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The Spectacle Blog
ABC News, as all the world now knows, has interviewed Marianne Gingrich, one of the Speaker’s ex-wives. What she has to say is distinctly not to the advantage of our Newt, according to Drudge Report.
The suits at ABC, a network that has brought us chapter and verse of Newt’s charges that Mitt Romney’s business career has been mostly made up of snatching food from the mouths of widows and orphans and stealing from the poor box, are in a swivet over whether it’s ethical to broadcast the former Mrs. Speaker’s charges and specifications before the South Carolina primary. One way or another we will likely be treated to Newt’s alleged loosey-goosey view of marriage vows.
This sorry business goes a ways toward confirming Joseph Epstein’s view in his latest book (see “Gossip” in Buy the Book) of gossip as news and news as gossip.
What candidates would survive if required to be vetted by their ex-wives? And how tricky of Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum not have one. Is this fair? Perhaps candidates without ex-wives, including those who cannot afford an ex-wife, should have one appointed at no cost, sort of like public defenders. This would help level the playing field in this instance.
This item raises interesting philosophical questions similar to that well known conundrum about the tree falling in the forest that no one hears. To wit: If a man has no ex-wife, is he still an SOB?
View all comments (27) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Larry Thornberry
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C Bowen | 1.19.12 @ 12:30PM
The Washington Post (http://tinyurl.com/7jwxunp) reported on a report last month, that Marianne was being investigated by the FBI for an arms/bribery scandal and were looking to do a sting on Newt back in 1997. She denies the charge, but one wonders if that will come up in the interview let alone an interview the Washington Post has conducted with her.
The scandal involved purchasing influence from then Speaker Newt to lift the Iraq arms embargo.
Dan| 1.19.12 @ 2:21PM
Yea,
and there is about as much substance to that story as there was in all of those ethics accusations launched against Speaker Gingrich.
In a word, NONE.
Dai Alanye | 1.19.12 @ 4:32PM
I'm surprised by how few see the significance of this story. The problem is not that Gingrich is a less accomplished serial adulterer than Bill Clinton -- we already knew that. The problem is that he was so narcissistic as to expect his wife to accept second string in his seraglio. Slick Willy succeeded in getting Hillary to put up with his sluttishness, but you, Newton Leroy Gingrich, are no William Jefferson Clinton.
"I celebrate myself... I contain multitudes." This is our glorious ex-speaker.
Newt might have seen the light where adultery is concerned, but the grandiosity of Newt is still in evidence, and in blatant evidence at that.
And here I was hoping he'd take Romney in SC. Perry ran a stupid campaign, but Newt has lived a stupid life.
C Bowen | 1.19.12 @ 4:46PM
You Fannie and Freddie, sure, but this, this is beyond the pale!?
Gadfly| 1.19.12 @ 1:09PM
Santorum and Romney don't have ex-wives because they've honored their marital vows. That deserves respect, not smug comments. I'm not prepared to say that divorce should be a disqualifier for the presidency, but it's certainly a weakness that needs to be addressed. It's especially bad that Newt and his ex have such a bad relationship. I've known plenty of divorced men who manage to remain civil with their exes. villianizing his ex doesn't make Newt look any better.
Pete| 1.19.12 @ 2:07PM
Maybe, but my brother who is a tea party leader also has 2 ex-wives, has done things he is not proud of and finally in his 3rd marriage got things right and even converted to Catholicism. I would have no trouble voting for him for a political office.
I have an ex-wife myself. I think we got over our bad feelings about 6 months after the divorce and only wished each other well. I can't imagine stalking her for 18 years so I could "spill the goods" on her.
Gadfly| 1.19.12 @ 2:49PM
I agree with most of this. I certainly don't think that divorce is anything close to a disqualifier, and there are plenty of politicians who have an ex-wife or ex-wives that I would vote for.
My big objections were (1) the idea that this level of hostility is common and (2) the smug comments about the candidates without ex-wives. With respect to the first point, my experience with most divorced people is like yours - after the heat of the divorce dies down, they can at least be civil with each other. The fact that Gingrich and his wife are still at each other's throats 18 years later says something about his judgment in marrying her, if not his morality.
