That dust looks like a quagmire of mud actually. Does a person’s debating ability really matter? How about facts? How about character? Can Newt survive with his baggage? Can he survive affairs, sitting with Nancy, money from Freddie?
I would listen to Moe Davis.
It would be disappointing to me, if the Republicans voted for Newt to be the candidate. If he were chosen – I would be asking – where are the values of all these people. From family values (affairs) to money matters (GOPAC scandal) to credibility (did Freddie really hire him as a Historian?). I do not believe anyone with an ounce of Principle in them, could vote for him.
I’m not going to be judging Newt on his family values or lack thereof. Why? Because the left so vociferously defends Bill Clinton’s peccadilloes as being “private.” From now on I will be applying the Clintonian standard to ALL candidates.
If I were a bleeding-heart liberal, I’d be scared of Newt, too.
Scared of Newt! Bwahaha! Please, make him your nominee…
So…his baggage?
Let’s examine it.
Divorced? Yep. So what. That was a private matter. He is now happily married AND is amicable with his former wife.
Money from Fannie/Freddie. Private citizen. Sold advice. So what. Especially in the light of the insider trading, crony capitalism, possible money laundering in green loans. If it was bad to give advice to F/F, then actually supporting them must be horrible. Millions in bonuses while we bail them out.
Cap and trade…global warming. He has admitted that he made a mistake in his support of Man made global warming.
Support for medical insurance mandate…that one is problematic.
Sooo….compared to Obama and Democrats…not so bad.
Is he a first choice? Nope. But you go to war with the army you have.
@Emma
I only judge people who judge others. with the exception of John Edwards. He had an extremely ill wife.
Newt has spoken of other people’s family values over the years. He is now an uber Christian. That should knock out his philandering. I hope it also prevents him from being a historian. It is the hypocrisy rather than the deeds, with me.
@cargosquid
Make that wives. The first wife was the geometry teacher. Then he cheated on her with wife #2 who he left for this current one who I was amazed to discover was younger than his daughter. She sure doesn’t look it.
No fool like an old fool.
I knew that Cargo would be able to explain all Newt’s sins away. He is good at making up excuses for everything and every body. He is actually rather convincing.
I’m not really sure what an “uber Christian” is, but I also don’t expect people who subscribe to higher ideals to be more than human. There are certainly plenty of examples of the “tolerant” left exhibiting racism, homophobia, anti-Semitism and misogyny in the very recent past.
I wouldn’t care so much about Clinton’s little forays if the whole Lewinsky affair didn’t involve such a huge power imbalance between a President and a very subordinate employee. The average Fed would probably face major career repercussions for that sort of thing. And it was carried out on taxpayer time.
As the subsequent investigation by a bunch of hypocritical philanders was carried out on the taxpayers’ dime.
I think it would be amusing to snapshot these threads and put them in a time capsule of sorts, so that after the election we can all laugh about how off base they were.
Anything can happen, and usually does.
@Censored bybvbl
At the cost of millions of dollars to the taxpayers, just to “GET” Clinton. I knew a Congressman’s wife who was going to turn him in, just for the money offered by Larry Flynt.
Newt is more of a Christian than he used to be. He has commented on his new status with the Lord serveral times. That’s ok with me. His timing was pretty good.
As for federal behavior, I know of more people than I can count on both hands who are/were federal workers who had daliances at work with people not their pay grade.
It is fairly common-place.
I don’t try to justify Clinton’s sexual behavior. I can’t. I also haven’t condemned Newt for it. I just commented on it. I expect his base would be less forgiving than Clinton’s base. I just think newt is a hypocrite about many things. I don’t think Clinton is a hypocrite.
Newt’s as big a flip-flopper as Romney and much less personable. I believe his conversion is probably one of many of his flips. It’s de rigueur for the Republican right-wing to exhibit a born-again personna. And Newt is ready to flip into that right-wing personna if it sells his books or catapults him to flavor-of-the-week.
@Moon-howler
Actually I didn’t explain anything… I just put in context.
Newt has, I think, converted to Catholicism. I don’t know how because of the divorces…but…I think he did.
I’ve decided that we won’t get a perfect candidate. So, I’m going with the one I like best.
Cain.
Its doubtful now that he’ll get the nod…but then we said that about McCain and Obama.
So, I don’t really care about the candidates until later.
@Cargo,
I am really surprised to hear you say that. Cain simply isn’t presidential material because his knowledge base is so limited.
Probably the same way there are a few married priests. They were Anglican or Episcopalian priests who converted to Catholacism. They were married. I don’t know if this practice still goes on or not. It sure did 20 years ago. I have never known anyone turned down for an anulment.
QotD:
I heard this today on Fox’s “The Five,” from host Greg Gutfeld: “Newt Gingrich has more baggage than JFK—and I don’t mean the president, I mean the airport.”
@Moon-howler
And yet…..Cain would STILL be an improvement on Obama. Obama’s “knowledge” base is built on false premises, in many cases.
One can improve on one’s ignorance by learning. Obama won’t give up his political identity, even if his domestic policies destroy the American economy because he KNOWS he’s right. But I will admit that Cain needs to improve his game. If we could just combine Cain and Newt into one being………THAT would be awesome.
I will also admit that I want Cain to win just so I can watch liberal Dems and establishment GOP heads go “pop.”
I expect many more people believe that Obama is by far the more knowledgeable person.
You are saying you are right and Obama is wrong. what’s wrong with this picture?
What is wrong with your lame ass congress? They crowed, trumpeted and carried on about knowing all the answers over a year ago. So far, all I have seen is the party of NO.
I haven’t seen any solutions yet. I haven’t even seen anything major offered up for discussion.
Obama has exceeded my expectations. I don’t care for everything he does or suggests in the grand scheme of things, he pretty much has things covered.
I truly believe that Herman Cain or a Rick Perry would destroy the country and its standing in the world. You would risk that just to see liberals heads implode?
I would probably rather just see the country split in half and become 2 countries.
@Moon-howler
Many do believe that Obama is the smartest person in the room. Unfortunately…so does he. That still doesn’t change the fact that much of his knowledge is based on faulty logic and political bias.
I am saying that I am right and that Obama is wrong. Yes. My OPINION. Everyone has one.
And my “lame ass” congress has been presenting solution after solution. Unfortunately, its the Democrats in the Senate that are acting as the party of NO. The Democrats refuse to even submit a budget. The Democrats refuse to negotiate on the “super committee.” The Democrats that keep submitting increased spending, knowing full well that we don’t have the money.
I don’t believe that Cain or Perry would destroy our standing in the world. I believe that Obama has horribly weakened our standing and his policies will, if not reversed, completely gut any political or military power that we have in the world. His spending programs will bankrupt us.
So….17% unemployment, 15% real inflation, weakened military, laughable diplomacy, corrupt money laundering to political donors, literal acts of war against Libya and Mexico (Fast and Furious gun smuggling), weakening of our energy industry, ongoing printing of money to pay our debt, 15 trillion in debt, 5 trillion in debt in less than 3 years?
That exceeded your expectations? Really? You must have had a lower threshold of success than even me. I didn’t think that he was going to be THIS bad.
Other than killing bin Laden and a few other terrorists, what has he done that has exceeded your expectations? I’m not kidding…what has he done that’s so great?
Your lame ass congress did something good today by working together to get that Veterans job bill passed. Its so rare we can say something nice about them.