Gingrich fields questions about his money-making ventures

[alp227]

Source: Washington Post

A confident and at times defiant Newt Gingrich defended himself Friday against growing scrutiny of his lucrative consulting career, and he acknowledged that how he handles the vetting process will determine whether he can be “a legitimate front-runner” for the Republican presidential nomination.

Calling his recent surge toward the top of the 2012 sweepstakes “almost disorienting,” Gingrich fielded questions at a news conference here about his myriad money-making ventures in the decade since his tenure as House speaker ended. They include consulting contracts with Freddie Mac, the quasi-public mortgage company, and millions of dollars in dues from health-care corporations seeking access to him.

“Somebody who’s a front-runner for the presidency of the United States should get a full vetting,” Gingrich said. “It’s the nature of the process. If I’m able to answer them (questions) in a way that the American people feel comfortable, then I’ll be a legitimate front-runner.”

(...)

Gingrich added that most successful people started their first jobs between ages nine and 14, selling newspapers or washing cars. “They all learned how to make money at a very early age. What do we say to poor kids in poor neighborhoods? ‘Don’t do it.’ Remember all that stuff about, ‘Don’t get a hamburger flipping job?’ The worst possible advice you could give to poor children.”

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/gingrich-says-he-spent-just-an-hour-a-month-advising-freddie-mac/2011/11/18/gIQAyU9hZN_story.html

[msongs]

1. question I would ask: will voters really elect a serial adulterer? mt

[PoliticAverse]

3. And does his current wife know how passionate about the country he's getting... n/t

[russspeakeasy]

6. Now that's funny.

[Hoyt]

7. It is. Bill Maher could have used that one.

[Orrex]

9. He's made peace with God about it. Next question.

[SkyDaddy7]

13. American Voters could care less about Newt being a "serial adulterer"

Unless Newt decides to run as a Democrat then he will have problems!

[sofa king]

14. He's a helluva lot more than that.

He's greedy, un-empathetic, unable to recognize faults in himself, conscience-less, megalomaniaical, and amoral. He's as much of a sociopath as Ted Bundy, but he derives his personal rewards by creating tragedy on a scale his fellow Republican never even considered.

(Want to see something cool? Copy this search string: Gingrich "antisocial personality" and paste it into Google. Google knows what's up.)

That guy is maneuvering himself for the second slot on the Republican ticket. He knows he's poison and unelectable, so he's headed for the back door just as he did when he was gunning for Clinton and Gore (if he could have removed them both in quick succession--and it was not for lack of trying--he would have inherited the Presidency in the late 1990s). If he gets the VP slot, his first objective will be to kill or otherwise remove this President, then steal the election, and then kill or otherwise remove his boss. But just like Cheney and Bush, he will also likely be too flawed to effectively govern as the despot he aspires to become.

That sort of incompetence didn't help us out too much the last time, though.

Edit: It's a dangerous game we're playing, allowing that monster-to-be to get as close as he is and already has been to the reigns of power. If he can be kept close--but not too close--to his personal goals, his radioactive personality has the potential to cause so much damage to the Republicans that keeping him in the spotlight has its attractions. Franz von Papen had the same idea, which led to the deaths of 50 million people....

[hughee99]

18. It wouldn't be the first time. n/t

[orwell]

2. Next Question...

...When will you divorce Calista?

[Banana Republicans]

4. What a hypocrite

Seriously, he impeaches Bill Clinton for having an affair (while he is having an affair), and now he's saying he's never lobbied while taking $1.5 million for giving a speech at Freddie Mack as a "housing historian".

[beac]

5. “almost disorienting” =

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what's going on here? I was just trying to sell a few more books and faux awards. I don't actually want the damn job!"

[truthisfreedom]

8. Don't take the brown acid!

[beac]

10. That should be written into the rules for the next GOP debate,

b/c clearly they've been ignoring that advice up to now.

[Politicalboi]

11. So facts don't matter but

"If I’m able to answer them (questions) in a way that the American people feel comfortable, then I’ll be a legitimate front-runner.”

So what he is saying is, if I lie good enough I should get by.

[Douglas Carpenter]

12. he made $30,000 per hour working for Freddie Mac? Damn that's more than I make in a whole month!

[BumRushDaShow]

15. "....most successful people started their first jobs between ages nine and 14"

The dumb ass's Raygun policies made sure that all of those types of "jobs" were gobbled up by the elderly because their greedy companies stole their pensions after declaring bankruptcy, their greedy banks gambled away or outright stole their savings, and he and his ilk made sure that social security couldn't make up the difference in the monthly checks (e.g., the papers surely don't allow "kids" to deliver papers anymore and I see nothing but grown men and women washing cars or packing grocery bags).

His ass needs to be in jail.

[Kingofalldems]

16. He is, in his words, grotesque.

[UTUSN]

17. What a weasel. All he's done to answer is to stonewall.

Back with Bob SCHIEFFER about the Tiffany thing, "Revolving credict account (repeated endlessly)."

Then about the Freddie, "strategic advice (repeated endlessly)."

If only our media yakkers knew how to ask (demand; pin down) follow-ups.