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Cue The Divorce Jokes: Newt Gingrich Thinks Gay Marriage Is A ‘Temporary Aberration’

» 46 comments

2012 Republican race “Ideas Guy” Newt Gingrich isn’t too worried about same-sex marriage. This he told a crowd in Iowa yesterday, slamming the practice– longtime accepted law in Iowa– as a “temporary aberration that will dissipate,” in its place resurfacing heterosexual marriage as the standard. Gingrich was speaking at an event where he was explicitly asked on the issue, but his answer given his own history and the history of the state in which he gave it, may be among his most unwise.

Gingrich, whose campaign had been struggling for some months and is experiencing something of a second wind after being the most popular Vice Presidential choice at the last debate, made it absolutely clear that he believes that marriage the way it has existed “for all of recorded history” should remain unhampered. The comments via the Des Moines Register:

“I believe that marriage is between a man and woman,” Gingrich said. “It has been for all of recorded history and I think this is a temporary aberration that will dissipate. I think that it is just fundamentally goes against everything we know.”

RELATED: Senior Gingrich Campaign Aides Resign En Masse

It didn’t take long for the comment to make the rounds on the left, or for Iowan civil rights groups to call Gingrich’s comment “offensive and disrespectful” to many Iowans in same-sex marriages– but that is to be expected, and as Gingrich’s fight is really in the primary at this point and not the general election, whether swing voters and independents are offended makes little difference in the grander scheme. That said, this one was a misfire.

There are many reasons why this comment is likely to backfire, and it took little to no time for someone to bring up the first, obvious point that Gingrich doesn’t exactly have the sort of track record that lends itself to defending the sanctity of marriage. In fact, even before the inevitable headline snark, the piece in the Des Moines Register began the sentence immediately following his statements with “Gingrich, who has been married three times and has previously admitted to being a past adulterer…”

RELATED: Marriage Amendment Popular Among GOP Candidates, But Not The Ones You Think

The more subtle point to make about the political strategy here is that Gingrich made the comments at an event in Iowa– the third of six states to legalize full marriage rights for same-sex couples. With Gallup showing attitudes towards same-sex marriage more favorable than ever in 2011, it seems politically unwise to tackle this issue– a marginal one given America’s three (four?) war fronts and the nation’s economic woes– in a state where it has been established law for many years. Sure, it is at its core a consistent point to make, private life notwithstanding; Gingrich’s House of Representatives is who Americans have to thank for the Defense of Marriage Act, which the Obama administration all but completely ignores. That said, it takes the focus off of everything the other Republican candidates were so effusive in praising about Gingrich: his experience as the House Speaker during economic boom times, the shockingly-still-popular Contract with America template, and his recognized skill among conservatives in debate (the Achilles’ heel that has Rick Perry‘s poll numbers in a tailspin).

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  • Carl Emmoth

    “.. we know.” or “… I, and small group of christians, believe.”

  • http://mediamatters.org/ Leedog

    Newt giving his opinion about marriage, is like Charles Manson giving his opinion about sanity!!

  • Gerry

    HOW many temporary marriages has he had.  from a religious point of view, they claim between 1 man and 1 woman and he personally has had 1 man and at least 3 women…that is sort of temporary, isn’t it….very temporary! UGH!!!  What does one expect from a conservative Christian Republican but more hypocrisy!

  • http://twitter.com/gadfly666 gadfly666

    The GOP base is becoming increasingly bigoted and dumb. When speaking to low-iq folks, the politicians have to say things like this.

  • Anonymous

    Silly Newt is obviously confusing gay marriages with *his* marriages.  

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Lars-Svensen/100001028197161 Lars Svensen

    The oxymoron “gay marriage” is state-sanctioned aberration. What’s next: Legalized burglary? Consensual rape? Trading children on the stock-exchange? Dog-fighting on ESPN? Does the septic-tank ever bottom out anywhere?

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=580827090 Daniel Leyva

    He wants everyone to be able to serve divorce papers to a woman dying of cancer… that IS an aberration. Why didn’t his mother abort him?

  • Anonymous

    Newt does it again, opens his mouth & inserts his foot…

  • Anonymous

    Uh, yeah, I’d say it “bottoms out” with two loving, caring adults entering into a committed, consensual relationship…

  • Hagen619dj

    Newt shouldn’t express his ideas on any marriage.  That has ruined his running for president…but he doesn’t seem to know that. I also believe marriage is between a man and a woman but there are alot of gays and lesbians out there who seem to think they are justified with being married.  so be it.  do your thing.  I’m concerned about the coming generations of children. It’s confusing for them but let’s give all the gays and lesbians their due and make them feel at home.  Lord knows we shouldn’t go against what they think.  If they enjoy playing with each other…by all means …jump right in there and run your life that way. Let’s give sex a big gold trophy.

