If we’re willing to concede that the GOP’s far-right base isn’t altogether pleased with the leading Republican presidential candidates, then it stands to reason that other competitors are going to work hard to fill that void.
Could Newt Gingrich fit the bill? It seems unlikely, given his background (serial adulterer, largely secular background, inattention to the religious right’s agenda as Speaker), but he’s apparently making an effort.
Is Newt Gingrich having a Jimmy Swaggart moment? On Wednesday, Focus on the Family alerted reporters to an interview with Gingrich that will air [today] and Friday on James Dobson’s radio show, in which the former House speaker fesses up to “moral failings.” According to the press release, which is smartly scant on the juicy details so that we’ll have to tune in (or at least Google it), Gingrich tells Dobson that he has “gotten on his knees and sought God’s forgiveness” for his personal failings. Sheesh, sounds like a Kleenex moment, too. […]
It’s probably no coincidence that Newt’s latest book is titled “Rediscovering God In America.” Can Gingrich boost his rep among social conservatives by playing the forgiveness card — and would it work for Rudy? Only time will tell, but shedding a few tears and admitting to bad behavior never hurts.
What’s interesting to me in this case is that Gingrich may not be the only one who’s “sinned,” particularly on the matter of marital fidelity, but he seems to be the only one of the GOP candidates who’s acknowledging his issues.
John McCain left his first wife to marry the woman with whom he was having an affair. Rudy Giuliani was brazen about infidelity, having marched in a St. Patrick’s Day parade with his mistress. Gingrich cheated on his first wife, haggled over the terms of their divorce while she was recovering from uterine cancer surgery, remarried, cheated on her, then remarried again.
McCain doesn’t want to talk about his personal past, Giuliani wants “privacy” over family matters, and Gingrich is chatting with James Dobson about seeking “God’s forgiveness.”
All told, it’s shameless and cynical, but a relatively clever strategy. Newt figures the base hates McCain, disagrees with Giuliani, and is bothered by Romney’s Mormon faith. Huckabee and Brownback are more in line with the Dobson crowd, but they’re burdened by viability concerns.
Gingrich probably realizes his well-documented “character” issues might be a deal-breaker, so what does he do? He goes on Dobson’s radio show, early in the process, concedes “moral failings” and claims to have “gotten on his knees.”
When push comes to shove, Gingrich would be in a position to implicitly say, “There are three admitted adulterers in this race — but I’m the only one who’s said he’s sorry about it.”
What’s more, as Paul Waldman noted:
We all know the stories — served his first wife with divorce papers while she was in the hospital recovering from cancer surgery, had an affair with a young aide (now his third wife) while married to the second wife. But as we know, that stuff doesn’t matter much — what’s more important is whether you can assure conservatives that you’re on the right team when it comes to the culture wars (see Limbaugh, Rush; Bennett, Bill; etc.). And nobody does hippie-bashing with more gusto than Newt.
If Dobson seems satisfied with Gingrich’s mea culpa, it’ll be a trend worth watching.