Posted on 01/17/2012 2:50:57 PM PST by VinL
At the now-controversial meeting of evangelicals at a Texas ranch, influential evangelical leader James Dobson made a strong pitch for Rick Santorum's wife — and noted that Callista Gingrich was her husband's "mistress for eight years," questioning whether that's what people want in a first lady, three sources told POLITICO.
The moment left several attendees at the confab at the Pressler ranch stunned, according to the sources.
It came on Saturday, before the group of about 150 conservatives voted on a candidate they wanted to back. On the third round of balloting, the vote went to Santorum, but Gingrich backers and other attendees have argued that the voting was done unfairly, and in a way that seemed to benefit the former Pennsylvania senator.
The meeting was initially described as an event to try to unite behind a single candidate to thwart Mitt Romney, but his representatives also ended up speaking there, and despite the third round of balloting — which took place after some Gingrich backers left, thinking the meeting had ended — broad consensus was never reached, according to multiple attendees.
"Dobson first talked about how great Santorum is," recalled one source, who had first-hand knowledge of Dobson's comment. "[He said,] 'I want to tell you that I've gotten to know Karen [Santorum] and she is just lovely. She set aside two professional careers to raise these seven children. She would make a fabulous first lady role model. And Newt Gingrich's wife, she was a mistress for eight years."
Another source confirmed the account, and said Dobson concluded the sentiment about Callista Gingrich with, "Who do you want as your first lady?"
"It was like a chill [set into] the room," said one source. Several people were offended by the comment, said another source, adding that it was noted among some participants that Callista Gingrich had only been married once.
Huh?
“Detraction is the unjust damaging of another’s good name by the revelation of some fault or crime of which that other is really guilty or at any rate is seriously believed to be guilty by the defamer. .....a violation of the virtue not only of charity but also of justice. ,,,,,,Journalists may lawfully present whatever information about the life or character of a candidate for public office is necessary to show his unfitness for the station he seeks. “
Dude.
Your speaking as if you believe it's a deciding factor to more than 1% of the electorate.
It's not.
It never was.
It never will be.
You, as everyone has a right to vote and believe as you choose.
But yours is a small, small world. There's like a million of you in the USA.
Newt is the one running for office.
As someone who has been on FreeRepublic for more than a decade, I think this thread is one of the MOST disgusting and ignorant ones that I ever seen in the new century. It is even worse than the ones in which Republicans and supposed conservatives gave their backing to the Austrian Arnold Schwarzenegger, who destroyed the Republican brand in California, created tens of billions of dollars of additional debt and fathered a second family in his spare time.
The people who have contributed to this thread have — IN MANY CASES, PARTICULARLY THE PEOPLE I HAVE ADDRESSED THIS TO — shown themselves to grossly ignorant of their country and its founding, a notable Christian leader (Dr. James Dobson) and of Christianity. I would suggest that all of you start by reading the intro page for Free Republic — which states that it is “America’s exclusive site for God, Family, Country, Life & Liberty Conservatives.”
The people in this thread have poured contempt and venom on a good and decent man. He has been said to be a hypocrite, someone worthy of a golden shower, a money hound, a scoundrel, a judgmental old bastard, a perennial jackass and a holier-than-thou-do-gooder, among other vile and reprehensible names. I find your comments to be disgusting and unworthy of people who might consider themselves to be Christians or even conservatives.
I have never met Dr. Dobson personally, but I consider him to be an outstanding Christian leader and I believe he will be regarded that way in eternity by his Savior.
He is someone who has helped the downtrodden of society. As much as almost anyone in this nation, he has stood against the shedding of innocent blood by defending unborn children, opposing abortion and supporting adoption. His ministry has worked tirelessly to defend the sanctity of marriage and to assist couples who have had troubled marriages, both by his books, by his radio broadcasts and helping other Christian leaders. He has operated basketball camps for children from fatherless homes. HE HAS ACTED LIKE AND BEEN A CHRISTIAN MAN WHO HAS HONORED GOD AND WHO WILL BE HONORED BY GOD. I would suggest that he has done more to help other people IN ONE DAY OF HIS LIFE than most of you have done in your entire lives.
By the way, if you have time, you might have some point read some of the writings of our nation’s founders. They almost all thought that our nation’s president shouldn’t just be well qualified, but that he should be the most moral of his fellow citizens. I will support Santorum, Perry or even Gingrich over Romney — BUT I am less than thrilled about Newt’s moral baggage. To divorce one wife while she was sick with cancer and then to have a running eight-year affair on wife number two — EVEN DURING THE TIME OF THE CLINTON IMPEACHMENT — shows very poor moral judgment.
As far as I’m concerned, all of you owe Dr. Dobson an apology.
if Doc Dobson cannot take a punch, then I suggest he not step into the ring with both arms flailing!
I think Dr. Dobson can take a punch just fine, as the liberals and homosexual activists (who said they wished he had died after he had a stroke) have done to him for years. But some people like myself, do not appreciate seeing good men attacked by people who probably aren’t worthy of shining his shoes.
Nobody really cares what you think, newbie.
