Schadenfreude and Sparkles

Yesterday, 2012 Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich got a shimmering surprise at the hands of a social activist protesting Gingrich's anti-gay politics.  This somewhat embarrassing moment comes after what one might describe as a bit of a rough week for the candidate, who has had to walk back a tough (but fair, and in my opinion, quite right) criticism of Rep. Ryan's Medicare plans as "right-wing social engineering", and caught some attention for potentially race-baiting remarks in dubbing President Obama a "successful food stamp president."   It's hard for even a hardened heart like mine not to watch Newt's troubles and woes without a slightly damp eye--

From gut-shaking laughter.

The problem with Gingrich's candidacy and the various set-backs are of his own making. Sadly, Gingrich appears to be used to a model of politicking that was done away with in the era of the digital camera and the Youtube. There once was a day when one could be quite confidently two-faced. You could tell one audience that you could quite easily vote for a certain budget package, then bad-mouth it to another audience, and your two audiences would be little the wiser that one Newt speaks with forked tongue. Nowadays, we are better able to assemble both sides of a politician's various stories to get a nice crazy-quilt picture of where they stand.

In the case of the budget issue, I think I can easily sort out that Gingrich means both things: he understands the Ryan budget, has sincere reservations, might have voted for it if he were in the House, but recognizes the political drawbacks that would make it poisonous to a national candidate. (Ross Douthat makes pretty good sense of the matter here.) It's my opinion that Gingrich violated the dictum of Ronaldus Magnus because he's aware of what some of the youngin's forgot: old folks vote. But I'm not sympathetic, even if I do understand. Gingrich is known to be a bomb-thrower, but he's also handy with throwing other people under the bus if he needs to.  He has what I think of as an "ethics of convenience."

I also am unsympathetic if he's getting the attention he has reaped with respects to his use of baiting re: racism and homophobia. Last year, Gingrich got a bit of attention on this blog for his nonsense regarding his support of Prop 8 and his demagoguery regarding Cordoba House. He finds it very, well, convenient, to find an unpopular group and proceed to demonize.  He's done it with gays for decades. He's done it with Muslims, lately. And I don't doubt, even if others might, that when he referred to Obama as a "successful food stamp president", he was trying on a formula where "social welfare programs" subtly = "reparations". It fits his m.o. It's familiar territory to the average Rush Limbaugh listener.  I genuinely wish David Gregory followed up more thoroughly and challenged him on that better.

Anyway, the candidate Gingrich is getting a lot of what he's deserved for years as a pundit, but was never held responsible for before. And I find it a bit delightful, actually. I really do.