Newt Gingrich: “Thank you, Dick. Let me say to those who voted for me, from the bottom of my heart, thank you; to those who voted for…”

“Thank you, Dick. Let me say to those who voted for me, from the bottom of my heart, thank you; to those who voted for someone else, I hope that I can work with you in such a way that you feel that I am capable of being Speaker of the whole House and representing everyone. To the freshmen and their families and all the young people who are here today, you are part of a wonderful experience. Just as in less than 2 weeks we will welcome the President for an inaugural, we here in the legislative branch also celebrate a remarkable moment which the entire world watches, a time when an entire Nation voluntarily decides how to govern itself, and does so in such a manner that there is a sense among the entire country that freedom is secure and that every citizen can participate. This is the 105th time we have done this as a country. Every 2 years. The first one actually did not occur until April 1, 1789, because while everyone was supposed to show up in March for the brand new Congress, they could not find a quorum.”