmann, who followed Gingrich as a guest on his radio program.