Political Lolapalooza: Newt Gingrich’s Diamond Studded Hypocrisy & Other Tales From The Crypt
The guy clearly buys his engagement rings in bulk. ~ STEVEN COLBERT
There is little pleasant going on in national politics these days, but the slow but steady self-destruction of Newt Gingrich is a joy to behold. As well as inevitable.
It was inevitable that his run for the presidential roses would be derailed not over policy issues but because he is so palpably phony and deceitful. The only question would be his choice of weapons.
Well, it turns out they they aren’t dueling pistols and even a sword, but rather the incredible number of super-expensive baubles that he has bought third wife Callista on a revolving charge account at Tiffany & Com. said to range from $250,001 to $500,000.
Among the goodies that Callista has been seen wearing is a strand of diamonds that adorned her ibis-like neck last month at Washington debut of the couple’s latest documentary movie. Tiffany lists them at $45,000. Then are are a $22,000 pair of diamond and gold starburst, among other baubles.
Hey, you say, every spouse is entitled to a little bling. But Gingrich has preached the virtues of fiscal conservatism ad nauseam and has continued to do so at a time when many Americans are out of work and one and nine are on food stamps, a program that he and most Republicans want to cut back on.
Gingrich has worked hard to present himself as a family man after a six-year secret affair with Callista and two marriages that ended under . . . uh, difficult circumstances for the spouses, but again finds himself the butt of late-night comedians.
Incidentally, Tiffany’s says that Gingrich has paid his debt in full. But not to society.
As a prominent politician, you have to be really bad or really stupid or a combination of both to have the ethics police come down hard on your sorry ass. I’ll leave it to you to decide whether John Ensign and John Edwards are one or both.
Ensign thought that his resignation from the Senate earlier this month would put an end to all the negative press about one of the more complicated scandals in recent Washington history:
This Family Values cum Promise Keeper born-again Something Or Other carried on an affair with a campaign aide whose husband was his chief of staff and best friend. When the cuckolded hubbo threatened to blow the whistle, Ensign went public while privately paying the family $96,000 in hush money provided by his gadzillionaire parents.
The Senate Ethics Committee usually roles over in instances as blatant as this, but has now issued a scathing report that concludes there is “substantial and credible evidence” that the Nevada Republic broke federal laws.
Edwards is arguably in even more trouble.
The former Democratic golden boy has been green-lighted for prosecution by the Justice Department for violating campaign laws while trying to cover up his affair with Rielle Hunter, his long-time mistress and mother of his love child, Frances Quinn Hunter.
Edwards is in trouble for failing to report “gifts” of over $1 million to Hunter by two deep-pocketed campaign donors in an effort to hush up the affair.
We’ll chalk up to hyperbole Eric Cantor’s widely reported remarks this week prior to the lashing that Paul Ryan’s bread-and-water for the middle class plan took in that special election in upstate New York. Kind of like standing at the bedside of a terminally ill friend with tubes up his nose and only days to live and telling him that he looks marvelous.
Alas for Ryan, there was a second (symbolic) referendum on his plan in the Senate last night and another marvelous opportunity for Democrats to hang Republicans out to dry for their ideological humbuggery.
As expected, four Republicans and a Republican turned Independent voted against the plan, two of whom are up for re-election in 2012 in swing states. Six other Republicans also face re-election in non-swing states who voted for the plan.
Like I said, the vote (57-40) was symbolic, but it’s a safe bet that these Republicans and Republicans in general will be reminded over and over next year that their biggest criticism of the ObamaCare plan was that it cut Medicare. While that was inaccurate, it was an effective message but one that has now boomeranged on them with a vengeance.
Why would Republicans continue to support gutting Medicare — and other social services, as well — in the face of deep public opposition? Well, we know it’s not principle. Perhaps it’s stupidity. Or more likely still, cowardice — fear to stand up to one’s own party even when you know its wrong.
Speaking of Cantor, the House majority leader has announced that while Republicans would like to help victims of the tornado disaster in Joplin, Missouri, no disaster relief would be forthcoming until a ransom is paid in the form of off-setting spending cuts.
Need further evidence that the GOP have become the Kings of Mean? When Tom Del=Lay held Cantor’s job there never was any question that disaster relief would be immediate and without strings attached.
That by today’s standard makes DeLay a moderate.
5 Responses to “Political Lolapalooza: Newt Gingrich’s Diamond Studded Hypocrisy & Other Tales From The Crypt”
Great post, Shaun. Enjoyed it.
And quite balanced, too (The Edwards bit)
Some may say, how can it be balanced with only one example of Democrats misbehaving and so many examples of Conservatives doing bad things.
To that I would suggest,when one considers how Conservatives have flaunted and misappropriated, usurped, family values, morals, etc., how they have used them to do a hatchet job on those Godless “Liberals,” how they have, for example, denigrated gays and lesbians, even legislated against them while being gay themselves; how they have condemned and disparaged those who were unfaithful in their marriage while they themselves were “King of the [Capitol] Hill”(“buying engagement rings in bulk at Tiffany’s”) in this respect, etc., etc., then I say, yes it is quite balanced.
And before some jump all over my case, I am not talking about our readers, nor about decent, everyday Conservatives or Republicans (or Tea Partiers), I am talking about those far-right hypocritical politicians who have made it a career of preaching morality, Godliness, “family values,” peeking into everyone’s bedroom and private lives, while they themselves turn out to be the biggest offenders of God’s Commandments and just common human decency. And you know who they are.
And, yes, there are probably an equal number on each political side, but one side does not use that as a campaign slogan, a club, over the other side.
I have to disagree with you there, it is principle. They have hated Social Security & Medicare (Almost as much as Unions) ever since the day they were created…
What’s the point of being wealthy, if you can’t lord over the peasants?
I’ve already agreed Gingrich is slime because of his marital foibles, but the flap over the Tiffany charge account seems overdone and manufactured. It’s his money, who cares what he does with it as long as it’s legal.
Fiscal conservatism doesn’t mean you shouldn’t buy things you like, it means you should do so responsibly and be able to pay your debts. As far as I can tell he can and has.
DaGoat:
You kind of have a point, but the back story undercuts it:
While the Newtster had every right to buy his beloved baubles, he was given an interest free credit line as opposed to mere mortals who pay 21 percent interest. And it was no accident that his beloved was an aide for the House Agricultural Committee, which has jurisdiction over mining policy, whom Tiffany’s needed to lobby hard. And did.
That’s a good point Shaun, but if the back story is the reason to criticize Gingrich then it should be the front story. Right now it’s portrayed as more of a class or extravagance issue, as you do in your OP.