I entirely share this writer's view of the disgraced former Speaker of the House. Sadly, though, it seems Newt's flame is beginning to flicker. How entertaining it might have been. Or might still be.
I don’t claim infallibility, and a good thing too, because when it comes to bad calls, I’ve made some beauts, to paraphrase Mayor Jimmy Walker. The most recent was when someone on Twitter summoned the possibility of Newt Gingrich resurging in the Republican primaries and I tweeted a terse “No.” ...
Allow me to say this in my puny defence, however. One reason I’m such a wayward prognosticator of rightwing trends is that I’m incapable of blacking out enough neural sectors to see the world through reptilian-brained eyes, a prerequisite for any true channeling of the mean resentments and implanted fears that drive hardcore conservatives. (emphasis mine, because I think it's absolutely true.) I also make the mistake of believing that they believe what they profess to believe, which they clearly don’t, otherwise they wouldn’t be inclining to crown Newt king of the marsh. That a thrice-married Catholic convert with a history of marital infidelity would win the flinty hearts of Tea Partiers while true evangelicals such as Michele Bachmann or Rick Perry would find themselves standing on the platform as the train whooshes by, abandoned and bewildered--well, go figure. That a third-rate futurist spieler who rides every wave of pop guru bullshit and management theory would appeal to those who pride themselves on their unyielding, unchanging bedrock values also falls into the “does not compute” category. ...
Some have compared Gingrich’s comeback to Richard Nixon’s after Nixon’s gubernatorial loss in California in 1962... After Nixon lost, he dedicated himself to making hundreds of speeches on behalf of Republican candidates, earning the respect and loyalty of candidates.
...Contrast this with Newt. Who basically has done everything for himself, for the greater glory of Newt and to feed the insatiable maw of Newt Inc and his Tiffany account. And unlike Nixon, Gingrich does not possess a lucid intellect; he’s all over the fucking place.
I would suggest that we define this crop of Republican misfits the audacity of dopes.
ReplyDeleteI'd compare Newt's resurgence to how Nixon, after being forced to resign the Presidency, was eventually rehabilitated into some sort of Elder Statesman.
ReplyDeleteThe day of his funeral I intended to go down to Yorba Linda and walk the streets dressed in a frock coat and top hat, carrying a mallet and a birch stake. Unfortunately it poured that day and I didn't fancy sitting in a holding cell dressed in wet wool. Or maybe "fortunately" might be the better word.