Thought I’d better share with you this startling development:
Remember that pledge that a conservative Christian group in Iowa asked all the Republican candidates to take this summer? The one that made them vow to uphold the institution of marriage (and reject pornography, and Islamic law, and marriage rights for gays, and…)?
Newt Gingrich declined to sign it back then, when he was way behind in the polls. But now, it seems, he has changed his mind. USA Today reports Gingrich has now signed the pledge, which, among other things, commits him to supporting a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.
Oh yes, and it commits him to not committing adultery—something he has been known to do on a few occasions in the past. Twice-divorced, he began an affair with his current wife, Callista, while still married to another woman in 1993.
In a letter explaining his support for the pledge, circulated by the Iowa Family Leader, Gingrich wrote, “I also pledge to uphold the institution of marriage through personal fidelity to my spouse and respect for the marital bonds of others.” Politico has the full letter here….
Earlier today, in connection with Newt, we were having a discussion about various Semitic peoples. In the argot of one of those peoples, what Newt has just exhibited is called chutzpah.
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Wow–he’s even more, um, transparent than Nikki Haley!
It’s not the inanity of this pledge; it’s the singular fact that a Presidential candidate would sign such drivel which ought to be the primary focus here.
Whether from the right or from the left no candidate should bow down to any sort of absolute pledge.
In defense of Newt, I do think one has the right to a second chance – or even a third or fourth. This is America, after all. That certainly doesn’t excuse his past actions, however; even though we all do ourselves a disservice when we forget that the world we inhabit is neither black nor white – we’re always swimming in the twilight.
These republican candidates are always signing pledges, but have they ever during their campaign recite the Pledge of Allegiance prior to any event? Maybe they do. All these other pledges are just gimmicks.
re “I also pledge to uphold the institution of marriage through personal fidelity to my spouse and respect for the marital bonds of others.”
Trust me, it is far easier to sign and to keep such a pledge at 68 than at 48!
Seriously, these pledges are an abomination to the concept of representative government. I want to vote into office someone who will listen to the facts of the issues, and then apply his/her best judgment — with some consideration of the impact of that vote back home.
These pledges are like a Chinese restaurant menu, narrow contraints upon self initiative and broad applications of larger, sometimes secretive consensuses.
Years and years ago, I was asked to represent a state agency on the local level board of the State Employees Assn. I went to dreary meeting after another, which consisted entirely on a rotund little man dutifully parroting the company line (which was mostly about opposing anything Carroll Campbell was proposing).
After enduring several of these recitals, the local board (including myself) was finally presented an opportunity to vote. The issue was what color t-shirts to order.
Sadly, this top-to-down style of management/governance/BBQ allows no innovation or participation.
If I cannot be brought into the huddle, then why play at all? I am not cut out for kamikaze missions.
Anyone who signs any pledge is automatically eliminated from any further consideration. Call it chutzpah or inanity, both seem to apply here. I’ll just call it a deal breaker.
Sure, Mark, there are plenty of gray areas,and we all fall short of the glory of God, but when Herman Cain was knocked out of the race for similar conduct, and Bill Clinton impeached, why does Newt get a pass?
I agree with you on pledges, totally, but the underlying behavior (emphasis on the “lying”) is worthy of a closer look.
Why does he need to make a pledge to promise to keep the pledge he pledged to his wife? Does he also not need to make a pledge to keep this newest pledge to keep a pledge to his wife that he won’t be like he was earlier, when he didn’t keep his pledges to the other wives? Perhaps people should be handing out cans of Lemon Pledge at Gingrich events.
Actually, Just Another Joe, one of our GOP lawmakers reached out just yesterday to identify himself with the Pledge of Allegiance. And not just any old Pledge of Allegiance, but a particularly smarmy, saccharine, lay-it-on-thick rendition by Red Skelton.
The email yesterday said, “Majority Leader Harvey Peeler asked that we share this video with you,” and here it is.
Did y’all see the picture that went with that link? Or, for that matter, pretty much any picture that includes Newt’s current wife?
What is it about her that is so SCARY looking? I tried to analyze it, break it down. I actually think she would be quite lovely if not for… is it the eyes, or the extreme-contrast lipstick, that causes her to seem like one of those things described by columnist Jeff Vrabel as “So Not OK That They Make You Slap Your Face And Run To Your Momma“?
I think it’s a combination of those two things, the eyes and the lipstick. If you cover those, she’s not scary. Despite being really, really pale…
And the hair. And the teeth…
So block out the lipstick, and the eyes, and hair, and the teeth, and she’s really quite appealing…
It’s an irrational fear, though, isn’t it — like the fear of clowns, and puppets. If you want to call those irrational…
It’s the look in the eyes that says, “I’m projecting a look of warmth and interest in the rest of the world so that they won’t realize what I’m really thinking.” I’ve seen that look before in both men and women, and it gives me the creeps.
she has helmet hair
Brad after reviewing the Callista images, I can’t tell if Callista is an accessory for Newt or Newt is Callista’s accessory. Accessories make the woman. Like having the right pair of shoes to wear for the right occasion. Where is the Shop Tart when we need her?