  • Dahni Uru

    Unfortunately, Gingrich is not a temporary aberration….I’ll probably vote mostly non-Dem in 2012, and will skip Gingrich…

  • Joan Bailey

    Sarcasm doesn’t work in print. You probably just stated everything you don’t really believe. Love is love. Period.

  • Johnnie Dorman

    I guess the idiot Gingrich thinks being gay is a temporary aberration as well.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Angli-Sclone/100002587894218 Angli Sclone

    Well, I happen to agree. when you calculate the percentage of Gays in this country, it got an upbeat push like all pushes from the GAY left lobbyists agenda. AS they fall apart and cause more problems then marrage and divorce which has been on the books for a lifetime you will see just what he said happen.
    You have to figure on the population verses the voting block it’s that simple.
    If I’m wrong then there should be a school that teachs Gays how to act in public.

  • Anonymous

    Mr Gingrich is respected for his intellect, but unfortunately Tea Party/Republicans question whether he takes his own personal issues and responsibility seriously.

    I don’t think they’re going to give him a pass for it.

  • CarmanK

    the aberration is Newt Gingrich who would reverse the advances in human kind and in science that recognizes that ‘OTHERS” HAVE A right to their constitutional rights of “pursuit for life, liberty and happiness”. Homosexuals have been around as long as humanity, and the people after thousands of years are finally being treated with the dignity which GOD intended. As the MN politician said: If God is the creator of all, and sexuality is a gift of GOD: just how many HOMOSEXUALS does GOD have to make, before mankind accepts that they are HUMANs with rights??

  • SammyC

    What a disgrace this man is. In any country!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1431811538 Josh Kim

    Newt is a smart guy, but he should have shut the hell up about marriage.

  • Pdxet

    Politicians will say anything to get elected.

  • http://twitter.com/DrunkReport DrunkReport.com

    ya, that. OR “the history of earth”. either one.

    same sex marriage has never existed even in places that were far more gay friendly than we are today. i dont care about it but it is really silly to pretend like this is some great civil rights struggle when no religious or secular leader anywhere any time ever had ever thought of this as an issue, let alone fought for it. 

  • Anonymous

    Seriously? want Gingrich to be more liberal than Obama and support same sex marriage?

  • Anonymous

    One really should not post comments when it is obvious that you don’t know what your talking about. Gay marriages existed in ancient Rome. Legal contracts (which after all is what marriage is) in the late medieval period in France (and elsewhere in the Mediterranean) referred to affrerement where two unrelated men pledged to live together sharing un pan, un vin, et une bourse (one bread, one wine, one purse). Like marriage contracts at the time this had to be sworn before a notary and witnesses. (Notice both were before a notary not a priest, as marriage is a civil function)  In Japan the tradition of Shudo was prevalent from the medieval period until the late 1800′s. In China through the Ming dynasty people would bind themselves to same sex partners in elaborate ceremonies. These are just a few examples of same sex marriage existing in diverse places around the globe. So perhaps you should just stay drunk, rather than making comments, about the civil rights of people and whether or not people have thought of it or supported. You clearly have no understanding of the issue.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=589771619 Ellipse Kirk

     Another oxymoron – “Christian Wisdom”. More like superstitious twaddle.

  • Anonymous

    who needs marriage anyways?   it is an invention by men and not ordained by god.   if it were, then adam and eve would have been married.   priests are forbidden to be married to “anyone”, except to god.  and if they can get away with it, they are allowed to play with little boys, to satisfy their sexual hunger.

    the mother of jesus would have been married, unless he was born out of wed lock and the virgin mary thing is a crock.  in fact, none of the jesus gang members were married and i’m pretty sure a couple of them were gay, like jesus.

    when it comes to that walking can of crisco called gingrich, he is the last person on earth to judge other people.   the only reason why he is due to buying her gold jewelry frm tiffany’s..

  • Anonymous

    Whereas Newt is a “permanent aberration.”

