In an interview with former House speaker Newt Gingrich on Tuesday's NBC Today, co-host Matt Lauer worried about vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan's commitment to conservative principles: "I've heard Paul Ryan described as a true conservative....Do you honestly think he is someone who will work and reach across the aisle to Democrats or will he be an immovable object on key social issues and issues of ideology?"
Earlier
in the interview, Lauer pushed Gingrich to criticize Ryan's plan to
reform Medicare: "...on the weekend you announced that you wanted the
Republican nomination...you were talking about that version, Paul Ryan's
version then of reforming Medicare, you said it was 'right-wing social
engineering.' He since has evolved. Is there anything about his current
version of that plan that is still right-wing social engineering?"
Gingrich replied that Ryan's ability to take and respond to criticism
was "one of his strengths, unlike President Obama, who doesn't seem to
listen." Gingrich then explained: "And the result was he worked with
[Oregon Democratic] Senator Ron Wyden. It's important to remember, the
only bipartisan proposal to save Medicare for the long run is the
Ryan-Wyden plan."
Gingrich later used Ryan's work with Wyden to dismantle Lauer's
"immovable object" argument against Ryan: "...you ought to talk to
Senator Ron Wyden, who's a Democrat from Oregon, who in a very big bold
reform has worked very closely and can tell you what his relationship
has been like with Paul Ryan."
Here is a full transcript of the August 14 exchange:
7:06AM ET
MATT LAUER: Newt Gingrich is the former speaker of the House and
one-time favorite in the GOP presidential race. Speaker Gingrich, good
to see you.
NEWT GINGRICH: It's good to be with you.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Defining Paul Ryan; Newt Gingrich on Romney's Choice for VP]
LAUER: Let's talk about your first reaction. I've heard in the last 36
hours Paul Ryan described in a couple of very different ways. On the one
hand, I hear he's a game-changer for the Romney campaign. I also hear
he's a dream come true for the Obama campaign. What was your first
reaction when you heard he was on the ticket?
GINGRICH: Well, I think both are true. My reaction was very, very
positive. Callista has known him since he was an intern for Senator
Kasten. He is a remarkably bright guy, he worked under Jack Kemp and
Jeane Kirkpatrick, he has a wonderful understanding of economic growth
and how to create jobs and he has enormous courage.
Now, he's also a game-changer from the Democrat's standpoint. He
virtually guarantees this is going to be a big-issue, big-choice
election. And our job is going to be to insist on telling the truth
about it and to work on issues such as, for example, the fact that no
one 55 or over, no one has anything happen to Medicare under the Ryan
proposal.
LAUER: Yeah, well let's-
GINGRICH: So to scare current senior citizens is just false.
LAUER: Well, let's talk about Medicare. Because we do have to go back
to what you said on the weekend you announced that you wanted the
Republican nomination. And when you were talking about that version,
Paul Ryan's version then of reforming Medicare, you said it was
"right-wing social engineering." He since has evolved. Is there anything
about his current version of that plan that is still right-wing social
engineering?
GINGRICH: Well, he doesn't care for the criticism, which is one of his
strengths, unlike President Obama, who doesn't seem to listen. And the
result was he worked with Senator Ron Wyden. It's important to remember,
the only bipartisan proposal to save Medicare for the long run is the
Ryan-Wyden plan. And what it says is you can keep the current Medicare
system if that's what you want. So even if you're 23 years old, if you
really want to keep the current system, you can do so.
Now, the challenge for the President is simple. He did transfer
something like $716 billion out of projected spending in Medicare in
order to cover the cost of ObamaCare. He did create a 15-person
bureaucratic board which ends Medicare as we know it as a doctor-patient
system. And for the President to go around pretending that he's going
to protect Medicare is simply not accurate and not frankly being fair to
the American people. Let's have an honest debate and let's ask the
President and Vice President Biden to be honest about what they've
already done and to be honest about the Ryan plan, which does not affect
anyone at all over 55 years of age.
LAUER: You talk about a bipartisan plan. I've heard Paul Ryan described
as a true conservative. Of course you used to describe yourself as that
in this race. Do you honestly think he is someone who will work and
reach across the aisle to Democrats or will he be an immovable object on
key social issues and issues of ideology?
GINGRICH: Well, I think, first of all, you ought to talk to Senator Ron
Wyden, who's a Democrat from Oregon, who in a very big bold reform has
worked very closely and can tell you what his relationship has been like
with Paul Ryan. But in addition, Paul's entire experience – remember,
he represents an industrial blue-collar auto worker district in
Wisconsin. He is very attuned to trying to reach across the aisle to
find Democrats, to find common ground. I think that his interest is
finding a solution, not just going out and having ideological speeches.
But he also feels passionately as a father of three that his children
are going to be left a bankrupt country unless we do something dramatic.
And he knows when you look at Greece, where there's now 55% teenage
unemployment and youth unemployment, 24% unemployment overall, we can't
go down that road, which is why frankly Governor Christie is a great
choice for keynote speaker. Because he was one of the first leaders in
taking on the cost of government.
LAUER: Former speaker, Newt Gingrich. Mr. Gingrich, always good to see you. Thanks for your time this morning.
GINGRICH: Good to be with you. Thank you.