"Newt World"

The New Republic nos acerca al pequeño imperio de compañías de consultoría, aventuras online y grupos de política pública de Newt Gingrich.

(...) Last December, nearly 400 Hispanic conservatives and their allies crowded into conference rooms at the Washington Hilton, attending sessions on immigration and national security, the “melting pot” versus the “salad bowl” view of America, and developments in Latino blogging. A gala crowned the affair; the Miami Symphony Orchestra serenaded guests while they dined at linen-covered tables.

Officially, the forum and gala were hosted by a year-old web magazine called The Americano. Offering online news and opinion in Spanish and English, The Americano features topical stories like “Republicans Can’t Ignore Immigration” and “Hispanics Now Represent 12% of Rhode Island Population,” along with the occasional heart-warming feature about an “Outstanding Hispanic.” Its self-declared mission is to “offer a more balanced view on all the issues that concern American Hispanics today” and its content is devoted to “to what unites us all, which is our American Hispanic Heritage.”

The odd part: The Americano’s founder is Newt Gingrich. Yes, the same Newt Gingrich who—while generally pushing a moderate immigration agenda, advocating neither amnesty nor deportation, but guest-worker programs—has also likened Spanish to “the language of living in a ghetto.” Now, though, he is seeking to appeal to the kind of Latino “who is interested in a job and a paycheck rather than in unemployment and food stamps.”

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