Posted on 01/19/2012 10:22:31 AM PST by Eurotwit
Hold on, though. I watched the same interview. Did you also hear the bit where she literally acted as a Romney representative? The SC Democrat guy was rattling off the stuff Romney was accused of and she said - these were her EXACT words - “That’s not TRUE about Romney!”
She didn’t say: “Romney disputes that.” She didn’t say: “Those are unconfirmed allegations.” She said: “That’s not True.”
My wife (who doesn’t follow this stuff closely) noticed that right away and was as stunned as I was.
Hank
“This is not a case of Romney imploding. His support has been pretty steady in the 28- 30% range in our South Carolina polling so far. But Gingrich has risen from 23% to 34% over the last two weeks, benefiting from declining support for Santorum.”
Umm, what?
Santorum was at 16 percent before. Newt’s support is coming from the same moderates that want to push a winner, not from Santorum.
Yeah, funny thing eh.
When a person actually goes out of his way to cheat on his wife, conservatives are supposed to cheer him on.
When a person who actually sticks with his wife gets smeared - crickets.
If Newt was unhappy in his marriage, then he should have spent some time working on it. Are we now at the point where we are telling folks, that if you are unhappy, you should leave, and quit?
I thought conservatives believed in doing the right thing by the folks that you love, not leaving them in the lurch.
... and before quitting, sleep with someone else... not to end one marriage, but two the same way?
The bed was not even cool with conservatives when McGingrich started sleeping with the progressives.
And he’ll do it again, just like McCain did, when it’s too late for us to do anything about it.
But full steam ahead. Who gives a darn about principles if it means getting a few extra points in the polls?
If Bill Clinton’s sex life was personal and none of my business, then neither is Mr. Gingrich’s.
You change in the blink of an eye, don’t you.
Hope Newt is more dependable.
But thanks, I guess.
Except for a demented and vicious few, most people here respected Perry.
He came in second in Jim’s preference poll.
I think his endorsement will mean a lot to Newt.
I was a little annoyed at Newt for not mentioning it last night and I thought Newt was off his game a bit.
Guess a mean ex-wife can do that.
Newt was always my second choice but I admit to a little trepidation about him. I think he will be okay and I think he’s grown up a little and I think his current wife is the wife he needed to make him stand around a little.
My only worry is that some of his baggage may be used against him in the general.
Oh, well. Go Newt.
Ben, don’t know where you are but in Dallas we have Mark Davis (who sometimes subs for Rush).
He is totally in the tank for Santorum. Does not like Newt.
At ALL.
He was sputtering at some caller who claimed that Santorum comes across as self-righteous.
I wish we had a candidate with Newt’s virtues but without his baggage. Well, we had one but nobody voted for him and he dropped out.
Perry’s endorsement of Newt meant a lot to me as I respect him and his values.
I wish we had a candidate with Santorum’s virtues but without his negatives. There are a couple of things he’s said and done that turned me against him and it’s to do with governing and policies not private life.
I don’t dismiss private life as unimportant, but unless it’s as sordid as Clinton’s or Obama’s, I can fogive it if I think the person has reformed.
I think (and hope) that Newt has.
It’s odd. I have been more detached from American politics the last few years, but Perry’s concession speech moved me. In my mind, the sentiments he expressed in that speech is what makes America special, and what we to a large degree lack in Europe.
Though what did him in, in my mind, was two factors combining:
His gaffes in debates + GWB
People might not dare to express it here, but the liberal attacks on GWB for his gaffes eventually started to take its toll even among conservatives here. Another Texan “cowboy” with his foot in his mouth was not an attractive proposition...
Though much of Perry’s problems might have been caused by his painful back - unfortunately...
But, in the main, I think the nation was not ready for another Texan after the eight GWB years...
I have to admit that in Europe the gaffes have been getting enormous coverage... Bush, Bachmann, Perry etc. So, I guess I am partial to Gingrich for that reason. No matter what Romney and Santorum claim, I am never worried when he opens his mouth.
Gingrich is perhaps too big government for many FReepers, but I think government can and should play a constructive role - but, smaller and within balanced budgets of course.
And, a government should never be allowed to create a large horde of dependents - whether welfare recipients or people working in useless government bureaucracies.
Because, when you get there - There is no turning back. When 50 percent of the people depend on the government for their income, it is all but impossible to change back to a smaller government.
It is the curse of democracy, and one which most of Europe is struggling with.
So it is vital to stop Obama creating these facts on the ground and turn the USA into a European style welfare state.
I believe Newt can do that, but it is important that conservatives hold them - whoever is elected to the office of President, house or senate - to account.
