HuffPost's Jason Linkins is every bit as scornful of Newt as I am. He has a few choice lines today about Newt's marital problems that have to be shared. Just to remind us all of the chronology:
Wife #1 - Jackie. She was his high school teacher and a good bit older than he. Years later, when she was in the hospital for treatment of breast cancer, Newt presented her with divorce papers. He had already proposed to wife #2.
Wife #2 - Marianne. After 18 years of marriage, he confessed his affair with a staff aide and told her he wanted a divorce -- shortly after she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He had already proposed to wife #3. He had just returned from a speaking tour where he "had given a speech full of high sentiments about compassion and family values." Marianne asked how he could give a speech like that when he was doing what he was doing.
"It doesn't matter what I do," he answered. "People need to hear what I have to say. There's no one else who can say what I can say. It doesn't matter what I live."Wife #3 - Callista. The staff aide mentioned above. The would-be First Lady started out as The Other Woman. As I've suggested before, Callista better try to stay healthy. Newt doesn't seem to do too well with sick ladies.
Well, with that background, Jason Linkins reacts to an interview with Newt on the Christian Broadcasting Network. Newt's biggest task right now seems to be to deal with the marriage question, as it affects his political chances, and he's playing the big religion card -- talking publicly about his confession and the forgiveness from God for his previous sins. Remember the tacky scene on TV a few years ago where James Dobson heard his confession and forgave him?
But wait !! According to Linkins, it wasn't really all Newt's fault, you see.
[H]e admits that he was doing "things that were wrong," in his married life. And yet he makes it sound like he was doing those things because of forces well beyond his control!Linkins goes on:
"There's no question at times of my life, partially driven by how passionately I felt about this country, that I worked far too hard and things happened in my life that were not appropriate," Gingrich told CBN's David Brody, in an interview taped at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition and posted online Tuesday night.
"And what I can tell you is that when I did things that were wrong, I wasn't trapped in situation ethics, I was doing things that were wrong, and yet, I was doing them," Gingrich said.
Think about that, America: Newt Gingrich did all of those things because he loved you so very much! And when things got tough for America, he didn't leave us for New Zealand or Ecuador or Portugal, as if we were some woman. Gingrich stuck by America, and if the pressure of our demands got to be so great that it forced him to philander from time to time, then maybe we need to take responsibility for that.See, that's what worries me about Newt's becoming president. Even with his experience in Washington, I doubt he really really really understands the pressures of being president. He would just snap his fingers and say: Let there be a no-fly zone over Tripoli. And Lo, and Behold. . . . Next problem.
Not so fast, Newtie. This is not a fairy tale; you don't have a wand -- or even a pointed hat with stars and crescent moon on it. This is real, the heaviest responsibility of any job in the world. Think about the national debt, the bad economy, the dysfunctional congress, Iraq, Afghanistan, radical jihadists, Libya, Israel/Palestine, global warming, health care, people like You . . . and I could go on.
All that pressure would surely cause Newt to stray again and "do things that are wrong." I think we should say "No" to Newt, for his own good and for the good of his marriage to Callista.
Too bad, Newt. You overplayed this hand. No prezzie for you; it could ruin a good marriage. You did say this one is good, didn't you? Better nurture it. And remember, Callista, stay well !!
Ralph
Here's the bottom line for Newt: If he can't turn around the political damage of his marital/affair history by playing the religion card, Newt 2012 is toast.
ReplyDeleteAnd so far there's no sign that it's working. Oh, Ralph Reed floated the Christian's stock response: "sincere confession, forgiveness, and redemption." Reed hasn't much credibility left himself to be granting political absolution, given his mini-scandal and his having given up heading the Christian Coalition for a lucrative political consulting practice.
But here's the worst news for Newt: A poll by the National Journal of political insiders on potential 2012 candidates taken "this week" shows 15% of Republicans saying Newt's stock had fallen, while only 2% said it had risen.
It's not clear about the timing of the poll and Newt's flurry of interviews addressing the marriage issue. Next week's poll should tell the tale. If he doesn't get at least a bit of bounce, it's done -- whether he's ready to admit it or not.
NYT columnist David Brooks had this to say when asked his opinion about the possible GOP candidates.
ReplyDeleteAbout Newt Gingrich: "I wouldn't let that guy run a 7-Eleven, let alone a country."
Lawrence O'Donnell broadcast a long, devastating parody of Newt's interview on the Christian Broadcasting Network, in which he confessed to his extramarital "sin" and talked about having been "forgiven" by God. It's not a parody of religion but of Newt as Newt.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/11/lawrence-odonnell-newt-gingrich-parody-affairs_n_834417.html