Morality is not determined by the church you attend nor the faith you embrace. It is determined by the quality of your character and the positive impact you have on those you meet along your journey
Saturday, December 31, 2011
So what do we think folks? New Gingrich tearing up, real or bullshit?
I have a pretty strong feeling about this, but I will keep it to myself until I hear from all of you first.
I think it was genuine, unlike Glen Beck. So maybe the salamandar is only 99% narcissist. He's still a complete jackass. I would be more impressed if he teared up with remorse over what he did to his first two wives.
Total, complete b.s. Newt's mom was crazy. If he's really crying, it's because he's weeping at the thought of all the abuse and uncertainty he suffered at the hands of his batshit moms. Also note that he angles his body for the camera, and he completely ignores the crying baby in the audience... AND his campaign is totally playing up the incident and saying it's his "Hilary moment."
He's exploiting that most basic emotion: Mother Love. Everybody has strong feelings for their mother: whether it's Love (most of us), Hate (for a few - and reserved for those certain awful mothers), and everyone else in between, he's tapping emotional energy and turning it toward him. Manipulating sympathy for himself.
And, he's particularly targeting females. A woman would normally (IF it wasn't Newt!) want to reach out, console and comfort him. It is an attempt to humanize him: Everyone has a mother!
The inflection of his voice hardly changed. In my experience, most folks who are emotionally affected sufficiently to cause a tear to run down the face will also have their voice affected. So, bullshit it is.
What do I think? I think there's a acting gig on "The Young And The Restless" when he gives up politics. Any one can flick a finger under their eye to wipe away pretend tears. I also think the questions were staged.
I lost my Mom three-and-a-half years ago. There are songs that remind me of her that I still cannot listen to but NOT because i cry. I just know she's in a better place so why be depressed?
I would ALSO have asked the slug, "because of what you went through with your mom, which you were financially able to endure the costs of, WHY did you and STILL do fight healthcare of all Americans who don't have that luxury?"
But these stupid interviewers NEVER do get down to brass tacks.
No women is above being used by Newt. Not even a dead one. On a purely speculative note, Gingrich said his mom had a bipolar disorder. Doesn't this sometimes run in families, and might it explain some of his erratic behavior and statements? He's known for alienating people and for being combative. It just makes you wonder....
If his mother had mental health issues (including bi-polar) I don't question his reaction one bit.
My mother was a loving, yet complicated mental case (bi-polar among others) and the experience of being mothered by her--the sadness of her and our situation--is one that will always affect me.
Whatever you think of the Newt, I don't know why folks wonder if his reaction is real. The sadness of the memory, plus the inevitable fatigue and stress of campaigning could cause even a salamander to weep.
I think it's fake. There was an audience there filled with a lot of women. How anyone can conjure up tears in front of strangers while answering questions for political purposes raises my red flag.
Narcissists love an audience and BS'ing anyone who doesn't know their mean streaks. They'll play the emotional card in front of an adoring crowd, but at home become the house devil they are. Street angels, house devils.
While I have no doubt that Gingrich can call up real tears when he thinks about his mother, the timing and setting are clearly premeditated.
The way that Luntz phrases the questions are clearly for the most dramatic affect, and Gingrich plays his part on cue.
I took an acting class in college. I was able to get extra credit for crying on cue. All I did was think of the death of a beloved family pet. The tears were real, but the situation was false. Same thing here.
It won't help however. Newt's campaign is essentially broke, and he is carrying WAY too much baggage to be a serious contender.
I see tears of rage, tears of frustration, tears of real disappointment that, in "modern politics" everybody knows, or will know, all of your indiscretions, lies, double-dealing, and adulteries.
These are tears for what could have been, back when the electorate was ignorant, and only the privileged could vote these tired old white men into power.
Ohhhh.. I think the tears are real enough.
The pertinent question here is: Just what are you crying FOR, Newt.
Newt, in all his permutations is as phony as...well phony is as phony does.
OT - Went to check things out @ C4P and found this: http://texansforsarahpalin.blogspot.com/2011/12/very-special-love.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
It is a video with many shots of Trig. Think of it as a game. How many different Trigs do you see? I def. see 2 and possibly 3. Looking for other opinions.
So Newt is now 'human but forgiven' and Hillary is still 'weaK' for having cried. And Boehner is still a drunken ass. What have we learned this week? Newt is an even better actir than we thought, and the GOP is still a bunch of heartless bums who think Sarah is qualified for something.
@Gryphen, I took lots of acting classes in a dept. where everyone already had their SAG cards. I could cry on cue as well. It's called "Sense Memory." GOP Politicians do it because they have become performer. They have no connection to the "polis" in politician, and are now merely performers, reading lines/points given to them by the Kochs and "foundations/think tanks." Palin is a prime example of a GOP performer. They are paid to perform. And make no mistake: it is the PAYMENT they are seeking.
The fact that Luntz was asking the questions answers your question, Gryphen. Complete damage control, image shaping bullshit - stinking to high heaven.
Frank Luntz the spin-doctor mastermind behind "Death panels", "job creators", "ground zero mosque" (community center with a mosque in it - two blocks from WTC site), "Obamacare", Madison protesters were all "bused in Union thugs" (funny, I had to walk a mile to get to the Capital every time because of the thousands of cars) ....
He pols panels until he gets exactly the right reaction from the gullible with his catch phrases, then sends out his orders to Fox, right wing radio and republican politicians and operatives to use his carefully crafted dog whistles.
