College student grills Newt Gingrich over personal life
Someone asks a question the national press hasn’t
Newt Gingrich last night was on the receiving end of a prickly question that’s sure to dog him should he seek the White House next year. A Democratic activist kicked off a Q&A with the former House Speaker and Georgia politico at the University of Pennsylvania with a good ole fashioned icebreaker about his personal past — Gingrich has admitted to an extramarital affair — and how it jibes with the religious values he promotes. Via Politico:
“You adamantly oppose gay rights... but you’ve also been married three times and admitted to having an affair with your current wife while you were still married to your second,” Isabel Friedman, president of the Penn Democrats, said to Gingrich. “As a successful politician who’s considering running for president, who would set the bar for moral conduct and be the voice of the American people, how do you reconcile this hypocritical interpretation of the religious values that you so vigorously defend?”
According to Politico, the former House Speaker attempted to cut off the question, his first from the audience that evening. Yet he answered:
“I’ve had a life which, on occasion, has had problems,” he added. “I believe in a forgiving God, and the American people will have to decide whether that their primary concern. If the primary concern of the American people is my past, my candidacy would be irrelevant. If the primary concern of the American people is the future... that’s a debate I’ll be happy to have with your candidate or any other candidate if I decide to run.”
We’re sure this isn’t the last time the issue comes up. Politico says Gingrich is expected to decide in the coming weeks whether he wants to join what’s expected to be a crowded crop of presidential candidates.
(H/T to the beloved Andisheh Nouraee)