After listening to Newt Gingrich’s tasteless and graceless concession speech where he invoked the almost sacred words of both President Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Gettysburg Address and of the signers of our Declaration of Independence in an absurd attempt to link himself to our Founding Fathers, I posted the comment:
Many feel that Gingrich — albeit he is the big loser in Florida — gave a pretty good “non-concession” speech.
I thought it was as imperial and grandiose as usual — perhaps even more than usual.
Especially his closing promise of pledging his life, his fortune and his sacred honor. Something right out of the Declaration of Independence.
I am only surprised he did not start his spiel with the words: “When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one person to sacrifice himself for the good of many, let it be Romney”
This morning I re-read that Declaration along with Gingrich’s speech and was tempted to further paraphrase excerpts of the Declaration to elucidate Gingrich’s grand allusions.
But I thought better of it — and I wish the former Speaker would also have done so.
Why?
Because, as Jennifer Rubin, quoting Gingrich’s obnoxious pledge of “My life, my fortune, my sacred honor,” put it so well this morning: “But he’s not doing any of that. And it’s quite an insult to American patriots who have said that and meant it.”
Because Gingrich has already sufficiently linked and grandiosely compared himself to Churchill, Reagan Margaret Thatcher, Charles De Gaulle, etc. and has even managed to use a campaign management disaster (failure to register in Virginia) to allude to the infamous attack on Pearl Harbor — an insult to all those who died and were injured there.
Because Gingrich has already unnecessarily and indecorously invoked ad nauseam the U.S. Constitution, the Gettysburg address, religion, patriotism, love for God and country — not necessarily for noble, unselfish reasons.
Take for example his “There’s no question at times of my life, partially driven by how passionately I felt about this country, that I worked far too hard and things happened in my life that were not appropriate,” to excuse or rationalize his infidelity.
Because, again quoting, Rubin:
Gingrich has been reduced to a smaller-than-life figure. He’s a guy with a lot of words and very little appeal, whose meanness got the best of him and helped to wreck his campaign on a heap of attacks, insults and downright vile accusations (the latest being his claim that Romney is hostile to religion).
Yes, Gingrich’s big loss in Florida was also a big reminder as to why he lost — and why we should not misapply our Founders’ and patriots’ words.
Image: shutterstock.com
