The Gingrich campaign's 'spectacular anti-media tirade'
Newt's press secretary fires off a florid email in response to the campaign's epic run of bad ink — and gets nothing but mockery

A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
The week can't end soon enough for Newt Gingrich. After drawing the Right's ire for calling Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-Wisc.) Medicare voucher plan "right-wing social engineering," the newly declared presidential candidate was dressed down on camera by an Iowa voter, doused in glitter by a gay rights activist, and hounded by reports of a past half-million-dollar jewelry debt. Though many say Gingrich's White House ambitions are now all but dead, Team Gingrich is fighting back. On Wednesday, Gingrich press secretary Rick Tyler fired off a "spectacular anti-media tirade" notable for its curious grandiloquence:
"The literati sent out their minions to do their bidding... They fired timidly at first, then the sheep not wanting to be dropped from the establishment’s cocktail party invite list unloaded their entire clip... A lesser person could not have survived the first few minutes of the onslaught. But out of the billowing smoke and dust of tweets and trivia emerged Gingrich, once again ready to lead those who won’t be intimated by the political elite and are ready to take on the challenges America faces."
As one might expect, Tyler's poetic correspondence has commentators cracking wise. Here, a sampling:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Vanity Fair
"Narcissism among politicos is hardly a rare disease, but I'm not sure I've ever seen it channeled through a flack in as pure a form," says David Kurtz at Talking Points Memo. Also, note: "Armed sheep with cocktail napkins would have overcome a lesser man than Newt."
Remembrance of Things Past
"Gingrich has managed to alienate virtually the entire party in just a few days," says Jennifer Rubin in The Washington Post. "Gosh, it almost reminds one of his speakership — a lurch from one disaster to another, all having to do with Gingrich's personal failings and undisciplined mouth."
War and Peace
"Tyler's response... [resembles]... a Medieval prologue of a valiant knight heading off to battle," says Michael Calderone at The Huffington Post.
The Odyssey
"It's more like an ancient ode, an epic, or something just way more florid and ambitious than you ever come across in transactional daily life." says Rachel Maddow.
Realm of Truth
And "in what sense is Gingrich an outsider?" asks David Weigel at Slate. Last time I checked, he's been living just outside of DC for years, and has appeared on Meet the Press dozens of times. "Without mind-melding with every reporter who wrote about Gingrich this week, I can surmise that he wasn't attacked because he threatened the system, man."
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
The daily gossip: Chevy Chase says 'Community' wasn't 'funny enough' for him, Golden Globes to add a category for blockbuster movies, and more
The daily gossip: September 26, 2023
By Brendan Morrow Published
-
Equality
Cartoons
By The Week Staff Published
-
Academic freedom
Cartoons
By The Week Staff Published
-
Trump surrenders in Georgia election subversion case
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries chosen to succeed Pelosi as leader of House Democrats
Speed Read
By Brigid Kennedy Published
-
GOP leader Kevin McCarthy's bid for House speaker may really be in peril
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Are China's protests a real threat for Beijing?
opinion The sharpest opinions on the debate from around the web
By Harold Maass Published
-
Who is Nick Fuentes, the white nationalist who dined with Trump and Kanye?
Speed Read From Charlottesville to Mar-a-Lago in just five years
By Rafi Schwartz Published
-
Jury convicts Oath Keepers Stewart Rhodes, Kelly Meggs of seditious conspiracy in landmark Jan. 6 verdict
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
A look at the White House's festive and homey holiday decor
Speed Read
By Brigid Kennedy Published
-
Bob Iger addresses 'Don't Say Gay' bill, says inclusion is part of Disney's values
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published