Ex-wife says Gingrich wanted ‘open marriage,’ was the campaign story of the day. The GOP presidential candidate’s second ex-wife said he asked for an “open marriage” in which he could have both a wife and a mistress. Gingrich denies the specifics, but the adulterous mistress is now the third Mrs. G.
Added. One man, one wife, one mistress (at a time); otherwise, it’s a slippery slope to who knows what!
Also surfacing: reports that Rick Santorum’s wife, when in her 20s, had an affair of many years with an abortion doctor/father of six (who delivered her as baby!). Candidate Santorum dismisses the charges without quite denying them.
It’s all just further moral hypocrisy by those who belittle committed same-sex relationships as unworthy of recognition and equal treatment under the law.
More. Santorum attacks Romney’s judicial appointments in Massachusetts for being too pro-gay: An excerpt:
Two of Mr. Romney’s nominations for judgeships in Massachusetts, Stephen S. Abany and Marianne C. Hinkle, were well-known as advocates for special protections for homosexuals. What about the First Amendment’s protection of the free exercise of religion? What assurances did the governor receive that these nominees would “only follow the law”?
Kind of makes Romney seem not so bad (relatively speaking).
12 Comments for “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up”
posted by BobN on
Gingrich put it so well himself:
Yes, I made up that last bit.
posted by Tom Scharbach on
Well, you have to admit that Gringrich handled the question brilliantly.
Gingrich pivoted the question into an attack on John King and CNN, leveraging right-wing resentment at the “left-wing media” to make himself was the wronged woman, bringing the crowd to its feet (twice, I understand), and rendering the rest of the candidates virtually speechless on “family values” for the balance of the night.
Romney didn’t do so well on his taxes. He seemed hell-bent on raising squirming to a fine art. John King tossed him a softball and he muffed it.
The best spin on the Gingrich matter, though, was from Limbaugh, who turned Newt’s request for an open marriage into a “family values” plus-point: “So Newt wanted an open marriage. BFD. At least he asked his wife for permission instead of cheating on her. That’s a mark of character, in my book. Newt’s a victim.” Of course, Rush is on his 15th or 16th marriage now, as I recall.
posted by Houndentenor on
It’s always safe to count on the hypocrisy of the religious right. Gingrich is the master of the personal attack. Of all people to play victim when someone throws his own past back in his face would be hilarious in a movie but in real life it’s too surreal.
Also, Newt did not ask his wife’s permission BEFORE the affair. It had already been going on for six years. Of course why wife #2 was surprised by this is a mystery since she was the mistress when he was married to wife #1. Anyone notice a pattern here?
The religious right has taken on gays as the boogey man. It’s working less well with every election. They don’t dare take on divorce (condemned strongly in the Bible), usury (also condemned in the Greek and Hebrew scriptures about a dozen times) and other sins that would hit too close to home for too many Americans. No, they pick one that only affects about 3% of the population. Hypocrisy in action 2012.
posted by Tom Scharbach on
Well, maybe so, but we didn’t even get a mention last night, for the first time in this debate season, not even so much as the ritual pieties about “defending traditional marriage”.
Even Santorum was too embarrassed to try it. Thanks to Newt, we’ve come a long way from ““I think there is a gay and secular fascism in this country that wants to impose its will on the rest of us, is prepared to use violence, to use harassment. I think it is prepared to use the government if it can get control of it. I think that it is a very dangerous threat to anybody who believes in traditional religion.”
The whole thing was hilarious, as theater of the absurd. You could see Romney and Santorum winding up for a regular “family values” fest in their opening statements, but Newt shut them down cold.
My only fear is that Newt might deny Romney the nomination. Romney is Tom Dewey redux, with a bit of George I tossed in for good measure, and the more the American people see him, the less they’ll like him. If Newt derails Romney, the Republicans might come up with a decent candidate.
posted by BobN on
We didn’t get mentioned last night because GOP planners aren’t stupid enough to let America see how a South Carolina audience would react to questions and answers about gay people. Can you imagine the foot-stomping and cheering against us?
posted by Tom Scharbach on
We didn’t get mentioned last night because GOP planners aren’t stupid enough to let America see how a South Carolina audience would react to questions and answers about gay people. Can you imagine the foot-stomping and cheering against us?
Its a theory, I suppose. But defense of marriage was raised in the Tuesday debate, with the expected reaction.
posted by BobN on
Nope. I think you’re remembering the previous debate in NH.
Here’s the transcript of the Jan 16 “debate”:
http://foxnewsinsider.com/2012/01/17/transcript-fox-news-channel-wall-street-journal-debate-in-south-carolina/
posted by BobN on
Gingrich handled the question the way he did because only a moron would bring up the subject is such a stupid, ill-planned, way and John King, apparently, is that moron.
posted by Doug on
Just for the record, Mr. Limbuagh, Newt was carrying on the affair for several years prior to asking his wife for an ‘open marriage’.
posted by Houndentenor on
In the twisted world of the theocons, Gingrich is being unfairly treated by the liberal media. They see his as a victim. They are supporting his candidacy in large numbers, even though they’d be demonizing a Democrat who had one affair, much less several.
Social conservatives don’t expect a world where no one does these things. They just want us to all be as hypocritical as they are.
posted by Jorge on
Also surfacing: reports that Rick Santorum’s wife, when in her 20s, had a six year love affair with an abortion doctor. Candidate Santorum dismisses the charges without quite denying them.
This is a trip! It’s better than having a librarian as a First Lady. She had an old boyfriend and then she married someone else. You can get more squeaky clean than having a marriage scandal like that.
You know, I only tuned into the debate at about 8:05 or so and missed most of the first question, so I didn’t get why everyone thought Gingrich had won the debate. I thought Santorum stole the show by reducing Romney to a fumbly fuddy-duddy so early–you never see Romney off his game.
I thought it was very funny how afterward the CNN commentators (including the guy who asked the question) were being very self-conscious and defensive about it. Then I saw it played yesterday on Hannity and I’m like… :O Gingrich is absolutely right in a way he should not have been given the opportunity to be.
I’ll freely admit what I’m about to say is tainted by the Bernie Goldberg segment on the O’Reilly Factor yesterday, but there is nothing new about this story. Newt Gingrich had an affair and left his wife for another woman, I believe while she was in treatment for cancer. We have known this for months. One incident that appears consistent with that but which otherwise adds up only to a private disagreement that could cause serious marital problems is not relevant.
Well, maybe so, but we didn’t even get a mention last night, for the first time in this debate season, not even so much as the ritual pieties about “defending traditional marriage”.
Even Santorum was too embarrassed to try it.
I thought his response to the Gingrich question on judging people’s character was a lead in that direction.
posted by tomjeffersonIII on
Conservatives love to play up how they are for ‘personal responsibility’, except when they get caught with their pants down, then it is always someone else’s fault. It is the media’s fault, so we are told, that Newt had the affairs/wanted an open marriage or its because he loved America so much…..really? really?