POLITICAL HIGHLIGHTS
By Bonnie K. Goodman
Ms. Goodman is the Editor of History Musings. She has a BA in History & Art History & a Masters in Library and Information Studies from McGill University, and has done graduate work in history at Concordia University.
PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN 2012….
- Spokesman: Newt Gingrich to announce presidential bid Wednesday via Facebook and Twitter
- Gingrich to announce run for White House: Newt Gingrich’s Republican allies from his days as House speaker welcomed the news Monday that he plans to formally launch his presidential campaign Wednesday. Former Louisiana representative Bob Livingston, who was to succeed Gingrich as speaker in 1998, said that Gingrich would be an exciting addition to the field and that he would likely support the Georgia Republican.
“Will he immediately unify everybody in the country? Probably not,” Livingston said. “But I think that he’s got a better understanding of some of the deeper issues that affect the country than most candidates do, and for that reason, I think it’s a good idea that he’s running.”
Gingrich plans to announce his candidacy via Facebook and Twitter, according to spokesman Rick Tyler. Gingrich will follow those social media announcements with an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Wednesday night, a speech at the Georgia Republican Party Convention on Friday and an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday…. – USA Today, 5-9-11 - Gingrich expected to announce candidacy in wake of Paul’s Iowa visit, office opening: Former Speaker of the U.S. House Newt Gingrich is expected to officially announce his presidential candidacy for 2012 Wednesday, according to his Facebook page.
“I have been humbled by all the encouragement you have given me to run. Thank you for your support. Be sure to watch Hannity this Wednesday at 9pm ET/8pm CT. I will be on to talk about my run for President of the United States,” said the Facebook message.
Gingrich’s announcement will come a day after fellow potential GOP presidential contender and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, a Texas Republican, visits Iowa to open a campaign office in Ankeny. Paul participated in last week’s debate in South Carolina, but has yet to officially declare his candidacy for 2012…. – Iowa Independent, 5-9-11 - Gingrich joins Republican presidential field Former House speaker has name recognition, but carries some negative political baggage: Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and a Republican powerhouse in the 1990s, announced that he was joining the race for the party’s presidential nomination to challenge President Barack Obama in 2012. He also brings considerable negative political baggage: three marriages, resignation under an ethics cloud while leader of the House and a tendency to shoot-from-the-hip when speaking.
In 1994, Gingrich led the Republican Party to its first House majority in 40 years. But any Republican candidate could face insurmountable difficulties in defeating the incumbent Obama, who remains personally popular with Americans and has seen his job approval rating rise notably in the early days after the killing of al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden…. – AP, MSNBC, 5-10-11 - Gingrich Run Reflects His Sense of History: Whatever can Newt Gingrich be thinking? That’s the question a lot of political handicappers are asking now that Newt, as he is universally known in Washington, has decided to enter the 2012 campaign, with an announcement expected on Wednesday. Until recently, most of my colleagues assumed that the former speaker of the House, who flirted with running four years ago, was merely doing the same thing now, just to stay in the news….. – NYT, 5-10-11
- Gingrich Set to Run, With Wife in Central Role: Callista Bisek’s friends from rural Wisconsin were stunned when, well over a decade ago, she confided that she was secretly dating an older, married man: Newt Gingrich. Still in her 20s when they met, Ms. Bisek had been raised in a town of 1,500, the only child of a meat packer and a secretary. A churchgoing Roman Catholic, she had attended a Lutheran college where she practiced piano five hours a day. “Is this the wisest course for you to be taking?” Karen Olson, her best friend, recalled asking.
Today, Ms. Bisek is Mrs. Gingrich, married for 11 years, but perhaps best remembered for the six-year affair that contributed to her husband’s political downfall. His critics cast Mr. Gingrich, the former House speaker, as a hypocrite who sought to impeach a president over infidelity while engaging in it himself with Ms. Bisek, who was a Congressional aide…. – NYT, 5-10-11 - Bio Box: 2012 Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich — AP NAME: Newton Leroy Gingrich
AGE: 67. Born in Harrisburg, Pa.; June 17, 1943.
EDUCATION: B.A. History, Emory University; M.A. and Ph.D., Tulane University,
FAMILY: Wife, Callista, Two daughters, Kathy Gingrich Lubbers and Jackie Gingrich Cushman, from his first marriage.
CAREER: Taught history at West Georgia College in Carrollton, Ga. Also taught at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Ga. Elected to Congress in 1978. Re-elected 10 times. In 1994, Gingrich led Republicans to control of the U.S. House and was elected speaker. He stepped down from Congress in 1999. Gingrich has formed a network of business and not-for-profit groups. He has written numerous books, made documentary films and worked as a political commentator for Fox News.
QUOTE: “Our best leaders have reminded us that we have a moral obligation to the cause of freedom and that the cause of freedom is the cause of all mankind.” - Newt Gingrich to (finally) make it official: Politico Arena, 5-9-11