It’s amazing that Newt Gingrich’s memory is so short.

Just six months ago, we experienced a seismic shift in the political landscape when voters went to the polls in droves in an effort to rein in the federal government. The midterm elections were a referendum on years of government largesse – the pinnacle being Obamacare. It was an election about freedom.

GOP candidates like Gingrich – and Romney, who still can’t admit the individual mandate was a mistake – who fail to really grasp what the midterm elections were all about can’t be considered serious contenders for 2012. The fact is, Rep. Ryan proposed a budget that will make significant cuts in federal spending without raising taxes and while reducing the deficit.

Not only is this sound fiscal policy that will help put the country back on a path of recovery and growth, but it also suggests that Ryan understands this is about more than balancing the budget – it’s about restoring our traditional notion of limited government and individual rights. And there’s nothing radical about that.

For Gingrich – a former history professor and fellow at the American Enterprise Institute – to miss that, is unacceptable.