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

[ProfJohn]

Professor Newt vs Professor Obama... what a debate that will be.

Newt's biggest problem is that he is no good at sound bites. He is damn good at talking about issues and framing them in long drawn out conversations. But ask him for a sound bite and you are in trouble.

I think that is what will sink him long term.


BTW Obama is very beatable and I would expect that we will see all the heavy hitter on the GOP side come out and run.

 

[Aegeon]

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.

Regardless of what you think about the general point about making mistakes, there is the issue of extreme hypocrisy in Newt's case.

Besides emphasizing his opposition to gay marriage in order to uphold the sanctity of marriage, he also was having an affair in the middle of leading the impeachment effort against Bill Clinton for the Monica Lewinsky Affair.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=2937633&page=1

Gingrich may claim he was merely going after Clinton due to the perjury issue, but I suspect allot of voters will figure the only reason he didn't do the same is he did not happen to ever get asked the question under the same circumstance.

 

[Harvey]

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.

You mean, like the fact that Gingrich is an ethically challenged turd who resigned from his seat in the House? Among other things, having lead the charge that unseated former Speaker, Jim Wright, who was alleged to have used a book deal to circumvent campaign-finance laws and House ethics rules, he was charged with the same kind of scam.

Calling Gingrich a two bit hypocritical political whore would require devaluing the quarter. :hmm:

 

[PoAT.PaN]

I was unaware of the circumstances of Mr. Gingrich's previous marriages. Certainly, that doesn't speak well for his sense of ethics. I don't particularly agree with Gingrich on most topics, but I won't discount hearing him out based on that alone. Good ideas can come from crazy places.

 

[khon]

Yes, it will be an issue, since social conservatives are a very large block in the GOP these days, and they're not going to like his morals.

It's really a two horse race for the GOP nomination: Huckabee and Romney, and I think Huckabee will ultimately win it, due to Romney's problems in the healthcare debate, which will surely dominate much of the GOP primary.

 

[zsdersw]

All Newt has to do to win over social conservatives is talk their language about gay marriage and abortion (which he's been doing) and all will be forgiven.

 

[khon]

All Newt has to do to win over social conservatives is talk their language about gay marriage and abortion (which he's been doing) and all will be forgiven.

That would be true if he was competing against Obama (or pretty much any other democrat), but it's not true when he's competing against someone like Huckabee.

 

[zsdersw]

That would be true if he was competing against Obama (or pretty much any other democrat), but it's not true when he's competing against someone like Huckabee.

Newt is more electable than Huckabee, so he can use that argument with social conservatives as well.. combined with him speaking their language on social issues.

 

[alphatarget1]

This asshole was trying to impeach Clinton while cheating on his own wife.

No thanks. Fuck Newt Gingrich.

 

[MomentsofSanity]

All Newt has to do to win over social conservatives is talk their language about gay marriage and abortion (which he's been doing) and all will be forgiven.

While at the same time ranting about protectiong the sanctity of marriage by preventing the gay population from having the same rights.

Divorce, infidelity etc... run rampant and yet two people who love each other but are of the same sex seem to be the monsters destroying the treasured unity of marriage... Let 'em be as misearable as the rest of us!

 

[khon]

Newt is more electable than Huckabee, so he can use that argument with social conservatives as well.. combined with him speaking their language on social issues.

Newt is actually a lot less electable than Huckabee, since his blunt language makes him a very polarizing figure, and highly unpopular with democrats and independents. Huckabee meanwhile comes off as a nice guy, and noone really has a strong opposition to him.

Newt is certainly smarter than Huckabee, but I'm not sure how much that will help him in the Republican primaries.

 

[ProfJohn]

Yes, it will be an issue, since social conservatives are a very large block in the GOP these days, and they're not going to like his morals.

It's really a two horse race for the GOP nomination: Huckabee and Romney, and I think Huckabee will ultimately win it, due to Romney's problems in the healthcare debate, which will surely dominate much of the GOP primary.

Huckabee was an also ran last time and I don't think he will be different this time.

He'll have a bunch of crazy hard core religious supporters, but there is more to the GOP than just the bible thumpers.

I don't think Romney is going to win either. Based on some of the early straw votes I expect to see someone who didn't even run in 2008 winning. There are quite a few solid conservatives out there who could do very well and would provide a great contrast to Obama in a national election.

 

[zsdersw]

but there is more to the GOP than just the bible thumpers.

Prove it. Elect a social moderate/liberal.

That will never happen, though, because the "bible thumpers" are who decide the primaries.

 

[zsdersw]

Newt is actually a lot less electable than Huckabee, since his blunt language makes him a very polarizing figure, and highly unpopular with democrats and independents. Huckabee meanwhile comes off as a nice guy, and noone really has a strong opposition to him.

Newt is certainly smarter than Huckabee, but I'm not sure how much that will help him in the Republican primaries.

Newt stands a better chance in the general election than Huckabee, no matter how polarizing his statements may be. Newt is someone who speaks like a social conservative in the primaries, but would govern like a social moderate/liberal. Huckabee is a dyed-in-the-wool social conservative who not only speaks like one but would govern like one as well.

 

[werepossum]

Gingrich's multiple marriages are not a problem with me, but the circumstances are. You don't begin on X+1 when you are still married to X.

He's probably the smartest man potentially running, but ethics matter. Much of what Presidents do is done behind closed doors. Also, Newt's more conservative socially than fiscally, a non-starter for me. I'll listen with interest to anything he says, but he's not my candidate of choice.

 

[ProfJohn]

Prove it. Elect a social moderate/liberal.

That will never happen, though, because the "bible thumpers" are who decide the primaries.

Then explain how John McCain won.

Huckabee was by FAR the candidate of the bible thumpers and he got only 20% of the vote.

