Think Progress

Gingrich Begins A Twitter Feed In Spanish, ‘The Language Of Living In A Ghetto’

Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich is notorious for his active — and sometimes controversialmusings on Twitter. But not only does he have a Twitter feed in English, but he has also started one in Spanish.

gingrichtwitteresp

He posted his first tweet in Spanish at 1:08 pm on July 9, noting that he would be on Neil Cavuto’s Fox show at 4:05 to discuss Pelosi’s $16 million “mouse” project. He also asked his readers what he should say about the subject. While some of his tweets on the Spanish-language feed are the same as on the English version, others are original content.

More importantly, why would Gingrich even want a Spanish-language Twitter feed? He has fiercely opposed bilingual education, even going so as far to call Spanish “the language of living in a ghetto“:

The American people believe English should be the official language of the government. … We should replace bilingual education with immersion in English so people learn the common language of the country and they learn the language of prosperity, not the language of living in a ghetto.

More recently, Gingrich has gone after Latina Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor as a “Latina women racist.”

- Claire Teitelman



76 Responses to “Gingrich Begins A Twitter Feed In Spanish, ‘The Language Of Living In A Ghetto’”

  1. RantingTommy says:

    ah, newt, always the lizard brain


  2. Zimzone says:

    Gingrich is quickly becoming as irrelevant as McCain.

    Any intellect he does possess is outweighed by his racism and archaic notions of ‘Republics Rule’.


  3. evangenital says:

    Maybe all the racist stuff that Gingrich promoted so fiercely is starting to worry him a bit now, given that his party has succumbed to Arianization.

    Those with the wrong bloodlines need not apply.


  4. Jackie says:

    Like many Republicans fighting for the top spot they think minority people are stupid. Sarah is loose to run wild and now Newt has to play his cards. What’s up with Racist Republican Leader Rush Limbaugh who was in the lead? Eric Cantor is now hoping to get re elected after he spent his time running after Britney Spears. Sanford’s in love and Ensign is looking for a new girl toy. You do have to wonder just how stupid these candidates are when they attack minorities and then ask for their support.


  5. dasm says:

    Good Lord, this man is clueless– & he hopes to run again with these comments as baggage? Hilarious.


  6. chiroptera toasterhead says:

    This reminds me of the very homemade local commercials they show on Univision for very gringo lawyers and chiropractors and stuff in which the very gringo lawyers and chiropractors are quite obviously reading Spanish phonetically off a cue card and have obviously never actually spoken the language in their lives.


  7. mary lacewing says:

    More importantly, why would Gingrich even want a Spanish-language Twitter feed?

    Is that one of them there ‘rhetorical’ questions?


  8. Another Joe says:

    just incredible…

    Goes to show you, they have written off the fastest growing demographic block because they know that hispanics are never going to be good kool-aide drinnkers.

    Perhaps it is because things are so f#cked up in Mexico (intentionally so by the same special interests that dominate repugs/neocons) that they have a better perspective than mainstreet European Americans.


  9. Another Joe says:

    Do you think newt knows how to say “blow job” and “pay for sex” in spanish?


  10. Luis Chapulin M says:

    BTW, “Sacar el Irbil 5″ is syntactically wrong.


  11. zivnuska1 says:

    Please tell the Gingrich photoshop technician that he has gone too far in compressing the horizontal dimension of his picture. No more than 6% tops. It’s nice to try and make him look slimmer but this is just silly.


  12. Jane E. Schneider says:

    “He posted his first tweet in Spanish at 1:08 pm on July 9, noting that he would be on Neil Cavuto’s Fox show at 4:05 to discuss Pelosi’s $16 million “mouse” project.”

    Hasn’t that ‘mouse’ story been debunked countless times already? What traction does Newtie think he’s going to gain with trotting that old canard out again? What a maroon!