Luntz even let his mask drop on Fox when he reprimanded Hannity for using the term "public option", telling him "government option" would be a better term. A few months later a memo was sent out to Fox employees: "friendly reminder: let's not slip back into calling it the "public option""...."Please use the term "government-run health insurance" or, when brevity is a concern, "government option," whenever possible." Propaganda, pure and simple. Thought police.
He is also regarded as a "cleaner" of sorts, supplier of damage control talking point brilliance. Scott Walker had a meeting with him the day after he took a call from the phony Koch brother. Paul Ryan found himself on a huge conference call with Luntz and most of the Congressmen who voted for Ryan's Path to Prosperity plan after angry seniors flooded town halls all over the country.
Gingrich is a sociopath, or at the very least, a narcissist. Narcissists cry genuine tears about their support system (parents, spouses). But it always has to do with their relation to the subject. The tears come up when mother is mentioned, but he is actually crying for himself. Luntz knew this and exploited it. Period.
I haven't watched it yet. I may or may not, but my first reaction is that it's pretty interesting that all these good old boys have suddenly tapped into their weepy side...does Glenn Beck get a kickback on Vicks sales these days? Maybe it was real this time, but I am very suspicious of all these tears.
Actors cry actual tears also. To bring the tears on maybe he was imagining his own grandchildren working as janitors in school.
Newt has a well-known history of treating women like shit and kicking them when they are down. He knows more women vote than men so he's trying to get their sympathy vote.
It's purely a calculated ploy to try and make him look more human since he knows he comes off as a cold-hearted, unsympathetic rattlesnake dictator-wannabe.
Nice try Newt but I'm not buying it. I'm surprised your tears didn't scald your face and leave a scar.
Has Newt shed one tear for all of the soldiers who died? For the poor patients who didn't have wealthy sons like Newt to pay for the health care? Does he shed tears for either of his first two wives as they lay in a hospital bed? When Newt savages other politicians, does he care at all for their feelings? Newt is a real as the thing on Callista's head.
I think the segment was stages to show emotion, but his reaction to his emotions were real. The instantaneous tears, the scrunching and reddening of his face were a result of strong emotions. I do not believe that Gingrich is that good of an actor. Dealing with a parent with depression is very difficult. Do his tears show he is kind and caring, and therefore a good candidate for POTUS? No. Do they show he loves his mother? Maybe. Doe they show that he has experienced pain with his mother's ailment? Yes. Calling his reaction fake only convinces me that we all have an agenda and see what we want to see.
Hey Newt. Maybe it would have been more effective on all those women in the audience if you had of presented a slideshow of your dying wife showing you by her bedside with photo-shopped tears. You could get really creative and show lots of pictures of you with all the other women you dumped on in your life and your eyes filled with (photo-shopped) tears.
I agree his voice doesn't choke up. You choke up, practically can't speak if you are deeply moved.
I too have acted, I too can call up tears, but am rarely teary in life.
Probably because I had a disturbed mother in law who teared up whenever she didn't get her way. She could turn it on like a faucet for anything whatsoever. And she got her way. (NOT WITH ME)l Her daughter tried it in her marriage and her husband put a quick stop to the waterworks on cue.
I think he is exhausted though and though they are pushing that Virginia thingee for him, he knows the jig is up.
Real or fake? I don't care. (but thanks for the clip, G.) So good that he seems to be toast.
Take a look at Krugman today -- re how Keynes was right all along, and Obama is coming around. My thinking is Obama wanted to spend big all along (to jump-start the economy) but knew he could not. Let's hope now he will. As Keynes said: “The boom, not the slump, is the right time for austerity at the Treasury.”
The best part of the whole clip was the baby crying...maybe that triggered Newts tears from that picture that was posted of him as a baby in a diaper crying because he didn't get to sit on Air Force One with President Clinton!
This picture....http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/blnewtcrybaby2.htm
"While I have no doubt that Gingrich can call up real tears when he thinks about his mother, the timing and setting are clearly premeditated."
Yeah, that's what I'm thinking too. The emotion may have been legit, but the whole thing was purposely staged as a presentation. WHy would anyone who wants to appear legit have Frank Luntz, the king of marketing/wordtwisting/distortion asking the questions?
Narcissists just don't have enough self awareness to see when they're coming across as disingenuous and manipulative.
Newt uses his mentally ill mother to get sympathy votes but when has he EVER been an advocate for the mentally ill? What has he ever done to help them? To prevent another child from experiencing what he did growing up?
I call bullshit too. When Luntz is involved, it's all just so...OBVIOUS!
The thing I have not seen discussed is Newton Leroy's comments about how "he" (emphasis) dealt with "real people" (emphasis) in "his" (emphasis) family. WTF is that supposed to mean? That other Americans who deal with physical and mental health problems are just imaginary people?
Meh, this guy is going back to his sad private life real soon anyway!
