Gingrich accuses Faux News of bias

MoonHowler

New York Times:

The fight for the Republican nomination is no longer just candidate versus candidate. It’s candidate versus Fox News.

Newt Gingrich became the latest Republican candidate to lash out at the cable news network, accusing it on Wednesday of dooming his flagging campaign by slanting its political coverage to Mitt Romney‘s benefit.

Mr. Gingrich quickly found that Fox News’s tenacity is a match for his own. The network shot back on Thursday, calling the former House speaker bitter.

The sniping started when Mr. Gingrich, a former Fox News commentator, told a gathering of Tea Party supporters in Delaware that Fox News had distorted its coverage of him. And he accused Rupert Murdoch, chairman of the network’s parent company, News Corporation, of pulling the strings behind the scenes. His comments were reported on Thursday morning by Real Clear Politics, which gained access to the Delaware event.

“I assume it’s because Murdoch at some point said, ‘I want Romney,’ and so ‘fair and balanced’ became ‘Romney,’ ” Gingrich was quoted as saying. “And there’s no question that Fox had a lot to do with stopping my campaign because such a high percentage of our base watches Fox.”

He went on to add: “In our experience, Callista and I both believe CNN is less biased than Fox this year. We are more likely to get neutral coverage out of CNN than we are of Fox, and we’re more likely to get distortion out of Fox. That’s just a fact.”

I never thought I would agree with Newt Gingrich, but he is right on this one.  I have never known a news station to distort, twist and lie like Faux News.  Fox and Friends is probably the worst.  Kelly’s news isn’t much better.  I don’t mind conservative news.  I mind lies and spin.  I am going to have to start checking out CNN more.  It’s biggest problem is it just is dull.  Faux News has good graphics and better lies.  Maybe that’s the sell off.  You have to go boring to get unbiased news.

Newt goes nuclear during the debate

MoonHowler

 Why on earth lead off with a question like that? Furthermore, who cares if he wants to swing, have an open marriage or a menage a trois. I could care less as long as he stays off other people’s values.  There is the big IF.  Looking back at famous Newt video footage, he is the paladin  of marriage and values in his rhetoric.

More importantly, Newt has turned his rage on the politics of accountability.  No one championed for truth, goodness and the American way during the Lewinsky affair more than Newt Gingrich.  Yet   at the time, he as well as many others were engaing in similar behaviors.  Pot, meet kettle. 

Rage is not becoming to Mr. Gingrich.  He needs to take his punishment like a good boy.  If it comes at an inconvenient time to him, perhaps he should have thought of timing when he asked both ex-wives for a divorce. 

In many respects, King was being very fair to him.  Marianne had given interviews to the Washington  Post and to ABC.  Newt was given a chance to speak to the issue which had to be fresh on everyone’s mind.  He was asked if he cared to respond.  There were no accusations.   He was pretty much of a D—

There is a part of me that simply doesn’t care about Newt’s personal life.  There is another part of me that really resents his public outrage.  He has lost his right to be angry.   At least he doesn’t have a penchant for hotties.  MEOW.

Marianne Gingrich Interview–can it end his political career?

MoonHowler

Supposedly Marianne Gingrich, Newt’s second wife, has said that she could give an interview that could end his political career.  When interviewed by Esquire in 2010, this did not happen.  Is Marianne blowing smoke or what?

Tonight ABC is supposed to air parts of a  2 hour interview with Marianne Gingrich.  Details are sketchy at best.  It seems unlikely that there will be anything all that revealing.  Both of his daughters have issued a statement:

To: ABC News Leadership
From: Kathy Lubbers, Jackie Cushman
Date: January 18, 2012

The failure of a marriage is a terrible and emotional experience for everyone involved. Anyone who has had that experience understands it is a personal tragedy filled with regrets, and sometimes differing memories of events.

 We will not say anything negative about our father’s ex-wife. He has said before, privately and publicly, that he regrets any pain he may have caused in the past to people he loves.

ABC News or other campaigns may want to talk about the past, just days before an important primary election. But Newt is going to talk to the people of South Carolina about the future — about job creation, lower taxes, and about who can defeat Barack Obama by providing the sharpest contrast to his damaging, extreme liberalism. We are confident this is the conversation the people of South Carolina are interested in having.

Our father is running for President because of his grandchildren — so they can inherit the America he loves. To do that, President Obama must be defeated. And as the only candidate in the race, including Obama, who has actually helped balance the national budget, create jobs, reform welfare, and cut taxes and spending, Newt felt compelled to run — to serve his country and safeguard his grandchildren’s future.

That is a pretty powerful letter.  Gingrich was involved in a relationship with his present third wife while still married to Marianne.  He apparently doesn’t always say the smartest thing when it comes to women, according the Huffington Post:

 According to an extensive profile in Esquire, he told Marianne Gingrich that she was a “Jaguar” and that “all I want is a Chevrolet.” That brought him to his third marriage to Callista Gingrich, who was a House staffer when she began an affair with her eventual husband.

