Thomas Sowell
Stop smearing Newt
Unfortunately, there are likely to be far more people who will see the smears than will have time to get the facts. But, if nothing else, there needs to be some understanding of the reckless accusations that have become part of the all-out attempt to destroy Newt Gingrich, as so many other political figures have been destroyed, by non-stop smears in the media.
Gingrich is by no means above criticism. He has been criticized in this column before over the years, including during the current primary season, and he will probably be criticized here again.
But the poisonous practice of irresponsible smears is an issue that is bigger than Gingrich, Romney, or any other candidate of either party.
Blowback
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NROmney HQ posted the article!??
I’m shocked. I guess now that it doesn’t matter for Florida, they are trying to look less in the tank for their golden boy.
makattak on January 31, 2012 at 4:00 PM
Yeah, but Sowell is a socialist. Or something.
lorien1973 on January 31, 2012 at 4:00 PM
so it is up to the voters, not only in Florida but in other states, to punish it at the ballot box — the only place where punishment…
Aw, that is precious. Now the enjoyment of punishment just happens to be the feature of human nature that makes negative ads and “hit” jobs inevitable. So there is a certain fitness in Sowell’s conclusion, although he appears to be completely innocent of the irony.
kunegetikos on January 31, 2012 at 4:02 PM
Are you going to criticize this, Mr. Sowell?
Gingrich robo-call: Romney took away Holocaust survivors’ kosher food.
JPeterman on January 31, 2012 at 4:03 PM
NEVAAAAHHHH~!
WolvenOne on January 31, 2012 at 4:05 PM
After the Kosher food ad, it might be better retitled “Stop Smearing, Newt”
E L Frederick (Sniper One) on January 31, 2012 at 4:05 PM
Yea but..but…we need to know about Newts love life!!!
jsunrise on January 31, 2012 at 4:05 PM
Gingrich robo-call: Romney took away Holocaust survivors’ kosher food.
What a POS Newt is.
kunegetikos on January 31, 2012 at 4:06 PM
With these candidates smearing is easier than standing on their records.
Flange on January 31, 2012 at 4:06 PM
There is no crying in politics.
Go RBNY on January 31, 2012 at 4:07 PM
C’mon, anyone with a brain can now see what a disastrous nominee Newt would be.
Too bad about Dr. Sowell. Smart, lovely man, but he was very shortsighted to throw his lot in with the angry anti-capitalist moon man.
Meredith on January 31, 2012 at 4:10 PM
Fox News was just saying that while Newt’s superpac only ran 12% positive ads, Romney’s superpac ran 100% negative and that’s at 3 times the volume.
James Moriarty on January 31, 2012 at 4:10 PM
Newt needs to stop providing the evidence with which to smear him.
Rational Thought on January 31, 2012 at 4:10 PM
newt is a career politician.
that’s not a smear; that’s the truth.
newt is a lobbyist.
that’s not a smear; that’s the truth.
newt is a serial adulterer.
that’s not a smear; that’s the truth.
newt is a loose cannon who has trashed capitalism and proposed a moon colony.
that’s not a smear; that’s the truth.
reliapundit on January 31, 2012 at 4:11 PM
I would have no problem comparing Newt’s record as speaker to Romney’s record as governor. The problem is no one seems to want to have that debate.
Wonder why.
Doomberg on January 31, 2012 at 4:11 PM
Man, rabid fools like yourself can’t ever be reasoned with, can you?
blatantblue on January 31, 2012 at 4:15 PM
First there’s the Kosher food “smear”. You know what else is a “smear” Thomas? This:
“I think Gov. Romney is extraordinarily insensitive to religious freedom in America and the Obama administration is clearly engaged in a war on religion.”. What the hell does Romney have to do with Barack’s war on religion? Perhaps you could give George Soros a ring and ask him since he’s Newt’s go-to-guy.
Odd that the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty would give Mitt and Ann Romney its highest honor.
Buy Danish on January 31, 2012 at 4:18 PM
Link to Becket Fund vid of Romney accepting Canterbury Award.
Buy Danish on January 31, 2012 at 4:19 PM
The men of the Republican Party have officially been relieved of their testicles. What a bunch of whiny arse wussies Gingirch and his group of girlie men supporters are.
Elizabetty on January 31, 2012 at 4:20 PM
A statement like that might have some basis in fact if you had tried reasoning rather than name-calling…
makattak on January 31, 2012 at 4:21 PM
Newt’s biggest enemy is his own mouth. If he would engage his brain before flapping his lips for a crowd or a camera, this probably would have played out better for him.
jaliranchr on January 31, 2012 at 4:21 PM
But, of course, I’ve given up trying to reason with the “Rabid fools for Romney!”
makattak on January 31, 2012 at 4:22 PM
Romney worshippers forget Romney’s smearing Newt for the Fannie and Freddie debacle.
