Posted on 11/19/2011 8:24:03 AM PST by TBBT
Hate?
That is the most overused and lame political term going. Tea Partiers hate Obama because he is black. Conservatives hate Romney because he's Mormon. And now someone hates Newt for being a serial adulterer? That's the most novel use yet.
Using the word 'hate' in such a manneris a way of distracting from the underlying issue being discussed. Kinda like playing the race card but usable in many more situations. And just as pathetic in all instances.
Divorce happens. I have friends who have been through it, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. I even have seen a guy who is blindingly loyal get piss drunk, have an affair, and end up divorced. He was a good guy before it, he’s a good guy after it, it was just a bad combination of too much booze and the wrong girl around to try and profit from it.
That said, Newt is untrustowrthy in a lot of ways, and I think many here who cite the affairs and divorces are using them to put a face on something much deeper that they are perceiving.
This is a guy who would have let Clinton escape impeachment. Would you? I’d have crawled over broken glass on my belly. Were it not for Tom Delay, Clinton would have laughed in our faces.
Newt is a guy who can, out of the blue, suddenly latch on to Global Warming as an issue, to show his “moderation.” His wives thought he was on their team, when suddenly, out of the blue, he would demand a divorce to marry a woman he had been seeing all along. He just doesn’t seem loyal in general, especially to us or our cause, or predictably motivated by an underlying love of freedom and Conservatism. And in some ways, his wives thinking they were a team, only to suddenly find out they never were, seems like a metaphor for many of his sudden leftward turns. I mean, would you ever find yourself on a stage with Gore or Pelosi, lauding them? Can this happen again in the future?
It’s no where near Romney level untrustworthiness, but it is leaving a lot of people feeling that we may elect Newt, only to get screwed over on some issue he suddenly gets taken away with.
Don’t take offense at the divorce attacks. Those are just people trying to give a face to something they feel is bad about Newt. Newt’s Divorce games attract attention because of the deception and selfishness, not becasue he married, and either found out he married someone he didn’t know, or people changed enough he might as well have.
"Newt is a guy who can, out of the blue, suddenly latch on to Global Warming as an issue, to show his “moderation.” His wives thought he was on their team, when suddenly, out of the blue, he would demand a divorce to marry a woman he had been seeing all along."
You are no doubt aware that you are conflating, right?
You might consider there is an alternate perception, regarding divorce in general and Newt's marriages in aprticular. The other night, someanti-Newt poster posted quotes from a liberal liar's character assassination book, quoting disgusting details about the author's supposed or ficitonalized sexual preferences. If folks cannot see that such posting at FR is designed to inflame and in the end destroy conservative moemntum, then the Republic truly is doomed, because the imaginary perfection none can achieve is allowed to murder the needs of the nation. Just as the DNC and their operatives have designed.
May I ask, which candidate do you support at FR? ... and please point me to the postings you've made detailing that candidates positives.
No, I’ll stick with the one I posted.
"It is a great advantage to a president, and a major source of safety to the country, for him to know that he is not a great man." -Calvin Coolidge
Perhaps you can revel in Newt's ego and set aside his unfaithfulness. I'm strange in that I think the character of the individual is evidenced by his (mis)deeds, not his ego or aspirations.
If they can get conservatives assassinating the Republican candidates over character issues common to all humankind
'Common to all humankind'? Speak for yourself. Newt assassinated own character. Twice. What makes you think he'd honor an oath to you, a stranger, having twice violated a sacred oath to his wife? Your ego is probably only shadowed by his...
And by going personal, which candidate did you think you were supporting?
As someone pointed out today, two of his three wives are known to be supporting his candidacy presently, his first and Callista. But of course the anti-Newt squad only shifts to some other qualm. It’s a circular firing squad being pushed by either Romney workers or Obamanoids or both. Sadly, the net result is to destroy the conservative momentum and suppress conservative turnout in November 2012.
Newt assassinated own character. Twice. What makes you think he’d honor an oath to you, a stranger, having twice violated a sacred oath to his wife?
Second, my sense of forgiveness allows me to put the peril of the nation above tossing out Newt over his martial 'baggage'. It is, of course, a tricky exchange. But the nature of the man now is changed in my opinion --and we are only stating opinions here-- and I choose, yes chose, to accept his explanation and trust him to follow through with his stated goals for America. After all, a huge ego is more likely to honor a trust from a nation rather than risk abject rejection for life. But The bottom line is, I do not place the marital 'baggage' on a higher priority than the dying Republic I judge Newt has a vision to save if We The People will march into the fray with him.
Have you watched the following video presentation by Newt on his New 21st Century Contract with America? .... The left now running this nation into the crapper are furious over it, that's why they are inviting conservatives to the circular firing squad we're witnessing at FR:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_hd23sdf4CE
Get over yourself man. I couldn’t care less what bible verses you quote. Newt’s a douchebag and I’m not a bible thumper. But it seems like you are. I can also guess that you are very selective in which candidates you choose to “forgive”.
I don’t think quoting verses of scripture that redound to the act of forgiveness, one of the cornerstones of Christian faith and redemption is bible thumping - especially on this board where hate and anger are spewed forth regularly when it comes to certain candidates. How in the world could you know anything about who I chose to forgive or not? I’m not into spiritual upsmanship, I’m a sinner saved by grace.
