Newt Gingrich is a ridiculous political figure, and yet he is continually presented as the “big thinker” of the Republican Party.
Now I know that there are endless numbers of folks that could, on any given day, be pointed to as the most ridiculous political figure in Wingnutopia and Newt does fade to the background from time to time. Still, when he does open his mouth, the most amazing nonsensical utterances spew out. And then this bile gets treated as ‘serious stuff’ in the Village.
Today, Jed over at Dkos caught Newt being Newt. The topic was a handful of Black Republican candidates for various offices in 2010. Why is this happening? Well, let’s let turn to what Newt told the NYTs (emphasis added):
“Things have evolved,” said Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House, who is heavily involved in recruiting Republican candidates. “I think partly the level of hostility to Obama, Pelosi and Reid makes a lot of people pragmatically more open to a coalition from the standpoint of being a long-term majority party.”
Newt and his pals hate Obama so much that he is willing to suffer the problems that might come from letting a few token African-Americans into his party and the conservative movement. That is might white of him.
I guess I just can’t put the new logo of his Republican Confederate Party away anytime soon.
Cheers
dengre
WereBear
I must recc up Republican Gomorrah, which postulates that current Republican leaders have deep emotional issues which they have papered over with fanatical devotion to some all encompassing philosophy which denies their pain.
And they think will fix it.
NickM
If a gaffe is being too honest, I think that qualifies as a gaffe, except that no-one is going to care. He says stupid stuff all the time.
MikeBoyScout
Things may have evolved. Newt, not so much.
He’s a disservice to salamanders.
General Egali Tarian Stuck
I love it when they talk like this. It usually means they are getting ready to do some double extra insincere shit.
El Cid
I hope their new darkie allies won’t make Newt ride at the back of Air Force One. He doesn’t like that.
scav
@General Egali Tarian Stuck: They’d do that anyways. I found that the only potentially true thing he said in the statement. Pragmatically on demographic grounds they need to be headed that direction. The “hostility to Obama, Pelosi and Reid” part is just standard electioneering boilerplate.
Sly
But we don’t want the Irish!
dmsilev
Can’t Newt just go hunt a giraffe or something? After all, it’s what he is biologically driven to do.
dms
Dennis G.
@General Egali Tarian Stuck:
A few years ago Vanity Fair ran a great profile of Jack Abramoff. It had this great bit about Newt in it:
Newt is just endless fun. And somehow, this is also good news for John McCain.
Cheers
C Nelson Reilly
Gingrich/Steele 2012!
Mike Kay
and to think this asshole will attempt to run for president 2012.
Dennis G.
@C Nelson Reilly:
Talk about a dream ticket…
Alice Blue
Newt was my Congressional rep years ago. God, don’t get me started . . .
General Egali Tarian Stuck
@Dennis G.: I was hoping for more indictments from Abramoff dropping dimes, at least on Ralph Reed. Oh well!
Newt is a slippery little Salamander.
Carlo
Maybe he’s saying that black people hate Obama and co. so much, they’re willing to become Republicans?
williamc
@General Egali Tarian Stuck:
It sounds like what they are getting ready to do is win an election based on two years of screaming crazy sh!t and gumming up government, strip Americans of their citizenship just for being accused of “terrorism”, use the “deficit crisis” that they created as a reason to strip entitlements to the bone and privatize public education while cutting taxes for the rich, and use their new Congressional investigative powers to hound a Democratically-elected President out of office on evidence pouring from Glenn Beck’s tear ducts.
Gawd, go on vacation for two weeks, come back and the crazy is amped up to 11! (take our citizenships? asking us for our papers if we’re in AZ? the President is glad for the Gulf oil spill? the Grand Olde Opry underwater?)
WTF
Mike in NC
So since when do Republicans believe in evolution?
The Newt hasn’t had an original idea in 15 years, and they all sucked way back then. Fat little prick.
Michael
Quit knocking Newt. He’s very egalitarian, and will be more than happy to tell you how articulate these black Republican candidates are, how they’re not like what he expected…..
dan
Just saw that asshole on Greta Van Sustersteosotnwson. Seriously, he said tax cuts, tax cuts, tax cuts and the BP spill is Obama’s Katrina and the failed NYC bombing proved that Obama can’t keep us safe. Greta challenged him by … well she didn’t. She let him speak, then said thanks for coming on the show Newt.
Urza
Is there any chance you could find a place to cheaply produce something like a car magnet of the Confederate party logo elephant there?
I would totally be willing to pay money to buy these by the dozen to put on cars in parking lots when they have particular bumper stickers.
Car magnets must not in any way damage the cars paint, must be readily removable. Just want them to attempt to make people think, and to get others who see their cars before they notice the magnet to think as well.
