Frank Wolf and Newt Gingrich: Blast from the Past

With the news that Newt Gingrich is not going to run for president in 2008, I thought it might be a good time for a "blast from the past" on Gingrich and our own favorite "moderate" Republican congressman, Frank Wolf.

Let's return to September 1996, courtesy of the Washington Post:

The Gingrich-Wolf connection is close," [Wolf's Democratic opponent Robert L.] Weinberg said, noting that Wolf's voting record has received ratings of 80 to 90 percent from the American Conservative Union while drawing barely a 10 percent rating from the American Civil Liberties Union. "Wolf tries to pretend he's a moderate, but his voting is very right-wing," Weinberg said.

Gingrich and Wolf also are to blame, Weinberg said, for the two federal government shutdowns during the fall and winter brought on by the budget stalemate between Congress and the White House. The 10th District includes tens of thousands of federal employees.

"The fact that Wolf voted for the Gingrich line and shut down the major industry in his district will cost him this election," Weinberg said.

No, it didn't cost Wolf the election in 1996, but it's still important to remember how close Wolf the "moderate" was to Newt Gingrich. Keep in mind that Wolf voted for much of Gingrich's "Contract With America."