Newt had me until he was asked what he would say to his mother if she were here.No one would say that stuff to a long dead parent they love and miss.My father died 22 years ago.The only thing I COULD say to my daddy if he could be here today is how much I love and miss him.After that,words would escape me,because all I would be able to do is sit on his lap,hold him tight and cry. Until my sons were born,there was no one in the world I loved more,or was more proud of,than my father.His brilliance,his strength,his work ethic,his thoughtful fairness,his beautiful singing voice,his not heard enough laughter,the way he never called me Anne-I was always his "sweety".His big hands that held mine,his towering height and beautiful blue eyes,his smell.That was my dad.The man who was tortured by a disease he couldn't control.My father was bi-polar,and it haunted him,as it haunted me.I wanted to always protect him from something he had no choice of having.So you people can use words like "batshit crazy",etc. and I say screw you.Until you have lived,loved and lost that bi-polar person,you don't know what it is to be them.Unlike Newt,I would never use my love for my dad for an opportunity to further my agenda,or career.But,"crazy" as my father may have been,he taught me compassion,critical and concise thinking,love of learning,joy in gardening,the beauty and freedom of a trip to the beach,love of animals,a never give up attitude,and the beauty of a song.I have cried while writing this,because my father taught me tears of sorrow lead to smiles of life.By the way,my dad also taught me to pay attention to politics,and to listen and research politicians words and actions.All the gifts he gave to me,good and bad,I passed on to my sons.His songs were my sons lullabies.That was my father-and he was bi-polar.
I haven't read all the comments, but didn't like that he said his mother, if there, would be talking to "those people" -- he's very detached, didn't look at the audience. His wife looks very cold, and didn't quite know if she should clap. I thought the clapping odd, actually.
I've read about Newt's childhood. It wasn't a pleasant one. He had an absent father, an extremely hard step-father and his mother suffered from severe depression and bi-polar disease. I sure don't think he remembers her being too happy and loving life with that diagnosis. In any case, I do believe his tears ~ even when he thought to tie it all up with his record (with Kerry) for political reasons.
Somewhere in middle America, a focus group said "show more emotion". The Newt staffers have no concept of emotion, so Newt was told to "tear up". Newt probably emitted 3 drops or less, to avoid comparison with Speaker Boehner.
It was a good enough performance to get Newt some desparately needed media coverage. What more could the coldhearted, evil, srrogant so-and-so want?
Cynical me immediately wants to peg him as a showman, BUT- there was a facial expression which is consistent with sorrow- the brows raise & forehead furrows- which was there for about a second. I do think he has sadness about his mother... who knows how accurate his claim of bipolar is... if it is, he himself may have some mood modulation issues. What was very interesting to me was the way Callista sat motionless, with a reaction that was delayed beyond the audience's reaction- and it was a much weaker response, as well. Make of it what you will, but it struck me as strange- was she unaware, or has she tired of the story???
I personally want politicians that shed tears for no one. Why all this crying? It's a sign of weakness, not a way to get elected. Officials elected to high office need to be tougher than the average person, not some lachrymose, weak-willed sissy.
So yea, if Newt or any other poli thinks crying will get my vote, it just won't work. Man (or woman) up and be strong!
I think it is a mixed bag here, and I immediately thought of Hillary's tearing up moment when she was down in the polls. In both cases I think the emotion was genuine, but also there was likely an impulse at play attempting to show their softer sides, at the same time.
I admire Hillary tremendously, but both she and Newt are cut-throat politicians, and hey, what did they have to lose?
Candy Crowley and Wolf Blitzer (not my favorite people) acknowledged that at this point in the campaigns the candidates are extremely tired and their nerves are frayed, so getting emotional is just that much easier.
Anyway, I am thrilled Newt is doing so poorly, and I don't think this is going to help him one darn bit, whatever he might have been up to. What a two-week roller coaster for him, though.
hi Gryphen, just wanted to thank you for the blog, I've learned a lot thru the last year or so from it, love to check it from time to time to get away from the mainstream media, have a great new year!
It is plain to see that your blog has the intelligent slice of America reading it. I have often said we need an intelligence test for voting. Having Luntz asking the question is hysterical, seeing that blow hole cry is hysterical. The fact that he is even considered to run for president equals the absurdity of the money and fame of the Kardashian family. They are dinosaurs....McConnell, Newt, Cantor and Bohner.
OMG !!! He was clearly aggravated at the child in the audience ! I knew Newt when he was a college Professor at West Georgia College in Carrollton Ga. The man was a flaming liberal in those days ( circa 79 ) Jackie ( His wife at the time ) was a high school teacher, Newt would stop by my store after classes for his "Bull session " with several locals who convinced him to run for Congress, Newt then as with Newt now will go in whichever direction keeps him in good graces with the people who inflate his ego, It's sickening !!
Newt's mom was crazy. If he's really crying, it's because he's weeping at the thought of all the abuse and uncertainty he suffered at the hands of his batshit moms.
He's crying out of desperation, "Just elect me, for crying out loud! I married my blow up doll because I thought she would be First Lady material! Wahhhhhhh! And now I spend more than the GNP of most countries at Tiffanys on her! Wahhhhhh!"
Newt might shed a tear over the thought of his departed mother, yet when Bill Clinton's mother died Newt Gingrich and Bob Dole proceeded to bring Clinton up on charges that very day that carried through to Clinton's mom's funeral. So he has no respect for other's sorrow, so therefore I see his sorrow as nothing but show.
I think the negativity he has received in his campaign (as to his horrible past deeds in Congress as well as his personal life) have gotten to him.
He has been torn apart from one end to the other and I think talking about his mother brought the pain of it all to the surface.
I suspect the ego he has carried all these years has been greatly diminished and I'll wager things have come out about him that this current wife didn't even know.
I would never vote for him for any office and I suspect many women feel as I do. It should be noted that he is also very unhealthy looking - heart attack coming type in appearance - slow in movement as to walking, etc.
He needs to go back to his book writing business and stay away from politics.
