SOUTH DAKOTA STRAIGHT TALK

Newt Gingrich was in South Dakota yesterday to give the inaugural Edmund Burke lecture at USD. It was a splendid evening and I was encouraged by how many young people attended to hear what could only be described as a learned and spectacular speech. A wonderful history lesson and followed up with applications to current events and problem solving.

What has not been reported was an informal presentation that was made mid day yesterday by Newt in Sioux Falls at the small assembly hall at the new Avera McKennan Behavioral Health Hospital. Invited guests were McKennan executives and what I would describe as a ragtag Republican Legislative caucus. Senator Tom Dempster, a substantive man, organized the event. Tom has been leading the charge with free enterprise initiatives and solutions to the health care affordability issue (more crisis I’d say) in South Dakota.

There was little discussion directly relating to health care as the group moved very quickly to broader public policy issues and broad political strategizing. Speaker Gingrich, a PhD and former college professor speaks equally well to the big picture and the minutiae of the details.

Since health care affordability is a BIG issue Gingrich is passionate about it he referred us to his website, www.healthtransformation.net, and his book “Saving Lives and Saving Money.”

His roughly two hour presentation that included a heart healthy lunch moved on to changing the way people think about problems and find solutions. It was absolutely fascinating. He spoke to the need to address big ideas and that we need 21st Century solutions not approaching problems the same “old” way. He encouraged legislative transformation and ways that government MUST be modernized. He suggested a metrics led leadership system. A lot of new ways of looking at things were talked about.

Newt Gingrich said will have a new book out this fall, “The Art of Transformation.” Newt Gingrich is a deep thinker and excellent in his word craft. It was a joyous event because the right ideas do matter.

Sidebar – There was some uninformed derision today on the War on Terrorism in blogoland because of a report that Speaker said the US should pull out or Iraq. I challenge that is what he said. The remark was reportedly made at an meeting that the former Speaker had with students at a late afternoon meeting (I did not attend). However at the conclusion of the presentation of the lecture he did speak to the US presence in Iraq. Based on his comments I do not believe the reporter or headline writer got it right but instead (giving them the benefit of the doubt) just either did not understand or did not hear it correctly. Gingrich was critical of Paul Bremer’s role and handling of the transition to Iraqis. To hear what he said and his position go to   http://www.newt.org/multimedia/default.asp?mi=127