I’m sure most of the Democratic presidential candidates are looking for all the support they can get. However, when it comes to Newt Gingrich, I suspect most of them would prefer that the former Republican House Speaker attack their campaign, not defend it.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, Gingrich spoke out aggressively last week, leaping to — of all people –Howard Dean’s defense after Dick Gephardt tied Dean to Gingrich for sharing a common approach to Medicare.<\/p>\n
As you may recall, Gephardt began hammering the former Vermont governor two weeks ago, noting that Dean has a long history of hostility for Medicare<\/a>. As Gephardt revealed, Dean has called the health care program for the elderly “one of the worst federal programs ever” and “one of the worst things that ever happened.”<\/p>\n In fact, in 1995, Dean endorsed a plan launched by House Republicans to cut Medicare spending by over $280 billion.<\/p>\n This led Gephardt to tell an Iowa audience earlier this month that Dean “actually agreed with the Gingrich Republicans” when it came to Medicare.<\/p>\n “It was in this period when Gingrich said Republicans wouldn’t immediately kill Medicare. Instead, they would let it wither on the vine,” Gephardt said. “And it was also during this time that Howard Dean, as chairman of the National Governors Association, was supporting Republican efforts to scale back Medicare.”<\/p>\n Dean responded by saying that Gephardt was “desperate” and that it is “a sad day for Dick Gephardt when he compares any Democratic candidate running for President to Newt Gingrich.” Dean did not, however, deny that he had made those remarks about the popular health care program.<\/p>\n