Nov. 3 [1998] election night ... Republicans lose five House seats despite Gingrich's earlier predictions they would gain more than 20.I'm not saying that's going to happen again. And the premature "Mission Accomplished" is always fun. But puerile arrogance is rarely a smart strategy. You just don't know what those crazy voters might do.Even that night, Gingrich's senior political director, Joe Gaylord, expresses confidence--which ultimately will be exposed as overconfidence--that "we would gain seats, it was only a matter of how many we gain."
As the night progresses, smiles disappear from Gingrich's "war room," and multiple shots capture the speaker, mouth widened in disbelief. Later, he tells Pack he was "genuinely confused."
Gingrich goes on camera to accept his share of the blame, but even in the walk to the interview room, he tries to cast the losses in the best possible light, explaining to his advisors that most GOP incumbents were victorious.