LOGO: Truthdig: Drilling Beneath the Headlines. A Progressive Journal of News and Opinion. Editor, Robert Scheer. Publisher, Zuade Kaufman. Winner 2013 Webby Awards for Best Political Website
May 24, 2013

 Choose a size
Text Size

Trending:     chris hedges     economy     elizabeth warren     politics     robert scheer
Most Read

How to Make a Million Dollars an Hour

Three Questions Left Unanswered by Obama’s Counterterrorism Speech

Colbert Slams PBS for Appeasing Koch Brothers

Obama Heckled During Speech, Warren Lands a Book Deal, and More

A Call to Action

Most Comments
Most Emailed

Reports
 * NEW! * New York City’s Summers May Heat Up

Ear to the Ground

A/V Booth

Arts & Culture
A Call to Action
Act of Congress

Digs

Truthdig Bazaar
Lords of the Land

Lords of the Land

By Idith Zertal and Akiva Eldar
$ 19.77

The Balkan Trilogy

The Balkan Trilogy

By Olivia Manning; Rachel Cusk (Introduction by)

more items

 
Ear to the Ground

Newt Gingrich, Shameless Demagogue

Email this item Email    Print this item Print    Share this item... Share

Posted on Jan 27, 2012
Gage Skidmore (CC-BY-SA)

As Newt Gingrich chugs along on his improbable political comeback track, many have tried to slow his roll, but here comes The New York Times’ Timothy Egan with a scathing Op-Ed, calling the relentless GOP contender a demagogue par excellence while allowing that Gingrich has practiced his uniquely unctuous brand of politics to greasy perfection. Can Newt come back from this? Probably.  —KA

Timothy Egan in The New York Times:

Gingrich, as he showed in a gasping effort in Thursday night’s debate in Florida, is a demagogue distilled, like a French sauce, to the purest essence of the word’s meaning. He has no shame. He thinks the rules do not apply to him. And he turns questions about his odious personal behavior into mock outrage over the audacity of the questioner.

After inventing, and then perfecting, the modern politics of personal destruction, Gingrich has decided now to bank on the dark fears of the worst element of the Republican base to seize the nomination — using skills refined over four decades.

Read more

More Below the Ad

Advertisement


New and Improved Comments

If you have trouble leaving a comment, review this help page. Still having problems? Let us know. If you find yourself moderated, take a moment to review our comment policy.

Leefeller's avatar

By Leefeller, January 28, 2012 at 5:54 pm Link to this comment

“Gingrich has practiced his uniquely unctuous brand of politics to greasy perfection.”

The simple fact Newt the pious has the support of Tea Baggers seems to suggest Newt is an expert at bottom digging for support, snapping up those who find divisiveness a standard well above and beyond the call of normal human dignity and compassion!

Take Newt! ....Please….to the Moon!

Report this

By John G, January 28, 2012 at 2:01 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

These Republican political theater events are like mud wrestling. The audiences just want to watch a fight and some of the members would love to climb into the ring to get down and dirty. Slimy Newt fits perfectly into the tawdry scene.

Report this

By christian96, January 28, 2012 at 1:38 pm Link to this comment

greg_2—-I hope greg_1 doesn’t display his/her
ignorance as you do.  Of course, I shouldn’t be
so hard on you just because you are ignorant.  There
are many things I’m ignorant about but psychology
is not one of them.  I’ve studied and taught at
universities about how humans learn.  One significant
ways is through role models.  I don’t care if the
book, tv program, computer, movie, or any other
media is fiction or non-fiction humans, especially
children, will learn cognitions and behaviors from
them.  Harry Potter is terrible for children.  For
one, it puts in their cognitions that GOOD witches
and GOOD wizards exist.  THEY DON’T EXIST. Santa
Claus doesn’t exist but I see people lined up at
mall waiting to have their child’s picture taken
with the obsese lie.  Some humans have the ability
to discriminate between fiction and non-fiction but
what percentage of the population fall within that
category?  Not many!  Watch “The Price Is Right”
someday at 11 am(EST) on CBS and notice how many
poor decisions are made by the contestants.  These
are the same people you are saying can discriminate
their roles models.  I don’t think so. Before Christmas I noticed one of Hollywood’s has beens,
ChucK Norris, was pushing one of his violent videos
on the children of America.  Do you think the violent role models in the video influenced the
cognitions and behaviors of some children?  Chuck
Norris doesn’t care about America’s children.  He
cares about children’s MONEY!  Don’t ever forget
that.  Chuck Norris isn’t alone in Hollywird. It’s
loaded with egotistical self-centered narcissistic
personalities who don’t care about the role models
they set for children.  They worship fame and
fortune.

Report this
Shenonymous's avatar

By Shenonymous, January 28, 2012 at 10:28 am Link to this comment

Well…he is living up to his name.  Lizard is a perfect eponym.  A
newt is a poisonous salamander. It is not difficult to imagine this
somewhat bedazzling-looking creature but with the face of the
offworld E.T. is 10,000 times more toxic than a slug of cyanide. So
it goes.  The orange-bellied, rough-skinned newt is one of the most
poisonous creatures cruising.  The slightest bite creates a severe
burning sensation in the mouth.  Every known mammal spits them
out instantly — except men in bars who have been drinking heavily.
A 29-year-old from Oregon went into a bar July 9, 1979, and, on a bet,
swallowed a rough-skinned newt. He was dead before the day was out. 
So it goes.  There is no known antidote for a newt’s poison.  Poor
Romney is finding that out rather vividly as his political career careens
out of control.  We do have to laugh, though, at the Republicans who
keep biting each other in the neck and as the rest of them slither about
looking for a credible candidate while Obama keeps racking up public
support.  Check out the NYT here.