  • Irish189

    I will never understand

    1. Why people are so caught up at one is going on in the bedroom of consenting adults, people in this country are acting too much like peeping toms

    2. Does anyone seriously listen to Newt when HE is going to lecture people about the sanctity of marriage? Its easier to take marraige advice from Bill Clinton, even he didn’t divorce a wife while she was getting treated for cancer

    3. For a party that preaches about smaller government and government staying out of people’s lives I will never understand why some republicans are so hung up on government controlling social issues, leave the gays in the military alone, leave marriage alone, until all children have a home in the US and are being given proper care and education don’t even think about lecturing people about abortion rights especially if your going to make it harder for consenting adults to avoid getting pregnant

    Summary: Leave the social issues alone and focus on whats important to ALL americans in the country and especially don’t try have a hypocrite try and lecture about it,

  • Chasmc

    Yeah, yeah, yeah and we will be marrying animals, etc.  Quit being ridiculously alarmist.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_2VVHGFY6INZQ5SX4HLNUF4NSIE Stanley J

    Lets see- ignorance is bliss I think.  .   8 countries in w europe have gay marriage,  5 have civil unions.  6 in Latina America (3+3) with chile to be next

    Add Canada, Israel, RSafrica, Nepal, much of Australia and NZ and some others, including the beginnings in Japan.

    btw so very cathollic Ireland got CUs this year, and already 70% of the people support changing it to marriage.

    In Iceland, they voted 49 to 0 for gay marriage in 2010.  Then their premier married her GF.

    In both Columbia and BRazil their supreme courts have given the legislatures a short deadline for equal rights.  This happened within the last 3 mos.

    Someone , Mr. DrunkReport is feeding you BS story

    the real shame is the USA is becoming almost the last westernized country to grant gays equal legal rights.  Just as we were the next to last to end slavery (Brazil was last)

    Nice country we live in.  Our gay friends and neighbors deserve full and equal rights under the law. Its that simple. It will happen.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_2VVHGFY6INZQ5SX4HLNUF4NSIE Stanley J

    n3ewt and his “moral values.  Cheated on  and then visited his dying wife only once in the hospital.  Toi leave alist of demands re the divorce.

    Cheated on #2

    On #3. give him a couple years and we’ll see more about his moral values.

    there are words to describe him @#$%^&*

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_2VVHGFY6INZQ5SX4HLNUF4NSIE Stanley J

    are you possibly related to Brevik who killed 73 kids because they were liberal.

    BTW YOur home country has gay marriage and most ministers of the state church will provide a religious amrriage also for gays.

    Sorry I didnt flush twice when I gave birth to you/

  • Anonymous

    In 2008 married people as a subgroup voted 51%-47% for McCain over Obama. The traditional marriage of one man and one woman married to each other, raising their own biological offspring cuts against the core of left wing causes, anti-paternalism, sexual freedom, reliance on government to solve one’s problems. Thirty years ago progressives believed the institution of marriage was antiquated and worked to marginalize it. Today they exploit homosexuals as a vehicle to further erode traditional marriage and more importantly diminish a voting bloc that reliably votes against their ideology. Gingrich’s observation was merely a tautology.

  • Johnnie Dorman

    Lars Svensen”

    The oxymoron “gay marriage” is state-sanctioned aberration.

    Johnnie Dorman:

    The real “aberration” is your homophobia that you inherited from a long line of homophobes.

     What’s next:
    Legalized burglary?

    JD: Can’t compare that to two people who are in love.

    Lars: Consensual rape?

    JD: Gay people are not rapists, certainly no more than heterosexuals are rapists. We’re not pedophiles either, so don’t bother including that, surprised that you left that typical accusation out.

    lars: Trading children on the
    stock-exchange?

    JD: Really reaching, aren’t you?

    Lars: Dog-fighting on ESPN?

    JD: Comparing gay people to just about anything, eh? How astute of you.

    Does the septic-tank ever bottom
    out anywhere?

    JD: Probably the bottom is found about where your brain would be found.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_2VVHGFY6INZQ5SX4HLNUF4NSIE Stanley J

    Put them in the same cell.  the govt can sell the gay porn to help pay for the prison.

    Just first rename Manson (if hes still around)   SPIKE

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_2VVHGFY6INZQ5SX4HLNUF4NSIE Stanley J

    maybe the4re should be a school to teach bigots like you a few lessons.

    BTW, In Iceland, where being gay is totally accepted and no one is “in the closet”,  the % of gays is around 12- 13%.

    And for more good news for our gay and lesbian friends and neighbors, in Jan 2010 Iceland voted 49 to 0 for gay marriage.

    And gay pride Reykjavik is like a national holiday, almost half of the city turns out to cheer their gay and yes trans friends and neeghbors.

    BTW Iceland is the most educated country in the western world.   And fortunately not very religious.   The  state lutheran church will do gay religious wedding if requested.

    I know – I was there on vacation this year first week of august.

