Posted on 12/11/2011 8:51:10 PM PST by iowamark
As Ive interviewed several self-proclaimed Gingrich voters over the past few months, many of them cite Jackie Cushmans Setting the Record Straight editorial piece. Jackie Gingrich Cushman is Newt Gingrichs daughter, from his first marriage.
His own daughter refutes the negativity in the media with her account of her parents divorce, Jeremy Freeman, an Iowa State University student, told me in late November.
Competing candidates and their campaigns have been tossing a good bit of negativity at Gingrich since hes risen to the top of the polls, some of it about spacey ideas (colonizing the moon) Gingrich has proposed, or his past support of a health insurance mandate. But the former speakers marital history is part of the campaign conversation, even among his own supporters. The Gingrich campaign called me yesterday and asked if I would like half an hour with Jackie Cushman to talk about what Cushman herself calls the urban myth about her parents divorce in 1980.
The rap on the twice-divorce Gingrich was that he served his first wife with divorce papers while she was on her death bed, dealing with cancer. Cushman,was 13 when her parents told her and her sister they were divorcing. She wrote in Setting the Record Straight it was her mother who requested the divorce and that her mother did not have cancer a tumor was found to be benign.
Our conversation this afternoon, in the Starbucks at the hotel where Cushman and her family are staying, started with this question: Why did you write that piece?
Cushman responded (heres the AUDIO of her answer): Obviously, weve been quiet for a very long time and thats really out of respect for my mother. Shes obviously still very important in our lives. She helps watch the children which is fabulous. I mean, shes the best babysitter ever and shes been really supportive of my sister and I and has said, Look, yall, you go out and help your dad and Im glad to be here and help. Ill watch the children. Ill do whatever you need. But she is not a public person and shes not wanted to be a public person and has very clear about not talking to reporters and has just kind of kept quiet because it really, from our perspective, it was about our family and it really shouldnt be public, from a public perspective.
But Ill tell you one of the things that changed my mind, that made me really think about it and, in the end, write this straightening out the record, how to set the record straight. I flew to Alaska in February to give a speech to a Republican group there and one of the ladies that picked me up, a lovely lady, I said, you know, Great to be here. Let me just call and check on my mom because she has the kids. Im going to see how theyre doing. And so I called and, of course, theyre fine. Theyre with my mom.
But when I got off the phone, she goes, That was your mother?
And I said, Yeah.
She goes, Shes still alive?
I said, Absolutely shes still alive because shes watching my children, but thats when I realized here I was in Alaska, I mean, far away, right? Still in the United States, but very far away and clearly this urban myth that was very, is very untrue had spread so far that people not only believed it, but actually believed that my mother I guess, if she was on her death bed, she would have been dead, so I understand how they might make that connection but it wasnt true, isnt true and I really felt that, you know, we needed to set the record straight.
My follow-up question was about how voters, not just candidates, are bringing up the subject of her fathers marital history. How do you feel your father has been answering that question in the public? I asked.
I think hes been very honest. Hes been very open, Cushman said. He very publicly said, Look, Ive made mistakes in the past. Ive sinned. Ive asked God for forgiveness. Ive asked God for grace. And I dont know what else more people want.
You dont fix what happened and you dont change the past. It is what it is and I think when people see that both Kathy, my sister, and I are involved in the campaign. Weve always been a close family I think voters appreciate that and I think, too, he has changed very much from when he was speaker. Hes not the same man. Hes not the same man, I mean nor an I the same woman that I was 12 years ago.
I asked: How so?
When he was speaker, he was vilified by the press for four years, Cushman said. I mean, were near Christmas, so I can see that at one point he was shown as the Grinch that Stole Christmas, right? I dont know if you remember that cover of, I think it was Newsweek, but I can promise you, as my father, he never actually stole my Christmas.
He wasnt that person then, but even since then hes changed a lot He has grandchildren. I think that does change your perspective and I think it makes you think about things a little differently. The other thing is hes been a small businessman and thats been really good for him.
I have watched his faith deepen in the last decade. You know, hes grown much stronger in his faith. I think you can see that when he talks about, I have sinned and asked for Gods grace. I mean, he means that very seriously. Hes always believed in God and had that as part of his foundation, but Ive seen it strengthen enormously in the last decade.
Heres the AUDIO of Cushmans answers to those two questions.
According to Cushman, her dad hadnt bothered to debunk the urban myth about the death bed divorce because he didnt want (his first wife) to get in the middle of it. It being the glare of media attention.
As for Cushmans mother, Cushman put it this way: Shes a very happy 75-year-old grandmother.
I don't have to decide until the primary comes to my state. But I can tell you now, I won't vote for Romney or Gingrich. It would be a terrible mistake. It's an unfortunate situation we are in.
Nope.
Got a link?
What about the general?
Well, considering I have never been married...
That’s a long time off. I win’t be voting for Obama/Romney/Gingrich. Hopefully, there is someone who is not that terrible.
How come it's okay for him to "judge" me? He called me a "right wing social engineer" and ignorant for not believing in climate change.
Nice talking with ya..
Nice talking with ya..
For example, Rick Santorum seems like a great guy, but I just don’t think he is suited to be president. (Which is actually a compliment)
Beer is good.
And people are stupid.
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