Newt Gingrich

Can you believe this guy is such a player?

It was with great pleasure that I received the news that Newt Gingrich had converted to Catholicism.  Now he's running for president.  With South Carolina under his belt, he may well be the Republican nominee, but it is doubtful that Mr. Gingrich has what it takes to be president.  His dirty laundry is being aired, and it ain't sweet smelling! 

He has spoken out powerfully about traditional family structure, but requested an open marriage from the second of his (as of yet) three wives.  He's not handled his personal finances well, leading a life where he is perpetually broke.  He also tried to write an apologetic tell-all book, but was stopped by aides.  He also had a torrid High School affair with his math teacher.  Newt also has a tendency to put his foot in his mouth. 
This leads to awkward headlines, like this one, "Newt Gingrich: Child labor laws are stupid"

What's truly amazing about Gingrich's success in South Carolina is that he probably won because the Evangelical Protestants probably voted for him because they'd rather have a Catholic than a Mormon.  Now that's just sad!  Appealing to racism and religious prejudice seems to be par for the course for Gingrich, but his new found religion won't stand for it.  45 Catholic leaders wrote an open letter to the two Catholic Republican candidates for president, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum.  The letter was published January 21, 2012 and reads as follows. 

An Open Letter to Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum
As Catholic leaders who recognize that the moral scandals of racism and poverty remain a blemish on the American soul, we challenge our fellow Catholics Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum to stop perpetuating ugly racial stereotypes on the campaign trail. Mr. Gingrich has frequently attacked President Obama as a “food stamp president” and claimed that African Americans are content to collect welfare benefits rather than pursue employment. Campaigning in Iowa, Mr. Santorum remarked: “I don’t want to make black people’s lives better by giving them somebody else’s money.” Labeling our nation’s first African-American president with a title that evokes the past myth of “welfare queens” and inflaming other racist caricatures is irresponsible, immoral and unworthy of political leaders.
Some presidential candidates now courting “values voters” seem to have forgotten that defending human life and dignity does not stop with protecting the unborn. We remind Mr. Gingrich and Mr. Santorum that Catholic bishops describe racism as an “intrinsic evil” and consistently defend vital government programs such as food stamps and unemployment benefits that help struggling Americans. At a time when nearly 1 in 6 Americans live in poverty, charities and the free market alone can’t address the urgent needs of our most vulnerable neighbors. And while jobseekers outnumber job openings 4-to-1, suggesting that the unemployed would rather collect benefits than work is misleading and insulting.
As the South Carolina primary approaches, we urge Mr. Gingrich, Mr. Santorum and all presidential candidates to reject the politics of racial division, refrain from offensive rhetoric and unite behind an agenda that promotes racial and economic justice.

For the 45 signatures and the original posting of the letter, click here.   I'm sure that many of the 45 have met Pope Benedict XVI and perhaps some would have met Blessed John Paul II.