  • Guest

    Woooow. You obviously missed the election were Iowa voted to take 3 Judges who voted for the “law” that skipped the legislative process and was decided by the selected few on the Supreme Court, from their seats.

  • Anonymous

    Does that decide it in my state (Massachusetts,) or do we get to have our own laws?

  • Bob

    about as temporary as Newt’s commitment to his first and second wives.

  • http://twitter.com/Staciisa_bitch Staci Chase

    Newt -Mr. Five Wives and counting- shouldn’t talk.  

  • Exgoper

    He’s right! Gays could never be as respectful toward the institution of marriage as Newt and El Rushbo have.

  • TbagsRstupid

    Lowest Divorce Rates in States Favorable to Gay Partnerships

  • http://www.christinebreese.com/article/get-involved-you-are-2012-paradigm-shift-0 Christine Breese

    Black kettle calling the kettle black. 

  • Anonymous

    But also higher out-wedlock rates.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_3D3BPAKZ5ROJFMJ5S6ZBNKKAHI Bob

     If the conservative truly knew what Jesus said about gays in his lifetime it would alarm them. Gay men were called born or natural eunuchs and had more rights under Roman Law than man-made eunuchs. There’s overwhelming evidence in secular laws and writings defining born eunuchs. In Matthew Jesus excludes three types of men from the Adam and Eve Marriage Covenant: man made eunuchs, born eunuchs from the womb, and eunuchs for the kingdom’s sake. In fact homosexual sin was created by the early Catholic Church in 490 AD by Bishop Ambrose. Then they controlled the scriptures in handwritten copies until about the late 1400s when the printing press was invented.

    Remember the Centurion who asked Jesus to heal his “servant” and Jesus said in all of Israel this man had the most faith of anyone. Why would a high ranking Roman officer publicly ask a Jewish Rabbi to heal a servant. Such an act would condemn him in the Roman Army. The ancient Koine Greek for the boy was “pais” or as secular documents define him as: the younger male lover to an older man of wealth and/or education. That was the name for a young male lover for centuries before and after the life of Christ. Roman soldiers could not have wives until 194 AD but they were allowed to buy and own a pais boy/lover/servant. The scripture said several times the Centurion loved the boy and called him his beloved with the root Greek word that gave us the word “intimate”. Why would Jesus heal a the man’s lover if he felt their love was a sin? The answer is he didn’t see their relationship to be a sin at all. Now you know what Jesus would do with this subject.

    The early Church changed much of the Bible. In the Old Testament Hebrew the Holy Spirit is female in gender. Later the future Greek translations and Latin ones made the Holy Spirit a male. I could  go on and on with canon changes the early Church did to the Word. They didn’t just tamper with the subject of homosexuality by mistranslations, and deliberate changes in ancient scriptures to match the developing Church canon of the day.

    But just try to show laypeople Christians the errors in today’s English Bibles and watch the foaming of the mouth begin as they condemn me to hell.

    I’m glad they don’t get to judge me someday.

  • Ednight77

    Clearly the gay agenda will stop at nothing to legitimize gay marriage, The history of two men or two women contractual arrangements where for business and inheritance rights binding the continuance of ownership of property and riches that the banks, state or church would otherwise take control of. The truth is marriage is a civil contract that has been codified for hundreds of years. To tear it up and start a new civil contractual codification would be like tearing up the U.S. Constitution just to write a new one.
    Lets talk about the homosexual coach that raped little boys in the shower OR “NAMBLA”, this is the very core of the gay agenda. All homosexuals were raped as children by adults or other children who were raped by adults, ALL OF THEM, ALL OF THEM. All homo-queer-fag-LGBT people are sex offenders at one time or another including prostitution and prostitution of their own children. Homosexuality is a mental break with reality “a schizim” … http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/schizophrenic …
    All LGBT and their supporters are mislead, misguided, emotionally rebellious sexual perverts / predators. 

  • Anonymous

    As I said to the other poster you really should not make postings about subjects that you clearly know nothing about. It makes you look like a fool. 
    If marriage is a civil contract as you state than why do you feel that historical same sex contracts were not also a marriage?
    It is only someone who does not understand pedophilia. who would call a married, man a homosexual. 
    No matter how you capitalize it, your statement that all gay people, were raped as children, involved in prostitution or sex offenders, it is nothing more than a lie.
    Sorry but when I want information about what makes a person gay or why a straight person, feels they are deserving of equal rights the last person I am going to listen to is a homophobic bigot.

  • Katie_derrico

    Ednight
    YOU are a sick individual. Get some help. 
    Question: Do you read the Bible? Just curious.

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