Posted on 01/17/2012 2:50:57 PM PST by VinL
At the now-controversial meeting of evangelicals at a Texas ranch, influential evangelical leader James Dobson made a strong pitch for Rick Santorum's wife — and noted that Callista Gingrich was her husband's "mistress for eight years," questioning whether that's what people want in a first lady, three sources told POLITICO.
The moment left several attendees at the confab at the Pressler ranch stunned, according to the sources.
It came on Saturday, before the group of about 150 conservatives voted on a candidate they wanted to back. On the third round of balloting, the vote went to Santorum, but Gingrich backers and other attendees have argued that the voting was done unfairly, and in a way that seemed to benefit the former Pennsylvania senator.
The meeting was initially described as an event to try to unite behind a single candidate to thwart Mitt Romney, but his representatives also ended up speaking there, and despite the third round of balloting — which took place after some Gingrich backers left, thinking the meeting had ended — broad consensus was never reached, according to multiple attendees.
"Dobson first talked about how great Santorum is," recalled one source, who had first-hand knowledge of Dobson's comment. "[He said,] 'I want to tell you that I've gotten to know Karen [Santorum] and she is just lovely. She set aside two professional careers to raise these seven children. She would make a fabulous first lady role model. And Newt Gingrich's wife, she was a mistress for eight years."
Another source confirmed the account, and said Dobson concluded the sentiment about Callista Gingrich with, "Who do you want as your first lady?"
"It was like a chill [set into] the room," said one source. Several people were offended by the comment, said another source, adding that it was noted among some participants that Callista Gingrich had only been married once.
This whole story doesn’t smell right.
I’d wait for confirmation of Dobson’s remarks before commenting.
I have met Dr. Dobson and been acquainted with his work, from the pro-life side.The Jim Dobson I knew was gracious, humble and a forgiving person, knowing full well his standing as a forgiven sinner before his Savior.
If this story is found to be untrue, it won’t be the first time Politico has fabricated a story.
Because of his hard work in the pro-life and family trenches, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt first.
Your post was excellent. From everything I ever seen about Dr. Dobson what you wrote seems true to me: “The Jim Dobson I knew was gracious, humble and a forgiving person, knowing full well his standing as a forgiven sinner before his Savior.”
Yes, so what about if we find out that the story was fabricated (can we remember the Washington Post Pulitzer story was totally false?)?
As far as I’m concerned, I’m unappreciative of the rather vile comments — bastard,jackass, hypocrite — that have been posted on this thread about Dr. Dobson. I wonder if the folks like our friend Mariner and Darth Vader will “man up” and apologize or just slink back into the woodwork.
I am concerned about my sin and deal with it daily. Dr. Dobson has done good but he has also been behaving lately like a stone throwing self-righteous Pharissee with a number of people. When you start thinking you are beyond reproach the sin of pride sets in. Besides you have no idea of the activities like Dr. Dobson does that many of us are involved in only we don’t go around and trumpet it to everyone.
Matthew 6:1
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.”
I read your comments about that you are concerned about your sin and deal with it daily. Sadly, however, many of the people on this thread have acted like the Pharisees and scribes.
I have heard of Dr. Dobson’s good deeds and seen him to a humble, forgiving, God-fearing man who stood with President Reagan and was a help to him and other conservatives.
With all due respect, can I ask you — since you’re concerned about your sin — what gives you and others the right to throw vicious and nasty attacks at Dr. Dobson? PLEASE GO BACK OVER THIS ENTIRE THREAD AND READ THE COMMENTS MADE ABOUT DR. DOBSON. Do you know for a fact that he made those remarks about Newt’s wife? Is there a chance that the Politico story could be fabricated? I’m furious because I saw your comments and I saw the comments of others calling Dr. Dobson a jackass, a bastard and a few other vile comments. Since when do Christians call other Christians those names? I know of Dr. Dobson’s deeds; I have heard him speak; I gave money to his ministry and I listened to his radio show for years. The things that have been said about him are evil and those people deserve to be called out. I will defend Dr. Dobson until I see reason to do otherwise.
I have not used one “curse word” on this thread about Dobson and in fact I get his newsletter weekly. I don’t think the use of profanity is appropriate at all but if this behavior that Jim is being accused of is true, it is worthy of correction and I will write him if that is the case. He has done a few things that are not right which others rightly point out in this thread without cursing about it and those are the ones I pay attention too.
It’s absolutely nauseating to see FR descend to being a website that defends adultery as fine and dandy.
I don’t trust adulterers. Period.
Thus speaks the skank. You believe in nothing and you are merely dirty words.
No, I have no proof that he did, but they have all but admitted their foibles, and she was not the only. Previous mistresses at this time have talked.
No, I would definitely vote for Newt despite his past marital issues. Don’t worry. I am on the anti Rominee train. Can’t vote til CA anyway, so who knows who will be left. I hope I have a choice at all.
But if Gingrich won, I won’t like knowing the kind of woman his wife was. I don’t have problems with young women making “mistakes” with the wrong guy, but with a MARRIED guy, that is to me just awful.