The religious right in the GOP are like blacks in the Democrat party. They aren't a majority, but they vote together as a group and that raises their importance. A candidate with the backing of the religious right only needs a small portion of the non-religious voters and they can win. But winning just the religious vote won't do you any good. Huckabee proves that, even after everyone else dropped out of the race he couldn't mount a serious challenge to McCain.

 

[ProfJohn]

Gingrich's multiple marriages are not a problem with me, but the circumstances are. You don't begin on X+1 when you are still married to X.

He's probably the smartest man potentially running, but ethics matter. Much of what Presidents do is done behind closed doors. Also, Newt's more conservative socially than fiscally, a non-starter for me. I'll listen with interest to anything he says, but he's not my candidate of choice.

Newt is the guy that balanced the budget. Your statement makes no sense in that light.

 

[Anarchist420]

Yes, it will be an issue, since social conservatives are a very large block in the GOP these days, and they're not going to like his morals.

It's really a two horse race for the GOP nomination: Huckabee and Romney, and I think Huckabee will ultimately win it, due to Romney's problems in the healthcare debate, which will surely dominate much of the GOP primary.

Have you seen some of that idiot's statements?
You do realize that Huckabee supports Obamacare don't you?

He's actually more of a socialist than Obama is since Obama is a corporatist and Huckabee raised taxes more than Bill Clinton did as Gov of AR.

Dr. Paul or no one. Newt was merely tolerable until he said that Obama wasn't against "Islamic terrorism" enough.

 

[Londo_Jowo]

Dr. Paul or no one.

Dr Paul doesn't have a snow ball's chance in hell of being the Republican candidate.

 

[zsdersw]

Then explain how John McCain won.

McCain won by being the best (read: most electable) of a bad bunch, not because he was socially-this or fiscally-that.

The religious right in the GOP are like blacks in the Democrat party. They aren't a majority, but they vote together as a group and that raises their importance. A candidate with the backing of the religious right only needs a small portion of the non-religious voters and they can win. But winning just the religious vote won't do you any good. Huckabee proves that, even after everyone else dropped out of the race he couldn't mount a serious challenge to McCain.

Some things weigh against using the 2008 elections as proof of anything.

1. The entire GOP presidential candidate field was horrible in 2008, as it was projected to be a year of major Democratic gains.. so the enthusiasm wasn't there to bring the truly exceptional candidates out of the woodwork.

2. McCain was the most electable which, in a year that Democrats are expected to win big, means a lot to GOP primary voters.. and while McCain may not be their gut choice, he wasn't as obviously liberal on social issues as someone like Giuliani.

3. McCain was more liked by social conservatives because he at least talked about enacting their morals into law, whereas someone like Ron Paul wouldn't even talk about that, much less actually govern that way.

 

[khon]

Have you seen some of that idiot's statements?
You do realize that Huckabee supports Obamacare don't you?

He's actually more of a socialist than Obama is since Obama is a corporatist and Huckabee raised taxes more than Bill Clinton did as Gov of AR.

Dr. Paul or no one. Newt was merely tolerable until he said that Obama wasn't against "Islamic terrorism" enough.

I never said I agreed with the man, all I said was that I think he will win, which is very different.

 

[trenchfoot]

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

Unlike you, I do throw fits every time I see Palin on-screen......laughing fits, that is.

She reminds me of every stale, lame slapstick comedy routine I've ever had the displeasure to endure.

I used to actually despise her for the outright lies she always comes up with, but then she grew on me just like episodes of Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres and Gilligan's Island used to, you know, before FPS games got invented.

 

[Thump553]

Gingrich's serial marriages shouldn't be too much of an issue. His cheating while married, on two different wives, does show he has the moral integrity of a snake-that should make a huge difference, coupled with his (then-hidden) affair during the Clinton impeachment when he was spouting all sorts of moralistic bullshit.

And I'm just scraping the surface. Gingrich doesn't have the moral integrity to hold any elected office, much less the presidency.

As for Trump, pretty much the same thing (throw in his bankruptcy as well-or is it bankruptcies, I don't recall). Personally I think Trump is toying with the idea for ego and publicity, he doesn't stand a snowball's chance of becoming nominated, much less elected.

I'm still waiting to see a strong GOP candidate. Romney's the closest, and his origination of Massachusetts' universal health care is an absolute mortal sin in the GOP, even if he can get by with his crazy cult religion.

 

[Lemon law]

Newt stands a better chance in the general election than Huckabee, no matter how polarizing his statements may be. Newt is someone who speaks like a social conservative in the primaries, but would govern like a social moderate/liberal. Huckabee is a dyed-in-the-wool social conservative who not only speaks like one but would govern like one as well.

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Pardon me zsdersw, but you seem to be on a roll on making 100% bogus statements. Even though Huckabee talked the social conservative language, when he was Governor of Arkansas, he governed as a progressive and pragmatic liberal.

As for Newt, we have to remember he was speaker of the house, and his inflexible governance led the GOP to electoral disaster in 11/98. When it comes to the Newt governance style, no other set of words not implying a dictator with delusions of grander
can properly describe Newt. We have to remember that Newt lost the confidence of the GOP and his chair of speaker of the house after 11/98, but he did not have to quit as congressman. But if Newt can't have the premier leadership role, he and Sarah Palin sulk and then quit.

 

[zsdersw]

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Pardon me zsdersw, but you seem to be on a roll on making 100% bogus statements. Even though Huckabee talked the social conservative language, when he was Governor of Arkansas, he governed as a progressive and pragmatic liberal.

Pardon me Lemon law, but you're hardly one to accuse others of bogus statements. Huckabee is best described as a populist; socially conservative. fiscally moderate/liberal.. and his record as governor of Arkansas demonstrates it. He signed into law legislation banning SSM, for example.