During the weekend, Newt Gingrich won the primary in South Carolina.
What does this do for the current election season?
In the short-term it makes the next primary a little more viable, it makes the primary that will happen in my state in the month of March possible relevant. Can I say I really hate our current primary system? While there is hope that the mid-March primary in the State of Illinois will have meaning, I honestly doubt that it will. The candidate will be solidified by then and our turn will not matter.
I once saw a schedule breaking up the U.S. in six parts which would make campaigning-traveling sense and even out numbers. The sections would be rotated so that no one section would have 1st vote dominance except when it is their turn to go first. Guess that is a dream.
The primary results also makes Newt Gingrich appear to be a viable candidate.
But the truth is, even if I was of a Republican bent, I could never vote for Newt.
I find the man despicable. The reason why comes before taking money from Freddie Mac in the role as a historian, before being the only Speaker of the House to have 80+ ethical violations. It comes before divorcing his second wife six months after she was diagnosed with a chronic illness and then marrying his mistress of the past six years.
My issues with Newt have everything to do with how he treated his first wife, Jackie. The story usually goes that he served her divorce papers as she lay dying with cancer. That is the one I have heard over the years. But the truth more disgusting than that.
Jackie had been diagnosed with uterine cancer. Even so, she campaigned for him and she worked hard as she had done throughout their marriage. Seven years older, she put Newt through school so he eventually held a doctorate and become a college professor. They had two daughters together. When he decided to hold public office, she was there by his side.
But Jackie was not pretty or young enough. He wanted to run for president, needing a ‘Jackie O’ by his side and not the frumpy woman who was his wife. He filed for divorce and right there on the papers dug up by CNN it states that she did not want the divorce. That part of the story is old news. There have always been male professionals who divorced the women who supported them through med school or whatnot.
So how does it get worse?
Jackie was not served divorce papers on her death-bed. Instead she was in the hospital after having a tumor removed. She was in her room when Newt and the girls stopped by to see how Jackie is recovering. She was still groggy from surgery when Newt pulls out a yellow pad with the terms of their divorce, demanding she sign it there and then. At least that is how the story goes from the original article in Mother Jones magazine in 1984 but FactCheck.org disputes based on accounts from three people in that hospital room.
But that is not the worst of it. The worst is when Jackie and the girls move back to their home in Carrollton. The house has no utilities, no heat, no water no electricity. Newt refuses to give Jackie any money to support the girls. Their home church held a food drive for the family, they asked members to donate money so Jackie and the girls can get back on their feet.
It is only when Jackie states she is going to take Newt to court that he relents. He gets everything up to date and must make monthly payments to Jackie. By making this legal agreement, he manages to avoid the jury trial Jackie had requested.
Why are the actions from a broken marriage 30 years ago relevant? Because this is a man who runs on a ‘family values’ platform. This is a man who judged Bill Clinton on his lack of ability to keep his business in his pants – publicly. This is a man who wants to judge you and me on our private lives. And yet his past behavior is vile and disgusting.
His role as a father should have been to make sure his children had a place to call home that was functional. They only had it after Newt was being taken to court. In my world, we call this kind of man a SCUMBAG. That is detailed in court records and something Newt or his daughter cannot deny. I find this behavior very hard to forgive.
Understand that this is a man who campaigns on ‘family values’ but does not live those values. This is a man who changes wives for younger models on a regular basis. This is a man who expects to call others on their deepest sins but gets upset when the tables are turned on him.
This is a man who will never receive my vote or respect.
I agree that this behavior is unacceptable. What I can’t understand is how men (seems like this is commonly a male issue) think they can live any way they want privately, and expect the public not to know or find out about it. If they are ambitious to be in a public arena, how can they be so blind to their own actions and what those actions say about their character? I will never understand this disconnect!
However, it is also amazing to me how many politicians continue to be successful even with messy personal lives. I don’t want to get into judging, and I know no one is perfect. But at some point, the way you treat your spouse, your family, etc., does reflect on your character. And that should matter to the voters. It is not about electing someone who never made a mistake, but it is about integrity, of the candidate, and the voters.
Thanks for posting! ~ Sheila
Exactly. I know as a Christian I should be forgiving but when a man does not support his children without the courts intervening, that is too much to forgive. Don’t think I could vote for John Edwards after his bit of outrageous behavior was revealed. That seems like so long ago now.
Newt Gingrich? Really? Oh, that’s right. Drew Peterson is busy.
Yup, watching the bad TV movie that does not get the facts straight. I feel sooo sorry for Drew.
It is crazy how accepting we are of hypocrisy.
My mom and I love to talk politics as we both are news hounds – we’ve come to the same conclusions in Canada and here in the U.S. — anyone we’d admire or want to see in office won’t run and the ones who will run? Most of us don’t want — an impossible situation on many levels.
Well written!
MJ
There is one politician I truly respected and that was the late Senator Paul Simon of Illinois. I voted for him when he ran for President and was disappointed when he stepped back.
Thank you for writing and presenting this. I registered my vote above “like” this post.
His first name is “Newt”. Need we think more?
I would like to think that people who spout how we need reform are living the reform themselves. But Newt and others like him are found time and time again to needing more help than the ‘other’ group they are reprimanding.
You are so right on about this topic and I thank you for researching it and posting it. The man is a vile sham. And i didn’t even know about a bunch of the stuff you revealed. I want to think that America could never stoop low enough to elect him….but he’s been elected before….it’s scary.
The sad part is that it did not take much effort to find this stuff. The divorce stuff I can some what overlook because people do stupid things while trying to get a divorce. But not paying your bills that effect your kids’ well being is a whole different kind of asshole. And we did re-elect Bill Clinton despite all of his sins.
It’s just disgusting who ends up running for office. But as you noted, the good ones don’t want to.
When you think about the scrutiny and the money needed, it makes many shudder. I wish Rick Pawlenty had stayed in because his story is very similar to Obama’s. That would have been an interesting race.
I’m not a Republican, but if I’m alive (and I am) I can’t help but know what’s going on it the Republican Primaries. I am simply dumbfounded that Newt, once shunned by this party, is now the front-runner. His arrogance, public record of underhandedness, and blatant hypocrisy concerning family values should be enough to turn anyone’s stomach. But the real agenda of the far-right is not about America, it’s about making Obama a one-term President. They said it many times.
If Newt becomes Obama’s opponent, this will backfire. I have to believe that. Either that or pack my bags and move to Canada!
I think if Newt becomes the Republican candidate, the backlash will be great. The Obama superpacs won’t have to lie, all of their ads against Newt will be the truth.
Wonderful title and post! Right to the point! if only politicans were as smart as you…
No, if only the Republican party were as smart as me. Newt is a bad guy. He helped create confrontational news and gets made when people use it against him. He once said if you are not in the Washington Post everyday, you are no longer relevant. Could we please make him less relevant?
Oh tell us how you really feel. 🙂
Yeah and how are things going up north? I heard there were many, many signatures for recall of your governor.