Gingrich: My Claim About Gay Fascism Was ‘A Very Narrowly Focused Reference’
Gingrich: My Claim About Gay Fascism Was ‘A Very Narrowly Focused Reference’
On Nov. 14, Bill O’Reilly and former House Speaker Newt Gingirch cited very limited incidents of thuggery by those protesting Proposition 8. Though the demonstrations — such as throwing leaflets in a church — were in no way the “violence” or “really nasty stuff” they decried, Gingrich declared the protests evidence of “a gay and secular fascism in this country that wants to impose its will on the rest of us.”
New Yorker writer and editor Hendrik Hertzberg cited Gingrich’s comments in his Dec. 1 “Comment” as an example of “anti-gay bigotry [that] is likely to get thicker and more toxic as it dries up.” He added, “This sort of sludge may or may not prove to be of some slight utility in the 2012 Republican primaries, but it is, increasingly, history.”
After O’Reilly sent producers to accost Hertzberg on the street — while lying about inviting him to appear on the show — Gingrich also piled on the New Yorker writer, calling him “a total jerk” to Politico:
I thought the fact that O’Reilly played unedited the entire walking interview with Hertzberg—who is a total jerk—was just funny. If you go back and look at what I said, it was a very narrowly focused reference to people who were invading churches and in one case surrounding a 65-year-old person and harassing her about wearing a cross. Now, in my judgment, people who do that are fascists. And whether they are fascists on the right or fascists on the left, they’re fascists, because they believe in imposing their views on you, outside the law, or they believe in using the law to force you to change who you are. And I’m opposed to fascism of any kind.
Gingrich’s condemnation of “a gay and secular facism” that “is prepared to use violence” was hardly targeted. Jumping off only the most minimal prompt by O’Reilly, who cited protesters “getting out of control very few days after the election,” Gingrich painted the entire anti-Prop 8 and pro-gay marriage movements with one single “fascist” brush.
It’s ironic, moreover, that Gingrich is upset at those “using the law to force you to change who you are.” Yet Gingrich seems to have no objection to anti-gay laws that prohibit people from adopting or marrying solely because of who they are.
Writing on his New Yorker blog about the O’Reilly attack, Hertzberg defended his original column: “I don’t think it was at all unreasonable for me to infer that the targets of Mr. Gingrich’s ‘fascism’ remarks were the mainstream gay-rights movement in general and the opponents of Proposition 8 in particular.” Of course it wasn’t. Gingrich’s own half-sister — an out lesbian — told him to “stop being a hater.” “This is a movement of the people that you most fear. It’s a movement of progress,” she said.
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45 Responses to “Gingrich: My Claim About Gay Fascism Was ‘A Very Narrowly Focused Reference’”
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December 8th, 2008 at 4:58 pmTalk about hypocrisy!
“a gay and secular fascism in this country that wants to impose its will on the rest of us.”
As opposed to a homophobic and religious fanaticism in this country that wants to impose its will on the rest of us.
Gingrich needs to go away.
December 8th, 2008 at 5:00 pmHe must really hate his half sister who is GAY,go figure...... a re-puke who is homophobic.
December 8th, 2008 at 5:02 pmI stand by my claims about draft-dodging chickenhawks. Especially the ones who divorce their sickly wives while in the hospital and marry their mistress' , all the while, whooping up a holy war on the prez for a BJ.
My name is Uncle Ho, and I approve this message.
December 8th, 2008 at 5:03 pmGingrich: 'I Am A Very Narrowly Focused Fascist'
December 8th, 2008 at 5:06 pmWell, I understand. My comment that, "Newt Gingrich is a bigoted, serial adulterous, pig" is narrowly focused as well.
December 8th, 2008 at 5:08 pmWhy use the term "fascism"? It's hinky.
December 8th, 2008 at 5:09 pmGingrich declared the protests evidence of “a gay and secular fascism in this country that wants to impose its will on the rest of us.”
They've got a lot of nerve, when they support the so-called "Christian" zealots who want to impose their will on the rest of the world.
Hypocrits, the pair of them.
December 8th, 2008 at 5:17 pm"Fascism" is only fascism when it's linked to massive corporate, government and military power. What the hell is he talking about?
December 8th, 2008 at 5:20 pmThat's a huuuge forehead .
December 8th, 2008 at 5:23 pmThat's no forehead. That's an eighthead!
December 8th, 2008 at 5:27 pm49erDem Says: "What the hell is he talking about?"
I think it's part of their attempts to redefine social constructs and rewrite history. They want to redefine definitions of words and symbols as part of the process.
December 8th, 2008 at 5:28 pmThe corporo/militarist/neocon faction want to label their adversaries as fascist, to obscure their own policies.
"Islamofascism" as a label has almost faded into obscurity, what's next, "homofascism"?
