Will Mr Gingrich's multiple marriages be issues in the 2012 GOP POTUS nomination?

[Siddhartha]

AFAIF, this is the first time in the modern political era where people, Mr Gingrich and Mr Trump, who are talking about running for the POTUS nomination have pasts that include multiple marriages and adultery. Will this be an issue in the GOP?

In the past, Nelson Rockefeller POTUS ambitions were submarined because he had married twice.

I would like to hear what GOP supporters have to say about this.

 

[EagleKeeper]

The mainline GOP should not care.

Much will depend on how noisy the extremists are.

 

[Schadenfroh]

Gingrich likely has worse baggage than that to worry about.

Minor note, he has a PhD, so that would be Dr. Gingrich

 

[CADsortaGUY]

The mainline GOP should not care.

Much will depend on how noisy the extremists are.

Or rather how noisy the Huckster's followers are. Newt is 10X the candiate Huck or Mitt are but we don't seem to elect the best but rather the most plain.

 

[soundforbjt]

There's soooo many things to attack the Newter on it's not even funny. He has no chance of getting the nomination. But it'd be a slaughter if he managed to win the repub nomination.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Put the most public out for a target and watch a nobody slip in underneath the radar.

That strategy works.
Twice for the Dems recently

 

[JSt0rm]

He cant compete with palin anyhow.

 

[EagleKeeper]

AFAIF, this is the first time in the modern political era where people, Mr Gingrich and Mr Trump, who are talking about running for the POTUS nomination have pasts that include multiple marriages and adultery. Will this be an issue in the GOP?

In the past, Nelson Rockefeller POTUS ambitions were submarined because he had married twice.

I would like to hear what GOP supporters have to say about this.

Yet Regan was married twice.

Clinton was re-elected even with his dirty laundry being aired.

Hart was the last one that any impact existed and only because he waived the red flag in front of the media.

 

[EagleKeeper]

He cant compete with palin anyhow.

Palin is a straw woman able to panic the Dems.

Everytime she pops up onto the horizon; the Dems go through a fit.

 

[JSt0rm]

Palin is a straw woman able to panic the Dems.

Everytime she pops up onto the horizon; the Dems go through a fit.

I'm not throwing a fit. I love it.

 

[IronWing]

Gingrich is like Hillary Clinton in that his negatives are too high to have a prayer of winning the White House. His impact on the primaries should be interesting. His organizational skills and money raising capacity are formidable. He can't win but might be the Republican king maker.

 

[CallMeJoe]

Gingrich is like Hillary Clinton in that his negatives are too high to have a prayer of winning the White House. His impact on the primaries should be interesting. His organizational skills and money raising capacity are formidable. He can't win but might be the Republican king maker.

Secretary Clinton's negatives may be high, but if her campaign hadn't totally screwed the pooch in the caucus states, she would have won the Democratic nomination and most likely the presidency.
Also, you should never underestimate the ability of the Republicans to be sold an inferior candidate by a skilled campaign... remember Bob Dole? (not that the Democrats have always done that well either...)

 

[Fern]

I doubt the ex-wife stuff will be a factor in anyone's vote. Too many pressing issues (unemployment, economy, energy policy etc) for past ex-wife stuff to work it's way into the fore. And now-a-days, many many people have been divorced, so the situation is unlike presidential campaigns of the past.

OTOH, I'm sure we'll hear about stuff non-stop from the likes of Chris Matthews and other Dem talking heads, Matthews has already been bringing it up at every opportunity.

Edit: If he actually decides to run, I imagine his own internal polling will have demonstrated his extramarital affairs will not be the problem they once were.

Fern

 

[Londo_Jowo]

Having the choice of Gingrich, Paul, Romney, or Palin, I would vote for Gingrich.

 

[classy]

It is laughable that he is even going to try. Outside of a small portion of support from the fringe right wing he has absolutely zero chance of being nominated by the republican party, let alone winning the presidency. The man was a complete embarrassment to all of Congress, not just republicans.

 

[sandorski]

The fact that he's a two bit Con Artist should be the larger issue.

 

[IronWing]

Having the choice of Gingrich, Paul, Romney, or Palin, I would vote for Gingrich.

You have a point there.

It is laughable that he is even going to try. Outside of a small portion of support from the fringe right wing he has absolutely zero chance of being nominated by the republican party, let alone winning the presidency. The man was a complete embarrassment to all of Congress, not just republicans.

Americans have an astonishingly short political memory/attention span.

 

[classy]

You have a point there.


Americans have an astonishingly short political memory/attention span.

Not when they will be reminded that he showed up at the hospital when his wife was recovering from cancer to discuss their divorce. He is the worst skirt chaser in modern times for a person of congress. He has no shot, none. I have a better chance.........

 

[CADsortaGUY]

Not when they will be reminded that he showed up at the hospital when his wife was recovering from cancer to discuss their divorce. He is the worst skirt chaser in modern times for a person of congress. He has no shot, none. I have a better chance.........

I'd say Edwards has him beat if you want to use the skirt scale. Hell, even Clinton has him beat in that area. Doesn't excuse it, just saying your scale needs recalibrated if you consider him the worst.

 

[HomerJS]

If Newt just kept his big yap shut during impeachment his philandering would have been less of an issue.

 

[Lemon law]

I gotta somewhat love a recent Pat Oliphant political cartoon about Newt.

In which Newt was depicted as a serial pervert flasher exposing himself with an open trench coat. While the GOP elephant symbols runs the other way pretending Newt is not one of their own.

But every damn year since 1998, like clockwork, ole Newt threatens to run for Prez, But every time, its empty bluff, and ole Newt is so deep into a political lobbyist career, its impossible for Newt to divorce himself himself as a political lobbying. And if he tries to run of POTUS, he will wind up in jail for multiple violations of all political campaign laws.

But as long as ole Newt does not officially run, he can safely, every four years, climb up on his same soap boxes, and show the American people his own naked Dick. But Newt makes too much money as a lobbyist to take the necessary steps to become a genuine able to run for Prez candidate without risking landing himself in jail.

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

I think he might actually run this time. And if he does he has a fairly weak field to run against. Palin, Romney, Paul... There will be others who pop up but I don't see anyone who can beat him on the republican side.

I'm not sure it will matter though. As bad as Obama has been I'm not sure he's beatable. Should be a fun time though!

 

[classy]

I'd say Edwards has him beat if you want to use the skirt scale. Hell, even Clinton has him beat in that area. Doesn't excuse it, just saying your scale needs recalibrated if you consider him the worst.

Newt had several affairs and 3 divorces. Edwards really had one affair that went really sour. But Edwards is not even in the same zip code with Newt. Clinton had numerous ones as well, but he didn't leave his wife for any of them. And Edwards will never be President and Clinton would be if allowed because the public forgave him. Clinton since Lewinsky never had another publicized or ugly affair that we know of. Newt couldn't keep in his pants and couldn't maintain any relationship because of it. I like some of Newt's stances though, but lets get real, he has zero chance.

 

[PoAT.PaN]

In my experience, people all make mistakes in their life. I think it will be brought up as an issue if they choose to run, however, I believe there are things that just aren't fair game and a person's family and friends are some of those things. I'd like to see candidates keep it to those items that are not the typical dividing points (religion, abortion, homosexuality etc). None of those are terribly important in the grand scheme of our nation as a whole and even though they are unimportant to the governing of this country, those topics basically draw the lines in the sand politically. If I could have one political wish it would be that those topics be stricken from political debate and let real, honest to goodness policies have the spotlight. Give me a debate on gold standard over gays any day of the week.

 

[Matt915]

No, because he's not a legit contender.