Newt is a strange case. Yes, he's kind of nuts and lost in general now. Still I cannot help but think of his balancing influence on Bill Clinton, back in the day. Bill, while being Bill and unable to control his glands, letting the little head think for the big head, actually had a great 8 year run of being president (as presidents go) and the last successful presidency we've had. Much of the success of those 8 years was equally if not more the result of Newt. Newt was great, and often the smartest man in the room at the time, believe it or not, it's up to you. If you actually saw it back in the day, he becomes like a kind of war hero that later fell to mediocrity or worse, after his day in the battle was done and is now trotted out for appearances only. It was a different time. Both sides still played it cleaner, before all national politician went to sh#t back in 2021 and political/cultural warfare became the leading game of the day.
Oddly, WJC's universal care gambit failed when the dems revolted against HMOs. He had to morph into an Eisenhower republican (his term). Gingrich's "contract with America" won the gop the House. We got the first child tax credit, the balanced budget laws, but also increased incarceration.
Contract with America - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
I dunno that I agree that 2000 was a watershed. But W's invasion of Iraq changed America's politics. Oddly both Obama and Trump ran as sort of "peace candidates." Neither were, of course. And Biden harkens back to BushI and WJC.