Gingrich stinks of the odor of desperation.
December 8th, 2008 at 5:29 pm"fascists on the left. . ."?!? For a guy who spent his Vietnam deferment years getting a masters and PhD in history and who fancies himself a political analyst the Newtster doesn't seem to know much about political philosophy. Then again, his audience consists of a collection of bunker mentality deadenders who are convinced the country is about to be taken over by a muslim Indonesian who was born in Kenya so it doesn't really matter how silly he sounds.
December 8th, 2008 at 5:31 pmdbadass Says:
Ha ! Good one .
December 8th, 2008 at 5:32 pmNevar: "I think it’s part of their attempts to redefine social constructs and rewrite history."
Absolutely spot on. Goldberg even wrote a very strange book earlier this year about how fasism has it's roots in liberalism. And, these people have been rewriting Viet Nam era history for decades. When you continually find yourself on the wrong side of history, that's probably one of your only options.
December 8th, 2008 at 5:33 pmAm I the only person in the world who's sick and tired of Newt being his usual tiresome self, and wishes he would just go away for ever and ever?
December 8th, 2008 at 5:36 pmThere's a coincidental (perhaps not) corollary here with Newt's advocacy for Drill Here, Drill Now....
December 8th, 2008 at 5:36 pmGod. I am so totally sick of that fat hypocritical dipwad.
Newt, STFU, ya moron.
December 8th, 2008 at 5:38 pmWishing Fibby a gay and secular Xmas.
December 8th, 2008 at 5:40 pm/snark
I get repeat: ANOTHER ethics lecture from disgraced, corrupt Congressman Newt Gingrich?
December 8th, 2008 at 5:41 pmLimited Fascism, well as a GOP NERD he's certainly familiar with THAT CONCEPT! It's the CENTER THESIS of the MODERN NEOCON MOVEMENT he SPEAKS FOR! Ironically as is always the case with Right Wing Extremists - he accuses others of HIS OWN CRIME to deflate and diffuse any punch that would come back to him when he's confronted with his own criminality. It's classic mafia/right wing nuttery...
December 8th, 2008 at 5:43 pmWhere's Bill Bennett when I get tired of hearing Newt get all preachy about right and wrong and such? Maybe he is out placing a bet, I don't know but still I really need a whole bunch of immoral dipshits to explain to me morality otherwise I will no doubt go astray...
December 8th, 2008 at 5:45 pmIn 50 years these two will look like the Klan does today. Except we have more of these morons on tape.
December 8th, 2008 at 5:53 pmI sure miss the days when Newt was invisible. Unfortunately, he's like something you get stuck on your shoe at the dog park, and it's really hard to scrape it all off.
Newt claims to be a "scholar" yet he apparently has no idea at all what the word "fascism" means.
December 8th, 2008 at 6:00 pmAnother thing- the lady he said was harassed about "wearing a cross", well that's a lie. The woman in question was carrying a large styrofoam cross, and was something of a professional anti-gay agitator, who went day after day to peaceful Prop 8 protests to loudly bait people about how they were going to hell.
December 8th, 2008 at 6:13 pmI wish whomever interacted with her hadn't, but voila, they have their "victim" story.
Awful.
Perhaps if he were being honest he'd say "infidels".
December 8th, 2008 at 6:15 pmNewt is such a bigot and racist, he's having problems keeping his brown undershirts and swastika armbands properly tucked under his business shirts.
Then again after all his years of political side-stepping, he could give any Rockette or Broadway dancer a good run for their money.
December 8th, 2008 at 6:22 pmWho invited this asswipe back to our Democracy?
Go away and STFU Newt!!
December 8th, 2008 at 6:24 pmNewt invited himself back in, at the expense of everyone else.
December 8th, 2008 at 6:46 pmThe following is a "very narrowly focused" sentence.
I'll give anyone a shiney new nickel if they drop a house on Newt.
December 8th, 2008 at 7:20 pmYeah, because no kind of FASCISM is happening that involves the physical, verbal and legal assault on Gay individuals and families by religious bigots. It's not like gay bars have been bombed, gay people have been murdered and pinned to fences, or that gays have been beaten and often to death. It's not like gays have been verbally harassed, threatened and ran out of their housing and communities. It's not like gays have lost jobs, and families for simply being the way they are naturally. No, the "gay-fascists" are the big bad evil, and the little religious NewtBigots are the innocent victims... poor things! I'm so sorry Newt for ALL of YOUR SUFFERING! What a TARD!
December 8th, 2008 at 7:46 pmThis former speaker of the house, who was forced to leave for a myriad of ethics violations, this man, this womanizer is still being quoted. Of course only by the right.
This man who has the nerve to speak of right. This man who is three times married. Who went to the hospital bed of his first wife barely out of the operating room for cancer, and tried to get her to sign away her rights monetarily. A nurse threw him out. He married and divorced the woman he married next, or she divorced him for cheating on her. And now is in either this marriage or a new one.
