Gingrich on this Congress: ‘We will repeal virtually everything they did’

NEW ORLEANS — Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Thursday that he thinks Republicans will repeal “virtually everything” the Democrats have done in the 111th Congress.

Speaking to a crowd of about 300 in New Orleans before the start of the Southern Republican Leadership Conference, Gingrich upped the rhetoric. He repeatedly called the Obama Administration a “secular-socialist machine” and said its moment is fleeting.

“The left has a very temporary moment in history when it has both Congress and the White House,” Gingrich said. “I think we will repeal virtually everything they did.”

Gingrich, who has spoken out in favor of repealing the healthcare bill, has since added that it’s not feasible until Republicans return to the White House in 2013.

Repeal has been a hot-button issue ever since the bill passed, with the GOP candidates and leaders debating how to proceed on the idea. Some Republicans worry about promising too much and not being able to deliver, and Gingrich has urged Republicans to be honest about how possible repeal actually is.

Gingrich, in remarks that will preview his speech to the presidential cattle call Thursday evening, also lashed out at Obama for not focusing more on jobs.

He said it’s an argument that Republicans can use to win.

“If you start from asking the question, ‘Is the next act of government going to increase the number of jobs or decrease the number of jobs’ – if that’s your argument, then this administration is the biggest disaster since Herbert Hoover,” Gingrich said.

Gingrich has left open the possibility of running for president in 2012, saying he would decide on a bid in February 2011.