  13. P.D. says:

    Here we go again. Another old white bigot trying to appear hip. They honestly believe people have short term memories when it comes to the whole immigrant bashing debate. What’s worst for the Repugs? Newt trying to lead the Repug party again? Os Sarah the ‘Quiter’ Palin? Talk about a Party with no leaders and no future, the GOP is going the way of the Whigs.


  14. joeyramonesmom says:

    I have some Spanish for Newtie: Besame el culo.


  15. Zimzone says:

    Gingrich:
    I’m proud to be a Southern White, Latina hating, racist sexist pig good ‘ol boy who’s made a lot of money off prejudice & lies.


  16. PatrioticLiberalChristian says:

    Is Gingrich using the self-described “language of living in a ghetto” part of Michael Steele’s grand(iose) and secret plan to advance the Republican party?

    I think it is about as good a marketing plan as GM had with selling the Chevy “No-va” in Mexico.


  17. chiroptera toasterhead says:

    He posted his first tweet in Spanish at 1:08 pm on July 9

    Wouldn’t that be “his first pío?”


  18. Republicans Love Facts says:

    More recently, Gingrich has gone after Latina Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor as a “Latina women racist.”

    So?


  19. Luis Chapulin M says:

    PatrioticLiberalChristian Says:
    I think it is about as good a marketing plan as GM had with selling the Chevy “No-va” in Mexico.

    Hey, my Dad had one of those cars here in Mexico. I really liked that car (up to the day I almost broke a finger when I closed a door without removing my hand from the way).


  20. Republicans Love Facts says:

    racist sexist pig good ‘ol boy who’s made a lot of money off prejudice & lies

    Nobody said anything about jesse or al……


  21. misscoleopteramolly says:

    More importantly, why would Gingrich even want a Spanish-language Twitter feed?
    ____________________________________________________________

    That’s an excellent question. I remember when Rudy Giuliani openly courted Spanish speaking voters by running ads in Spanish when he was campaigning for President, despite a track record of making a big deal out of “English Only”

    Why? Because he was running for President. And when people run for President, they tend to do whatever they have to in order to shmooze the voters, even if it contradicts positions they’ve taken in the past. It was always thus.

    I’m wondering, then, if Gingrich is planning another Presidential run. He’s certainly been staying visible. And making himself visible to the Spanish speaking population would fit in with that strategy.


  22. chiroptera toasterhead says:

    PatrioticLiberalChristian Says:

    I think it is about as good a marketing plan as GM had with selling the Chevy “No-va” in Mexico.

    July 13th, 2009 at 11:37 am
    _____________

    Just FYI – that story, like the Coca-Cola/Bite The Wax Tadpole story you also read in marketing textbooks, is far more urban legend than fact.


  23. chiroptera toasterhead says:

    Republicans Love Facts Says:

    Nobody said anything about jesse or al……

    July 13th, 2009 at 11:41 am
    ______________

    Or Bo or Luke or Cooter or Roscoe or Boss Hogg, neither. Why no love for the rest of the Dukes of Hazzard cast?


  24. Jane E. Schneider says:

    Remember Newtie saying a few years ago (I’m paraphrasing here) that he was waiting for people to see the light and beg him to run for President? I guess that didn’t work out so well for him, did it?


  25. The Dogfather says:

    Newt would have been a natural on “Que Hora Es” on Cedric the Entertainer’s old show…


  26. Republicans Love Facts says:

    PatrioticLiberalChristian Says:
    I think it is about as good a marketing plan as GM had with selling the Chevy “No-va” in Mexico.

    How’s that egg?


  27. chiroptera toasterhead says:

    The Dogfather Says:

    Newt would have been a natural on “Que Hora Es” on Cedric the Entertainer’s old show…

    July 13th, 2009 at 11:47 am
    _____________

    Or as one of the scantily-clad models hawking Coors Light on Don Francisco Presenta…

    * shudder *


  28. Max Anax junius -1 says:

    .

    Maybe Newt can twitter why he thinks America should be attacked
    … A G A I N!

    .


