The latest GOP fantasy

Carol Iannone writes:

I read an article yesterday in the Christian Science Monitor magazine about Republican prospects. The author said Gingrich is the front runner because he’s the best known, clearly has intentions to run, has a sordid personal life, and has tried to make up for that by going on one of the evangelist shows and saying he’s sorry and also he’s converted to the Roman Catholic Church!

LA replies:

Apparently there will always be people to believe these fantasies, like the people who for years pushed the Giuliani fantasy and, despite the auto-da-fe of his 2008 candidacy, are still pushing it. Among other problems with Gingrich: in his only leadership experience, his four years as Speaker of the House, he was a complete disaster, allowing President Clinton to outmaneuver him and letting the GOP conservative agenda be discredited. The man is a mouth with no stable self connected to the mouth. And by 2012 he will have been out of political office for 14 years. And this is the man various people see as the Republicans’ best hope for winning the presidency!

Hey, why don’t the fantasists get together and push the “Dream Ticket”—Giuliani and Gingrich, 2012! With the two of them having a total of six marriages and numerous public infidelities.

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Joe Catechissimo writes:

I admire Newt Gingrich for his historical grasp and rhetorical style. Furthermore, as a Christian I believe in repentance and redemption. Having disappointed and wronged others who were able to forgive me, I often dwell on that part of the Lord’s Prayer which is most difficult to live out—” … as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

Sure, Newt overplayed his hand, talking about a Republican Revolution in the aftermath of the 1994 elections, but at least he engineered something few others have been able to do. Lots of men screw up when it comes to women, but are judged by their overall accomplishments—Charlemagne comes to mind. Maybe Newt has yet to leave his full mark on the pages of history. I certainly would enthusiastically vote for him against Obama.

May 27

Gintas writes:

Joe C. writes:

“I admire Newt Gingrich for his historical grasp and rhetorical style.”

Gingrich’s vision is “technocratic Utopian” (see Alvin Toffler), so I am heavily skeptical of any Gingrich grounding in reality. He’s the kind of politician who looks for a parade to get in front of so he can head it off before it gets out of hand of official GOP handlers.

LA replies:

I agree with Gintas. Gingrich’s historical grasp consists of his self-importantly saying, over and over, “As a former history professor…” and then coming out with some portentous clunker of a point.

His rhetorical style consists of his constant repetition of the words, “very, very,” as in, “I am very, very pleased to be hear,” “These are very, very dangerous times,” “We face a very, very great challenge.” The overuse of “very” is a strong sign of someone who not only has no feel for our language, but who is devoid of real ideas and convictions, so he compensates by piling up the “very’s.”

Gintas replies:

That is so very very true.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at May 26, 2009 08:22 AM | Send