5 Reasons Why Newt Gingrich Should Not Be the GOP Presidential Nominee

Impact

There are many reasons why Newt Gingrich should not win the Republican primary and will never be elected president. Most of the rationale for this is available in the public domain. I will present five important facts about Newt Gingrich that I believe disqualify him from serving as either the representative of the Republican Party or president.

1.  While Gingrich was in the House of Representatives he was reprimanded  by the body and was fined $300,000 for using tax-deductible contributions for political purposes and for providing inaccurate information to investigators. Gingrich wants to be known as a paradigm of character and values and has campaigned on this basis. Yet, he has besmirched the reputation of the House with behavior unbecoming a congressperson.

2.  Gingrich was divorced twice before he married Callista Bisek. Both divorces involved extramarital affairs while his ex-wives were ill. Gingrich wants to be known as a paradigm of family values and has campaigned on this basis. His behavior relating to these two women in his life has been anything but exemplary.

3.  Gingrich has denounced aggressive campaign techniques after he has been the target of them. Shortly after doing so, Gingrich attacked Mitt Romney for being a private equity investor. The hypocrisy of doing so as a Republican is mindboggling, especially as the GOP has always supported this industry. Ironically, the allegations against Romney include nothing about any illegal activities. Moreover, Gingrich implicitly criticizes Romney for having a low tax rate, even though all Romney has done is to take advantage of current tax law.

4.  Gingrich is arrogant and condescending. Regarding his past “sins,”  he stated “It doesn’t matter what I do . . . People need to hear what I say.” His perspective is that he is above all criticism and we, the voters, should not allow his personal issues to impact a decision to vote for him.

5.  Too often, while catering to the religious right, Gingrich talks about his faith in God and asking God for forgiveness. This strikes me as unbelievably disingenuous and insulting to those of us who would like the election to be a “temporal” event.

As a supporter of Romney, I have an agenda relating to the actions and candidacy of Newt Gingrich. I don’t believe he has lived up to the standards that he preaches on the campaign trail. He is not a good candidate, and he will lose to Obama if he “miraculously” wins the GOP nomination. The sooner Republicans, and in particular evangelicals, recognize Gingrich for what he is and what he has done, the better.

Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore