Interesting articles attached below by R. Emmett Tyrell (American Spectator) and Elliot Abrams (asst Sec of State under Reagan) regarding the “real” Newt Gingrich.

While Gingrich states he is nothing like Bill Clinton and was a key supporter of Ronald Reagan, these two writers show that Gingrich was as narcissistic as Pres Clinton and a major Republican critic of Reagan’s foreign policy.

One thing that leaders of the Gadianton Robbers had in common: they were great flatterers, believed that their own methodologies were good, and while saying nice things to the people, supported those that were in cahoots with them.  Someone who will leave two wives, when they are suffering from serious illnesses, and create his own version of history, seems like someone who will do almost anything to get gain.

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/289159/gingrich-and-reagan-elliott-abrams

http://www.nysun.com/opinion/william-jefferson-gingrich/87674/

This article claims Mitt Romney “underpaid” his tithing because he came close but didn’t quite pay the full 10 percent.

This article was actually pretty fair and generously quotes Church members.

This article says Romney gave the Church part of his “most lucrative business deals.”

I have spent some time explaining to non-members that saying the church “requires” 10 percent tithing is a bit inaccurate. There are people who tithe on gross, there are others who tithe on net. All of us have had times when we haven’t been able to pay any tithing — or have paid very little — but still consider ourselves in good standing. In my case, I usually don’t tithe for the first few months of the calendar year (this is when I am paying off Christmas bills) but make it up later in the year.

Should you deduct any alimony payments you make from your 10 percent? I asked a bishop once and he shrugged and asked me to pray about it. So, in reality, the “requirement” is a matter of my own conscience and personal revelation, not some strict standard determined by a harsh paymaster.

On a positive note, several non-member friends have made positive comments about Mitt’s tithing being generous and a sign of true Christian charity. So, perhaps this media obsession with his tithing has some positive aspects in that it shows that Mitt truly is who he pretends to be, at least when it comes to his personal money and his Church activity.

I thought this article was interesting. Read it and then the title of the post will make sense. Strangely, I couldn’t decide if the name of the post should be 3.5:1 or 13:1 since the article essentially claims both. I hate statistics.

Discuss.

Get a load of this unbelievab article from Yahoo by Andrew Riggio. And the left wonders why the right distrustful of the media. Honestly, I can easily believe someone believes this. I am profoundly shocked that they wrote it down without even a pretense to non-bigotry and then Yahoo Contributor Network allowed it to be published — and as an Editor’s pick no less (which is how I found it.)

Underlying this sincere[ly misguided] article is a growing narrative amongst all forms of secularism (including not only atheism but also Karen Armstrong style religiosity) that Atheism in its many forms is somehow not a ideological world view (i.e. a meaning meme) whereas religion is, and therefore atheistm has an advantage in not being biased.

This is a dangerous point of view that would, if Andrew Riggio has his way, result in outright tyranny. Never let it be said that Atheists don’t wish to oppress others for having the wrong dogmas.

Well, it’s been a while since I made my “prophesy” back on Dec 3, 2011 that Gingrich would be the Republican nominee. [1]

Since then it’s been an amazing ride. I’m sure Seth R (who I have a bet with) thought he had me pretty much beat even just a few days ago back when Mitt Romney was ‘inevitable’ (for the nth time) and was going to walk away with wins in all three of the first primaries — a feat no Republican nominee has ever done.

So I want to quote myself from what I wrote back here on Dec 8th in a follow on post:

I suppose the reason I disagree with the experts is that I feel that these experts aren’t taking the true prejudice 1/3 of Evangelicals feel towards Mormons into consideration because they don’t really understand it. They are still thinking in terms of normal rational behavior, not prejudice behavior. To me, it seems obvious that these experts keep getting it wrong precisely because they don’t understand the level of prejudice that exists. So, for example, they keep predicting that Romney is ‘inevitable’ or what have you.

But Romney was inevitable! Seth R put up a link to this article explaining (back then) why the Republican power brokers would not back him and how it was impossible to win without them. Gingrich is wrong across the board. He’s a bad person, a bad candidate, a bad example of social conservativism, a bad everything really. There should be no way he could get the nomination.

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