C Nelson Reilly
@Dennis G.: I think Liz/Steele is the ultimate Republican ticket (assuming Chuck Norris decides not to run)
Dennis G.
@El Cid:
Yep, Newt has more riders than the Quita from Wassila.
And don’t mix in any brown M&Ms in his candy bowl.
Josh
Karel Capek’s “War with the Newts” is becoming an increasingly prescient book.
WereBear
The thing about Newt is that he is a university professor. So he’s educated; he had exposure to actual ideas. What’s his excuse for being such a sorry human being?
kommrade reproductive vigor
Shorter Newt: I have a black friend who doesn’t like Obama.
Linda Featheringill
And the ad banner at the bottom of the page? The one for Newt’s free weekly email newsletter?
Strange times.
But about black Republican candidates: They may have noticed that Barack really meant what he said during the campaign and ran on a platform that he really wanted. They might think that people responded to Barack’s basic honesty [I think many people did]. They may feel that if they offer intelligence and honesty to people, they will also get an audience.
They are quite correct. Any candidate that offers these traits should be listened to. Whether the Republicans will give these candidates a fair hearing or not, I couldn’t say. I would hope so.
And it would be nice to have honest and intelligent discussions with people with different points of view.
joe from Lowell
God I love that logo. I want to see it everywhere.
It’s an argument they can’t answer. What do they do? Denounce it? Can’t do that. Embrace it? Can’t do that.
I love it.
Silver
Why didn’t Newt just say what he meant?
“We hate the Democratic Party even MORE than we hate niggers.”
Catchy slogan…
Short Bus Bully
@Sly:
You win the internetz.
RadioOne
He is only a significant political figure today because he was the one that won a Republican majority in Congress against a Democratic President in 1994, and journalists want to see if he can do it again under a new Democratic administration. Really, this is what all the attention on Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck is about — trying to figure out which conservative hero will most likely return power to the GOP stat.
Anne Laurie
Yah, the only reason Newt is still a problem for people outside the Epistemic Closure event-horizon is that the Media Village Idiots insist he is a big stinker — I mean, thinker — whose lust for attention somehow establishes his “seriousness” credentials.
JR
J.C. Watts. Elected 1994. Wonder if he has a response to offer.
BDeevDad
Even the Washington Post is starting to call BS on this crap.
de stijl
My mommy always said there were no monsters – no real ones – but there are.
asiangrrlMN
@Anne Laurie: I agree, Anne Laurie, and thank you for fixing the thread. However, he is on the Republican gravy train for life, no matter how much he’s been discredited. For a group of people who to snipe about welfare and sockulism and pulling oneself up by one’s bootstraps, they sure do love to suck off the party teat.
fucen tarmal
gingrich is made of ores mined and smelted by nixon, forged by reagan, to be the culmination of all conservative efforts to build a 1,000 rei-er utopia, he is the savior in waiting. all others are supposed to work around his vision and make it safe for him to take his place as american jesus.
Ash Can
That’s because he is. Seriously, this is what passes for “thinking” in the GOP.
bob h
Gingrich has the intellectual calibre of an untenured, windbag, adjunct Professor at an unaccredited community college. Which is what he was before he got into politics. But in DC this passes for intellect.
Honus
@Urza: Thing is, I believe most of the republicans down here would actually like the logo, and leave the magnet on.
Honus
@Ash Can: Good point. Newt is a “great thinker” like Ayn Rand is “great novelist”
Kilkee
@Urza: I think every Staples sells 5×7 sheets of rubberized magnet, easily cut into shape after applying the GOP/Rebel logo. Not a permanent item, perhaps, but otherwise meets all your criteria.
henqiguai
@Urza (#20):
Or try checking with local sign shops (including printers and Staples / OfficeMax); they may even be able to manufacture a small run at a reasonable cost. Then you can offer them up to Mr. Cole for inclusion in the BJ Swag Shop. Here, at least, it would probably sell.
flukebucket
@Honus:
Damn right. Folks would eat ’em up down here in Georgia. You could throw in a tea bag and a purple band aid for old times sake.
Mike in NC
Saw a monster pickup on the road this morning with a rebel flag bumper sticker on the tailgate that read: “CSA – It’s a Southern thing. You wouldn’t understand.”
Yeah, right.
AxelFoley
@Mike Kay:
I hope he does, so he gets destroyed. Fool probably won’t even make it out of the Republican primary.
psychobroad
My husband has inexplicably bought into the “Newt is a great thinker” meme. However, he won’t vote for Newt if he runs for anything. Mr. Broad refuses to vote for anyone who treats his/her spouse badly. Thankfully for me, this narrows his options considerably.
david
Best comment ever about Newt from former Sen. Bob Kerrey of Nebraska (I think) “Newt has ideas about having ideas.”.