Yeah, Newt’s got a great brain, but i’m not seein’ the sexy Fabio side of him...
As much as I love you Christians, I don’t get the “forgiveness” thing and I never will. In my religion you can only forgive those who hurt / sinned against YOU personally. The gingriches did nothing to me personally. So I don’t need to forgive them. And if their church and Gd himself has forgiven them, I say Mazel Tov. But this doesn’t change the fact that he was wholly untrustworthy, not once, but it sounds like steadily for years. And she was not a very nice person, sleeping with another woman’s man. The type of woman to do this is not stable or kind or moral. Even if she was later forgiven by that wife. Then kind of man to do as Gingrich did is a needy man interested in his basest desires over the needs of others. He doesn’t show any tendencyto put his needs aside for those of Thr country. It will always be Newt first.
I’d vote for him to stop Rominee, but I would be worried about a President Gingrich. There are always red flags before you get involved with the wrong person, er, President.
Well, well.
So much for Mr. & Mrs. Sanctimony!
John 8: 1-11
1 Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. 2 And early in the
morning he came again into the temple, and all the people
came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. 3 And
the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken
in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, 4 They
say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in
the very act. 5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that
such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? 6 This they said,
tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus
stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as
though he heard them not. 7 So when they continued asking
him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without
sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. 8 And again
he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. 9 And they which
heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out
one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and
Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the
woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine
accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 11 She said, No
man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn
thee: go, and sin no more.
I'm not female. When you use words like "skank" try to know what they mean first.
I'm not a follower of Dobson or his ilk. I believe his type should run their business on their own dime. Not as tax exempt non-profits.
I would be willing chip in $$$ to help you get outfitted with something akin to a burka because it would seem to fit your overly puritan and very self-righteous mindset. I doubt you would agree to that so instead I made a very robust donation in your honor to Gingrich.
Apparently you missed the bottom feeding thread about the background research on Santorum's wife. Having said that, it's the kind of dumpster-dive smear I would expect from a leftist foreign paper, but not from Dobson.
Worship the Lord thy God and Him only shalt thou serve.
The point is that supporting Santorum will split the vote and deliver the nomination to Romney.
Therefore, the only God is the Trinitarian God of classic, historic Christianity.
While that might not matter to you, it should have mattered to an evangelical, bible-based Christian as Dobson claims to be.
If he can overlook Jesus ruling on the planet Kolob, and Jesus’ father here, and his father some other planet, and his father someplace else and his father some other planet, ad infinitum, then you get a picture of what Dobson is ignoring.
I am still amazed at the number of Freepers who believe that a christian leader has no right to speak out against adultery, especially if committed by someone who is aspiring to be a public leader.
I guess christian leaders are to be relegated to the corner and expected to be silent when it comes to indecent behavior.
Dobson has worked tirelessly for families and the sanctity of marriage. He does not deserve the treatment he has received on this thread as you have pointed out.
I didn’t mean that we needed to forgive him. I agree with you that in the earthly realm, forgiveness is between the person who harmed, and the person harmed.
I meant a confessional forgiveness from God, something your religion I believe offers as well as mine, though through different mechanisms.
What I think matters to me as a voter is not “forgiveness” but “repentance”. And not just for sins, but similarly a secular “repentance” for supporting bad, non-conservative policies.
I don’t care much what someone did 30 years ago, because people do change. If I understand how they changed, and can believe them, and can see “the fruits” of that repentance, I don’t have a problem with it. Just as I’ve watched people repent and change their lives spiritually, I’ve seen people come to see the error of their ways philosophically. I know several strong pro-life stalwarts who used to support abortion for example.
Gingrich scares me because he seems to have gone more liberal since the 90s, rather than becoming more conservative. There is something with smart, humanities-trained old people like GIngrich that makes them tend to turn into squishy moderates or liberals. The most obvious examples were multiple fairly conservative judicial supreme court appointments that, as they got old and “wise”, turned into flaming liberals.
Worse, I find people who think they are smarter than everybody also assume that whatever they think is “smart” must be correct. They are the hardest to lobby into supporting the right thing (well, maybe true ideologues are a bit harder). They are also smart enough to know how to say the “right” things to convince people to support them.
So I have a fear, because of the three people left being sold as conservatives, Gingrich to me seems most likely to be leading us on, to not mean what he has claimed in his recent conversions, and to become a squishy moderate as President. Perry and Santorum, I think you will get what you hear, it may not be solidly conservative but we already know where the problems are, and I don’t think there are any surprises.
The other thing is that I don’t think Romney has been vetted, and I’m glad we are finally doing it, but Gingrich hasn’t been really vetted much either. We really know little about what he’s been up to the past decade, and I think there’s potential for some game-changing information to come out at the wrong time.
They rejected Perry and they absolutely hate Romney. Gingrich is the leftover candidate throwing out the red meat. That is why Ginrich is their man - regardless of his past. If he gets the nomination and the time comes to move on to the other states, he will move to the center so fast it will make your head spin.
Totally irrelevant.
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