Newt Gingrich Really Want the Constitution to ‘Die?’ By Jack Hunter 12/13/2011 American conservatism has long been synonymous with protecting and promoting the U.S. Constitution. Barry Goldwater explained what it meant to be a conservative leader in his famous 1960 book “The Conscience of a Conservative”: The turn will come when we entrust the conduct of our affairs to the men who understand that their first duty as public officials is to divest themselves of the power that they have been given. It will come when Americans, in hundreds of communities throughout the nation, decide to put the man in office who is pledged to enforce the Constitution and restore the Republic. In 1995, authors Alvin and Heidi Toffler published “Creating a New Civilization: The Politics of the Third Wave.” The Tofflers formulated something they called the “futurist” movement, in which they believed technological advancement would usher in massive civilizational change. One of the implications of their envisioned societal transformation was alluded to on page 91 of their futurist tome: For this wisdom above all, we thank Mr. Jefferson, who helped create the system that served us so well for so long and that now must, in its turn, die and be replaced. “The system … Mr. Jefferson … helped create … now must … die and be replaced”? We can safely assume the Tofflers were speaking of Thomas Jefferson. We can also infer that “the system” Mr. Jefferson and his generation helped create was the experiment in limited government known as the United States Constitution. Wrote Newt Gingrich in the foreword to “Creating a New Civilization”: This book is a key effort in the direction of empowering citizens … to truly take the leap to invent a (new)
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.