Do not let them turn America into a nation dependent on government pay, whether through welfare or government employment, because that situation will be almost impossible to overturn.
Godspeed.
Can I add something?
I am reading Nathaniel Hawthorne at the moment, and I think he brings up important points.
How do you know Santorum’s heart?
There is only One who knows, and I feel it is not up to us to judge. There is another book that talks about this issue quite extensively - the do not judge, lest ye be judged part :)
I think social conservatives should be careful in their demand for perfection. Perhaps leftists like to point out that Jesus hanged out with the “low-lifes” of his day, but it is true according to the gospels.
So talking about Santorum’s virtues? Who knows... To me he didn’t come off as particularly virtous last night, but rather petty.
But, never demand perfection, because it does not exist and ONLY ENSURES hypocracy - one of the rings Jesus really condemned the Rabbis for. We are fallen people, living in a fallen world.
Some humility by social conservatives would be much needed. But, Perry expressed it far better than me - Newt is not perfect, but who of us is.
The puritans were wrong imho, and their moral stand led to a hypocritical lifestyle where apparences where everything whilst no human heart can be entirely pure, and it ended up in the burning of witches
Excellent post. thanks.
Well, I’m a Catholic.
Newt’s now a Catholic.
One of the things the Church teaches is that marriage is a sacrament, and that a person remains married to another person even if they split.
People ask me, do you think Newt’s reformed, I say no. Why? Because Newt has not gone back to his wife. Why not? Because he wants to be blessed for the choices that he has made contrary to what the Church teaches. I don’t see it. I look at someone like Santorum who is in accordance with what the Church teaches as a model for Newt.
And if I’m doing that- then that’s a pretty strong indication that I should be backing Santorum over Newt.
That’s not what Paul says, btw.
He says that while we cannot judge those outside the Church, we can judge those who are inside, and who continue to engage in sin.
Arguing “we can’t judge the brethren who sin,” Paul goes on to say, with someone who’s a manifest sinner, and proclaims his sin - is someone we can’t even associate with!
So it’s a far, far cry from what you’ve posted. Newt’s chosen to become part of the Church - so I can go and say, yes Newt - you are sinning. Go back to your wife.
“He says that while we cannot judge those outside the Church, we can judge those who are inside,”
I am Christian and love talking about it, and - in my grandious mind - spreading the word that you should not judge.
Recently, I did an entire rereading of the entire new testament and if I would do cliff notes they would be simple. Jesus himself made it simple imho.
I do not see though, where Jesus gave an out to judge people?
It might be in the acts?
Of course we can see people we think are erring from the path and try to help them, but that is a far cry from judging them.
It is infact what I am doing now :)
Lutheran missionary work XD
Take care, and I love your passion BenKenobi.
It is strong with this one :)
Take care and have a great weekend.
1. Love your neighbour (even love your enemy) and love your God
2. Do not judge
3. Be humble
I have to admit that as a extremist Lutheran I do not put that much emphasis on the acts and everything coming after the gospels...
BTW. I have this discussions on a weekly basis, because my dad is a Santorum backer.
Personally I think Santorum is at his best when he does his blue collar appeal. His speech after the Iowa caucuses were excellent and moving, and so was his debate ending last night.
God loves a working man as many country songs say.
But, I know little of the catholic church, even though it is the largest growing religuous community in my country. Thanks to Poles :)
So, it’s okay for Santorum to be married to a divorced woman but Newt can’t be divorced?
(Maybe I’m wrong about Newt’s wife ... maybe she just lived with someone for six years, but didn’t marry him ... too lazy to look it up, but isn’t that nit picking anyway)
You mean Karen Santorum?
“The couple broke up amicably in 1988 because Karen Garver wanted to have children and Allen, in his early 60s at the time and the father of adult children, had no interest in starting again. She married Santorum in 1990.”
I see nothing that says that she was ever married. Her reasons for not marrying him make sense to me.
She’s not divorced if she didn’t marry Tom Allen. All it says is that they lived together at the time.
1 Corinthians 5:9-1e
“I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.
What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”
“I have to admit that as a extremist Lutheran I do not put that much emphasis on the acts and everything coming after the gospels.”
I am personally amused that a Catholic is teaching scripture to a Lutheran. ;)
Again, if Newt were not a Catholic, I would say, fine. You are not in the Church - you cannot be expected to hold onto rules that do not apply to you. The understanding of marriage as a sacrament - that is the Church, and not the Baptists. That’s the easy thing and the hard thing about the Church. You can be forgiven of your sins - but you have to get out of them. The Church isn’t going to go and say, look. Your Christian marriage is invalid. No, they are going to say, look, you need to make things right with her and your family.
I had plenty that I had to leave behind myself and I am still working at this.
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