This lunatic who cannot tell the truth or the same story twice. It's good he has Fox, they don't care. This man is like chewing gum on the cat. Hard to scrape off. These people simply cannot just lay down and die. They keep coming back like heart burn after a bad meal.
I am so totally sick and tired of the lot of them. And I never listen to the right wing slugs that keep giving them air time. None of them on the right should have air time anymore. Just a lot of hateful rhetoric.
December 8th, 2008 at 7:47 pmgum, you totally nailed both these points.
One, I kind of appreciate the scattered appearances of Newt in the MSm. Reminds me how blissful it is when he's invisible.
And two, despite Newt's complete failure to grasp the concept of "fascism", he's still regularly described as one of the Right's leading "intellectuals". Tells you something about the intellectual health of the Right, don't it?
December 8th, 2008 at 7:47 pm1. He has no clue what fascism is.
2. Facism, by definition, cannot be a narrow reference.
December 8th, 2008 at 9:11 pmBeware, beware, when the right wing cites a threat of violence they project. It is an old story.
December 9th, 2008 at 1:01 am.
PLEASE REMEMBER:
This man has lamented the fact that America has not been attacked since 9/11...
Read that again.
Now listen here:
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Gingrich_Bush_should_have_allowed_attack_0529.html
But Newt, vaut cities and Homelanders should be sacrificed to prove Der Fuhrer correct?
.
December 9th, 2008 at 1:42 am" Gingrich: My Claim About Gay Fascism Was ‘A Very Narrowly Focused Reference’".
And so recieved and documented...........................
December 9th, 2008 at 3:05 amAny possibilty that Newt is a closeted gay?
December 9th, 2008 at 7:13 amNarrowly focused?
When it comes to Gingrich, try narrow minded.
December 9th, 2008 at 7:20 amI think history shows that fascism leaned extremely hard on the gays just as Newt's sort do it. Drag them back in the alley for a good old fashioned "queer stomp"
December 9th, 2008 at 8:35 am"Now, in my judgment, people who do that are fascists. And whether they are fascists on the right or fascists on the left, they’re fascists, because they believe in imposing their views on you, outside the law, or they believe in using the law to force you to change who you are. And I’m opposed to fascism of any kind."
From Wikipedia: Fascism is an authoritarian or totalitarian nationalist ideology, which is primarily concerned with notions of decline or decadence, and which seeks to solve such problems by achieving a millenarian national rebirth, exalting the nation or race above all else, and promoting cults of unity, strength and purity. Fascists typically seek to form a mass movement of militants who are willing to engage in violence against their perceived enemies.
Well, I think that Gingrich needs to read a dictionary because his definition of "fascism" is at odds with everyone else's definition. Besides, Gingrich and his ilk are a lot closer to being fascist than anyone I have ever known in the gay community.
What a gasbag.
December 9th, 2008 at 9:15 amOh, one more thing. Fascism is always a right-wing ideology. Fascists hate the left. There are no leftist fascists.
December 9th, 2008 at 9:17 amFascism is not left or right, thanks for proving the idiocy of the left even further. Nazism was for instance...left; it was "socialist". But Fascism in Italy was "right" it was capitalist or more accurately monopolistic corporate cronyism. The difference is that Hitler was very centralist and command-economy oriented...Mussolini was not; he was a coalition builder and relied upon the older corporate structure for power.
Fascism is a "mass movement" and beyond that definition it loses much of its meaning, this means that the KKK, also was fascist.
Now that being aside.
Gay agendas are promoted by a very small few people; less than the civil rights that's for sure. In fact more people are actively involved in defending Marriage and returning homosexuality (Massachusetts department of health states that homosexuality is caused more by sexual abuse than by anything else) to its place of sin, than were involved in the civil rights movement.
December 9th, 2008 at 6:00 pmIf you want to know the only definable attribute of Fascism read the book "The Anatomy of Fascism".
Its only really defining characteristic is that it is a mass movement, a second characteristic is that it relies upon a single personality or fairly presentable group as a personality for which to rally behind.
That is to separate it from a "revolution" which often is just a mass of people with a common agenda, lead by various competing groups with no real noticeable singular personality (group or individual) to direct the revolution.
So in many ways Fascism is revolutionary too - but with that distinction.
To understand why people erroneously think Fascism is "right-wing" is because Hitler (not Mussolini) relied heavily upon Conservatives who were anti-Democratic in Germany to gain power.
Once Hitler had gained power though he quickly dismantled those conservatives' power base and structure as a group thereby denying them political power...and began to reform Germany as radically as the French Revolution or Russian Revolution ever did to those respective countries.
December 9th, 2008 at 6:03 pm