Top Ten Greatest Moments of the South Carolina Primaries Top Ten Greatest Moments of the South Carolina Primaries
A few bad men.
Jan 22, 2012 / Katie Halper
Cultural Populism Catapults Gingrich to South Carolina Victory Cultural Populism Catapults Gingrich to South Carolina Victory
Newt Gingrich won South Carolina’s Republican primary by appealing to religiosity, economic populism and racial resentment.
Jan 22, 2012 / Ben Adler
Finally, An Honest Voice Enters the GOP Race: AFSCME Finally, An Honest Voice Enters the GOP Race: AFSCME
More than 40 percent of Republicans disagree with GOP union-bashing. Labor's smart campaigning against Gingrich and Romney could influence Florida voting—in January, and...
Jan 21, 2012 / John Nichols
What Marianne Gingrich and Al Green Teach Us About the Man Who Could Be President What Marianne Gingrich and Al Green Teach Us About the Man Who Could Be President
Last night’s 179th GOP debate of the season taught us so much, again, about the GOP candidates: socialism for the military, no government at all for anyone else, protect zygotes, execute humans, “I swear I never once provided a single person with healthcare”/ “Yes you did!”/ “Did not!”/ “Did too!,” etc. But the biggest revelations of last night did not occur at the debates. Thursday, I blogged about Marianne Gingrich, one of Newt’s several exes, and her tell-a-little interview (and how inconceivable sex with Newt Gingrich was to me). That was based on a mere preview of Marianne’s interview that ABC had released. But after the debate, ABC ran the entire at-least-a-couple-of-minutes-long interview. Here’s what stood out: • Gingrich left his first wife after she got cancer and left Marianne after she got MS. The take-away is that at least Newt is consistent and that Callista better take her multi-vitamins, though she does have her age on her side. • It was while he was cheating on his wife that Newt crucified Clinton for his infidelity and stated that there was “no administration with less moral authority than the Clinton-Gore administration.” • Marianne Gingrich knows about only “some of” the skeletons Newt keeps in his closet since, presumably, he has more skeletons than could fit in one closet or one person’s mind. And, of course, Newt has continued collecting skeletons since leaving his wife, so she’s in the dark on those. So, last night, we learned, or relearned, that Newt Gingrich is seriously one of the most disgusting, cheating, hurtful, wife-hopping people in the world. We also learned something about President Obama that puts him on the other end of the disgusting/adorable spectrum. And that is that he can sing! Which he did, at a fundraiser at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. Perhaps Newt’s unfaithfulness (and the fact that Al Green was at the fundraiser) was what made Obama sing a few (too few) bars from Green’s classic, “Let’s Stay Together” and, specifically, the words “I’m so in love with you.” I pity the wives of Gingrich, but I envy Michelle Obama. See the video and look out for the president’s Kermit the Frog moves. It should convince the “there’s no difference between a Republican and a Democrat” crowd that, when it comes to Gingrich and Obama, there’s a huge difference, at least on a personal level. And, of course, as we all know, the personal is political. Download Video as MP4
Jan 20, 2012 / Katie Halper
Can Gingrich’s Visceral Appeal Outweigh His History? Can Gingrich’s Visceral Appeal Outweigh His History?
Newt Gingrich appeals to South Carolina Republicans like no other candidate. But can he overcome his personal history and his incompetent ground game?
Jan 20, 2012 / Ben Adler
Rick Perry’s Greatest Hits: He’s Gone But Not Forgotten Rick Perry’s Greatest Hits: He’s Gone But Not Forgotten
Here are some of his Perryisms we'll miss.
Jan 20, 2012 / Katie Halper
Forget Romney, Gingrich Is Running Against ‘Liberal Media’—and It Might Work Forget Romney, Gingrich Is Running Against ‘Liberal Media’—and It Might Work
Speaker Gingrich condemned Bill Clinton’s hijinks; at last night's debate, candidate Gingrich preached moral values. He’s a hypocrite. But hyprocisy sells.
Jan 20, 2012 / John Nichols
Five Reasons Romney Is Leading (Barely) in South Carolina Five Reasons Romney Is Leading (Barely) in South Carolina
Mitt Romney’s lead over Newt Gingrich has shrunk, but he’s still set to do well in a state that was supposed to be hostile to him. Rick Perry dropping out is unlikely t...
Jan 19, 2012 / Ben Adler
A Party Divided: Where the Republican Candidates Stand on Immigration A Party Divided: Where the Republican Candidates Stand on Immigration
From sending predator drones to the border to allowing American Express to run our guest worker program, the Republican candidates for the presidential nomination have put out some…
Jan 19, 2012 / Photo Essay / The Nation
Vulture Capitalism on Trial Vulture Capitalism on Trial
Perry and Gingrich offer a surprisingly revealing criticism of Romney's brand of predatory capitalism.
Jan 19, 2012 / Katrina vanden Heuvel