Why Gingrich is Bad (and Romney is Awesome): A Politico Megathread Spectacular

[Politico]

Was it ever confirmed that the Perry campaign was actually behind the Cain sexual discrimination stories as originally suspected? Obviously Gingrich is the one who benefited from Cain's downfall. Has anybody looked into whether or not the original story came from the Gingrich campaign? It's funny how the timing of the stories coincided nicely with the Cain V. Gingrich debate...

[Politico]

The moderator probably wouldnt approve what I truly want to say so I'll just say this...

The only thing more disturbing then your mania for Romney is your obsession with Gingrich. I don't think you understand that this is a democratic (not the party) primary where the voters get to choose and multiple candidates will run.  Just because a candidate is beating the one you support in the polls doesnt make him evil or stupid or whatever, and it doesn't make his supporters idiots.  

Let the democratic process play out and stop throwing out bullsh**t statements and theories that only hurt YOUR cause

So who supplied the stories about Cain if you had to speculate? Nobody? We know somebody did, right? Would you bet on it being somebody who did not benefit from the stories, or somebody who did benefit from them?

As for Gingrich, he's only the one candidate in the race who gave false information to a House Ethics Committee and paid a fine of $300,000 to avoid a hearing on the matter. In fact, the Special Counsel to the House Ethics Committee concluded that Gingrich violated federal tax law in relation to this matter. And you do not for a second think he had something to do with anything dirty? Squeaky clean Newt all of a sudden? Let's not forget what he once said about his fellow Republicans in the House: "I will not preside over people who are cannibals." Yeah, Gingrich also holds the dubious distinction of being the only candidate in the race who has ever referred to fellow Republicans as "cannibals." Oh, and what was it he said about Paul Ryan's "social engineering" scheme?

Nobody is slimier than Newt Gingrich, and he will lose in spectacular fashion to Obama if he somehow wins the nomination. Why do you think the establishment is not backing this creep?

[Politico]

The John Edwards Factor (AKA the "I Do Not Care About My Wife's Cancer" Factor): Gingrich cheated on his first wife while she was battling cancer

The Bill Clinton Factor (AKA the "I Have Affairs With Women Who Are Much Younger Than Me" Factor): Gingrich cheated on his second wife with a woman who is twenty five years younger than he is (she is actually younger than Gingrich's daughters)

The Richard Nixon Factor (AKA the "I am Not a Crook" Factor): Gingrich gave false information to the House Ethics Committee and paid a fine of $300,000 to avoid a hearing on the matter. Special Counsel to the House Ethics Committee concluded that Gingrich violated federal tax law in relation to this matter.

For good measure:

The Arlen Specter Factor (AKA the "I Support RINOs" Factor): Gingrich was Nelson Rockefeller's top coordinator in the South in 1968 (i.e., Gingrich favored the original RINO over Ronald Reagan)

And he definitely has the "values" factor nailed down by virtue of the fact he dumped his southern Baptist upbringing in favor of Catholicism back in 2009. Billy Graham would be proud, especially in light of the above laundry list!

-----------------------------------

Good luck beating scandal-free Barack Obama with this creep!

[Politico]

Here's another thing about Gingrich: If he had paid more attention to Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda instead of Monica Lewinsky, if he had not bogged down the Clinton Administration with pointless subpoenas, perhaps 9/11 never would have happened. One cannot overstate how much time was wasted on the Lewinsky imbroglio. The whole ordeal was completely pointless, too, and Gingrich was cheating on his wife at the same time he was railing against Clinton and preaching about "moral values". What a grandstanding hypocrite...

Without Gingrich's incessant pestering over Monica Lewinsky, perhaps the Clinton Administration would have had more time/resources to spend on serious business such as Al Qaeda...

[Politico]

lol wut? What did you expect him to do?