Again, I'm not going to base my opinions of a candidate entirely (or even significantly) on this issue. I wouldn't have held Clinton in particularly high esteem even if he was faithful to his wife, and I don't think anyone thinks that the fact that Obama is faithful to his wife qualifies him to be president. Still, these kinds of personal issues do say something about a candidate's character.
Dan| 1.19.12 @ 2:27PM
What happens when your wife fails to honour her marital vow?
Does stigma then attach itself to the man?
What happens when the wife lets herself go, becomes miserable, just lays there in the sack, what happens when every conversation with said creature becomes a strain?
Again, is that a situation where the guy is necessarily at fault?
Why is divorce a "failure" for the man, but not necessarily for the woman?
We seem pretty quick to finger Gingrich for the failure of this marriage? We don't know much about this woman, but we do know this, she is a bitter harpy who is putting her own revenge ahead of the best interests of this country?
He was having an affair, but at the time he was de facto separated from the wife. That's not an "open marriage," that's termed moving on.
She can't handle it.
Time for us to move on.
Right now, I wouldn't care if Gingrich was chasing tail every day and every night, and twice that on Sunday, just so long as he turns this country around. I'll worry about the moral consequences later.
But in a country where flamers are being glorified, lesbian sailors greet each other with a lip lock for the whole world to see, when our younger generation subscribes to a hook up culture, and also think that blow jobs aren't sex, in such a culture, --------- Gingrich's deeds pale into insignificance.
He's gotten himself right with the Lord, the REAL Lord by the way.
That's good enough for me.
Our situation is such that we can't afford the luxury of pretending that we're not up against the wall.
Gadfly| 1.19.12 @ 3:00PM
Gingrich is running for office. His ex-wife isn't. Nobody said the divorce is a "failure" for him but not his wife.
The point is, the fact that Gingrich wasn't able to keep his marriage vows says something about whether he'll be able to keep his campaign promises. The fact that he was unable to remain at least on civil terms with his ex-wife tells us something about his ability to work with other politicians in order to "turn this country around."
Certainly, it's not the be-all and end-all, and there's plenty of other relevant evidence. But the personal issues do tell us something. Slinging mud at his ex-wife and mocking the men in committed marriages running against him doesn't make Newt look any better. (Note, I'm not saying that Newt is doing either. I'm just commenting about this blog author who seems to think he's doing Newt a favor with his smug comments re:Perry and Santorum.)
Dan| 1.19.12 @ 3:51PM
Gingrich may have been constructively divorced long prior to his actual divorce.
Nor do I feel inclined to damn Gingrich because he supposedly failed to remain on somewhat civil terms with his former wife.
Have you any idea how many former relationships were followed up with pairs not on speaking terms with one another?
I find that a bizarre standard, because again, you're PRESUMING that she was fully reasonable and rational.
And watching the harpy now, it's clear she's not.
Dai Alanye | 1.19.12 @ 4:36PM
Gingrich asked his wife to accept her role as #2 to the new gal. Trying to transfer the blame to the wife is not going to fly in this case. Had he been man enough to initiate a divorce beforehand we wouldn't be having this discussion.
lillith70| 1.19.12 @ 1:24PM
Mitt Romney has a wife who has MS that is presently in remission. He has kept her showing a less narcissistic heart than Newt Gingrich who coincidentally left his wife after she was diagnosed with MS.
And Newt has had the gall to bring up the Romney family dog as a sign of a character flaw in Mitt. What force drives Newt Gingrich?
Pete| 1.19.12 @ 2:04PM
Mitt Romney is also a product of polygamy.
Dan| 1.19.12 @ 2:34PM
Willard has a history of misrepresentation, of his business career, his past, his political career, his past and present positions.
Why isn't that termed "failure?"
Why is it OK for a man to try to mislead hundreds of millions of people about his past and present views, but it's wrong for a man to leave a woman who probably was a bitter harpy at the time?
That seems to be skewed, shall we say?
Intellectual degeneracy occurs when massive misrepresentation is attempted, especially when we're discussing something as important as this election.
Stop pretending that being a decent family man ENSURES the probity of a man's public and political existence.
Dai Alanye | 1.19.12 @ 4:39PM
Romney has many drawbacks, not one of which excuse Gingrich. "Billy does it, too!" is not an acceptable argument.
martin j smith| 1.19.12 @ 1:38PM
Sorry folks but having an ex-wife in an interview on the eve of a primary election is plain political period.
