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Tristyn Bloom
Matthew Cantirino
Anthony Esolen
Gene Fant
Greg Forster
Matthew J. Franck
Collin Garbarino
Robert P. George
William J. Haun
Leroy Huizenga
Katherine Infantine
Joseph Knippenberg
David T. Koyzis
Robert T. Miller
Matthew Milliner
David Mills
Mark Movsesian
William Mumma
Nathaniel Peters
R.R. Reno
James R. Rogers
Russell E. Saltzman
Matthew Schmitz
Kevin Staley-Joyce
David Talcott
Anna Williams
The two best things I have read on the question of Newt Gingrich’s admitted past adulteries, the forgiveness of his sins upon entering into the Catholic Church, and the relevance of these facts for voters considering his presidential candidacy, are by Frank Beckwith at The Catholic Thing and Ramesh Ponnuru at National Review Online. Both are eminently worth reading.
December 22nd, 2011 | 10:48 am
Both very sensible articles, even for those who are convinced of Newt Gingrich’s current sincerity.
December 22nd, 2011 | 4:02 pm
Agreed–excellent, thoughtful, principled reasons to prefer a more perfect candidate for the nomination. God willing, a “more perfect” candidate does exist!
However, in my opinion, not sufficient reasons to avoid supporting Gingrich in the noble cause of ridding ourselves of the current evil, culture-of-death regime should he somehow become the candidate for preseident in the general election.
December 22nd, 2011 | 10:01 pm
past behaviors forgiven but not forgotten and predictors of future behaviors. changing wives, changing religions. what else?
December 22nd, 2011 | 11:26 pm
At the risk of being too cynical and uncharitable, Gingrich is a guy who since his reputed – perhaps “advertised” is the better word – conversion has racked up a huge bill at Tiffany’s, a guy who has incurred a $1.2 million campaign debt due in part to taking $30,000 charter plane flights and staying at the fanciest hotels, who has sold his own mailing list to that campaign and paid himself for it while other creditors have been left waiting. I could go on, and so could anyone else who’s been paying attention.
Is this a guy who looks likes he’s come to terms with his own sin? Is this a guy who looks like he’s been humbled? What evidence is there that he’s a different man than the one who cheated on his wives? If the religious Right makes excuses for Gingrich, it’s only going to confirm another generation of the cultured despisers in its prejudice.
December 23rd, 2011 | 5:44 am
Gingrich’s private life is completely irrelevant to my vote. It could hardly be more scandalous than the Catholic JFK’s, to say nothing of the Catholic conservative Berlusconi.
But it vividly prefigures the disaster that would ensue if he were elected. A President need not be chaste, but he must be prudent. In executive office, it is often necessary to understate one’s case, settle for less than one wants and cooperate with one’s adversaries. In diplomacy, one must smile and shake hands and speak vacuously of “partnership” even with some of the worst monsters on the planet. Gingrich consistently chooses confrontation over cooperation and prefers posturing to prudence. He is temperamentally unfit for the Presidency.
Full disclosure: I am not in any way associated with the Romney campaign. I have simply come to the conclusion that Romney is the best man for the job.
December 23rd, 2011 | 4:08 pm
Way to go, Ken! God may have forgiven Gingrich, but that doesn’t mean anyone should vote for him.
December 28th, 2011 | 12:19 pm
[...] a commenter at First Thoughts, has it right, I think:Gingrich’s private life is completely irrelevant to my vote. It could hardly be more [...]
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