I’m sorry to disagree with you, but when the name Newt Gingrich appears in almost any thread what is spewed forth is a reflexive hatred that nearly leaps off the page. The number of lies and instances of gut vitriol that fill every Newt thread can only be called hate. I participate in many discussions where opinions differ widely from mine, and I don’t play the race card. Or the hate card. But hate is hate and it doesn’t help to look past it or minimize it, and call it by a different name...
Reflexive hatred? Nonsense again. Reflexes happen due to experience. Time and time again, we would see Newt sticking it to conservatism. And people are just supposed to forget that ever happened? Pah.
‘No, I’ll stick with the one I posted.’
LOL.
“You are no doubt aware that you are conflating, right?”
The question is, does the analogy hold. I think it does, and that both issues are realted (by an individual saying things and giving impressions which bear no reality to his underlying state of mind). I think Newt is unreliable. Would you trust him with your lifesavings, if nobody would ever know if he stole it? Is he that principled? Especially if it would get him another hot young babe? Cain, yes, Perry, Maybe, Bachmann yes, Romney, no, Paul, who knows, dude’s whacked. Newt? Probably not.
I know guys who are rock solid. If they were to get divorced, it would happen after their relationship unraveled, openly. It would not happen out of the blue, because they were getting progressively unhappy, and yet still giving their wife the impression everything was fine.
And if they were Conservative, and on a stage with Pelosi or Gore, or Hillary, they would not let the compliments fly. You either believe that what those people support is wrong, and they are personally detestable and corrupt (in which case you keep your mouth shut), or you let the lauding compliments out, in which case you can’t be that true of a believer with respect to Conservatism.
I just see Newt as another one of these guys who go throughs the motions becasue it’s a job. He is good at the motions, I give him that, but because he is not a true believer, every so often, his skill ends up being used to laud our enemies.
My preferences, I like Cain best, but think Perry is a good guy, although he is undoubtedly part of the machine, and may come off too much like W to win. I have said this elsewhere, check my posting history. I detest Romney, think Paul is crazy, and accept Bachmann cannot win, though I like her as a person and politician. I am not even violently anti-Newt, I just think he will get killed in the general, and will be unreliable if he did make it through. I’d still vote for him, but I wouldn’t like it, becasue I don’t really like him as a person, or trust him to lead our movement. I could see him suddenly move on amnesty or something else to show his bipartisanship, after the Global Warming thing.
I judge candidates a little differently. Of course they need to be reliably Conservative, and not prone to go bipartisan by supporting the left. But I think in order to win, you need all that, plus likability. I think a lot of people waste time worrying whether their candidate is an expert on this issue or that, and whether the media will be able to attack him here or there.
In the end, every Republican will be subjected to character assasination by the media. The one who will survive is the one who is most likable, on a personal level, providing they show any modicum of competence. Politics is a popularity contest above all, because most voters are uninformed idiots.
Last time, what little people knew indicated that Obama was more likable than McCain, so he got elected. If a candidate is unlikable, for any reason, personally, the media attacks will stick, and his followers will defect from him.
Too often, we look for a policy expert, or a media darling, and end up with McCain’s, or Romney’s, or people who are just unlikable for some reason. Often they are particularly unlikable to Conservatives. Think Bush I banning assault rifles, McCain stabbing us in the back on immigration, or Romney’s inherently untrustworthy countenance.
I fear Newt is just unlikable enough (over the way he has treated his women, the hypocrisy of saying his affairs were different from Clinton’s, and his periodic leftward shifts) that the media attacks will stick to him, people will defect, and we will get Obama II, which will be much worse than Obama I.
And yes, I like Cain best, because I think his personality and demeanor are likable enough that when the media turns on him, the public will take his side over the media’s. At least enough to get him elected. That I think Obama fears him the most doesn’t hurt either.
For the record, I generally won’t post my support of any one candidate on another’s thread because it seems impolite to turn a thread about one candidate into a pitch for another. I only did it here because you asked.
Ever hear of involuntary reflexes? Care to go head to head on IQ? btw, your name seems very apt. Oh, and forgiveness is about forgetting whatever happened as far as holding a grudge... if Newt says he asked God forgiveness and has regrets and has repented, who are we to say that’s not true? why are you so bitter and angry all the time?
My IQ is plenty high. And you would not want me for president. Takes a lot more than brains to successfully run that office.
And once again, I am not judging Newt's standing with God. I am trying to judge his suitability to be president. It is telling that you are trying to obfuscate the difference.
I am not trying to obfuscate anything... Newt has plenty of credentials to prove he could handle the job... maybe not to your satisfaction - but the obvious is there. I have learned there’s no sense in arguing with some people, especially ones with a hardened heart.... and I do try to use my time wisely... so have a great Sunday!
Oh, I'm sure he can handle the job of taking over the levers of power and keeping the corrupt DC machine on course with just the slightest veer to the right to convice supporters that he is taking on the federal behemoth.
But we don't need that. We need a HARD right turn. And someone not steeped in the self-enriching stench of the Beltway.
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