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mackknopfNow, on to Newt Gingrich! I woke up this morning to find major newspaper commentators comparing him to Barry Goldwater, someone who would manage to get nominated and then lose in a landslide. Fellow conservative pundits were said to be dismayed. I myself rejoiced. If Newt is the best candidate the GOP can field, I think we're looking at an upcoming reelection win for Obama!
Not only does Newt have some far-out ideas, but he had his time in the sun back when I was in college at Berkeley mumble-mumble years ago, to put this in perspective. When he had power, he shut down the federal government with power games. By the time I was at English graduate school, he'd resigned from office, now ineffective.
I was dismayed to see him no longer just writing books, but actually back in political life, until I realized what a victory he could be handing the Democrats. Let me see -- married three times (generally a no-no among the mainstream, at least down South), left one wife to have adultery with someone he later married, and last but not least, wanted an open marriage but got rebuffed.
Now, do I personally care about any of this marriage stuff? Yes and no. Generally, I think government should not get involved in marriages in the first place, but that horse has left the barn hundreds of years ago. Way back when (for instance, Henry the Eighth in England), our modern nation-states began amassing control over the people and reducing the power of national religions. This is not always a bad thing, especially if the monarch in charge likes your religion and/or sexual orientation and choices. If he or she doesn't? I could go into the list of late medieval execution devices, but you get the idea.
Carry this into the current era, and you have a need for the gay rights movement and equal rights to marriage. Or at least, you have a need for a difference in secular recognition of marriage and in various church's right to sanction whatever they think is holy.
In any event, while I may think that Gingrich should be able to (for instance) marry multiple wives if he wants, and then justify it to whatever version of God he's into, this is not the modern American view. To sum up my glee, whoever actually thinks this guy is electable is out of touch with public reality.
Unfortunately, Dad pointed out that Mitt Romney would probably get the nomination, becaues the presidential election is a long way off. Even though some Republicans would have to get over their distaste for a Mormon (in the same way a Catholic was once nomated by Democrats and later elected -- JFK), Romney comes across as a sharp, rich businessman, and a lot of people like that. Oh well. But Newt Gingrich as the candidate -- it could still happen! So if you want to ensure President Obama gets reelection, urge all your Republican friends to vote for Gingrich to be nominated, and then sit back and watch the fun.
Not only does Newt have some far-out ideas, but he had his time in the sun back when I was in college at Berkeley mumble-mumble years ago, to put this in perspective. When he had power, he shut down the federal government with power games. By the time I was at English graduate school, he'd resigned from office, now ineffective.
I was dismayed to see him no longer just writing books, but actually back in political life, until I realized what a victory he could be handing the Democrats. Let me see -- married three times (generally a no-no among the mainstream, at least down South), left one wife to have adultery with someone he later married, and last but not least, wanted an open marriage but got rebuffed.
Now, do I personally care about any of this marriage stuff? Yes and no. Generally, I think government should not get involved in marriages in the first place, but that horse has left the barn hundreds of years ago. Way back when (for instance, Henry the Eighth in England), our modern nation-states began amassing control over the people and reducing the power of national religions. This is not always a bad thing, especially if the monarch in charge likes your religion and/or sexual orientation and choices. If he or she doesn't? I could go into the list of late medieval execution devices, but you get the idea.
Carry this into the current era, and you have a need for the gay rights movement and equal rights to marriage. Or at least, you have a need for a difference in secular recognition of marriage and in various church's right to sanction whatever they think is holy.
In any event, while I may think that Gingrich should be able to (for instance) marry multiple wives if he wants, and then justify it to whatever version of God he's into, this is not the modern American view. To sum up my glee, whoever actually thinks this guy is electable is out of touch with public reality.
Unfortunately, Dad pointed out that Mitt Romney would probably get the nomination, becaues the presidential election is a long way off. Even though some Republicans would have to get over their distaste for a Mormon (in the same way a Catholic was once nomated by Democrats and later elected -- JFK), Romney comes across as a sharp, rich businessman, and a lot of people like that. Oh well. But Newt Gingrich as the candidate -- it could still happen! So if you want to ensure President Obama gets reelection, urge all your Republican friends to vote for Gingrich to be nominated, and then sit back and watch the fun.