Not inundate the executive branch with subpoenas over a completely pointless affair that had nothing to do with the job of the POTUS. It was a national circus that nobody wanted, and who knows what a more focused Clinton Administration could have accomplished abroad with regards to anti-terrorism initiatives.

I guarantee Newt Gingrich said the name "Monica Lewinsky" hundreds of times prior to 9/11, and probably never said the name "Osama Bin Laden" even once during the same time period.

[Politico]

The Starr report was given to congress in early September of 1998. The President was Impeached on December 19, 1998. So the House didn't spend that much time on the issue.

Plus there were the 1998 Midterms in between those dates. So I'm not sure how much would have gotten done even without the scandal.

It was not just the Starr Report. It was an endless circus he perpetuated upon the Clintons and the foundation of it all was bogus claims made by shady characters from Arkansas. The only thing he ever nailed on Clinton was the "stain on the blue dress," but everything else was bunk. It was a national distraction from the more serious matters at hand.

I am just thinking back to why I dislike Gingrich so much, and the more I refresh my memory and think about all angles, the more I dislike him.

[Politico]

Wow just when you think Politico can't stoop any lower.

I'm starting to feel sorry for him now!

Here's a thought: Newt's next "alternative history" novel should be about how much better America would have been without Monica Lewinsky-gate...

[Politico]

Here's one: what if Bill Clinton hadn't wasted time/resources on Monica Lewinsky? What if he had said, "Yes, we were in the room alone togeather. Yes, we had sex?"

Clinton is not completely innocent in this ordeal. With that said, the distraction was the circus Gingrich and Co. created, not a few minutes every now and then between Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky (It's not like Hillary was putting out; who are we kidding?)

[Politico]

Here's one: what if Bill Clinton hadn't wasted time/resources on Monica Lewinsky? What if he had said, "Yes, we were in the room alone togeather. Yes, we had sex?"

Clinton is not completely innocent in this ordeal. With that said, the distraction was the circus Gingrich and Co. created, not a few minutes every now and then between Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky (It's not like Hillary was putting out; who are we kidding?)

Please, Clinton was the chief law enforcement officier in the land while he was going to extraordinary lengths to obstruct justice. That's not a minor detail.

He never should have been asked questions about Lewinsky. It had nothing to do with his job. We have no idea what kind of arrangement he had with Hillary Clinton. I think it's a safe bet that Bill was not getting any action at home. He had to find it somewhere. Can you blame the guy for that?

I agree that he should not have lied, but I disagree that he should have been asked the questions in the first place.

[Politico]

This is what happens when you have a few beers before getting on here. I apologize, folks. I stepped a bit too far with this one.

[Politico]

This is what happens when you have a few beers before getting on here. I apologize, folks. I stepped a bit too far with this one.

actually, from my experience, employers serve alcohol at parties only to find out who the real arseholes are in the company and target them for firing - in other words, alcohol doesn't change your personality, alcohol amplifies it.

So, you can apologize all you want, but now we know how you really think.

There's no question that I really think Gingrich is a bad bet and a horrible character. This has been made abundantly clear. Where I stepped over the line was trying to argue against Gingrich via Lewinsky/911. It was over-the-top.

[Politico]

I've said many, many dumb things drunk.  I'm not sure if I've ever blamed a politician I didn't like for 9/11, though.

Where did you infer that I blamed 9/11 on Gingrich? Obviously Al Qaeda was responsible for the attack. My ridiculous argument was that perhaps 9/11 could have been prevented if not for the diversion of resources in the Clinton Administration as a result of the string of investigations that Gingrich launched. It is over-the-top and I have apologized. But I am not going to apologize for blaming 9/11 on Gingrich because I did no such thing.

[Politico]

...from my experience, employers serve alcohol at parties only to find out who the real arseholes are in the company and target them for firing - in other words, alcohol doesn't change your personality, alcohol amplifies it.

