The two sides of Newt

This is what Newt Gingrich said Monday on NBC's Today, a mainstream news-entertainment show:

“The president faces the biggest choice since January 2009: Does he sit down in a room and honestly, openly negotiate with Speaker [John] Boehner, with [Senate Minority Leader] Mitch McConnell, or does he come in, give a set of demands and go hold a press conference? ... If the president’s willing to do it, the Republicans have no choice You can’t turn down a president who’s just won reelection if he’s sincere and willing to negotiate."

And this is what Gingrich said Tuesday in an interview Tuesday with Human Events, a right-wing weekly newspaper:

“Republican leaders don’t have an obligation to compromise with President Obama and if they do compromise, they split the Republican Party. ... Republicans have to insist that there were two mandates on Election Day. There’s a mandate for Obama and there is a mandate for House Republicans. So, it’s important to put in context that they are meeting as equals to talk about the country… They are not working for Obama, but they are willing to work with Obama.”

Know your audience, I guess.