Politicians Gone Wild - Newt Gingrich

Chances are that if you are reading this, you are one of those bleeding-heart-elitist-progressive-socialist-kenyan lover-democrats and reading is something you do well.  I hope you'll take the time to leave a message and add to the conversation - PEACE, Olivia.

Newt Gingrich

It is not news that there is hypocrisy in politics.  We are all aware of those who spout 'family values' as a way to be elected into office by the masses who want to believe an elected official mirrors their values and values their lifestyle.  Sadly, we all come to the realization that it is just a mirror with a lot of smoke to create the illusion of what we want to perceive and desperately want to elect.

We have to give him kudos for thinking outside the box and appealing to the working masses under the guise of 'too much work' and 'loving my country' as the main reason for leaving wife #1 for one of his mistresses.  Too much work accounts for divorcing said mistress while bed-ridden in the hospital undergoing treatment and marrying one of his mistresses.

All the work as Speaker of the House made him do it.  It had nothing to do with power, ego, lack of self-control, fake moral values or self-indulgence.  His 'love of country' propelled him to launch an investigation to impeach former President Clinton for having an extra-marital affair while Newt Gingrich
continued to indulge in his.

Here is a video from MSNBC with Stephanie Miller and Newt's Gingrich explanation about his patriotism gone wild.

If being Speaker of the House is such a burden that propels men to callously cheat on their wives, what is the Presidency going to do to this man? Would he feel the need to have Hugh Hefner as Vice-President just to ensure a steady supply of young, blonde and easily accessible females that are old enough to be his grand or great-granddaughters?  

• We already know he is an adulterer but how many people knew he was 19 years old when he married 26 year old Jackie Battley, his geometry teacher?

•  Newt Gingrich dumped Jackie Battley for Marianne Ginther, who subsequently was dumped in favor of his current wife, and hopeful first lady, Callista Bisek. 

• There is controversy about the cancer story. Ms. Battley claims she was in the hospital battling cancer when Newt showed up with divorce papers. Newt claims he was there to talk about visiting the kids and one of their daughters stating that it was their mother who wanted the divorce.    

While the details on the cancer issue are as clear as mud, the fact remains that Mr. Gingrich was unable to keep marriage vows or maintain those 'family values' that are so appealing to voters and he, as a conservative republican, has worn as a badge of honor to contrast the lack of family values supposedly inherent in democrats.


While sex scandals are salacious and sell books by appealing to the voyeur portion of human nature, there are other factors that should be present in the minds of potential voters.  How much more do we know about Newt Gingrich but is not reported because it is not sexy enough?

Let's take a look:

•  Draft Dodger:  He did not serve one day in the military.  Once married to his teacher, he made use of family deferments and student status to avoid being drafted into the quagmire that was Vietnam. 

We should keep this in mind, since Newt Gingrich will exploit the military and National Security angle through his upcoming campaign.

Financially Irresponsible

• Newt Gingrich was one of the many congressmen who bounced over 20 checks in the House banking scandal of 1998.  Let's be mindful that the 'scandal' was blown out of proportion by Newt Gingrich himself who demanded the names of the offenders be released to the public by Speaker of the House, Tom Folley.  It was a brilliant move to cost democrats their seats, but not smart enough to have paid his own bills prior to creating "Rubber-gate."

• Ethics investigation involving a book deal he made with Ruppert Murdock's Harper Collins publishing company at the tune of $4.5 million dollars. 

• Not unlike Senator Ensign of Nevada, Newt Gingrich resigned his position as ethics violations were lobbed against him. Newt Gingrich established tax-exempt groups under the guise of helping the poor and disadvantaged while using the funding for his own personal and political purposes. 

• GOPAC was a successful recruiting Republican machine created by Newt Gingrich.  GOPAC was 10 years in the making and in spite of the irregularities associated with utilizing tax payer's money for personal and political purposes it was a fine blueprint for future PACs used to this day. A fine of $300,000 and resignation before further inquiries by the ethics committee could proceed left Newt Gingrich Scot-free.

Ethics?

• The Ethics committee members was hand-picked by Newt Gingrich.
• Bob Dole fronted the unsecured loan to pay the fine. See link for involvement with Tobacco industry.
• The Ethics Committee dropped all charges in spite of evidence of obstruction and personal gain shortly after his resignation. A pattern we see frequently among politicians who potentially could end up in prison if an investigation moves forward.

Democrats would do well to note that the Republican machinery is a patient one.  It plans its moves like a professional chess player.  Their moves involve putting pawns in place while keeping their connection to the Koch Brothers, The Heritage Foundation, Carl Rove, Ruppert Murdock and others in the shadows.

There is a lot more that can be said about Newt Gingrich, such as the government shut down and further exploration of the ethics investigation which made him a pariah within his own party. However, not everything is bad.  He had quite a few achievements that deserve to be highlighted by democrats throughout his upcoming presidential run.  It should be done with a smile and a thank you.

• It would benefit Democrats to highlight Newt Gingrich best achievements, such as his 2001 co-sponsorship with now Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton of the 21st Century Health Information Act and creating Medicare Part D as part of  The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act enacted into law in 2003. 
• Welfare reform by instituting the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program (TANF).

It will not bode well for Newt Gingrich to not only have supported, but created programs that benefit the general population, rather than the corporations. Truly, a democratic hallmark he can't run away from even if he tries as hard as Mitt Romney to differentiate his health care mandate in Massachusetts from the one endorsed by President Obama. 

Democrats should keep in mind that the GOP machinery is deliberately methodical and a decade is what it took to put in place governors across the Nation hell bent in destroying the middle class. Teachers, Fire Fighters, Policemen and Unions are just the tip of the iceberg. Destroying our environment is being done more quietly because we can only pay attention to so many things at a time and they know it. Take the example of T. Boone Pickens denying any health issues or environmental damage from fracking to extract natural gas from rocks.

•  Wisconsin, Ohio, and Michigan are representative of a massive outreach to control and own the country by corporations who already own the Southern States.  Let's not mistake Newt Gingrich bid as a presidential candidate as a single, independent event.  His association with Rupert Murdock, the Koch Brothers and the Heritage Foundation have been well documented and reported.

Among politicians gone wild, we can include Ron and Rand Paul and they will be the subject of my next blog entry because there is much to be said about Ron and Rand Paul that deserves its own space. Senator Ensign of Nevada might make a third entry, not because of his infidelity but because of his connection to C Street and 'The Family'.

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