I heard this morning that what Conservatives most want is someone who is “mean,” someone who can beat the president in this fall’s general elections.
That’s why issues about Newt Gingrich‘s marriages and his alleged desire for an open marriage, just wasn’t an issue in the South Carolina primary. There is a “national conversation” that is in place, one ABC reporter said, and in order for Mitt Romney to regain a bit of the ground he has lost, he has got to tie into that conversation.
Included in the conversation is anger amongst the GOP. The successful GOP candidate must connect to that anger, and run a campaign that addresses the “politics of resentment.” It seems, according to some, that a large part of the GOP base is angry at the “elite media,” the economy, of course, and the fact that Barack Obama is in the White House.
When Newt Gingrich did his “Contract with America” some years ago, the issue of anger was addressed; specifically it was the anger of white men. Is that the same crock pot that Newt has identified and is adding ingredients to – this pot of stew, brimming with elements of white anger?
This election cycle is a bit scary to me; for the party of “faith and values” to be willing to abandon that platform just so they can elect someone they think can get the president out of the White House makes me wonder about the validity of their claim to be so above it all. The recent YouTube video of the young man giving a spoken word about how he hates religion but loves Jesus, then, seems so appropriate. This young man sees the disconnect between what religious people say and do, and it bothers him.
It bothers me, too.
It seems that if the faith and values people are just looking for someone to go on the attack, and be “mean” enough to get President Barack Obama out of office, then something is askew. If the Evangelical, pro-life base is willing to remain silent on what appear to be obvious moral breaches on the part of Newt Gingrich, just because they think he can beat President Obama, then something is wrong.
When it no longer becomes important that a presidential hopeful at least appear to be concerned for all of God’s children, when it becomes OK for a man who’s marital and extramarital indiscretions are not important (when in the past, such indiscretions were enough to knock any candidate out of the ball park), then we Americans need to stop and pause.
We are in a very dangerous place.
I suspect that the next few weeks leading up to the Republican convention are going to be painful, because the campaigns will be so nasty and so “mean,” that the real issues will be lost. Politicians are good at manipulating the emotions of Americans, and Newt Gingrich is one of the best.
If it is true that what GOP voters are looking for most is someone who is “mean,” it’s likely they won’t be disappointed.
But at the end of the day, what in the world will it mean for our country?
A candid observation…
Candid Observations 
But what gets me is if it were a Democrat or Obama, himself, who had this extramartial past then is most certainly would matter to those very same people who chose Newt in SC.
You are so right. I just don’t get it…or maybe I do. It’s all pretty disturbing …
Thanks for your comment!
It’s ridiculous that the republicans are trying to push the issue under the bush about Newt Gingrich and his open marriage. During the South Carolina debate it just made me angry that when the moderator asked Newt about it, he spent 10 minutes riling up the audience saying, “I can’t believe you’d start the debate with this issue” trying to put the moderator to shame for even bringing it up. But if that had been Obama….we ALL know that it would’ve been a MAJOR issue that the media would not have allowed him to ignore. I don’t like politics, one reason being because the candidates spend so much time trying to attack their opponents and defile their character. I’ll be glad when the elections are over.
It’s all the game called politics, and “we the people” are pawns of the politicians. It’s sickening…but what’s most sickening is that we allow ourselves to be so manipulated. Ugh! I’ll be glad when the elections are over, too.