A Nation Like No Other (32 page)

America will once again become the land of the never-ending “second chance.” Americans will be free to try, fail, try again, and succeed. Experimentation and innovation will be encouraged through free competition. Anyone with a bigger and better idea will find the tools and the opportunity to achieve it. We will become more independent as technological progress and a thriving economy allow us to free ourselves of foreign energy suppliers and foreign holders of U.S. debt. We will out-compete, out-work, and out-innovate the world.

America will be a land of infinite possibility. We will tear down the walls that limit success and hamper opportunity. Government will stop tying down entrepreneurs, innovators, and adventurers with red tape and senseless hurdles. We will empower every American with a hand-up to rejoin the competition, not a handout to stand on the sidelines.

A successful twenty-first-century America will be a self-governing nation with a responsible, independent, sovereign citizenry. The people will rediscover their extraordinary ability to govern themselves and will demand that power and responsibility be returned to the states and to the American people. All forms of government will be of, by, and for the people—not the bureaucracy and the elites. Local control will empower individuals to take charge of their own healthcare and education, and generally to run their own lives as they see fit.

A richer, freer, and stronger America will be an even more generous and more virtuous America. For those in need, independent citizens will come together in common purpose to provide aid with more efficiency and dignity than any government bureaucracy could. Those who give their time, talents, and money to others will be held in the high regard they deserve.

The ties of nation, society, community, neighborhood, and family will be strengthened. Americans will be called to public service and civic engagement in the same spirit with which they pursue their own happiness. Engaged citizens will ensure that government maintains the consent of the governed and works in the public interest.

America will treasure the family as the center of human civilization and the means by which the habits of liberty are instilled in the next generation. Instead of attempting to assume parental responsibilities, government will empower parents to protect, teach, and support their own children, in faith and freedom.

God, as the endower of our great rights and responsibilities, will be recognized and honored as a crucial part of our history and culture. People of faith will be free to express their beliefs without government interference. Religion and morality will remain the indispensable supports of liberty for generations to come, giving our lives hope, inspiration, and meaning.

Americans in the twenty-first century will protect our liberty and dignity by defending ourselves against those who would do us harm. We will be willing to pay the high price necessary to secure a safe and peaceful world for ourselves, our children, our allies, and for all mankind. We will stand up for what is right and stand up to those who want to destroy our freedom. America will convey, to friend and foe alike, that we will boldly confront tyranny, as we have so many times in the past. We will reject appeasement and pleas for “peace at any price,” knowing that peace is best attained through a nation's strength and its unwavering resolve to defend its safety and its people's rights.

America will open its heart to those who wish to join us in our pursuit of freedom and dignity. Those that wish to affirm our creed will be encouraged to do so by following our laws and embracing our traditions. We will work to help other nations that want to live in peace and liberty. And we shall work to remain as a city upon a hill, the bright beacon of opportunity, hope, and freedom, for all the world to see.

The fight to renew America begins in 2012. I ask you to join us in this effort to restore America as a nation like no other.

A
merica is an exceptional country. I have spent more than five decades learning what we need to do to survive and flourish as a nation. The conclusions I have reached are the result of much listening, learning, and collaborating with friends, colleagues, family, and experts, without whom none of this would be possible.

Vince Haley has played an especially important role through these last eight years. He has had a tremendous influence on my thinking about the role of our Creator in creating unalienable rights, the legitimacy of religion in American public life, and a host of other issues. He was the driving intellectual force behind our movie
Nine Days that Changed the World
, and here once again he is the thought leader in outlining a set of principles that are central to the survival of America.

Bethany Haley, Vince's wife, did a brilliant job of helping us think through chapter four on faith and family. She is a remarkable woman with a deep understanding of the role of faith and family in a healthy
society. Callista and I are very fond of their daughter Alina, who has brightened all our lives in the last year.

Vince and I were helped by a number of very smart, hardworking people.

Sean Kennedy is my former intern at the American Enterprise Institute and did the lion's share of the research for several chapters. He contributed greatly to the chapters on the American Creed and civil society.

Bill Forstchen has been my coauthor for eight novels (including seven
New York Times
bestsellers). He helped bring to life the opening story of Bowling Green and the extraordinary story of the Battle of Midway.

Ken Hagerty is a leader at ReAL (Renewing American Leadership). He made significant contributions to the opening section of the book.

Brady Cassis has been my research director at the American Enterprise Institute (a job Vince Haley had years ago) and is a superb, conscientious, and remarkably capable researcher. Brady helped with the initial draft of the safety and peace chapter and was incredibly dependable on a number of research requests.

Caitlin Laverdiere, also a research associate at the American Enterprise Institute, was expedient and reliable on both research and fact checking.

Peter Ferrara, director of entitlement and budget policy at the Institute for Policy Innovation, is a brilliant economist who truly understands the importance of a free-market system in preserving and enhancing America as an exceptional nation. He is a colleague in the fight for a pro-jobs, pro-entrepreneurship government policy. Peter and I have been working together on projects since his days in the Reagan White House. He contributed greatly to the sections on economic activity and the work ethic.

Peter's new book,
America's Ticking Bankruptcy Bomb: How the Looming Debt Crisis Threatens the American Dream and How We Can Turn the Tide Before It's Too Late
, should be read by every citizen concerned about America's future.

Adam Waldeck is a remarkable coordinator of tea party activities at American Solutions and assisted with the vignettes in chapter ten about
the Bowling Greens in our backyards. He has dedicated himself to listening and learning from America's grassroots activists.

Jack Langer at Regnery is a superb editor and helped not only with editing, but also some critical writing where needed. He is a real pleasure to work with.

AEI interns Danielle Fezouati and Alex Hilliker have provided invaluable support in putting together research for this book. Kevin Preskenis, an intern with Renewing American Leadership, also helped enormously with research and fact checking.

