What I Really Learned from Newt Gingrich

I am learning a few very important lessons during this campaign for the Republican nomination. I had been aware of these different strategies before but never have I seen them used as well as I have this time around. The first is called deflection. If you don't like the question, deflect it to something that makes you look good. The second is to baffle with bull instead of succeed with substance. Both of these lessons came from Newt Gingrich at last night's debate. But I learned a much more meaningful lesson and that one will influence how I vote.

The initial question of the debate from moderator John King was to Newt Gingrich regarding his second wife's accusation of an open marriage. She claims that he wanted her to stay married to him while he was having an affair with his now third wife. His response was that the accusation was false and he is tired of the media attacking Republicans. He then went on to blast the media. Well, of course he has to claim that the accusation is false. He would go down in flames if he actually admitted the truth. But, in the interest of being innocent until proven guilty, perhaps this accusation is false. But this isn't the first time he has behaved in this manner. Marianne Gingrich is Newt's second wife and was his mistress while he was married the first time. She is now claiming that he left her for another woman. Amazingly, his pattern of behavior is consistent. Is this accusation true? Considering his past behavior and his response, I believe it is true. But, since he had no room to maneuver in the topic, he deflected to something that he knew would bring him a standing ovation. Let's attack the media! The media is an easy target. No one likes the 24-hour news cycle. Everyone thinks that they frequently overstep their limits. Let's bash them as trying to take a candidate down because that is sure to bring a positive response. Amazing deflection and something for me to remember.

The other lesson from last night's debate was to see how well Speaker Gingrich confused the issue so that people forgot what was actually being said. He blamed the media for keeping decent people from running for president. His response implies that he is a decent person. But what is his definition of decency? A person with the taint of cheating on wives is not what the average person would call decent. So does that mean that decent people don't run, therefore we are forced to choose between indecent candidates including Newt Gingrich? In the end, people are wondering if Newt is delusional or if he realizes that he is also not decent but it doesn't matter because we can all agree that the media is the cause of our problems, I think. I'm not sure. He sounded good, maybe. Whatever.

But at the heart of the matter, Newt Gingrich has a shady past in regards to his personal matters. Yet he has said that he is the best conservative candidate out there. In fact, when Rick Perry finally stepped out of the race he said that he thinks Newt has the heart of a conservative reformer. Newt and Rick Santorum have been vying for the social conservatives from the beginning. Newt claims he is reformed because of his strong Roman Catholic faith and the love of his third wife, Calista. I, on the other hand, believe that Newt is attempting to dodge a bullet by baffling the people with bull and assuming that we will accept it. I learned from a master last night how to dodge difficult situations. But I also learned exactly what Newt must think of all us. He thinks we are all so ignorant that he can bob and weave and we will all be so dazzled by his prowess that we will forget just what kind of person he is. I do not want a president leading this country who assumes I am that ignorant.

A little humor regarding Newt Gingrich from Jay Leno:

"Newt Gingrich said he's afraid America will become an atheist country dominated by radical Islamists. Right. Our big problem could be religious atheists, almost as bad as pacifist warmongers. If they hook up with the communist capitalists we're screwed." —Jay Leno

My thoughts on the Keystone XL Pipeline

President Obama's decision yesterday to block the Keystone XL Pipeline (KXL) has upset many people. The Canadians are mad at us because they want to ship their oil across the United States to the Gulf, a more central shipping location. The IBEW is mad because they wanted their union members to go to work. The oil companies are mad because they want the profits from the oil. The only two groups of people who do not seem disappointed are the environmentalists, for good reason, and the Republicans, who see this as an opportunity to oust the President in the elections. On the other hand, I am also thrilled but for very different reasons. I think the whole thing has been misrepresented from the beginning and I think this could be a path to energy independence that the Republicans and the oil companies would love us to avoid.

The KXL is designed to carry Canadian oil to the Gulf where it can be sold. That statement alone should raise some questions. Although Canada is the leading provider right now for U.S oil, we should not assume that all the Canadian oil going through the pipeline would be used by us. The Canadians would like to sell their oil to other countries also, and the Gulf of Mexico is a great way of doing that. We have been told that we would get this oil, but reason says we would not get all of it. Therefore, a great deal of the selling points for the KXL have been based on assumption.

Next, we have been told that is a "shovel-ready" project. It probably is. But that does not mean that we have to take advantage of it or be labeled a job killer. Fixing the nations highways is also "shovel-ready" and one that few state governments are embracing and the national government is reluctant to fund. But once the pipeline is built, are the jobs still going to be available? Probably not and definitely not in the numbers that are needed for construction. Wouldn't we be better off looking for jobs that would be sustained? I think so.

Which leads me to why I think this presents a great opportunity for us. We need fuel and we need jobs. We have the capacity to ramp up sustainable, renewable natural energy like solar and wind and, since there are already companies in place who are working in these fields, with a little funding, we could have fuel and jobs. With a boost in production, jobs from management to laborer, and course that looks to the future, we could be laying the groundwork for a strong, independent United States to move into the next century. Instead, we listen to the rhetoric from loud people who have their own agendas and dismiss a person who blocks the KXL as being "stunningly stupid."

In my mind, the only "stunningly stupid thing to do" is to continue down this path of oil dependence. As long as we are reliant on a non-renewable source of energy, we will continue to barter our security for our oil. As long as we are reliant on oil, we will continue to be influenced by oil companies who care more about their profits then the general welfare of our country. As long as we continue to listen to the loud mouths who have been influenced by big oil and quick fixes, we will continue to flounder along until it is too late, which will be when we finally realize that China now owns the United States. This rejection is an opportunity to move into a new and better direction. Let's go!