DUH!  I wonder how Callista likes being compared to a Chevrolet?

Word on the street it that the interview will be a segment on Nightline tonight.  Obviously the interview is meant to deal a blow to the Newt Gingrich campaign.  Is it possible to do him harm?  Could this be the end of the line for the Gingrich-ster?  My guess is that Newt has at least 9 lives and whatever Marianne has to say will be unlikely to have much influence of potential primary voters.

 

Newt’s Peeps Split

MoonHowler

Washington Post:

Less than a month after one of the most calamitous political launchesin recent memory, former House speaker Newt Gingrich’s campaign for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination imploded on Thursday, when its top officials quit en masse.

At least 16 of the former lawmaker’s advisers, including all of his senior campaign aides, departed the fledgling operation in a major and potentially devastating shake-up. Those who left included Gingrich’s campaign manager, his spokesman, top political strategists and key operatives from crucial GOP primary states. Former Georgia governor Sonny Perdue (R), who was Gingrich’s national campaign co-chairman, also defected, to the presidential campaign of former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty (R), where a close political aide to the ex-governor is the campaign manager.

Does this mean that Newt will drop out or will he hire new people?  Is he a has-been?  Newt stumbled coming out of the gate with his social engineering remark.  He apparently was too moderate for the GOP. 

His staff and he apparently had a falling out over his decision for him and his wife Callista to cruise the Greek Islands.  They felt he needed to tend to getting elected. 

Newt certainly seems to be the most cerebral of the candidates with lots of experience under his belt.  I would hate to see him drop out, even with his flaws, he is a cut above many.

Tiffany and Co. and the Newster

MoonHowler

The Newster has bristled at questions over his Tiffany account.  I rarely support Newt on much of anything.  I think he is king of the hypocrites.  However, do we have the right to know about his jewelry purchases?

Obviously, most of us don’t have a half-million dollar line of credit with the most recognizable jewelry store in America.  What kind of special accounts do they have?  Newt said it was a regular Tiffany non-interest account.  Hmmmm…do I want one of those?  Yes!!!  Should I have one?  Probably not.  I could do real damage and those who know me know I love my jewelry almost to the point of gaudiness. 

Should the Newster have answered the questions about his purchases?  I say no.  Is it any our our business?  Not really.  There have to be some secrets and privacy.  There is enough out there to go after Newt for.  Leave his diamond studded naval rings out of the mix.  [Just kidding, Newt.] 

 Stephen Colbert probably said it best.  He buys his engagement rings in bulk.  Seriously though, I think we are overly snooping on this one.  He is a grown man, his wife is a grown woman.  As long as they aren’t cheating their other creditors, they can buy as much at Tiffany as they want, in my book.  We need to allow some privacy to all presidential candidates. 

Newt Gingrich: I’m not a hypocrite

MoonHowler

Oaaakaaaay.  Let’s see what Mr. Newt has to say for himself about why trying to impeach a president when he, speaker of the house, was also having an affair. 

According to Politico:

Pressed on “Fox News Sunday” about his adulterous past, Newt Gingrich said it was not hypocritical for him to impeach Bill Clinton while he cheated on his own wife because he never lied under oath.

“I don’t know what you would have had me do,” he said, getting a little testy, “because…the president of the United States [was] committing perjury. Remember, he’s a lawyer! This was not some accidental thing. And I thought the outcome was about right.”

The all-but-official candidate for the Republican presidential nomination granted that his own extramarital affairs will be an issue in the coming campaign, but he sounded hopeful that voters will, if they don’t forgive or forget, at least look the other way.

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Mr. Family Values: Newt Gingrich on 9-11

MoonHowler
Fromo Gringrichs website
Fromo Gringrich's website

To recognize the tragedy of 9-11, that class act, Mr. Family Values himself, Newt Gingrich, plans to show a film entitled America at Risk: The War With No Name.

The trailer:

It appears that this endeavor is really a war on President Obama. From Newt’s website:

Together with Dave Bossie, Kevin Knoblock and the team at Citizens United, we made this movie because we believe America IS at risk. We believe the dangers facing our country ARE real and growing.

In fact, we believe that if our enemies acquire nuclear, chemical or biological weapons from Iran or North Korea, they will attempt to kill millions of Americans and destroy entire cities.

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Newt Gingrich Declares Tea Party the Militant Wing of the Republican Party

MoonHowler

Is this nomenclature helpful or is it off-putting? Is this the kind of press the Tea Party wants? Would it fare better being a third party? Is it possible for a third party to win in America?

If the Tea Party became a third party, would they just continue to court old Republicans who sang the right music? How would that work? Maybe Newt has better thing before he inserts his foot. I have heard people do not like what he said.