As a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute since 1999, I have had the privilege of learning from some of the most brilliants minds, including Michael Novak, Karlyn Bowman, Charles Murray, Alex Pollock, Steve Hayward, Kevin Hassett, Danielle Pletka, David Gerson, James Q. Wilson, Ambassador John Bolton, Sally Satel, Peter Wallison, and Michael Barone. Arthur Brooks, president of AEI, has shown tremendous leadership, inspiring others with his energy and enthusiasm. Former AEI president Chris DeMuth has also had a tremendous impact on my thinking about public policy. I'm also grateful for the generosity of Ken and Yvonne Hannan, who have helped support our efforts at AEI over the years.

Thanks also to experts Herman Pirchner, Walter Isaacson, John Goodman, Cliff May, Grover Norquist, Ed Feulner, Dave Bossie, Craig Shirley, Marc Rotterman, Brett Schaefer, David Barton, Attorney General Edwin Meese, Andrew McCarthy, and Anne Bayefsky for their advice and ideas.

As always, I consulted my dear friend and mentor, Dr. Steve Hanser, for his advice on this book. He pushed me to thoughtfully and effectively communicate the significance of American Exceptionalism throughout the entire writing process.

My longtime spokesman and press secretary, Rick Tyler, has improved and enhanced this book by reviewing and critiquing the text and offering his keen insight on how best to communicate our ideas. As founder of Renewing American Leadership, he has been a true leader in forging the
bridge between religious liberty and free markets, uniting social and fiscally minded Americans under a common purpose in seeking freedom.

Our general advisor on research, Terry Balderson, sends me hundreds of news articles from around the world each day, allowing me to stay briefed and up to date on a wide variety of topics. I am grateful for his support.

Our team at American Solutions has led and supported a national movement of citizens in creating real change on the issues vital to American Exceptionalism. Joe Gaylord, CEO of American Solutions and my longtime adviser and co-designer of the Contract with America, contributed his vast political knowledge. Steve Everley is a proven expert on how to develop an American Energy plan. Dan Kotman, Tim Cameron, Ben Locher, and Sukamar Manduva have enhanced our ability to communicate online with citizens and bloggers. Paige Bray has done great work in running American Solutions, with the support of Whitney Smith and Lindsey Harvey. Finally, our intern Dustin Thompson has done great work in assisting the American Solutions team.

Our daughter, Kathy Lubbers, has been a true leader as president and CEO of Gingrich Communications up through this year, seeing us through twenty-three books and thirteen
New York Times
bestsellers. Her leadership was key in the development and execution of this book.

My thanks to the rest of the Gingrich Communications team, including Joe DeSantis, our communications director, who plays a key role in my weekly newsletter and nonfiction work; Michelle Selesky, our communications coordinator and talk radio expert; Christina Maruna and Ross Worthington, who lead our online effort at
Newt.org
and GingrichProductions. com; Sylvia Garcia, who runs The Americano, a Hispanic bilingual news and opinion site; Jorge Hurtado, who patiently teaches and assists me with my Spanish; and our communications intern, Catherine Butterworth, who has been a tremendous support for the entire team.

Our daughter, Jackie Cushman has become a talented writer, who inspired me by writing her own book,
The Essential American: 25 Documents and Speeches Every American Should Own,
which is a must-read
for understanding the brilliant men and women who prove that America is exceptional.

The many projects we accomplish, including this book, are only possible with the support and dedication of my team at the Office of Speaker Newt Gingrich. Sonya Harrison does a brilliant job of managing and scheduling all our many projects. Her leadership, along with the support of the always-energetic Bess Kelly and Kate Pietkiewicz, are vital to our success.

Alicia Melvin, our special assistant, has enabled us to accomplish more than we could ever imagine. Her hard work, dedication, and enthusiasm are unmatched, and we are grateful for her support and friendship.

Anna Haberlein has taken our documentary,
Nine Days that Changed the World
, about Pope John Paul II's pilgrimage to Poland in 1979, to new heights by working with schools, organizations and churches to screen the film nationwide and share the Holy Father's message of freedom through faith—a belief that is also the foundation of American Exceptionalism.

At the Center for Health Transformation, Nancy Desmond, Dave Merritt, Vincent Frakes, Laura Linn, Melissa Ferguson, Wayne Oliver, and Amy Nyhuis have done great work in developing the principles of a twenty-first century healthcare system.

The team at Regnery Publishing has made writing and publishing books a true joy. Their president, Marji Ross, has proven time and again that she is truly an inspirational publisher. The aforementioned Jack Langer is a remarkable editor, and Jeff Carneal, president of Eagle Publishing, has been supportive in growing and enhancing my weekly
Human Events
newsletter.

Once again, Randy Evans and Stefan Passantino have guided and assisted us with their legal talents. Randy is my general advisor and strategist for all my wide-ranging activities, and Stefan is a leading expert on election law and counsel to our companies.

Finally, my wife Callista is an inspiration to me. Having her by my side has made this project a true joy. I marvel at her hard work, dedication,
and unparalleled attention to detail. Whether she is golfing, producing one of our seven documentary films, or singing in the Choir of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Callista gives it her all and lives life to the fullest. Playing the piano, the French Horn, and singing, she possesses a range of talent and energy that are part of the American experience. Her journey from Whitehall, Wisconsin, to Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, to Washington, D.C. to serve as chief clerk of the House Committee on Agriculture, and then to lead Gingrich Productions as president and CEO, is a story of talent, diligence, and commitment that is classically American.

1
Matt Miller, “Ohhh, America, you're so strong,”
Washington Post
, November 18, 2010,
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/17/AR2010111703216_pf.html
(accessed April 15, 2011).