There is nothing more to say about it. Those who accept the legitimacy of the current MSM involving itself in a Republican Primary fight could best be described by a word I cannot put in print.
Pete| 1.19.12 @ 2:09PM
I am still waiting for an Obama Ex. Not even a former girl friend, nothing.
DREK| 1.19.12 @ 2:20PM
There aren't any.
The woman mentioned in Dreams of my Father, was teh same woman mentioned by the terrorist Ayers in his book, same hair, same eye colour, same description of the Grandfather's house, same everything.
If you want to look for similar types of details in Obama's past, sexual details that is, you have to follow him on his trip to Pakistan, with his Paki friends.
He went to Pakistan for a drug and homo spree.
'Cause that's the kind of "guy" he is.
There's a reason the wife appears the most miserable woman in God's creation, and that's because the whole marriage is a fraud.
Haddit| 1.19.12 @ 2:09PM
Would Beeeoooottttcccchhhh be inapropriate? Is't it odd, they never ask these broads if they did their wifely duties. No, it's ALWAYS the man's fault. What a dirty trick by this obvious (above word). She certainly has no agenda of any kind, huh?
Sonya| 1.19.12 @ 2:40PM
I try hard not to be publicly picky about poorly copy-edited pieces, but I can't pass it up on this occasion. Among the obvious errors in this piece, including spelling the president's first name wrong, is a hilarious comment about appointing an ex-wife as a "pubic defender." I think you meant pubLic defender.
Sonya| 1.19.12 @ 2:47PM
Actually, the other typos (other than public defender) were in the article that sent me to this one. My apologies for the mistake!
PattyMor| 1.19.12 @ 2:41PM
We aren't hiring a monk or priest for president. Ronald Reagan was divorced. Heck half of America has gone thru a divorce. And why would an exwife want to do such an interview? For revenge of course.
There are no perfect people running for President they all have their faults. The trick is to find one who has some principles, can beat Obama (no sure thing), and turn the Titanic (U.S. Gov'ment) around. For me Romnycare is a deal breaker. I just don't trust him. And the guy can't seem to defend himself.
Gadfly| 1.19.12 @ 3:10PM
I agree with most of this, but I reach a different conclusion when I weigh the candidates strengths and faults. I don't like Romneycare, but I think that Romney has the best chance of winning. Newt's a great attack dog, but not a great candidate.
Really, I think the best we can hope for is Romney with a Republican Congress to keep him in line, and maybe a good Supreme Court decision on Obamacare.
Dai Alanye | 1.19.12 @ 4:44PM
Reagan's wife divorced him, with only the grounds of incompatibility. We can assume, I'm sure, that Reagan never asked Jane Wyman to accept his having a mistress.
As for Romney, I'm a Santorum fan.
David in Ardmore| 1.19.12 @ 3:33PM
Newt's antics in his personal life are parallel to his political life; full of self-inflicted damage and conflicts that prove he cannot be trusted.
Indeed, none of us are perfect, but Newt has proven to us (by way of global warming, socialized medicine, the ethanol mandate, and abuse of his family) that he is wholly unqualified to be a conservative candidate for President.
Newt, we're sick and tired of "leaders" who seek ot redefine is to satisfy their selfish whims. Shut up and sit down.
martin j smith| 1.19.12 @ 3:52PM
No David in hwerever you are fromand who cares, We are sick of being manipulated and lied to by a currupt and sick media as well sick and tired to being led by the nose of Establishment Republican craperoo and by a Obama person who wants to destroy this nation. That is what we are sick of.
M.rehg| 1.19.12 @ 5:40PM
Sounds like Thornberry has an ex-wife (or two) in his closet.
Newt Gingrich has not only been criticised by his ex-wife, and by his competitor's for president...he's been criticized by fellow Republicans who worked with him.
Newt's poll numbers were slipping before Romney's PAC started the ads in Iowa...they fell when his former colleagues spoke out publicly about what an erratic and unreliable lawmaker he was.
Newt is nuts! His mother had bi-polar disorder and he has similar behavior problems.
Why does the Republican party want a man who posed with Pelosi for client change, berated Paul Ryan's budget AND has a totally sleazy, anti-family values history? Talk about dumb....the Republicans are looking dopier than Rick Perry!