Gingrich served divorce papers on first wife while she was being treated for cancer.

[madfloridian]

Wow, my goodness, my oh my.

Our clueless media is just zeroing in on the indiscretions of a Democrat. Yet they are forgetting so many others with the R after their name.

Gingrich served divorce papers on first wife while she was being treated for cancer.

Gingrich: Do as I Say, Not as I Do
By Robert Scheer
Published August 17, 1999 in the Los Angeles Times

The news that Newt Gingrich is headed for his second messy divorce, allegedly involving a longtime affair with a House of Representatives employee, has been largely ignored by news media that have not always been as sensitive to the privacy needs of major politicians.

It's true that Gingrich is no longer in Congress, where he orchestrated the impeachment of the president of the United States over charges rising from Bill Clinton's sexual dalliances. But Gingrich, through his many public appearances, remains a self-appointed definer of the Republican Revolution, which counted family values at its core. These very values are called into question if the married speaker of the House was having an affair with a much-younger congressional employee who ultimately reported to him.

Critics of Gingrich have long made much of the insensitivity he demonstrated in serving his first wife with divorce papers while she was in the hospital being treated for cancer. Nor did news of his efforts to cut life insurance coverage for the mother of his children always endear Gingrich to his family values supporters, but it was generally assumed that his marital errors were in the past.

This time, his approach was less personal. Marianne Gingrich told the Washington Post that she was informed of the affair and the request for a divorce last May in a telephone call from Newt to her mother's home, where she was visiting.

And of course never mentioned by our so-called media is the fact that John McCain left his wife while she was still recovering from an accident.

Our media is always filled with hypocrisy, and today it is reeking with it.

ON EDIT:

Some in the comments are insisting I am using this to say Edwards did nothing wrong.

I can't respond to all the deliberate misunderstanding, so I am editing.

I don't defend Edwards at all. I don't condemn him either. I don't condemn the others either.....I just want the media to stop trying to point out all the things Dems do and pretend the GOP are saints.

If that is not clear enough, I will try again. :shrug: :shrug:

[Midlodemocrat]

1. Old news.

And you can bet Newt would have been excoriated on DU.

[madfloridian]

5. Just forget it? Because it is old news?

Is that what we want to do? To let the media do it all over again?

[Midlodemocrat]

6. No. But it doesn't make what John Edwards did

any better. I would prefer that this story just end up buried because I have such respect for his wife. I'm very saddened by this news; for her.

[madfloridian]

7. I am neither defending nor criticizing Edwards. I am pointing out hypocrisy

Why all of a sudden is DU so fearful of pointing out what republicans have done and gotten free passes for?

[Midlodemocrat]

9. I never thought DU had given any republican a free pass on

that kind of behavior. The MSM maybe, but not DU. Remember Larry Craig?

[madfloridian]

10. Then why am I being asked to stop pointing out this stuff?

I don't usually dwell on personal lives, but this makes me angry.

[Midlodemocrat]

12. Well, for me, your posts seemed to say

Hey, Look!! REpublicans did it, too!! Therefore it's okay.

If that's not what you meant, my apologies.

It seemed like you were saying. "Hey, he's not the first to do this, he won't be the last"

I'm saddened by what he did because I have high regard for Elizabeth. I'm even sadder that this has become BREAKING NEWS. (Not on DU, but the MSM)

[madfloridian]

13. Wow, you surely did misread my posts.

:shrug:

[Midlodemocrat]

19. Well, what did you mean?

[madfloridian]

24. Forget it. I edited my post....deliberately misunderstanding

is what I give up on.

[Midlodemocrat]

26. I'm not goading you.

I indicated what your post seemed to mean to me and you got all pissy.

I'm done. Have at Gingrich. It'll get you very, very far.

[madfloridian]

28. Why are you so afraid to point out what Republicans have done?

They are taking over the news cycles about Democrats, but never mention republicans.

Yeh, it is making me a little "pissy."

In a minute I am going to post about all the topics we must now avoid here. It will either make you laugh or cry.

My friend, whatever you think. Okay??????

[Midlodemocrat]

29. I'm not. That is old news.

This isn't. It's a factor of the media driving world we live in. Internet, cable with 200 channels.

McCain isn't new, either. He left Carol McCain several decades ago.

