Newt Gingrich Doesn't Want an Open Marriage
Just when I think I can no longer be shocked by politicians' behavior, this comes along. It's not the fact that Newt Gingrich's ex-wife claims he wanted an open marriage that I find so shocking. Not at all. Maybe he did. Maybe he didn't.
The issue that has me spitting mad is the fact that Gingrich had the audacity to say that the moderator bringing up the open marriage question at the GOP debate was the most despicable thing he could imagine.
Read the rest at Huffington Post Politics.
Thanks as usual to Gina Misiroglu of Red Room for putting me in touch with the Huffington Post people. It’s just one of the great ways she's bringing traffic to Red Room and getting attention for Red Room's authors.
About Jenny
Jenny Block has a BA and an MA from Virginia Commonwealth University. She was a college English instructor for nearly ten years and now works as a freelance writer whose work has appeared in a variety of regional and national publications and on a number of...
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Causes Jenny Block Supports
Muscular Dystrophy Association, Christian Children's Fund, Rape and Incest National Network (RAINN), HRC, Matthew Shepherd Foundation, Breast Cancer 3-Day...
Two Missing Points
While I liked your blog I believe that there are a couple of points you missed. The first point is that it's apparent Newt doesn't believe in the 'sanctity of marriage' that his party espouses or he wouldn't have ditched his first two wives when they couldn't perform their 'wifely' duties. Of course since the GOP really doesn't either (see the Terri Schiavo case) it probably shouldn't surprise anyone that Newt would attack the messenger instead of admitting to the truth of the matter.
My second point is that it's apparent that Newt believes in the Victorian or Edwardian view of marriage in that a man is allowed to have a wife and mistress while the wife has to submit or get thrown out into the street. This to me demonstrates that he has nothing but contempt for women which is even more frightening since the hundred year anniversary of a woman's right to vote is coming up soon. Newt has shown by his actions that his word means nothing; that he'll reverse any gains women have made in society if he's put into office. If this is the kind of the message of inclusion that the GOP's spouting then they're cutting off their nose to spite their face and showing everyone by their actions that they're as bad as Newt when it comes to their treatment of women, even the women in their own party. We can't afford a return to Victorian or Edwardian England as far as standards go in such a competitive world, nor can we afford people who only pay 'lip service' to the sanctity of marriage.
The End of the Affair
Former Speaker Gingrich is a piece of work, Jenny. For Republicans, who have been trying to run against Bill Clinton for fifteen years, it must seem almost suicidal to come down for Mitt Romney, a Mormon apostate, as their choice. Frankly, they would be much better off with Ron Paul, who for all his ideological faults may be the most honest person running for President this year. And that's a lot for a Progressive like myself to say!
[Macresarf1]
I loved the article!
Thank you for the article on Newt and Open Marriages! I am an avid Huffington Post reader and a Red Room blogger and I love it when people speak the truth! Your points here resonated!
I too was disturbed-when Newt was disturbed about being asked this question. Are you kidding me? If our current President had half the relationship "past" that Newt has, he would have been burned at the Republican media stake and surely wouldn't have been President. And do you remember what they did to former President Bill Clinton? Oh they judged him so and condemned him to no end! Truth is, there are so many men who fall into this way of behaving, have you checked out Steve Harvey the uber super mega star and how he has treated his wives over the years? Have you noticed how well it has served him? It is what it is.
I continue to be amazed at how a man can behave a certain way and it's dismissed as "he is just being a guy"-it's ignored, it's accepted. We forgive and move on-which is fine. I believe in "forgive and forget" too, to a degree. But if a woman did the same exact things that some of these men do, she would be buried alive by the media and society as a whole and reduced to nothingness. She would be deemed unworthy of air. And she surely wouldn't be acceptable as a candidate for President of the United States. That, I am sure of!
Moving forward...it might be a good idea to look at other options for marriage. I see you have done that in your book(which I plan to pick up by the way). As an author myself, I too am asking the questions in our(my daughter and I co-wrote) the upcoming book "Is Married the New Single?" We have much to say about being married and the current state of affairs(literally). It is high time we take a look at marriage, what it means, and doesn't mean in this century. It is also high time we start being completely honest in what we want and don't want in relationships, what we can live with and not live without.
As they say where I come from, "let's just keep it 100"-that means, lay all the cards on the table and allow the other person to choose if they want to play. Politics or no politics, this is a real issue in society today.