  29. Max Anax junius -1 says:

    .

    How does one twitter “mistress” in Spanish?

    .


  30. PatrioticLiberalChristian says:

    chiroptera toasterhead, thank you for the correction. I never heard that this had been debunked. BTW, my first new car was a 1976 Nova and it remains one of my favorites.

    Republicans Love Facts Says: How’s that egg?

    Sunny-side up. Unlike you, I don’t mind being corrected.


  31. barfly says:

    The American people believe English should be the official language of the government. … We should replace bilingual education with immersion in English so people learn the common language of the country and they learn the language of prosperity, not the language of living in a ghetto.

    He’s not against biligual propagandizing, just bilingual education.


  32. ralph the wonder locust says:

    Jane E. Schneider Says:
    “He posted his first tweet in Spanish at 1:08 pm on July 9, noting that he would be on Neil Cavuto’s Fox show at 4:05 to discuss Pelosi’s $16 million “mouse” project.”

    Hasn’t that ‘mouse’ story been debunked countless times already? What traction does Newtie think he’s going to gain with trotting that old canard out again? What a maroon!

    Looks like Newtie is determined to put the “Twit” in Twitter.


  33. chiroptera toasterhead says:

    PatrioticLiberalChristian Says:

    chiroptera toasterhead, thank you for the correction. I never heard that this had been debunked. BTW, my first new car was a 1976 Nova and it remains one of my favorites.

    July 13th, 2009 at 11:51 am
    ______________

    Yeah, it’s one of those anecdotes that’s so good that nobody wants to ruin it with the minor detail that it’s false. I distinctly remember learning it as fact in college marketing and PR classes.


  34. Gottlieb says:

    I believe Newt should be excommunicated from the Catholic
    Church as I don’t believe he cares to understand or follow the teachings/spirit of the church and he made a false conversion


  35. RantingTommy says:

    Gottlieb Says:

    I believe Newt should be excommunicated from the Catholic
    Church as I don’t believe he cares to understand or follow the teachings/spirit of the church and he made a false conversion

    I think he should be forced to stay in. Delusional lunacy such as Newt’s needs company. And what better place is there to find other delusional lunatics than in a church?


  36. Jane E. Schneider says:

    Thanks for the video, Max. I hadn’t realized before that, when Newtie spoke that line, he was in Huntington, NY (on Long Island), where I used to live and work. Yeesh!


  37. Virtual Pebble says:

    Confused much, Mr. Gingrich?

    I’m not sure whether it’s interesting or appalling that people are still listening to that clapped-out loon, and it’s certainly odd that they’ll subscribe to a twitter feed from him.

    As to Greengrinch en Espanol, how many times has it been pointed out to him that the ghetto of which he speaks extends from the US southwest all the way to Tierra del Fuego. And a sizable area of northwest Africa uses Spanish as a (er) ‘lingua Franca’. Well, OK, so Brazil isn’t Spanish speaking, but they use a linguistically related tongue.

    Then there’s the issue of the connotations contingent to the word ‘ghetto’. Spanish is spoken in every state in this Union and any Spanish speaking “ghetto” should, but might not be, any more than a neighborhood – there certainly shouldn’t be any areas where Spanish speakers must live seperately, under pain of penalty of law.

    How the hell did the party of GnOPe manage to collect such a bag of idiots as their (purported and alleged) leaders? Just luck for the rest of us, I suppose…


  38. Reggie says:

    Nobody said anything about jesse or al.

    What’s your point, neither Al or Jessee were nominated to the Supreme Court?


  39. RantingTommy says:

    damn newt, if you’re gonna be a racist pig, at least get it right:

    black people live in ghettos

    brown people live in barrios

    the only thing worse than a bigot is an ignorant bigot


  40. Max Anax junius -1 says:

    Jane,
    It’s disgusting that he suggest fellow Americans and an American city(s) ab attacked just to prove him correct. And to boot, so as to establish a covert operation to violate Constitutional protections granted in our Bill of Rights. But what is more scary is that there are people out there who think Newt to be wise beyond his years and could be the next US President. Oh, and some even think America should be attacked, again! Just like Al-CIA-duh! NO?


