Contact: Dr. Peter E Waldron, 727-415-7189, contactamerica1@msn.com

CLEARWATER, Fla., Jan. 29, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- Recent media attacks on Newt Gingrich by '80s GOP moderates former Assistant Secretary of State Elliot Abrams and former Senate Majority Leader Robert Dole are nothing more than bitter payback for Newt's leadership in the House and on the Hill during the Reagan years, according to conservative leaders who worked with him then. The former Speaker was well-known for taking arrows in the chest from the liberal Democrats and in the back from "country club" Republicans. It was Rep. Gingrich (R-GA) who led the fight for adding social-conservative, smaller-government, lower-taxes, and stronger national defense issues on the House floor and in the Republican Conference, say those leaders who worked with Gingrich.

Dr. Pat Fagan, for example, who was Executive Director at the Free Congress Foundation at that critical time, a Senator Rick Santorum supporter now, added, "Newt was the man. Our success on the Hill and in Washington was made possible by Newt's leadership and close collaboration with the Free Congress Foundation and its broad coalition of pro-life, pro-family and social conservative groups."

Dr. Peter Waldron, another political player in the thick of things in the '80s on Capitol Hill, said, "First, Dr. Fagan's and my statements are not about endorsements or favorites in the current campaign for the GOP nomination, it is about hisory. History cannot be partisan, it must be accurate for future generations to mine the lessons contained therein. Between 1981-1989, Newt was the true champion of social conservative issues, the true advocate of conservative principles and conservative public policy on Capitol Hill. He was the go-to guy for any defeat of the Left and any conservative achievement in Congress. His success is legendary among men like me who worked on the Hill during that period. Senator Rick Santorum and Governor Mitt Romney are terrific candidates who came later. Both candidates articulate with eloquence the conservative principles that were debated in Congress and across the nation at the time." Waldron is a veteran of several presidential campaigns, the most recent being that of Rep. Michele Bachmann. Dr. Waldron worked closely with Paul Weyrich, founder and then-president of the Free Congress Foundation, and others to advance pro-life, pro-family and core conservative principles on the Hill and around the world.

Gingrich, too, worked closely with Weyrich. Together they forged a unique coalition between members of Congress and advocates for solid public policy that was fiercely anti-communist, pro-family, pro-life, and pro-defense. Time and time again, the two men, working with grassroots groups like Eagle Forum, Concerned Women for America, Moral Majority, Family Research Council, Americans for Tax Reform, and Gun Owners of America, beat back attempts to expand the size of government or to cede ground to the Soviets in Africa, Central America, and South Asia.

The historical record is clear. Newt was the social, fiscal and strong national defense champion in Congress, Washington, D.C., and across the nation during the Reagan years. The eventual House speaker was a brilliant strategist, organizer and daily tactician. Every social conservative who supports life and family issues, every fiscal conservative who supports smaller government and lower taxes, and every strong national defense supporter owes a debt of respect and gratitude to Speaker Newt Gingrich for his work during this period.

California Gov. Ronald Reagan, a true Outside the Beltway president, came to Washington after a bitter convention that was resolved when moderate Republican George Herbert Walker Bush was selected Vice President. Bush brought with him decades of Washington-insider status. The Republican moderates were cocky, certain that they could run circles around the new president because of their years of Administration and Capitol Hill experience. Then, there was Rep. Newt Gingrich. The rest is great history.