Cool.
He'll be regarded as a judgmental idiot by 99% of everybody else.
Did they have a 3 year affair - while married - for the "Good of the Country"?
A brief timeline, to make some things clear, because most people just go by salacious gossip:
Newt Gingrich has been legally separated from his second wife, Marianne. since October of 1987 and they lived pretty much in separate states (he was working in D.C., she stayed home in Georgia). Despite the separation, legal and physical, Newt has been financially supporting Marianne and, in fact, most of their assets and bank accounts - which is where Newt's income from his lectures and publishing were deposited - were kept in her name (that proved to Newt's great disadvantage during their divorce). Newt didn't meet and started dating Callista until 1993, 6 years after separation, so she was not a "home-wrecker" and there was no "intern-chasing" as often asserted/insinuated/speculated on FR and other places.
In 1994 Newt embarked on and put all his efforts into the taking over the Congress and upon accomplishing that, after becoming Speaker, into pushing Contract With America and fighting Congressional Democrats who filed unprecedented 84(!) unfounded frivolous bogus ethics complaints against him, and getting stabbed in the back by jealous and spiteful Republicans who grew comfortable and lazy in power, didn't want to "rock the boat" and instead of defending and protecting the leader chose to backstab and plot to remove him from power.
In 1999, with welfare reform and most of the other points of Contract passed or otherwise accomplished, impeachment against Bill Clinton for perjury and obstruction of justice during the Lewinsky affair investigation pushed through the House, and tired of being a constant lightning rod for Democrats and the press, and having little support from Republicans in Congress, he settled a legal filing mistake by a junior lawyer at his defense law firm, resigned from Congress, finalized the divorce from Marianne (which cost Newt most of his earned assets, as most of the money was held in accounts in Marianne's name) and married Callista in 2000, when they moved to Virginia where they still reside. In 2009 he converted to Catholicism, for it's been Callista's life-long faith.
It is quite clear that a period of 1994-1998 has a pretty heavy and hectic legislative and political schedule, and that it was hardly a good time for Newt to be getthing divorced from Marianne and getting married to Callista, whom he started dating (with intention of eventual marriage) after almost 6 years of being legally separated from Marianne.
I can't speak for others, but I and many people I know really appreciate how much, I think, Newt personally sacrificed for the "Good of the Country", that he postponed his divorce from Marianne and his marriage to Callista by more than 5 or 6 years years, even though it cost him very much politically and financially (he was nearly broke after the divorce).
Links and refs:
"Cain/Gingrich 2012"?" - FR, posts #64, #69, 2011 October 06
Romney Must Get Personal Over Bain Capital Attacks - FR, posts #21, #36, #42, #3, 2012 January 12
Right wing rips Gingrich, Perry for attacks on Romney, capitalism (Rush, WSJ) - FR, post #33, 2012 January 11
I hope this might give you another, or somewhat different, perspective on the events.
Did you read what I wrote or do you ALWAYS write whatever you think without knowing any facts? I’m hardly a newbie, as I have been on this site since 1998 and used information from here when I was a radio talk show host for seven years.
The way you wrote about Dr. Dobson is probably how many regard you.
The way you wrote about Dr. Dobson is probably how many regard you.
I read your statements...holier-than-thou as they were.
I'm surprised you lasted for 7 years on talk radio. Surely you didn't espouse similar sentiments to what you posted...
Most Christians wouldn't listen to it.
I would be proud to be regarded negatively be you and Dr. Dobson.
I'd consider it a badge worthy of display.
You should be concerned about your own sin. Each and everyoneone of us have sinned just as much as Gingrich and Dobson have and we all have been pardoned. Take your self-righteous and sanctimonious feldergarb and stick it!
I am concerned about my own sin — and you should also be concerned about your sin. I am also concerned about people like YOU who trash good men like Dr. Dobson. You can’t just disagree with someone and state your cause of disagreement. You have to make vile, nasty and rotten comments and destroy others. Talk about self-righteousness and hypocrisy. Dr. Dobson is a national leader who has worked against abortion, helped preserve marriages and helped orphaned children. I read the comments of you, Mariner and others against Dr. Dobson during the day and I was fed up with your garbage. You can say whatever you want, BUT YOU are the instigator of the nastiness on this thread.
These attacks on spouses are getting pretty rediculous (the post last night attacking Rick's wife for living with a guy when was 22 were particularly sleezy).
On the other hand, it's kind of sad that at a meeting of evangelical christians, there were men who would make the claim above, as if sex outside of marriage, and sex with a married man, were no longer of any concern to the evangelical community, so long as you eventually get married. Marriage is failing, and that is one of the reasons why.
It has NOTHING to do with her being a fine first lady, which she surely is. Forgiveness is a fine trait, but not dismissal. It's not about her, it's about the flippant treatment of the sin by these spiritual leaders.
Dobson was crass, although also accurate. And sometimes when you sin, though you can have forgiveness, you can't undo the sin -- she will always be the woman who slept with a married man. That's not disqualifying, and it certainly has nothing to do with picking a Presidential candidate.
Great post!
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