Newt Gingrich, Shameless Demagogue

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.

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