Live by the “values” sword and your campaign dies by it as well, Meghan McCain has essentially said about GOP candidate Newt Gingrich and his third wife, Callista Gingrich.
Meghan McCain, daughter of 2008 GOP candidate John McCain, has a bit of insider knowledge about the way campaign frontrunner’s families are assessed and treated by the media and the American public. And despite leaning on “values” from time to time- Gingrich reportedly recently told a gay voter he should “ be for Obama ,” his own personal life is not one that is well in line with the ideals of so-called “values voters.” Sure, Gingrich is well able to support poor children being put to work as janitors in schools and eliminating programs that assist those in poverty, but when it comes to his personal life, he’s not a model citizen of the far-right.
Gingrich- who allegedly told a campaign worker once that his first wife was not “young enough or pretty enough” to be First Lady (and “besides, she has cancer”), earlier this year explained his two wife trade-ins as a symptom of loving America too much:
“There’s no question at times in my life, partially driven by how passionately I felt about this country, that I worked too hard and things happened in my life that were not appropriate.”
Which totally makes sense. And while those in Gingrich’s life may have forgiven his transgressions, Meghan McCain is skeptical the American public will be as willing to accept the “icy” woman who supplanted Gingrich’s second wife. McCain says of Callista Gingrich:
“I think the fact that she was a third wife and a mistress and is coming off somewhat icy and [her] reputation of being somewhat controversial within their campaign is doing damage. Maybe just to politicos, but I think it’s something that people, and especially values voters, will bring into the race.”
Do you think it’s possible for Gingrich to run on such a conservative platform with his personal history, or is McCain right that when the time comes for voters to pull the lever, they’ll remember his checkered past?
