Newt attacks from the Left (and so does Romney) [updated]

I appreciated George Will's line that Gingrich "would have made a marvelous Marxist." Turns out Will was too soft on Newt. Here's what he said in NH yesterday:

I would just say that if Gov. Romney would like to give back all of the money he’s earned from bankrupting companies and laying off employees over his years at Bain, that I would be glad to listen to him.

Good grief. That sounds exactly like Barack Obama. Or Elizabeth Warren. Or some deadbeat, brainwashed OWSer.

Conn Carroll, in his George Will was wrong: Newt Gingrich IS a Marxist, quotes Charles Krauthammer:

What kind of attack is this of one so-called person of the right to another? What conception of capitalism do you have if you are attacking your opponent for entering what is the risk taking of capitalism? It's the old line from Schumpeter, which is that capitalism is creative destruction and this kind of attack is what you would expect from a socialist.

Carroll adds:

It was only a matter of time before Gingrich said something that would remind conservative primary voters why he is a terrible choice for the Republican nomination. This is it.

A terrible choice, indeed. How will Newt-fanciers reconcile that anti-capitalist attack with their vision of him as a conservative? And why do they think he can beat Obama? Mad debating skills are overrated.

Let's not forget that Mitt Romney, a government guy at heart, also attacks from the left. Remember his response to Rick Perry's characterization of Social Security as a Ponzi scheme? His campaign rushed down to Florida and proceeded to distort Perry's remarks in order to scare the old folks. That is what liberals, or if you prefer, frugal socialists, do. As Steyn said,

First, in a two-party system, there ought to be room for one party that doesn’t reflexively accuse anyone who wants to discuss Social Security honestly of wanting to push Gran’ma off the cliff.

Read the rest of that for a mini-refresher on what's the matter with Mitt. I have a feeling Newt will continue to hammer us with his glaring negatives.

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I just noticed this 2002 video in which Romney offers himself to Massachusetts voters as a "progressive." Is that news? It's weak tea in comparison with his mealy-mouthed embrace of abortion rights or his selling of himself as a change agent who would infiltrate the Republican party and moderate it from within:

He would be a “good voice in the party” for their cause, and his moderation on the issue would be “widely written about,” he said, according to detailed notes taken by an officer of the group, NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts.

“You need someone like me in Washington,” several participants recalled Romney saying that day in September 2002, an apparent reference to his future ambitions.

Romney made similar assurances to activists for gay rights and the environment, according to people familiar with the discussions, both as a candidate for governor and then in the early days of his term. [. . .]

Now, as they watch Romney’s ascent from his old stomping grounds in Boston, many of the liberals he encountered wonder whether his transformation has been sincere or a matter of sheer politics. Not only did he espouse more liberal views at the time, but Romney presented himself as a change agent who could soften the GOP’s rough ideological edges.

I pray we can do better than either of these guys.

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One more on Romney from Philip Klein, who notes that Mitt went from ‘progressive’ to ‘conservative’ in 27 months:

So this really leaves only three possibilities:

1) Romney was lying to citizens of Massachusetts about ideological views he held for decades. (Remember, in his 1994 Senate race, he claimed, “I was an independent during the time of Reagan-Bush” – which would bring us back to the 1980s.)

2) Between the ages of 55 and 58, Romney underwent a dramatic ideological change from a “moderate”/”progressive” non-partisan Republican to a solid conservative Republican. And that transformation coincidentally occurred around the time he was deciding not to seek a second term as governor of a liberal state and to seek the GOP presidential nomination.

3) He’s lying to conservatives now.

Take your pick. I've already voted on this.

Linked by Michelle Malkin -- thanks!

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Updated to add George Will's take on Newt's capital crime

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