Republican Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich, as Speaker of the House, “recommended a substantial weakening of a major bill to examine the runaway growth of legalized gambling in America” according to this Washington Post story from May 1, 1996.
By eliminating the subpoena power of what ultimately became know as The National Gambling Impact Study Commission, Gingrich made the commission virtually impotent, allowing predatory gambling operators to totally disregard its key recommendation that states implement a moratorium on any gambling expansion.
Today, sixteen years later, government’s partnership with casinos represents one of the biggest policy failures in modern times with little end in sight.
Meanwhile, billionaire casino operator Sheldon Adelson is Gingrich’s biggest financial backer in his bid to win the Republican nomination.
Millions of American families have tragically paid the price for what ranks as one Gingrich’s major failures as a public official.
The grinch
Why oh why does my my Midwest mother in law think Gingrich is the way forward. She is a stone cold republican but she deeply admonishes gambling. Perhaps every, and i mean every, hopeful should be subjected to a televised ‘roast’ to display their career highs and lows. Obviously for some, it would be a 3 part mini series, but Fox seems to be having issues finding original shows. They will surely leap at the chance…