Newt Gingrich Reacts to Howard Dean's Latest Comments

This is a partial transcript from "Hannity & Colmes," June 8, 2005, that has been edited for clarity.

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ALAN COLMES, CO-HOST: Earlier today, Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean defended attacks he's made against the Bush administration and congressional Republicans. Dean said Republicans are using him to divert attention away from the country's problems. And this comes just hours after the following tape was released of a speech that Dean gave on Monday in San Francisco.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOWARD DEAN, DNC CHAIR: The Republicans are not very friendly to different kinds of people. They all pretty much behave and look the same. And they all — it's pretty much a white Christian party.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLMES: Reaction, it's FOX News analyst, former speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich. He's the author of the just released book, "Never Call Retreat: Lee and Grant, the Final Victory."

Mr. Speaker, good to have you back with us.

NEWT GINGRICH, FORMER SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: It's good to be back with you, Alan.

COLMES: It's good to see that Howard Dean is getting conservatives so upset, so angry. Every time he opens his mouth, you guys want to give him press. It's wonderful.

GINGRICH: It's — Alan, how can you sit there and not just be mildly appalled at the quote that you just had on the air? I mean, first of all...

COLMES: Yes.

GINGRICH: ... is Howard Dean saying that all white Christians should be Republican?

COLMES: Of course not. And in fact, he's a white Christian, isn't he?

GINGRICH: Well, I assume he is. I'm just trying to — trying to understand this.

COLMES: He's a white Christian. But let me give you an example...

GINGRICH: Just a second. Do you think that he's ever met Condoleezza Rice or Colin Powell? Or the former secretary of education?

COLMES: It's funny. Every time, you know, there's a conversation about people who are minorities in the Bush administration, you trot Powell and Rice. But let me point out that what he's probably talking about is something like Rick Perry, the governor of Texas who signs two bills. He does it in a Christian church. He sends out an e-mail that says he wants to fill the place with pro-family Christian friends.

I mean, is that really appropriate? Isn't that exclusionary?

GINGRICH: Even if you take Rick Perry's description, you can have an awful lot of African-American and Hispanic-mericans who are pro-family.

So a good friend of mine, Abel Meldonado (ph), who's a state senator from just south of where Dean was speaking on Monday, in Santa Barbara, California. Abel Meldonado (ph) is an American of Hispanic — of Mexican descent, basically, a good businessman. I think Abel Meldonado (ph) would be offended at the idea that Howard Dean is trying to drive him out of the Republican Party. I don't understand what Howard Dean is getting at.

COLMES: Well, I would be offended that someone who's signing a bill for all Texans or all people in a community says, "We want Christians to come." What if you're not Christian? Don't these bills apply to everybody?

Aren't there those who are not Christian, who consider themselves pro-life or consider themselves against gay marriage? Why does Rick Perry do something like this?

GINGRICH: You've got to call and have Rick Perry come on the show.

COLMES: We'd love it.

GINGRICH: But that's not what Governor Dean was referring to. What Governor Dean said was racist and false. And I think — I'm as surprised, as a good liberal — that it doesn't bother you to see a man like Governor Dean, trying to divide America on racial grounds. And I'm surprised that you don't think that he's actually harmful to the Democratic Party with his kind of negative approach.

HANNITY: Mr. Speaker, welcome back.

GINGRICH: Good to be here.

HANNITY: And congratulations on the third installment of your new book. I understand you're going to be in Dallas tomorrow.

GINGRICH: We're going to be there. Absolutely.

HANNITY: "Never Call Retreat" It is the third in a series. And I know the first book in the series hit the "New York Times" best seller list. Congratulations, and I know our friends in Dallas will see you at Borders. I think you'll be there at noon tomorrow.

Let me just run through a quick litany. Because I don't want Howard Dean to go away and I suspect now with Pelosi and Biden and the others criticizing him that it may happen.

He said the Republicans are a white Christian party. You can't succeed if you're a person of color in the Republican Party. Republicans have never made an honest living. I hate Republicans. Republicans are evil. Republicans are brain dead. Republicans are mean. Republicans aren't nice people. Republicans are dark. Republicans are dishonest. Republicans are corrupt.

I want to help him save his job, Mr. Speaker. I don't want him to lose his position, because I think it's good for Republicans.

GINGRICH: This may surprise you. I don't agree with you. I mean, I don't know if Howard Dean had a bad childhood, a bad middle age, a bad last year. But when you take that list of comments by somebody who is almost pathologically out of touch with reality.

But I don't think it's good for Republicans to be relying on the Democrats self-destructing. I think that having Howard Dean be this bad is bad for the Democrats, and it's bad for the Republicans. It makes us a little bit lazy, because we figure with Howard Dean as their leader we're going to win anyway.

HANNITY: But I don't understand there's this double standard. If Sean Hannity had ever said, you know, you think the Republican National Committee can get this many of people of color in a room? Well, only if they have the wait staff there."

As he said in that particular occasion, I think the Democratic Party in general divides along income lines, race lines. This is an attack against religion. These statements, frankly, are racist that he's making, Mr. Speaker.

GINGRICH: Well, can you imagine if Ken Mehlman, Republican National Committee chairman, who by the way, happens to be Jewish, can you imagine if Ken Mehlman were to say anything comparable to what Howard Dean has said? It would be the lead editorial in "The New York Times" for five days in a row.

And to the best of my knowledge, "The New York Times" has never once taken Governor Dean to task for these divisive and destructive statements.

COLMES: All right, Mr. Speaker, by the way, good luck if your new book. Congratulations on that. And our friends in Dallas will see you tomorrow.

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