Leona Helmsley could cry at the drop of a hat, but those tears were only for what wounded her crocodile heart/feelings. She had no tears for anyone she herself hurt. M from MD
He might have had a hard childhood,but that's no reason to turn our children in slave labor janitors. There was a time when Dickensian nightmares were something to move our country away from, rather than remembering them as the good old days.
Newt cries about his mom in front of a room full of moms and mentions Sarah Palin on a heavily viewed Fox viewer show after it is revealed he's not on the Iowa caucus ballot, is running out of money, and is sliding in the polls. That doesn't sound calculated to you?
Agree with the 97% here who claim he did it for the publicity. No real connection to his mother, or to the sufferings of others who have been in similar circumstances. It's all about him. And, yes, he's crying because he's exhausted and he knows that, within days, his final pirouette on the stage will come to an end. Then he can go listen to his wife playing the French horn in her Tiffany pearls.
The question was asked by a political plant. Of course it was made up. What a decietful pig. Oh and his wife of course was a whore as a congressional aide, screwing an older married man for over 6 years. What a disgusting goldigger.
The crying baby in the audience kind of fucked up his fake moment. Funny as shit. HAHAHA
It certainly is funny as shit the longer you think about it. Total gas-bag who thinks he is far superior to his peers and yet goes to such lengths to clean up his act publicly because he has so much baggage.
Tears from the likes of him have absolutely no impact on me. I call bullshit!
Watch the women in the audience, espcially the blonde helmet haired current wife.
STAGED to the max.
I saw my husband cry several times, had he been on stage, I'd be reaching for my purse for tissues.
@Anne Your Father is proud of you, your comment brought me to tears. My Uncle suffered his entire life, raised a family, paid taxes, and was loved by many. His health insurance didn't cover his medication, and all his extended family pitched in to ensure he never went without it.
Mental Illness is nothing to be made fun of, we need to lift the stigma and raise awareness.
I am reminded of Scott Peterson, a hollow man of no conscience or real human emotion; he was able to summon forth buckets of tears in interviews even as he knew of his wife's watery grave. All sociopaths and pathological narcissists do not kill people, as we all know, some of them simply drive people looney in the workplace or as neighbors. And some of them run for elected office.
My guess would be that he was not his mother's care taker.
Whether he was or not he has no capacity to see how others with less money suffer when they become unable to care for themselves or the financial and emotional toll it takes on the rest of the family.
If he did he would be shouting out support for universal health care from every roof top.
The exact opposite if true. In case there anyone who thought there was a glimmer of humanity in Newt. Now you know there isn't.
He didn't even express love for her or pity for her suffering.
Bullshit.
ReplyDeleteI think it was genuine, unlike Glen Beck. So maybe the salamandar is only 99% narcissist. He's still a complete jackass. I would be more impressed if he teared up with remorse over what he did to his first two wives.
ReplyDeleteTotal, complete b.s.
ReplyDeleteNewt's mom was crazy. If he's really crying, it's because he's weeping at the thought of all the abuse and uncertainty he suffered at the hands of his batshit moms.
Also note that he angles his body for the camera, and he completely ignores the crying baby in the audience... AND his campaign is totally playing up the incident and saying it's his "Hilary moment."
was that frank luntz asking him the question?
ReplyDeletethat is frank luntz....asking him the
ReplyDeletememe-point questions.
frank set him up.
as frank always sets up the rw
with the emotey memes.
Due to the timing, I'd say it's clearly staged to try and "humanize" Newt.
ReplyDeletehaving Luntz ask the questions is like stabbing yourself for every
ReplyDeletequestion on a polygraph...
I think the tears are from the stress and frustration from the campaign.
ReplyDeleteI think Newt should change his ringtone. "Dancing Queen" is so yesterday.
ReplyDeleteWhy not "Don't Cry for Me Argentina"?
He's exploiting that most basic emotion: Mother Love. Everybody has strong feelings for their mother: whether it's Love (most of us), Hate (for a few - and reserved for those certain awful mothers), and everyone else in between, he's tapping emotional energy and turning it toward him. Manipulating sympathy for himself.
ReplyDeleteAnd, he's particularly targeting females. A woman would normally (IF it wasn't Newt!) want to reach out, console and comfort him. It is an attempt to humanize him: Everyone has a mother!
KAO
Straight old-fashioned bull shit. As real as Boner's red nosed snuffling.
ReplyDeleteAs real as Obama and Hillarys tears.
ReplyDeleteThe inflection of his voice hardly changed. In my experience, most folks who are emotionally affected sufficiently to cause a tear to run down the face will also have their voice affected. So, bullshit it is.
ReplyDeleteWhat do I think? I think there's a acting gig on "The Young And The Restless" when he gives up politics. Any one can flick a finger under their eye to wipe away pretend tears. I also think the questions were staged.
ReplyDeleteI lost my Mom three-and-a-half years ago. There are songs that remind me of her that I still cannot listen to but NOT because i cry. I just know she's in a better place so why be depressed?
I would ALSO have asked the slug, "because of what you went through with your mom, which you were financially able to endure the costs of, WHY did you and STILL do fight healthcare of all Americans who don't have that luxury?"
But these stupid interviewers NEVER do get down to brass tacks.
EFF YOU, NEWTIE!
Bullshit. As others said, he is trying to humanize himself, and he is also targeting women. Gingrich is manipulative and self serving.
ReplyDeleteI think the tears are real. However, he is probably recollecting how little attention he gave his mother when she was alive.
ReplyDeletelast word.