  41. ralph the wonder locust says:

    Reggie, I don’t think Republicans Love Goats ever has a point. Its every utterance here is calculated toward the ultimate aim of enhancing its potential for goat sex.


  42. Buckie Boy says:

    Uh, he is using Spanish because of the latino voters are noticing just how racist and bigoted the Republic Fascist Party is and he is only doing damage control.


  43. Jane E. Schneider says:

    You’re right, Max, I can’t believe that so many talking heads on the TV machine, including liberals, still refer to Newtie as ‘brilliant’ or a ‘genius’. I have definitely never seen any evidence for those accolades.


  44. pbeeg says:

    And, all sorts of evidence to the contrary, General Francisco Franco is still dead.


  45. pags2 says:

    Newt does not seriously think he has a chance at the presidency. He keeps sniping from the sidelines to keep people listening to him. Newt wants to be able to broker his influence for the presidency and come out of it like a hero. His problem is keeps peddling the Reagan BS and that is a tiresome message. But he is betting public opinion will turn on Obama enough for him and the Republicans to take back control of Congress in 2010.


  46. Exit Stage Left says:

    I really don’t care what dooshbag newtered has to say…In ANY language.


  47. LibertyLover says:

    I saw a bit of cspan over the weekend where a caller was telling the guest republican that he was upset that they were trying to reach out to the Hispanic population. The caller was adamant that they ’stick to their guns” and not try to cater to other populations.

    The Guest Republican said that the Repubs need to do more “outreach” to the Hispanic community. What that tells me is that they are going to try to appeal to this population somehow and in someway. In the past, they got Hispanic votes by appealing to the morality aspect of the community.

    Frankly, I don’t see why it would benefit anyone in any Hispanic Community to vote Republican, Republicans don’t care about minorities. Never have and never will.


  48. dietrich says:

    Senor Gingrich is stupido, gordo, y antiquato.
    tony y lido


  49. dietrich says:

  50. LibertyLover says:

    joeyramonesmom @ 14

    LOL!!! :) Thanks for the laugh!


  51. RUCeriousMaggot! says:

    Yo! FumbDuck Amphibian!

    That would be BARRIO!

    Idiot.


  52. RUCeriousMaggot! says:

    How does he spell ‘cheating’, ‘divorce’, ‘wife with cancer’….Curious minds need to know…


  53. kevsters says:

    We should all be ready for some fireworks. If not from Congress, certainly from the misogynistic right.

    Here is a perfect example of women haters starting the cannon fodder.

    http://progressnotcongress.org/?p=2144


  54. Zooey says:

    Is it wrong of me not to care about twitter shit?


  55. MapleStreet says:

    And Newtie posts these twitters himself ?

    What is it about the repubs and trying to appear that they are posting tweets while delegating the job ?


  56. johnny dol1ar says:

    Could someone with a twatter account send the following message to Newt?

    La bola de GOPuerquitos son puros pendejos.

    (Bunch of GOPiggies are down right durm a$$es)


  57. johnny dol1ar says:

    52 RUCeriousMaggot! Says:

    How does he spell ‘cheating’, ‘divorce’, ‘wife with cancer’….Curious minds need to know…

    engañar
    divorcio
    esposa con cancer

    hipocresía (hypocrisy)


  58. ForVivi says:

    Senor Gingrich, your name is very difficult to pronounce in Spanish. We’re just going to Spanish-ize it like Republicans anglicize our names. From now on your name is:

    Neutonio Gringucho.


  59. Marie says:

    Anything for a vote, heh, Newt?
    We already know your lack of morality, your non-existent ethics, your pandering and your exploitations — now you are demonstrating so in the Spanish language which you have previously disdained.
    The Latino population is not stupid, Newt.


