Why GOP embraces simpletons and how it hurts America

You are again describing populism. It's populism sort of turned on its ear, of course.

From my point of view, the appeal is this: "Don't listen to those educated snobs who speak on behalf of your current station in life. Listen to those who speak on behalf of what you aspire to be. Or, more accurately, people who currently have what you someday want. This will make it harder for you to get it, but if you ever do get it, man, you'll have it made ..."

That's the current populist appeal, more or less.

 

Newt has more trouble with his marital history than Clinton because of the Republican emphasis on family values. It's the flip side of conservatives pointing out the size of supposedly green candidates' houses and cars.

 

Newt pulling away?

http://www.laobserved.com/biz/2011/12/gingrich_with_a_38-1.php

 

I could deal with a Gingrich-Obama battle. Strictly from a news value standpoint, both are really compelling, competent (with flaws) figures.

 

That too.

If Newt can make it to the White House through 40 years of getting blow jobs all over town by all kinds of women -- in cars, in offices, wherever, whenever -- and letting everyone know about it, he would be something of a heroic figure to men everywhere.

 

Romney plans to ramp up the role for his "stable" wife and children as a subtle way to contrast himself with Gingrich's personal history.

And they’ll highlight his stable family while leaving an unspoken impression about Gingrich’s two divorces.

The plan to increase the attention to Romney’s wife of 42 years and five sons in the hopes of sparking more conversation about Gingrich’s three marriages without raising the topic themselves is one of several subtle offensives.


http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/69494.html

Grab a seat. It's about to get fun, fellas.

 

Newt's deal was awhile back. Edwards' deal was ongoing during a presidential campaign.

I'm not saying either is less of a douche for doing it, but the incident in the hospital with his first wife was 30+ years ago.

He was also having an affair the whole time he was getting Clinton impeached. He is a colossal douche for doing this is as well, but again, it's over a decade ago.

I'm not saying I agree with anything he did, but he can at least say, "I've done things in my past that I regret..."

John Edwards was still doing those things when he was running for president.

 

Nobody will care.

 

You can say that you've "done things in my past that I regret..." but when those are the exact same things you are impeaching a President for, then I think the public might not let you apply a statute of limitations.

Plus, it doesn't help Newt that his 20-years-younger third wife looks and acts like a automaton who will soon be killing you with lasers shooting out of her eyes.

That said, as we both noted earlier, personal issues/history are not going to be major concerns once the nomination fight is over.

 

Yes, but no one knew it at the time.

The GOP is the "family values" party = Newt, however old the errors, has a lot of explaining to do.

 

I meant in terms of we finally have a couple clear front-runners who are going to start battling one another instead of just teaming up against Obama (or, in Newt's case, the debate moderators).

 

Here is a good background piece about how the Newt-divorced-his-cancer-stricken-wife-at-her-bedside came to be (and how everyone else has left out another detail from the original article -- that Newt appeared to be getting head from a woman in the hospital parking lot, and a staffer had to lead his two young daughters away so they wouldn't see it):

http://www.salon.com/2011/03/08/gingrich_divorce_hospital_cancer/

Doubtful, though, that any campaign can get any family to speak publicly against Newt about it. One of those daughters works for him, and another is a Townhall columnist who wrote about the infamous divorce decree, saying it didn't come out of the blue (apparently all involved said this divorce was in the works for years, though it was Newt pushing it, not his wife):

http://www.unionleader.com/article/20111120/OPINION02/711209969

I don't know that Jackie Battley (his first wife) is going to say anything publicly. She's stayed out of the spotlight for 30 years, so I don't imagine her jumping in now.

By the way, a reminder, for the poin files: Battley was Gingrich's high school geometry teacher, and he married her a year after he graduated.