ReplyDeleteNo women is above being used by Newt. Not even a dead one.
ReplyDeleteOn a purely speculative note, Gingrich said his mom had a bipolar disorder. Doesn't this sometimes run in families, and might it explain some of his erratic behavior and statements? He's known for alienating people and for being combative. It just makes you wonder....
Well, let's see, in the last 48 hours he's been seen crying, and mentioned $arah Paylin as qualified for something north of dog catcher.
ReplyDeleteFail on both counts
WTF didn't the people with the disruptive kids take them OUT? Very distracting! No place to take a kid!
ReplyDeleteAs for Newt, I dunno. I think he started out calculated, but I do think when he suddenly chocked up it was for real.
Having loved ones with his and his mother's tortured history can do that to you.
If his mother had mental health issues (including bi-polar) I don't question his reaction one bit.
ReplyDeleteMy mother was a loving, yet complicated mental case (bi-polar among others) and the experience of being mothered by her--the sadness of her and our situation--is one that will always affect me.
Whatever you think of the Newt, I don't know why folks wonder if his reaction is real. The sadness of the memory, plus the inevitable fatigue and stress of campaigning could cause even a salamander to weep.
Anyone who dumps their wife at her cancer bed is a teary-eyed faker.
ReplyDeleteI think it's fake. There was an audience there filled with a lot of women. How anyone can conjure up tears in front of strangers while answering questions for political purposes raises my red flag.
ReplyDeleteNarcissists love an audience and BS'ing anyone who doesn't know their mean streaks. They'll play the emotional card in front of an adoring crowd, but at home become the house devil they are. Street angels, house devils.
The only spontaneous emotions Newt shows are his narcissism, temper tantrums and horniness!
ReplyDeleteI call bullshit.
ReplyDeleteWhile I have no doubt that Gingrich can call up real tears when he thinks about his mother, the timing and setting are clearly premeditated.
The way that Luntz phrases the questions are clearly for the most dramatic affect, and Gingrich plays his part on cue.
I took an acting class in college. I was able to get extra credit for crying on cue. All I did was think of the death of a beloved family pet. The tears were real, but the situation was false. Same thing here.
It won't help however. Newt's campaign is essentially broke, and he is carrying WAY too much baggage to be a serious contender.
I think the tears were real. but...
ReplyDeleteI see tears of rage, tears of frustration, tears of real disappointment that, in "modern politics" everybody knows, or will know, all of your indiscretions, lies, double-dealing, and adulteries.
These are tears for what could have been, back when the electorate was ignorant, and only the privileged could vote these tired old white men into power.
Ohhhh.. I think the tears are real enough.
The pertinent question here is: Just what are you crying FOR, Newt.
Newt, in all his permutations is as phony as...well phony is as phony does.
Real tears alright.
But Newt is old, and too tired, and
too phony.
He's crying because he knows we know.
And he's crying for himself.
OT - Went to check things out @ C4P and found this: http://texansforsarahpalin.blogspot.com/2011/12/very-special-love.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
ReplyDeleteIt is a video with many shots of Trig. Think of it as a game. How many different Trigs do you see? I def. see 2 and possibly 3. Looking for other opinions.
Tears for Mom, but totally down with serving wife with divorce papers in the hospital after cancer surgery.
ReplyDeleteWhat that guy in Iowa called him....
So Newt is now 'human but forgiven' and Hillary is still 'weaK' for having cried. And Boehner is still a drunken ass. What have we learned this week? Newt is an even better actir than we thought, and the GOP is still a bunch of heartless bums who think Sarah is qualified for something.
ReplyDeleteLaboratory-grade (99.9999% pure) bullshit.
ReplyDelete@Gryphen, I took lots of acting classes in a dept. where everyone already had their SAG cards. I could cry on cue as well. It's called "Sense Memory." GOP Politicians do it because they have become performer. They have no connection to the "polis" in politician, and are now merely performers, reading lines/points given to them by the Kochs and "foundations/think tanks." Palin is a prime example of a GOP performer. They are paid to perform. And make no mistake: it is the PAYMENT they are seeking.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Luntz was asking the questions answers your question, Gryphen. Complete damage control, image shaping bullshit - stinking to high heaven.
ReplyDeleteFrank Luntz the spin-doctor mastermind behind "Death panels", "job creators", "ground zero mosque" (community center with a mosque in it - two blocks from WTC site), "Obamacare", Madison protesters were all "bused in Union thugs" (funny, I had to walk a mile to get to the Capital every time because of the thousands of cars) ....
He pols panels until he gets exactly the right reaction from the gullible with his catch phrases, then sends out his orders to Fox, right wing radio and republican politicians and operatives to use his carefully crafted dog whistles.
Luntz even let his mask drop on Fox when he reprimanded Hannity for using the term "public option", telling him "government option" would be a better term. A few months later a memo was sent out to Fox employees: "friendly reminder: let's not slip back into calling it the "public option""...."Please use the term "government-run health insurance" or, when brevity is a concern, "government option," whenever possible." Propaganda, pure and simple. Thought police.
He is also regarded as a "cleaner" of sorts, supplier of damage control talking point brilliance. Scott Walker had a meeting with him the day after he took a call from the phony Koch brother. Paul Ryan found himself on a huge conference call with Luntz and most of the Congressmen who voted for Ryan's Path to Prosperity plan after angry seniors flooded town halls all over the country.
