Many individuals, myself included, think of Newt Gingrich as an example of far right wing extremism and a decidedly dishonest individual.
If you wish for reminders of how this man became a pariah in his own party and why he is not morally fit to lead this nation join me below.
During the CNN Debate Santorum referred to some of Newt’s ideas as “grandiose”. I'm not sure if Mr. Santorum realized what an extreme understatement he had made.
In personal notes and "doodles" somehow attached to a January 17, 1997 report from the House Select Committee on Ethics we find Mr. Gingrich’s rather meglomaniac musings regarding his future influence on the citizens of the United States. He writes:
Gingrich—Primary Mission
—Advocate of civilization
—definer of civilization
—Teacher of the rules of civilization
—arouser of those who form civilization
—Organizer of the pro-civilization activists
—leader (possibly) of the civilizing forces.
Slate
After reading the above remind yourself that this is the same individual who stated the following:
“I don’t think right-wing social engineering is any more desirable than left-wing social engineering,” Gingrich told host David Gregory Sunday on Meet the Press. “I don’t think imposing radical change from the right or the left is a very good way for a free society to operate.”
Politco
Of course not Mr. Gingrich. You simply believe your primary mission is to teach each American citizen what the rules are for your new civilization after you have defined what those rules will be. Or as a U.K. journalist so succinctly put it
"Newt Gingrich wants to bring civilisation to the dark continent of America".
Telegraph
Gingrich has made some rather racially charged and insensitive remarks regarding the poor and minorities recently, but this is not a recent development. His history of disdain and dismissiveness towards those he views as socially expendable is consistent.
If a family is struggling and needs help to get through the tough times, problem solved, take the kids and put them in an orphanage.
Issues 2000
because nothing says "family values" like destroying families. What Newt and some of his fellow republicans were proposing was requiring States to deny benefits to children who had been born to unwed mothers or those whose paternity had not been established and use those funds to finance orphanages where those unworthy children would be placed.
When Hillary Clinton objected Newt responded:
I'd ask her to go to Blockbuster and rent the Mickey Rooney movie about Boys Town"
Evidently one of the rules in Newt's "new civilization" is that all priests be Spencer Tracy. Good luck with that.
And finally, there is the tragic case of Debra Evans. Ms. Evans was murdered, along with her 10-year old daughter Samantha and 8 year-old son Joshua. Debra was 9 months pregnant at the time. She was killed to obtain her unborn child which was cut from her womb. A case that shocked the nation.
But Newt knew the cause...Ms. Evans was receiving welfare benefits which invited this sort of violence to visit her and her children.
"What's gone wrong is a welfare system which subsidizes people for doing nothing,"
New York Times
Somehow, in Gingrich's "new civilization" the rules are that parents receiving benefits ask for every crime visited upon them. Its the "welfare state" that caused it and if the parent hadn't been on benefits danger would not have arrived at their door.
The poor would be safe in their homes if they didn't choose to be poor.
I have several more reminders of Mr. Gingrich's actions and statements that I will post in another diary. The last example is enough for me at the moment.
The next time Mr. Gingrich takes faux outrage at a question and says he is "appalled" that anyone would dare question him understand that its because he doesn't want us to look too closely and he doesn't want us to discuss the facts. Remember the words of former Representative David R. Obey:
Obey says he sometimes sees "the ghost of Joe McCarthy" in Gingrich. "Newt enjoys smearing people's character," he says. "He contributes to the destruction of the body politic."
NY Times
I'm more worried about what Gingrich would do to body of our nation.