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The story from Evan McMorris-Santoro here, about conservatives turning up their nose and saying “Meh” to the upcoming Marianne Gingrich revelations, even the open marriage stuff, is completely anecdotal. But it fits with a general story about redemption that conservative Christians often tell themselves to allow for a candidate who fails them morally but still offers them low taxes and a strong national defense.
They may not all vote for Newt Gingrich, but they all agree that voters here won’t be moved by stories of a 68 year-old former House Speaker’s sex life.
After all, they told me, have you seen what’s on TV these days?
“I think after the blue dress, and Clinton, it doesn’t matter anymore, You know?” said Barbara Thompson, a retired school teacher waiting in line to shake Gingrich’s hand after his second stop of the day in Beaufort.
Thompson is undecided (she’s picking between Gingrich and Mitt Romney) but she said whatever Marianne has to say won’t sway her, or really have much of an impact here thanks to a change in the “standards” in the country.
“I don’t think it will hurt at all,” she told me. “Things have changed, everybody has friends whose daughters aren’t married and have children. Everything has changed.”
I wish this was actually a story about public attitudes and the end of American priggishness. It’s not. It’s a story about conservatives redeeming their own, their David Vitters, their Newt Gingriches, whoever aligns with them politically. Redemption is a staple of many people’s faith – in his concession speech today, Rick Perry used the concept when he absolved Gingrich with the line, “There is forgiveness for those who seek God, and I believe in the power of redemption.” But that’s not really what’s going on. It’s about conservative tribalists giving one of their own a break.
So Mitt Romney should not rely on this interview to knock Gingrich out of the race in South Carolina. In fact, I think the polls show pretty clearly that Gingrich will win South Carolina, and it won’t even be particularly close. Romney’s team knows this, that’s why they’re building a firewall in Florida with a massive $2 million ad buy from their SuperPAC.
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Gingrich has been redeemed, huh.
Evidence?
Calista looking frayed around the edges and mighty expensive with those Tiffany diamonds (diamond district just 11 block south and cheaper but no cache baybe). Marianne, as revealing as her story is, should be put aside by any decent investigate reporter (heh) who figures out who Newt is boinking now.
The reason every candidate is putting tons of money into Florida is because, despite taking away half the state’s delegates as a penalty for going out of turn, the RNC allowed the state’s primary to be winner-take-all.
Fifty delegates will catapult the victor into the lead for delegates.
Ok. Had to work late and missed the dee-bate. One sentence–what happened?
Great. Can’t wait. All these knuckleheads are coming to FL now. So glad I got rid of TV. Still have to find one for the Giants’ superbowl, though.
A bunch of ridiculous extremists barked at each other until the time was up?
I believe the word is: hypocrite. The word is synonymous with republican.
And Newt took offense to being asked if he was a big, morbidly obese, filthy, stinking pig?
Appalled, he was. Appalled! What a mess of nothingness that man is. Gingrich is flamboyant. Mitty is plastic. Santorum is the Pope’s Boy. And Paul is friggin’ crazy. Go for it, Rs.
So what happens now? Frothy won Iowa, Mitt won NH, and if Newt wins in SC the Rs are really no closer to picking a nominee than they were before the whole thing started – except they are down to 4. The baggers have screwed up the R party badly.
Wow, I guess everyone is kinda repuked out. It is disheartening. I’ve shared with LLN that my 94 year old dad is a life long Republican and he laughed when I referred to the Republican Goat Rodeo. There isn’t anyone amongst the candidates that he would ever vote for. So many of us feel so disenfranchised simply because there is no one..NO One… who is worthy of us bothering to go the the polling place for. How shameful. How sad.
“Never before, in the history of our nation,
Has so much attention been paid, so much of our wealth invested,
So many hours of air-time, so many miles of print,
Been invested in such a myriad
Of egotists, philanderers, self-promoters, con-men, charlatans and crackpots.
Who care only for themselves.”
With apologies to W. Churchill, and the RAF.
Very nice.
So what?
America forgives a lot in its politicians, and always has. Remember that Jefferson was exposed for his relations with a slave and Grover Cleveland for siring a child out of wedlock – BEFORE they were elected to the White House.
Breaking news: Rethug behavior is ALWAYS about team loyalty. No exceptions. Now, having settled that question, the media is free to devote itself for the next ten years to blonde girls that are missing and/or sans panties.
I think the Republican party would run Hades himself if they thought he could beat Obama.
The irony may be that Obama is the best Republican President they could hope for in real terms of protecting the crooks on Wall St and further dismantling the New Deal.