Report this

By Tom Edgar, January 28, 2012 at 3:21 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Ardee.

On behalf of the worldwide Brotherhood of Dog Catchers I ask you to withdraw your scurrilo0us remarks linking
either the catchers or the dogs with Gingrich.

Report this

By Blondshag, January 28, 2012 at 2:38 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

“YOU GO - NEWT GINGRICH!”

SHAME on the GOP insiders and the Huge Government Waste that fear having to operate under a Balance Budget.

Truly hope that Flordia Voters make an example out of the GOP insider and Huge Government Waste under-mind process.  TIME FOR HUGE GOVERNMENT WASTE TO HAVE TO OPERATE WITHIN A BALANCE BUDGET!

Newt Gingrich - is the candidate that has proven experience developing a Balance Budget!

A vote for Romney is a vote for Obama….NO MORE OBAMACARE or ROMNEYCARE!

Newt Gingrich - is America’s CHANGE MACHINE

YOU GO NEWT GINGRICH!

FLORIDA VOTERS - VOTE NEWT GINGRICH!

Report this

By gerard, January 27, 2012 at 9:58 pm Link to this comment

A priceless excerpt from a priceless article:

“As they embody the Spiritus Mundi of empire’s end, Obama builds towering monuments of verbiage into empty air while Mitt Romney bores the soul of liberty into a soporific state, causing her to sleepwalk into a bottomless abyss of bland.

“Obama and Romney manage to hide the malevolent, hungry ghost of empire behind a veneer of soul-defying, daylight normalcy. But Newt Gingrich’s bloated carcass displays imperium’s murderous id. What has become of the diminishing resources of the world? Newt grows ever fatter and more grotesque as he greedily devours these things. What terrible fate befell the U.S. constitution? Newt dry humped it to dust.

“Regarding the mindset, libido, and modus operandi of the 1%: We are confronted with types who would clearcut the last tree standing in the last forest on earth to render down to toothpicks used to pick scraps of flesh from the teeth of the members of their class who just dined on the last Bird of Paradise.”
          —from an Op Ed by Phil Rockstroh
            Of Pacific Free Press
            in Truthout.org
            “Occupying Libido”

Report this

By greg_2, January 27, 2012 at 5:59 pm Link to this comment

@christian96 “Typical role model from Hollyweird. They are leading America’s youngsters down the yellow brick road to hell.”

How about even one specific regarding this. Or are you the kind of Christian who believes in witchcraft, sorcery and the devil, and therefore condemn stories such as Harry Potter because they actually touch upon the truth?

“The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” is FICTION (as is Harry Potter). There is no such thing as ‘the yellow brick road’.

(One can argue too that there is no hell, just as one can argue that there is no buff white dude with a beard sitting on a throne in the sky. Or is there? Does “He” answer your prayers? If so, why have you not prayed for the saviour of all our children from Hollywood? Or does “He” not answer your prayers? If so, why is that? Are you a bad person?)

Hollywood is fake. Or is that something you think youngsters (except your own, of course) can not understand?

Witchcraft is not real. It is fake; made up; figments of peoples imagination. So too sorcery, werewolves, vampires, zombies, Idianda Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark—the list is massive.

You do not grasp the distinction between fiction and non-fiction. You do not believe that most people, youngsters included, can see the difference between fiction and non-fiction.

Youngsters are smarter than you think, unless their parents are the ones filling their heads with lies.

Report this
OzarkMichael's avatar

By OzarkMichael, January 27, 2012 at 5:24 pm Link to this comment

From the article which attempts to shame Newt, written presumably by a Leftist, which was then printed here on Truthdig for the same purpose:

Even a third-grader arguing with another kid over the merits of Mike and Ikes versus Skittles knows better than to play the Hitler card.

I laughed so hard when i read that. Nobody here would see it, and that makes the irony that much richer. I point out the joke to you in the slim hope that you will laugh at yourselves and thus gain a measure of humanity instead of buzzing like cicadas.

Report this

By christian96, January 27, 2012 at 5:13 pm Link to this comment

Hollywood on the West Coast and Washington and New
York on the East coast.  Corruption from sea to
shining sea. I just posted the following after an
article on another site about a starlet exposing
herself.  America, especially our youth, doesn’t stand a chance. Watch for the lights to go out.


Typical role model from Hollyweird.  They are leading America’s youngsters down the yellow
brick road to hell.

Report this

By ardee, January 27, 2012 at 5:03 pm Link to this comment

I too cannot fathom why anyone would find this reprehensible lizard an acceptable candidate for dogcatcher much less President.

Report this

By SarcastiCanuck, January 27, 2012 at 12:35 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

What surprises me far more than Newt’s behaviour is how many people out there that are willing to vote for him.

Report this
Newsletter

sign up to get updates


 
 
 
 
Join the Liberal Blog Advertising Network
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A Progressive Journal of News and Opinion. Editor, Robert Scheer. Publisher, Zuade Kaufman.
© 2013 Truthdig, LLC. All rights reserved.