And, frankly, I think this wouldn't have nearly the legs it does if Elizabeth wasn't battling cancer. That increases the 'ick' factor 100 fold.

[Quixote1818]

40. Come on, if a Republican had done this then Sean Hannity and all the

Republicans would be bringing up Clinton every five seconds. You have to use anything at your disposal in politics or you LOSE! Get it?

[yardwork]

11. On DU, yes, but never in the mainstream media.

It's important for us to forestall the inevitable use of this by the MSM to paint Democrats as being immoral. We're seeing some of those threads here on DU already. "Gosh gee I hope that Obama is telling the truth..." and crap like that.

So let's drag out the Republican skeletons. Let's run through it again. It does nothing to excuse Edwards but might forestall the inevitable smears that are headed our way as we speak.

[madfloridian]

18. Thank you for getting it. Shine the light on them, send it to the media

like it is something they never heard of before.

They are going to try to paint us as immoral and totally ignore the long list of Republicans in leadership.

Thanks. I defend no one, I condemn no one....but fair is fair. Hours on one should mean hours on the others.

[sourmilk]

42. Edwards isn't a Presidential Cabdidate. Hell, he's not even a Senator anymore.

This has to be brought to bear in light of McCain's character. Somewhere, somehow, people in the L$M are going to be asking John McIFuckedAroundOnMyWife HIS opinion on the matter...

He's NOT going to answer the question to ANYONE's satisfaction.

This, if handled correctlyby the L$M, could potentially be WAY worse for McInfidelity than for Obama. Heck - if handled correctly by another Judith Miller, it could be worse for McScrewAnything than for Edwards!

[avaistheone1]

15. McCain walked out on his wife after she was severely hurt in a car accident

and started his affair with Cindy.

Wonder if the media will pick up on that morsel.

[Midlodemocrat]

22. They won't. Carol McCain is still in love with him and won't grant

interviews talking about the situation. There was a great article posted (here? :shrug: ) about the demise of their relationship, but the MSM won't pick it up.

[yardwork]

23. So? Elizabeth Edwards isn't talking about this, either. That's not stopping the press.

The fact that McCain bought his first wife's silence by employing her and her son in his second wife's beer empire should not be a reason for the media to go along with the censorship. It makes the story even worse.

[Midlodemocrat]

25. Because this is new.

McCain's leaving Carol for Cindy is decades old. Hell his three oldest kids are old enough to run for President.

[madfloridian]

44. But it has not been public news ever.

That is my point.

[yardwork]

46. McCain is the Republican nominee for president. His entire life is up for scrutiny.

It was old news that the chimp was AWOL during Vietnam, but that doesn't mean that it wasn't relevant. Same with his coke habit.

I'm not excusing Edwards. I'm furious with him and he'll never get my support again. However, I know what the media is going to do with this - they will run with the "Democrats are immoral" line and the sheeple will lap it up. We need to forestall that by reminding everyone that if they are outraged by Edwards's behavior, then they need to be equally outraged by McCain's. Otherwise this will be used as a way to smear Obama by association.

[madfloridian]

47. Again, thank you for getting it.

:hi:

[yardwork]

48. I'm surprised that anyone could miss it!

:hi:

[madfloridian]

34. I just posted that here, and I was told to stop. I don't know why

DU has become very fearful.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/2465

[Sulawesi]

2. Please stop...

[madfloridian]

3. Stop what?

Calling out the hypocrisy?

I am not supposed to post about anything here anymore.

I tell you what. Talk to the moderators if you wish.

Make me a list of acceptable topics. I may or may not adhere.

[Sulawesi]

27. I was referring to all the posts calling out all adulterers...

[madfloridian]

32. I am not doing that. I am pointing out hypocrisy.

.

[Sulawesi]

36. you are doing both...i see your point, but I don't think it needs to be made till pubs defend mccain

[madfloridian]

38. Friend, why don't you contact the mods?

And then hide my posts.

I am tired of the stupid media right now. They need to stop this stuff.

[DJ13]

4. And was THAT worthy of "breaking news" on TV back then?

Of course not.

It was a Republican doing it.

[madfloridian]

8. I never heard it mentioned until I came to DU. The news did not cover it

at least no news I saw.

But let a Democrat do something wrong, and they are all over themselves.