When Newt meekly swatted at Romney for owning Fannie and Freddie shares, Romney came back with the hilariously ridiculous point that Newt’s mutual fund investments held shares in Fannie and Freddie. That was especially rich coming from a guy who got pwned by a nitwit like Wolf Blitzer lying in a radio ad that concluded, “I’m Mitt Romney, and I approve this message.” I loved Mitt’s response, “I don’t listen to every ad we run.”
Sorry, but Mitt gets buried if he’s the nominee. He’ll be stuttering and stammering every day of the fall campaign.
BTW: Sowell is the man.
BuckeyeSam on January 31, 2012 at 4:23 PM
Many of these ads are put out by super pacs and the candidate has no idea what is in them until they see them or someone points them out.
people here need to get a clue.
jsunrise on January 31, 2012 at 4:24 PM
From your screen name, I’m guessing you’re a woman. For some reason I think that would be funny.
ElectricPhase on January 31, 2012 at 4:25 PM
Unfortunately his record is more than just his time as Speaker. I do give him credit for those years however.
Flange on January 31, 2012 at 4:25 PM
In other words, 88% of Newt’s superpac ads were negative. Wow. I’m impressed!/
FTR, I don’t give a flip about negativity. I care about the truth, and the ads his casino magnate friend financed which are allegedly about what Mitt did at Bain Capital is a model for Pravda.
Buy Danish on January 31, 2012 at 4:26 PM
There is no reasoning with you.
NRO could have had that piece last week, and you still would have said something along the lines of what you said.
blatantblue on January 31, 2012 at 4:28 PM
But it isn’t just you, Makattak, its the delusional wing of the conservative movement. The TrueCons.
blatantblue on January 31, 2012 at 4:29 PM
Let the mittbots fire away at Dr. Sowell.
HerneTheHunter on January 31, 2012 at 4:32 PM
Nice counterfactual. Had they done it last week, I’d have been as surprised, but the timing would not have appeared as nefarious.
As it is, we have the NRO with not one, but TWO prominent pieces introducing supporting the lies against Gingrich (I don’t play the little “it’s just mischaracterizing, not lies, game. They published two prominent LYING articles)
Then they publish one article decrying the lies on the day of the primary when the effect is muted, to say the least.
I’m sure that’s just coincidence.
makattak on January 31, 2012 at 4:46 PM
This robocall was by Newt for President. Not..not a superpac.
bluealice on January 31, 2012 at 4:50 PM
After this primary season I am sure Mitt will be awarded the Nastiest Campaigner Award.
evergreenland on January 31, 2012 at 4:51 PM
The Romneybots have severe brain damage.
CoolChange80 on January 31, 2012 at 5:14 PM
newt is a social climber.
that he hates schmear on his decrusted toast points; that’s the truth.
bettycooper on January 31, 2012 at 5:25 PM
Hey, Tom, quit defending this troll. When he stops smearing people, he’ll get reciprocal treatment. He seems to think he’s the only one entitled to throw mud. Nuts to that.
flataffect on January 31, 2012 at 5:38 PM
and mitt is what?
so what?
he represents an important american demographic.
better a moonbase than wasted money in middle east wars. we would twist one of islams greatest symbols. and… if there was a muslim on the moon, where he would bow to prey?
nathor on January 31, 2012 at 5:53 PM
1) Yes he is. So? Jimmy Carter was not a career politician. He must have been great. Romney would have liked to have been a career politician but he lost to Kennedy and didn’t run for re-election as Gov. because he knew he’d lose. Yea, that makes him so much better.
2) Newt is not a lobbyist. He was a consultant. A consultant is someone who talks to their client. A lobbyist is someone who talks to politicians on behalf of their client. Maybe you’re not bright enough to see the difference, but there is one. It annoys me when people are like “oooh he’s just splitting hairs they’re the same thing.” No, they’re not.
3) He’s cheated only once for sure, and maybe twice. He’s 68 years old. He’s a human being who has made mistakes. So? Sorry, lots of people just don’t care about that.
4) He can be a “loose cannon” I guess, but when the cannon occasionally lands on balanced federal budgets and entitlement reform, I can live with that. Romney is a water gun that really really promises you he’s a cannon on the inside and always has been. Honest.
As for the moon colony stuff; it’s such a disgrace that people have slandered him for that. He never said government would build it, he said the private sector would once government deregulated everything. He also never proposed spending trillions to do it; in fact he’d cut and reorganize NASA. Utterly shameful that people smear him on the issue. Go listen to his speech on c-span. In it all he does is talk about how incompetent big government is and how innovation by individuals is the key. But the mitt-bots can’t have their little worlds shaken by truth. Keep eating the lies that that snake oil salesman from Massachusetts feeds you.
That’s not a smear. That’s the truth. Deal with it.
MikeRuss on January 31, 2012 at 6:06 PM
+1000. Tina and Jazz better watch their six.
platypus on January 31, 2012 at 6:27 PM
Thanks platypus. Too bad no one reads comments on articles once they’re off the front page. I’m sure reliapundit is off happily continuing to spread misinformation. Of well. Such is life.
MikeRuss on February 1, 2012 at 12:39 PM