Surely you are joking here, jmfcst.  Arseholes are precisely the type that companies prefer - your own success in the field of toils is a very handy and apropos example.

be that as it may, I am smart enough NEVER to drink at business events.  from what I have witnessed, the risks are simply WAY too high.

I agree. Besides, it is much more fun watching your coworkers misbehave while you are straight.

[Politico]

Female Voters

How is Gingrich going to be any more competitive than McCain if he cannot win over female voters? Or are we really supposed to believe that Gingrich can improve McCain's female support by 10% or more (i.e., move it from 43% to 47-48%, about a ten percent improvement, which is the the bare minimum needed to beat Obama). Romney is the one who can get the female numbers up there. Unlike Gingrich, Romney has a marital/family background that is squeaky clean and he is an exceptionally handsome individual, especially for his age.

Conclusion: Romney has a higher ceiling

Nobody's Idea of an "Extremist Ideologue" and/or "Dirty"

Furthermore, there are plenty of people who do not support Obama who would not support nor vote for Gingrich, myself included. In fact, I would vote for Obama again if that is the choice. Almost everybody who does not support Obama would support Romney, or at least vote for him. Can you name anybody who does not support Obama who would vote for Obama over Romney? Most importantly, perhaps Romney will unite the nation a bit more by toning down the partisan flames. He is nobody's idea of a "savior," and will just get the job done well and quietly without bells and whistles. That's what we need in Washington, DC, more than anything.

Conclusion: Romney has a higher floor

[Politico]

Al Gore, the Democratic Party presidential nominee in 2000, wanted to know whether Newt Gingrich, the former Republican U.S. House speaker, would appear in a 2008 television ad calling for action to address climate change.

Gingrich, who was promoting his latest book “Contract With the Earth” and urging “green conservatism,” agreed. In an e- mail obtained by Bloomberg News that he wrote to the former vice president, Gingrich thanked Gore “for the opportunity to participate in the Protect Climate ad campaign.” He signed the March 2008 note, “Your friend, Newt.”

Those exchanges led Gingrich, now a Republican presidential candidate, to a chilly, rainy commercial set in April 2008, sitting side-by-side, knee-to-knee on a love seat with then- Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, with the cameras rolling.

Gingrich’s primary opponents already are pouncing on the ad as evidence that the former speaker’s record on such core conservative principles as opposing government regulations to curb global warming makes him unsuited for the nomination and less-equipped to defeat President Barack Obama.

While the climate-change ad is the highest-profile bipartisan event Gingrich engaged in between his 1999 retirement from Congress and his presidential campaign, it isn’t the only one. He’s also appeared with marquee Democrats, such as then- Senator Hillary Clinton, in gatherings highlighting health care, global warming and education.

Today, most of Gingrich’s primary competitors deny climate change is happening or that humans have a role in it. Gingrich now says he’s “agnostic” on the issue.

Gingrich’s opponents will have other bipartisan appearances to use as weapons.

A year before his ad with Pelosi, Gingrich teamed with Kerry for a debate on carbon-reduction methods in which Gingrich said, “My message is that the evidence is sufficient that we should move towards the most effective possible steps to reduce carbon loading of the atmosphere.”

And in 2009, Gingrich appeared with Obama and the Reverend Al Sharpton at the White House to promote changes in education policy, which followed with a Philadelphia appearance on the same issue with Sharpton and Obama’s Education Secretary Arne Duncan.

Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-02/gingrich-accepting-gore-invite-lands-on-love-seat-with-pelosi.html

[Politico]

In 2005, Gingrich appeared with then-Senator Hillary Clinton at an event called “Cease-fire on Health Care” at American University in Washington, where he called for “100 percent coverage,” and a system that involves a “transfer of finances” to help low-income people afford medical insurance.

Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-02/gingrich-accepting-gore-invite-lands-on-love-seat-with-pelosi.html

Sounds a lot like ObamaCare to me. Mitt Romney recognizes that healthcare is a state issue, not a federal issue. Does Newt Gingrich? Mitt Romney recognizes that there is no one-size-fits-all healthcare policy for every state. Does Newt Gingrich?

