Convictions of Convenience

I just finished reading an article in the Dec. 5, 2011 issue of Newsweek regarding the amazing concept of Newt Gingrich winning the evangelical vote.

All I can think is !!!  WTF!!!

Conservative radio host Steve Deace said - "I see a lot of parallels between King David and Newt Gingrich"and from Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council  - "Under normal circumstances, Gingrich would have some real problems with the social-conservative community. But these aren't normal circumstances".  With sentiments like this it is painfully obvious that the right is desperately trying to justify the total loss of morals and ethics in their quest to unseat President Obama. 

This willingness to ignore and, even worse, accept Gingrich's well documented personal failings is shameless. The same voices that condemn the misbehavior of former President Clinton are now happy to give the Newt a free pass because they feel that he has somehow sought and received forgiveness from some invisible entity that has a mystical power of forgiveness.  Tamara Scott, director of Concerned Women for America said,  "Here is the difference: Bill Clinton denied what he did. He didn't repent." The part of reality that this woman seems to bypass is the fact that Mr. Clinton is still married to Mrs. Clinton. That's Mrs. Clinton #1 as opposed to Mrs. Gingrich #3. Apparently Mr. Clinton asked for and received forgiveness from the only person who can actually give forgiveness, Mrs. Clinton. Newt asked  for and  received forgiveness from who, himself? Good trick and an even better trick to get so many to believe him.  Ralph Reed, leader of the Faith and Freedom Coalition says "These voters believe in redemption." leaving out the truth that, to the right, redemption goes only to those with parallel political beliefs.

There is a group in Iowa that calls itself the Iowa FAMiLY Leader led by Bob Vander Plaats that claims to be the protector of family values in Iowa that has made Gingrich one of their chosen. This group also asks its chosen to sign a pledge called "The Marriage Vow" that says  "We acknowledge and regret the widespread hypocrisy of many who defend marriage yet turn a blind eye toward the epidemic of infidelity and anemic condition of marriage in their own community".  And with that as their mission statement they still endorse Mr. Gingrich? Really? I mean shit REALLY? So defective is the moral compass of those driving this obsession to end the Obama presidency they will say anything, even contradicting themselves to the point of making any and all utterances meaningless.


It's fine, even healthy for the country, to have honest policy disagreements with any administration. But when the conversation veers off into a fantasy land of twisted logic, undulating values and convenient convictions there is no longer an exchange of ideas with mature thinking people but a living, contemporary example of what happened at the Tower Of Babel.

Many voices saying nothing .