Gingrich is a sociopath, or at the very least, a narcissist. Narcissists cry genuine tears about their support system (parents, spouses). But it always has to do with their relation to the subject. The tears come up when mother is mentioned, but he is actually crying for himself. Luntz knew this and exploited it. Period.
for someone who treats women so badly it makes you wonder what the parents were like.
ReplyDeleteI haven't watched it yet. I may or may not, but my first reaction is that it's pretty interesting that all these good old boys have suddenly tapped into their weepy side...does Glenn Beck get a kickback on Vicks sales these days? Maybe it was real this time, but I am very suspicious of all these tears.
ReplyDeleteActors cry actual tears also. To bring the tears on maybe he was imagining his own grandchildren working as janitors in school.
ReplyDeleteNewt has a well-known history of treating women like shit and kicking them when they are down. He knows more women vote than men so he's trying to get their sympathy vote.
It's purely a calculated ploy to try and make him look more human since he knows he comes off as a cold-hearted, unsympathetic rattlesnake dictator-wannabe.
Nice try Newt but I'm not buying it. I'm surprised your tears didn't scald your face and leave a scar.
-Colleen
Has Newt shed one tear for all of the soldiers who died? For the poor patients who didn't have wealthy sons like Newt to pay for the health care? Does he shed tears for either of his first two wives as they lay in a hospital bed? When Newt savages other politicians, does he care at all for their feelings? Newt is a real as the thing on Callista's head.
ReplyDeleteI think the segment was stages to show emotion, but his reaction to his emotions were real. The instantaneous tears, the scrunching and reddening of his face were a result of strong emotions. I do not believe that Gingrich is that good of an actor. Dealing with a parent with depression is very difficult. Do his tears show he is kind and caring, and therefore a good candidate for POTUS? No. Do they show he loves his mother? Maybe. Doe they show that he has experienced pain with his mother's ailment? Yes. Calling his reaction fake only convinces me that we all have an agenda and see what we want to see.
ReplyDeleteAm I the only one who remembers the Connie Chung interview with Newt's Mom, when she called Hillary "a bitch"?
ReplyDeleteHey Newt. Maybe it would have been more effective on all those women in the audience if you had of presented a slideshow of your dying wife showing you by her bedside with photo-shopped tears. You could get really creative and show lots of pictures of you with all the other women you dumped on in your life and your eyes filled with (photo-shopped) tears.
ReplyDeleteI agree his voice doesn't choke up. You choke up, practically can't speak if you are deeply moved.
ReplyDeleteI too have acted, I too can call up tears, but am rarely teary in life.
Probably because I had a disturbed mother in law who teared up whenever she didn't get her way. She could turn it on like a faucet for anything whatsoever. And she got her way. (NOT WITH ME)l Her daughter tried it in her marriage and her husband put a quick stop to the waterworks on cue.
I think he is exhausted though and though they are pushing that Virginia thingee for him, he knows the jig is up.
Real or fake? I don't care. (but thanks for the clip, G.) So good that he seems to be toast.
ReplyDeleteTake a look at Krugman today -- re how Keynes was right all along, and Obama is coming around. My thinking is Obama wanted to spend big all along (to jump-start the economy) but knew he could not. Let's hope now he will. As Keynes said: “The boom, not the slump, is the right time for austerity at the Treasury.”
The best part of the whole clip was the baby crying...maybe that triggered Newts tears from that picture that was posted of him as a baby in a diaper crying because he didn't get to sit on Air Force One with President Clinton!
ReplyDeleteThis picture....http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/blnewtcrybaby2.htm
"While I have no doubt that Gingrich can call up real tears when he thinks about his mother, the timing and setting are clearly premeditated."
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's what I'm thinking too. The emotion may have been legit, but the whole thing was purposely staged as a presentation. WHy would anyone who wants to appear legit have Frank Luntz, the king of marketing/wordtwisting/distortion asking the questions?
Narcissists just don't have enough self awareness to see when they're coming across as disingenuous and manipulative.
Much like our favorite half term quitter.
Newt uses his mentally ill mother to get sympathy votes but when has he EVER been an advocate for the mentally ill? What has he ever done to help them? To prevent another child from experiencing what he did growing up?
ReplyDeleteFuck him!
Everything he does is bullshit. He is the most arrogant lying sack of shit the GOP offers and that is really saying a lot.
ReplyDeleteI call bullshit too. When Luntz is involved, it's all just so...OBVIOUS!
ReplyDeleteThe thing I have not seen discussed is Newton Leroy's comments about how "he" (emphasis) dealt with "real people" (emphasis) in "his" (emphasis) family. WTF is that supposed to mean? That other Americans who deal with physical and mental health problems are just imaginary people?
Meh, this guy is going back to his sad private life real soon anyway!
Yeah, so everyone has emotions about their mothers.
ReplyDeleteEven the mentally ill ones who make your childhood miserable.
But if it was up to Newt—he'd do the same thing to other people's children--- so I have nothing for his tears.
Newt just needs a nap....
ReplyDeleteFake: his heart's three sizes too small for compassion or remorse.
