Newt Gingrich Accuses Mitt Romney of “Pious Baloney” In New Hampsire Primary Debate
When the Republican presidential candidates met for a debate in New Hampshire on Sunday, the knives came out. With Mitt Romney in a commanding lead, the remaining hopefuls each took their best shots at the former Massachusetts governor in the hopes of consolidating the conservative voters who are still tepid on the frontrunner. One of the most talked about moments of the night came after Romney explained why he didn’t seek reelection as governor, and Newt Gingrich told him to “drop a little bit of the pious baloney.”
The phrase caught on, and Gingrich purchased the domain name “Stopromneyspiousbaloney.com” to further the cause.
Somehow, because he’s got more self-discipline than I ever will, Romney restrained himself from responding, “Oh really? You wanna talk pious baloney, Newt? Let’s talk pious baloney.”
Those were strong words coming from Gingrich, a man who once told the Washington Post, “I have enormous personal ambition. I want to shift the planet. And I’m doing it”. His name is synonymous with both “Messiah complex” and “hypocrite.” Let’s take a look back at some of his totally not-pious, not-baloney greatest hits:
- Newt said that he cheated on his first and second wives because he loved America too much, and that it guided him towards “God’s forgiveness”.
- “People like me are what stand between us and Auschwitz.” Atlanta Journal Constitution, 1994.
- Called the House ethics investigation against him “a very partisan political committee” that “related more to the politics of the Democratic Party than to ethics.” But 90% of House Republicans voted to make him the only Speaker ever reprimanded for ethics- not to mention that Gingrich himself was one of the architects of 90s partisan warfare in Washington.
- Said Barney Frank was close to lobbyists at Freddie Mac and should go to jail; didn’t mention his own $1.6 million in “consulting fees” from Fannie and Freddie.
- His campaign compared their incompetent failure to get on the Virginia primary ballot to the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
- Once defined his “mission” as: “advocate of civilization, definer of civilization, teacher of the rules of civilization, arouser of those who fan civilization, organizer of the pro-civilization activists, leader (possibly) of the civilizing forces.”
If Gingrich wants to attack Romney, he should chose topics other than ego and truth. Forget glass houses: Newt is living in a kerosene high-rise and throwing flames.
What do you think?
[image via Crooks & Liars]
