Newt, the influence peddler.

• Author: Hightower, Jim
• Position: Vox Populist - Newt Gingrich

Mea culpa, my bad. I've been calling Newt Gingrich a lobbyist. Apparently, he hates that tag, even though he has gotten very wealthy by taking big bucks from such special interest outfits as IBM, AstraZeneca, Microsoft, and Siemens in exchange for helping them get favors from federal and state governments. But Gin grich, his lawyers, and staff adamantly insist that it's rude and crude to call him a lobbyist. No-no, they bark, The Newt is--tada!--"a visionary."

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Major corporations, they explain, pay up to $200,000 a year to the corrupt former House Speaker's policy center, seeking nothing more from Newt than the sheer privilege of bathing in the soothing enlightenment of his transformative vision. Also, as the man himself constantly reminds everyone, he has a Ph. By-God D. So he's.... "Dr. Newt," the certified visionary.

Yet the sales pitch to lure potential corporate clients to his center makes crystal clear that the visionary services he offers entail precisely doing what (excuse the term) lobbyists do. For example, the center brags that Newt has "contacts at the highest levels" of government, and that being a paying customer "increases your channels of input to decision makers." One corporate chieftain who hired Newt for $7,500 a month (plus giving him stock options) says he "made it very clear to us that he does not lobby, but that he could direct us to the right places in Washington."

So, Mr. Do-Not-Call-Me-A-Lobbyist is, in fact, selling his government contacts and peddling his polkical influence. But he does not lobby. Instead, we're told that he directs, makes calls, arranges meetings, opens doors, and, of course, has visions.

I'm glad we got that cleared up. From now on, I'll call Newt what he is: a Washington influence peddler. Yes, that's much better.

From Washington to Wall Street, we now have too many 5-watt bulbs sitting in 100-watt sockets. As a result of our leaders' dimness, America's...