ReplyDeleteNewt had me until he was asked what he would say to his mother if she were here.No one would say that stuff to a long dead parent they love and miss.My father died 22 years ago.The only thing I COULD say to my daddy if he could be here today is how much I love and miss him.After that,words would escape me,because all I would be able to do is sit on his lap,hold him tight and cry. Until my sons were born,there was no one in the world I loved more,or was more proud of,than my father.His brilliance,his strength,his work ethic,his thoughtful fairness,his beautiful singing voice,his not heard enough laughter,the way he never called me Anne-I was always his "sweety".His big hands that held mine,his towering height and beautiful blue eyes,his smell.That was my dad.The man who was tortured by a disease he couldn't control.My father was bi-polar,and it haunted him,as it haunted me.I wanted to always protect him from something he had no choice of having.So you people can use words like "batshit crazy",etc. and I say screw you.Until you have lived,loved and lost that bi-polar person,you don't know what it is to be them.Unlike Newt,I would never use my love for my dad for an opportunity to further my agenda,or career.But,"crazy" as my father may have been,he taught me compassion,critical and concise thinking,love of learning,joy in gardening,the beauty and freedom of a trip to the beach,love of animals,a never give up attitude,and the beauty of a song.I have cried while writing this,because my father taught me tears of sorrow lead to smiles of life.By the way,my dad also taught me to pay attention to politics,and to listen and research politicians words and actions.All the gifts he gave to me,good and bad,I passed on to my sons.His songs were my sons lullabies.That was my father-and he was bi-polar.
ReplyDeleteThank you for that Anne. From a mother of a bi-polar child, whom I worry about constantly,well.... just thank you.
ReplyDelete@Anne, beautiful post, it brought tears to my eyes.
ReplyDeleteVery good point about mental illness. Thanks.
I haven't read all the comments, but didn't like that he said his mother, if there, would be talking to "those people" -- he's very detached, didn't look at the audience. His wife looks very cold, and didn't quite know if she should clap. I thought the clapping odd, actually.
ReplyDeleteFrank Luntz = LIES.
ReplyDeleteI've read about Newt's childhood. It wasn't a pleasant one. He had an absent father, an extremely hard step-father and his mother suffered from severe depression and bi-polar disease. I sure don't think he remembers her being too happy and loving life with that diagnosis. In any case, I do believe his tears ~ even when he thought to tie it all up with his record (with Kerry) for political reasons.
ReplyDeleteDesperate BULLSHIT !
ReplyDeletePhony b@§t@rd!!!
ReplyDeleteSomewhere in middle America, a focus group said "show more emotion". The Newt staffers have no concept of emotion, so Newt was told to "tear up". Newt probably emitted 3 drops or less, to avoid comparison with Speaker Boehner.
ReplyDeleteIt was a good enough performance to get Newt some desparately needed media coverage. What more could the coldhearted, evil, srrogant so-and-so want?
Cynical me immediately wants to peg him as a showman, BUT- there was a facial expression which is consistent with sorrow- the brows raise & forehead furrows- which was there for about a second. I do think he has sadness about his mother... who knows how accurate his claim of bipolar is... if it is, he himself may have some mood modulation issues. What was very interesting to me was the way Callista sat motionless, with a reaction that was delayed beyond the audience's reaction- and it was a much weaker response, as well. Make of it what you will, but it struck me as strange- was she unaware, or has she tired of the story???
ReplyDeleteAnywho... Happy New Year to Gryph & all bloggers!
I personally want politicians that shed tears for no one. Why all this crying? It's a sign of weakness, not a way to get elected. Officials elected to high office need to be tougher than the average person, not some lachrymose, weak-willed sissy.
ReplyDeleteSo yea, if Newt or any other poli thinks crying will get my vote, it just won't work. Man (or woman) up and be strong!
I think it is a mixed bag here, and I immediately thought of Hillary's tearing up moment when she was down in the polls. In both cases I think the emotion was genuine, but also there was likely an impulse at play attempting to show their softer sides, at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI admire Hillary tremendously, but both she and Newt are cut-throat politicians, and hey, what did they have to lose?
Candy Crowley and Wolf Blitzer (not my favorite people) acknowledged that at this point in the campaigns the candidates are extremely tired and their nerves are frayed, so getting emotional is just that much easier.
Anyway, I am thrilled Newt is doing so poorly, and I don't think this is going to help him one darn bit, whatever he might have been up to. What a two-week roller coaster for him, though.
This circus is ridiculous.
hi Gryphen, just wanted to thank you for the blog, I've learned a lot thru the last year or so from it, love to check it from time to time to get away from the mainstream media, have a great new year!
ReplyDeleteIt may have been genuine at the beginning, and easily halted, but he definitely MILKED IT.
ReplyDeleteRemembering his mother's interview with Connie Chung might have helped bring up some tears. Here's the clip:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vecw539MjWM
Mrs. Gingrich whispers Newt's opinion of Hillary Clinton: "she's a bitch."
.
It is plain to see that your blog has the intelligent slice of America reading it. I have often said we need an intelligence test for voting. Having Luntz asking the question is hysterical, seeing that blow hole cry is hysterical. The fact that he is even considered to run for president equals the absurdity of the money and fame of the Kardashian family. They are dinosaurs....McConnell, Newt, Cantor and Bohner.
ReplyDeleteOMG !!! He was clearly aggravated at the child in the audience ! I knew Newt when he was a college Professor at West Georgia College in Carrollton Ga. The man was a flaming liberal in those days ( circa 79 ) Jackie ( His wife at the time ) was a high school teacher, Newt would stop by my store after classes for his "Bull session " with several locals who convinced him to run for Congress, Newt then as with Newt now will go in whichever direction keeps him in good graces with the people who inflate his ego, It's sickening !!
ReplyDeleteSaw this today, It made me laugh
ReplyDeleteGetrich/Payme 2012
Anon 7:57 said...