[Politico]

In 2005, Gingrich appeared with then-Senator Hillary Clinton at an event called “Cease-fire on Health Care” at American University in Washington, where he called for “100 percent coverage,” and a system that involves a “transfer of finances” to help low-income people afford medical insurance.

Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-02/gingrich-accepting-gore-invite-lands-on-love-seat-with-pelosi.html

Sounds a lot like ObamaCare to me. Mitt Romney recognizes that healthcare is a state issue, not a federal issue. Does Newt Gingrich? Mitt Romney recognizes that there is no one-size-fits-all healthcare policy for every state. Does Newt Gingrich?

yawn...just wake me up when you come to the story detailing Newt sleeping with my wife.

So the jmfcsts really support ObamaCare? And teaming up with Nancy Pelosi and Al Gore on global warming? Methinks the jmfcsts might want to rethink their support (once again).

[Politico]

I still don't see the point of these Newt threads.

Newt essentially coming out in favor of ObamaCare-style federal policy in 2005 is not worthy of discussion now that Gingrich is seemingly relevant?

[Politico]

I'm just going to say this: Gingrich needs to stop giving Romney a hard time over signing a bill his state wanted. Gingrich lobbied for much more than that, and he did so with Hillary Clinton.

And Gingrich also needs to stop accusing Romney of opportunism. Romney has never looked for photo opportunities with the likes of Hillary Clinton, Al Gore and Nancy Pelosi, or even remotely considered stooping to that level like Gingrich has in the past.

[Politico]

I still don't see the point of these Newt threads.

Newt essentially coming out in favor of ObamaCare-style federal policy in 2005 is not worthy of discussion now that Gingrich is seemingly relevant?

It is a stupid thread.

Everyone knows about Newt's baggage, you keep starting this Newt thread it just makes you Romney supporters look desperate.

I was not aware of this particular baggage until a few minutes ago. Were you really aware of this 2005 event with Hillary Clinton, and what he was calling for?

[Politico]

So we've found the one issue Gingrich is was sorta moderate on.

corrected

Was this before or after he became enemies with Paul Ryan?

[Politico]

Does anybody happen to have a gender breakdown of the voting share by state, and the 2008 exit polls for those states with regards to gender voting patterns (at least the states Obama won and Missouri)?

[Politico]

Politico, you're a good man -- and I like you.  And you have been loyal to the jmfcsts for years.  I know you have doubts about Newt -- but you need to trust the jmfcsts on this one and show your loyalty by not stepping on the Newt.  Instead, I want you to be fair with Newt and end your relationship with Romney.  I have business that's important with POTUS-Elect Newt -- I don't want it disturbed.

...Look at it this way, Newt simply wants to be a "great man", not a newt...so we're going to give him a chance to be a man, by being, once again, our bitch.

Sir, yes, sir! I hope you can forgive the insubordination. It's just that I have it on good authority that the jmfcsts can trust Romney but cannot trust Gingrich. Gingrich is uncontrollable once he gets that nomination. Romney is your bitch if he gets that nomination.

[Politico]

How do you win the presidency without being competitive among women voters (53% of the electorate last time)? Let's hear how it is possible. I am, of course, looking at supporters of a certain GOP candidate with John Edwards-style sexual behavior...

[Politico]

I thought you were done with the anti-Gingrich threads?

I am. This is an objective question that needs to be adequately answered if one is interested in beating Obama next year.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Women were 53% of the electorate in Florida/Iowa/Indiana, 52% in Ohio/Nevada/New Mexico/New Hampshire and 54% in Pennsylvania/North Carolina/Virginia/Missouri. The 50% in Colorado bodes well, of course, but it still begs the question: How in God's name can a candidate with a more sordid sexual history than John Edwards manage to win in these states?