Newt Makes A Pitch For Mitch

Former House Majority Leader Newt Gingrich has made an email pitch for Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell. It reads, in part,

Holding together a group of elected officials isn't easy. During my time as Speaker of the House I was in charge of negotiating tough deals with the opposition and making sure our chamber produced the best for the American people.

Today I want to encourage you to support someone who does just that in his job every day. I'm talking about Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican Leader.

Gingrich singled out McConnell for his leadership on legislation to make America energy independent by taking an "all of the above" approach that includes off-shore drilling:

Senator McConnell advocates strongly for "common-sense" solutions to problems which affect all Americans alike – Democrats, Independents, and Republicans. So earlier this year as gas prices went through the roof, Mitch introduced a comprehensive energy plan which included tax credits, research into alternative energy sources, and enhanced exploration.

Thanks to Mitch McConnell's leadership we stopped the renewal of the extremist ban on offshore oil drilling and opened up thousands of miles to new exploration. Senator McConnell was a key leader in this charge even though very well-funded special interests blocked him every step of the way.

Gingrich never mentioned Bruce Lunsford by name, and unlike Ann Coulter -- who called Lunsford a "pinhead" -- never even alluded to Lunsford.

Nor did Gingrich explicitly mention the financial rescue package, although the former speaker may have been referring to that bill:

Senator McConnell understands that everyday people in Kentucky and across the nation are hurting - and that they need leaders in Washington to do what's right for our country - even when it's hard.

Gingrich is right. It's easy to cast votes for popular bills, and the bailout was by no means popular. That's why it was so important for our elected representatives to take the courage and reach across the aisle to solve a problem the likes of which we'd not seen before. That's why, even in an election year, McConnell called Rep. John Yarmuth's decision to change his vote to support of the bill patriotic.