ReplyDeleteNewt's mom was crazy. If he's really crying, it's because he's weeping at the thought of all the abuse and uncertainty he suffered at the hands of his batshit moms.
``````````````````
Totally agree!
He's crying out of desperation, "Just elect me, for crying out loud! I married my blow up doll because I thought she would be First Lady material! Wahhhhhhh! And now I spend more than the GNP of most countries at Tiffanys on her! Wahhhhhh!"
ReplyDeleteTEAR JERK.
Newt might shed a tear over the thought of his departed mother, yet when Bill Clinton's mother died Newt Gingrich and Bob Dole proceeded to bring Clinton up on charges that very day that carried through to Clinton's mom's funeral. So he has no respect for other's sorrow, so therefore I see his sorrow as nothing but show.
ReplyDeleteI think the negativity he has received in his campaign (as to his horrible past deeds in Congress as well as his personal life) have gotten to him.
ReplyDeleteHe has been torn apart from one end to the other and I think talking about his mother brought the pain of it all to the surface.
I suspect the ego he has carried all these years has been greatly diminished and I'll wager things have come out about him that this current wife didn't even know.
I would never vote for him for any office and I suspect many women feel as I do. It should be noted that he is also very unhealthy looking - heart attack coming type in appearance - slow in movement as to walking, etc.
He needs to go back to his book writing business and stay away from politics.
Leona Helmsley could cry at the drop of a hat, but those tears were only for what wounded her crocodile heart/feelings. She had no tears for anyone she herself hurt.
ReplyDeleteM from MD
Beck loaned Newt the Vicks.
ReplyDeleteNewt if full of b.s. That is what it is.
ReplyDeleteHe might have had a hard childhood,but that's no reason to turn our children in slave labor janitors. There was a time when Dickensian nightmares were something to move our country away from, rather than remembering them as the good old days.
Newt cries about his mom in front of a room full of moms and mentions Sarah Palin on a heavily viewed Fox viewer show after it is revealed he's not on the Iowa caucus ballot, is running out of money, and is sliding in the polls. That doesn't sound calculated to you?
ReplyDeleteAgree with the 97% here who claim he did it for the publicity. No real connection to his mother, or to the sufferings of others who have been in similar circumstances. It's all about him.
ReplyDeleteAnd, yes, he's crying because he's exhausted and he knows that, within days, his final pirouette on the stage will come to an end.
Then he can go listen to his wife playing the French horn in her Tiffany pearls.
The question was asked by a political plant. Of course it was made up. What a decietful pig. Oh and his wife of course was a whore as a congressional aide, screwing an older married man for over 6 years. What a disgusting goldigger.
ReplyDeleteThe crying baby in the audience kind of fucked up his fake moment. Funny as shit. HAHAHA
ReplyDeleteIt certainly is funny as shit the longer you think about it. Total gas-bag who thinks he is far superior to his peers and yet goes to such lengths to clean up his act publicly because he has so much baggage.
Tears from the likes of him have absolutely no impact on me. I call bullshit!
Newt's a political plant himself. Poison Ivy.
ReplyDeleteOhhhhh My!
ReplyDeleteHey, Gryph, can you pass Newtie some paper towels?
There's a bull that needs his ass wiped.
Play it again folks
ReplyDeleteWatch the women in the audience, espcially the blonde helmet haired current wife.
STAGED to the max.
I saw my husband cry several times, had he been on stage, I'd be reaching for my purse for tissues.
@Anne
Your Father is proud of you, your comment brought me to tears. My Uncle suffered his entire life, raised a family, paid taxes, and was loved by many. His health insurance didn't cover his medication, and all his extended family pitched in to ensure he never went without it.
Mental Illness is nothing to be made fun of, we need to lift the stigma and raise awareness.
Without even watching it, Bullshit.
ReplyDelete7:59 PM
ReplyDeleteThats why the repugbaggers including the insufferable bitch should never come near the WhiteHouse
It's BS!
ReplyDelete''Anonymous Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteAs real as Obama and Hillarys tears.
8:11 AM'''
And your comment is BS. Your ass has never seen President Obama crying. Accept, when he was seen crying over the death of his grandmother.
Hillary yes. President Obama NO!
I am reminded of Scott Peterson, a hollow man of no conscience or real human emotion; he was able to summon forth buckets of tears in interviews even as he knew of his wife's watery grave. All sociopaths and pathological narcissists do not kill people, as we all know, some of them simply drive people looney in the workplace or as neighbors. And some of them run for elected office.
ReplyDeletereal?
ReplyDeleteunreal?
Irrelevant.
Did Hitler love his dog?
Because he showed a little emotion for his mother, in this case whether or not real, I would give a pass on this.
ReplyDeleteIt's not like Boner crying at the drop of the hat over a glass of spilled milk (or a missed putt on the ninth green).
My guess would be that he was not his mother's care taker.
ReplyDeleteWhether he was or not he has no capacity to see how others with less money suffer when they become unable to care for themselves or the financial and emotional toll it takes on the rest of the family.
If he did he would be shouting out support for universal health care from every roof top.
The exact opposite if true. In case there anyone who thought there was a glimmer of humanity in Newt. Now you know there isn't.
He didn't even express love for her or pity for her suffering.
Anonymous Morgan said...
ReplyDeleteOn a purely speculative note, Gingrich said his mom had a bipolar disorder.
8:35 AM
He skipped the bi and just went for polarizing.
Seriously, if he is manic depressive where is either of those characteristics.
He is just a selfish bastard.