  60. El Profe says:

    This featured tweet doesn’t even make sense in Spanish. What? The former speaker of the house can’t find ONE bilingual person to help him translate his thoughts? This is even more insulting than he might realize. Letting an on-line translating program translate your thoughts for you is pretty freaking stupid.


  61. El Profe says:

    Just read some more of his so-called “Spanish tweets”. Seriously, someone needs to tell him this is a horrible idea. His Spanish sounds like Borat’s English. Hispanic-Americans he might be trying to win over ARE LAUGHING AT HIM AS WE SPEAK. RiDICKulous!


  62. El Profe says:

    Este es el mismo puto que le puso los cuernos a su vieja cuando se estaba muriendo de cancer. No le crean al guey. Es un racista de primera y un pendejo ademas!


  63. sar says:

    Translating the word “mistress” have certain challenges, especially local slang. At least in Puerto Rico (I don’t know other places, but I’d love to hear them!), mistress can be translated into “chilla” or “corteja”, or the more universally accepted “amante”.

    As for reading his tweet, Google Translator is pretty good, but for the love of all that’s saint to him (Reagan basically), Newt should get someone to revise it.


  64. sar says:

    As for his latest Tweet, I half expected to read “Lisa Negro”. =P


  65. Foxtrottango2 says:

    Great! Now Hispanics can call Newt by his real name. Gingrich El Gringo!

    Obviously, El Gringo got the message last November. Hispanics vote for Barack Obama in mass.

    But for your information, Hispanic didn’t vote for a black or an African-American, they voted for a Democrat who is having a hell of time keeping his promises, not with the likes of El Gringo, El Rusho Limputa (Rush Limbaugh) or Patricio el loco irlandes duende (Pat Buchanan the idiot Irish Leprechaun), but from the conservatives in his own party. Not surprising though, these rightwing conservatives Democrats kept real quiet about their “hidden closet conservatism” until after the votes were counted!

    LBJ, where are you now when the Democratic Party needs you?


  66. Foxtrottango2 says:

    To the like of el Gringo (Gingrich), a conservative government is a kind of legalized pillage. Children and women first, folks.

    As George Burns said: “Too bad all the people who know how to run the country are busy driving cabs and cutting hair.”


  67. Evil Spaniard says:

    The Spanish in Gingrich’s tweets is laughable, and links to the most far right rags in Spanish he can find. Very low credibility and very low quality.

    “Mistress” can be translated to “Querida”, too.


  68. austininc4 says:

    Newt is beyond “STUPID”, he thinks he can “INSULT” a whole Group of people. Then to smooth it over he opens a Twitter account in Spanish and every thing will be alright.

    This man is a “DISGRACE”. to Politics.


  69. demented says:

    Spanish is “The language of the ghetto?”

    Damn, from California to Florida to Argentina and Chile–that’s one big mf’n ghetto!


  70. demented says:

    He’s using the wrong Tweet name–should be “Rich Gringo.”


  71. sar says:

    @Evil Spaniard: At least for me, “querida” would translate into (sort of) “honey” or “sweetheart”, without much “mistress” connotation, unless it’s implied by the tone.


  72. JoeyTranchina says:

    For all the things that I think are wrong with Newt Gingrich, I can’t fault him for attempting to communicate in Spanish — even bad Spanish. At least, he’s smart enough to know that no political party can thrive in America without a decent percentage of the Latino/Latina vote.

    I once gave a presentation at a conference in Barcelone. At first people looked at me as if I wasn’t speaking Spanish, then they realized that I speak garbage-Mexican market-street Spanish, because that is where I learned to speak Spanish. After they got over looking down there noses at my really very low-grade Spanish, they did appreciate the fact that I was at least attempting to speak to them in their language; then, they asked me to speak in French.