Why is it an irrational fear that clowns or puppets become President, or First Lady?
Mrs. Gingrinch’s nose is too skinny. And the pale skin and the ugly hairdo and the fake smile.
Someone must have told her it looks good in pictures if you open your eyes really, really wide. She looks fine to me in pictures where she doesn’t do that.
She has unnaturally platinum blonde hair, which means it’s probably dry and lifeless as straw, so she molds it into a sharp bob and sprays the life out of it (an update of “Fried, dyed and shoved to the side” –the Ann Richards). Them because she has small, deepset eyes, she lines them, but unfortunately, with very dark liner which just closes them up (see also, Taylor Swift). The lipstick doesn’t help either–harsh and makes her lips look extra thin. Then as Susan says, she opens her eyes wide–a “smize” as Tyra banks calls it. Not much is natural-looking ’bout her.
I’d soften the blonde–warm it up and make it darker and less one-color. Add some layers for movement. Use a soft brown or gray shadow to line her eyes, and a soft, shimmery pink (see Sarah Palin for an example of good makeup and hair.)
Kathryn, I was onboard until you mentioned Sarah Palin. Her look comes across as an attempt to look intellectual. That would probably work for someone like Hillary Clinton or Elizabeth Warren. But Sarah Palin, the intellectual? Now there’s an Oxymoron.
It’s exactly the same fear inspired by clowns and dolls. It’s the lifeless, psuedo-human expressions on all their faces. I’m just glad to know I wasn’t the only one to notice it.
She’s well put-together. She needs to wear glasses, and the one she wears are reasonably stylish–but quite conservative, of course–no blakc architect glasses for her, and her makeup is expertly applied for the situations she’s in. Not wild about her hair styles, but the cut and color are flattering and reasonable up-to-date.
I despise the woman, but she’s well-styled.
Michele Bachmann does a good job, too. Hillary has gotten a whole lot better, but not loving her longer, blonder look.
“Hillary has gotten a whole lot better, but not loving her longer, blonder look.”
When she got off the plane the other night in whatever country she was visiting it looked like she hadn’t washed it in a week. Maybe she’s just going for the grunge look that was so popular in the 1990’s.
I’m going to have to agree with Steven on this one, Hillary needs a significant makeover, especially the hair. She seemed much more presentable 4-5 years ago.
All of us were more presentable 4-5 years ago.
Brad do you go to work looking like you on the tail end of a weekend bender?
Aw c’mon–she didn’t look that bad, and she probably flew overnight, which even at my age takes a toll on my looks. Plus, she has an actual job besides looking good–the GOP candidates, who apparently spend no time actually learning about policy, have nothing better to do than b blow-dried.
@Lynn — she is an accessory for him, IMO.
@Bud — she is pale because she is exactly as she should be as our prospective First Lady/White Knightress.
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Does anyone else wonder if Lizard Gingrich converted to Catholicism, in part, as cover for his white supremacist tendencies?
The GOP has come amazingly far in its treatment of women. From years of attacks on Hillary for her work with the Rose Law Firm to total acceptance of bleached blond homewreckers like Cindy McCain and Callista Gingrich. Hhmmm, maybe, that’s not so far.
Oh, a globe trotting female Secretary of State needs an easy to mantain haircut, so she doesn’t look as out of it as Hillary frequently does. Way too often, it looks like she just got out of bed and slapped on some clothes. Not very professional for her profession. If she is bound and determined to keep it way too long, it needs to be pulled up – instant face lift that way, too.
@ Mab. Re: Gingrich–no, it means he gets to start over on his marriage count.
Since this has become go-to site for hair and makeup news: Hillary has very wavy hair–look at the early photos with Bill back at Yale Law. TO get it straight, and since she, too, blondes it out, she has to put a lot of products in it that can easily tip over into dirty. She really out to either get a cut more in keeping with her hair texture, or do what The Shop Tart does and get one of those straightening chemical processes. She seems to be going for the same look that Chelsea now sports, but doesn’t have the style help to get it right.
@ Karen–you nailed it!
The Shop Tart straightens her hair??? Brad, can you do a story on this?
I see NBC hired Chelsea, she must have got tired of that six figure hedge fund position. Brad what would it take for someone from say, WIS to jump straight to NBC prime time news? Especially for someone in their late 20’s with no journalism experience.
She makes me think ‘Stepford. I’m outa here.’
@ Steven Davis : “Brad what would it take for someone from say, WIS to jump straight to NBC prime time news?”
Craig Melvin more or less did just that.
Eliot Spitzer — though that didn’t last long.
A lot of people may care what Chelsea Clinton has to say–and if they don’t, she’ll get axed. It’s a reasonable gamble, and reviews have been good so far.