[peaches2003]

14. And that proves exactly what?

That John Edwards didn't really do that much wrong because Newt did it, too? There is an arguement to be made that what JE did to Elizabeth was worse than Newt asking for a divorce when his wife was sick- he used Eliz. in his campaign pretending to be the great family man and also used his kids, he started the 2008 campaign knowing this probably would come out eventually (questions were already being asked about an affair), he used the Dem. Party and his supporters by running for President when he knew this could come out and he would be finished.

He's a son of a bitch of the worst kind (and I was a supporter). Defending him by saying 'but the Repugs did this and so.....' is just an attempt to excuse someone you trusted when he deserves no excuses and no pity. Is there anyone in their right mind who believes this was all over in 2006, yet she lives near him in a $ million place and he visits 'someone else's' baby in the middle of the night in a hotel? He's insulting everyone who listens to his shit!

[tbyg52]

21. It's not him, per se. It's the way the corporate media is all over this

and *wasn't* all over the things being mentioned.

[madfloridian]

30. I edited my post. Why are you afraid to point out the hypocrisy?

Why am I supposed to remain silent?

What sentence made you think I was defending Edwards? I am not. I am not judging, either.

[sakura]

31. Sure he's a son of a bitch. Anyone who would do that to a wife, let alone a sick wife, is slime.

It hurts to have to write that, as he was my first choice for president two times now.

Bringing up the many, many indiscretions of Republicans and their current candidate won't do anything to fix that, and it certainly shouldn't be taken as an excuse for Edward's behavior, nor as a defense.

But as far as the story goes, it's important that Edward's indiscretion is not used to slime Obama by association. We need to do whatever we can to keep that from happening. If the media or McCain's surrogates try to link Edward's mistake to Obama, we MUST point out that McCain did exactly the same thing to his sick wife. As did Newt. And Guiliani was cheating on his wife while his kids were present in the same house. Etc., etc.

[MadMaddie]

16. The false outrage the MSM is doing...is fucking ridiculous

the MSM barely touched Newt when he divorced his wife.

[zulchzulu]

17. Wouldn't it be a hoot if Newt got thrown this after commenting on Edwards

I know. It will never happen, but...

[Quixote1818]

20. What Newt did was worse. nt

[peaches2003]

35. Don't think so

What Newt did in the long run was kinder to his wife. He put her out of his life and she never had to suffer the humiliation that this SOB is now putting Elizabeth and his children through. And JE obviously lied to her after she found out in 2006 about this affair and he was still seeing hhis mistress and evidently paying to have her live in Chapel Hill all this time. No, Newt's wife was lucky to be rid of him and Eliz continues to suffer.

[madfloridian]

39. Gingrich tried to cut off her insurance when she had cancer...and from the kids.

It is not better at all.

[Quixote1818]

41. Thats for Elizabeth to determine not you.

Leaving someone with cancer is 100 times worse in my book. Not even close.

[roody]

52. If every affair caused a divorce, there would

be far less people staying married! What Newt did was not kind!

[ProSense]

33. This was brought up when Gingrich toyed with running, but

I suspect it was because Repubs had other plans (think McCain 2000).

[TheKentuckian]

37. This isn't my issue

so, I see nothing wrong with calling the Republicans out when they attempt to use this as a talking point.

It doesn't change what Edwards did but it blunts the bending of what should be a private issue to some point of contention in the election. How dare most of these slimeballs open their mouths? This is not what the campaign or what's going on in the country is about. John McCain opens his trap, he should get hit. That's all. As always some hypocrite will try to use this situation as a shield to deflect from their crimes. That can't be permitted. It's not Obama's place. An old friend will have to make the stink.

[madfloridian]

45. Hardball going to be all about Edwards Monday...

Which makes your point and my point...that they only really go after Democrats.

Yes, you are right....McCain needs to leave this alone.

[madfloridian]

43. I think you may be right.

But I never knew about McCain until I came to DU...must not have been covered much.

I had sort of heard about Gingrich, but not the full story.

[spanone]

49. democrats are held to a higher standard by our immoral media

[madfloridian]

50. Yes, they are.

They protect George W and John McCain

[mrreowwr_kittty]

51. Fuck yeah we are! And I still can't figure how that happened.

Since we're not the ones blathering about "family values" all over the place. I guess there really is no penalty for blatant hypocrisy.

[DailyGrind51]

53. And yet Newt is still invited as a guest on "Christian" talk radio!