    Nothing that Newt can twitter it going to change the nativist, racist cant of what remains of the Republican Party. All one need do is listen to Alabama Senator Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III to get where the GOP is going. It can go to that bad place without me and everyone I know. And, that’s too bad because a time will come when we’re going to miss a two party system. Sadly, until the GOP has the courage to deep-six their racist, nativist, know-nothing “base” and turn back to sound conservative principles of environmental conservation, smaller, more-efficient and more honest government with balanced budgets — which means collecting taxes to cover the cost of services actually delivered — they have nothing to contribute to rational public policy dialogue.

    Abortion, stem-cell research and gay-marriage are essentially religious issues not political ones; fighting for the primacy of one religion’s opinion over the rights of other citizens is not a conservative principle, it is a canard to get religious zealots to throw in with a party that has no political principles. Sadly that oke-doke worked far too-well for too-long — placing majority power in the hands of unprincipled charlatans. That game is over in any language.


  73. Evil Spaniard says:

    sar says:

    @Evil Spaniard: At least for me, “querida” would translate into (sort of) “honey” or “sweetheart”, without much “mistress” connotation, unless it’s implied by the tone.

    July 13th, 2009 at 9:51 pm Vote Up | Vote Down | (0) | Report Abuse

    You’re right, but it’s exactly what happens with “mistress” to me.


  74. Foxtrottango2 says:

    Joey Tranchina Post # 72

    Serving with the USAF (protestants, regardless of nationality were not allowed to served)in Spain back in late 1950’s bring back memories when all southwestern Mexican-American, Puerto Ricans, and other so called “Latinos” were told to go to a class conducted by one Professor Miguel Blanco and “learn” the real Spanish (Castellano) so that we could communicate with the local population.

    We were amused really at the challenge since the Castilian language in the Americas had long disappeared for over two hundred years when the Mexicans, in addition to rest of the Americas, kicked out the Spanish and discarded the yoke around their necks, only to be replaced by another one later on.

    One young Mexican-American, a 2/lt. from Texas who was on board as a medical officer was the first to question the professor in regards to the “Castillian” language. He remarked the Castellano was not acceptable throughout the Americas for reasons it didn’t sound correct with the lisp sound where Madrid was spoken as “Madith” and Barcelona sounded like “Barcethona.” If anyone spoke with a lisp like that, the young 2Lt. added, people will start laughing.

    The fact is, the lisp sound in the Castilian language derived from the 14-15th century because all of their princess and prince’s with the same “blue” blood were inter marrying their cousins, aunts and other relatives for centuries. First cousins, aunts and uncles were inter-marring and producing brain damaged offsprings speaking with a “lisp” sound. The Spanish nobility even had a Queen who was quietly addressed “Juana La Loca!”

    Yes, indeed, just like in Newt Gingrich’s Southern Baptist Georgians where they go to family picnics to find a wife.

    I’ll take the good old Mexican-American spanglish, texican or whatever, rather than the lisp sounding Castilian anytime. And just think, almost two entire continents in the Western Hemisphere called the Americas, have their own way of speaking spanish where Castilian is not even an option.

    But back to Newt Gingrich. The damn ass hillbilly can’t even speak proper “American” (whatever that is), let alone other languages. So you see, not only the Spanish are ignorant of Hispanic Americans, but so are most in the USA.

    In fact, while Nixon, Reagan and the two Bushes were presidents, US Americans were more disliked than Spain was. President Obama is having a hell of time changing that attitude. The fact there is no love lost between the US and the rest of Latin America comes down to the like of Newt Gingrich.


  75. BlueCollarJane says:

    To paraphrase Molly Ivins – I’m sure Newt’s tweets sound better in the original German.


  76. JoeyTranchina says:

    Foxtrottango2 said:
    Joey Tranchina Post # 72

    I understand the distinction you were making but what I was admitting to was the fact that I don’t speak Latin American Spanish at a good level. I really do speak street Spanish, I appreciate the distinction. There would have been some reaction if I had spoken in a educated, articulate level of Mexican or Latin American Spanish, but I didn’t and don’t.



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