Salon Newsreal | The testament according to Newt

T A B L E+T A L K
Are hate groups on the Web scary or harmless? Join the discussion of online radicals in the Politics area of Table Talk

D A I L Y+Q U O T E
This suicide brought to you live

R E C E N T L Y
Murderers, cannibals -- lesbians!
By Jenn Shreve
America has a distinguished history of spreading scandalous rumors about its politicians, and the latest batch of White House gossip is nothing new
(05/01/98)
"It's time to speak out"
By David Corn
Re: the Clinton scandals, confidential GOP memo urges Republicans to go on the attack
(04/30/98)
Gingrich's impeachment scenario
By Jonathan Broder
A veteran Washington reporter says the House Speaker visualizes the removal of both Clinton and Gore
(04/29/98)
Triumphant in death
By David J. Garrow
James Earl Ray is laughing all the way to hell, thanks to the King family's preposterous belief that he didn't kill Martin Luther King Jr.
(04/28/98)
American Spectator audit: Is the fox guarding the henhouse?
By Jonathan Broder
Theodore Olson, a close friend of Kenneth Starr's and a former attorney for David Hale, heads the embattled magazine's crucialinternal investigation
(04/27/98)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Browse the
Newsreal Archives
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

spacer

The testament according to Newt
IN AN INTERVIEW, THE SPEAKER TALKS ABOUT AMERICA'S ATTITUDE TOWARD ADULTERY, ACCUSATIONS THAT HE IS MEAN, HIS OWN RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND WHAT CHARACTER HE WOULD MOST LIKE TO PLAY IN A MOVIE.
Newsreal image
BY DAVID WALLIS
WASHINGTON -- Last week House Speaker Newt Gingrich returned to the political fray in unmistakable manner, firing off broadsides against President Clinton on the campaign finance scandals and the Lewinsky affair. He lambasted critics of independent counsel Kenneth Starr, accusing them of undermining the Constitution. "I will never again, as long as I am speaker, make a speech without commenting on this topic," Gingrich declared. Reporter Elizabeth Drew said last week that Gingrich has talked with close associates about the possibility of impeaching both Clinton and Vice President Al Gore -- a report the speaker's office labeled "fantasies."
So much for the quieter, gentler Newt, who until recently had been circumspect, even statesmanlike, about the president's alleged scandals. In fact, before last week's outbursts, the speaker had appeared to be going through something of a makeover, described in his latest book, "Lessons Learned the Hard Way."
During a recent interview in his Capitol Hill office, Gingrich -- dressed in gray slacks and a blue and white gingham shirt open at the collar -- came across as eloquent, easygoing, quick with a chuckle or an impromptu history lesson.
Still, he seemed to restrain himself more than once. You could almost see his jaw muscles working as he tried to clamp down on his tongue. Nevertheless, after the interview was conducted, he fired off a few verbal grenades as if he were still a defiant backbencher.
During the interview, he said little about the impeachment scenario, but spoke extensively about public opinion, morals, his political goals and religious beliefs, his reputation for meanness and who he would most like to play in a movie.
You draw a distinction in your book between public opinion and public judgment. Do President Clinton's robust poll numbers in the face of the scandals swirling around him reflect the former or the latter?
[Pollster Daniel] Yankelovich makes the argument that public opinion is what you say when asked by a reporter about a topic you haven't thought about. And most of the time you are repeating something you heard somebody else say. Public judgment is what you say after you and the people you trust have talked about [a topic] at length. The president's health plan did very well in public opinion the morning after the speech; it did very badly in public judgment eight months later.
Public judgment tends to be much more complex and more introspective. I think the public has exercised both right now with the president. On one hand, the public has heard a lot of noise for a long time and refused to pay attention. "Oh that's more of the same." On the other hand, the president has asserted very forcefully his innocence and so far the public is willing to suspend its judgment, so long as his innocence is not disproved. I wouldn't want to bet an enormous amount of money on those [poll] numbers.
Do you expect that there will be impeachment hearings?
I do not think about it. I wait for Judge Starr to brief us.
C'mon, you don't think about it?
No, I rigorously don't think about it.
Many have argued that the Lewinsky allegations, even if true, should be a private matter between her and the president. When should a politician's private life remain private?
I think when it does not involve the violation of law and does not involve the gross violation of public trust it should remain private. I think we've had 35 years of soap operas and they've actually weakened the country. I don't believe that America was in any way weakened, and I believe it was in many ways strengthened, by the fact that the press allowed Franklin Delano Roosevelt to have a private life. I believe that America fought the Second World War better because the press corps decided that there were zones in which they would not cover, such as private behavior. But I think over the last 35 years there has been a process of degrading the entire quality of public life that has been astonishing.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
N E X T+P A G E+| Newt on adultery

T A B L E+T A L K Are hate groups on the Web scary or harmless? Join the discussion of online radicals in the Politics area of Table Talk D A I L Y+Q U O T E This suicide brought to you live R E C E N T L Y Murderers, cannibals -- lesbians! By Jenn Shreve America has a distinguished history of spreading scandalous rumors about its politicians, and the latest batch of White House gossip is nothing new (05/01/98) "It's time to speak out" By David Corn Re: the Clinton scandals, confidential GOP memo urges Republicans to go on the attack (04/30/98) Gingrich's impeachment scenario By Jonathan Broder A veteran Washington reporter says the House Speaker visualizes the removal of both Clinton and Gore (04/29/98) Triumphant in death By David J. Garrow James Earl Ray is laughing all the way to hell, thanks to the King family's preposterous belief that he didn't kill Martin Luther King Jr. (04/28/98) American Spectator audit: Is the fox guarding the henhouse? By Jonathan Broder Theodore Olson, a close friend of Kenneth Starr's and a former attorney for David Hale, heads the embattled magazine's crucialinternal investigation (04/27/98) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Browse the Newsreal Archives - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
		The testament according to Newt IN AN INTERVIEW, THE SPEAKER TALKS ABOUT AMERICA'S ATTITUDE TOWARD ADULTERY, ACCUSATIONS THAT HE IS MEAN, HIS OWN RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND WHAT CHARACTER HE WOULD MOST LIKE TO PLAY IN A MOVIE. BY DAVID WALLIS WASHINGTON -- Last week House Speaker Newt Gingrich returned to the political fray in unmistakable manner, firing off broadsides against President Clinton on the campaign finance scandals and the Lewinsky affair. He lambasted critics of independent counsel Kenneth Starr, accusing them of undermining the Constitution. "I will never again, as long as I am speaker, make a speech without commenting on this topic," Gingrich declared. Reporter Elizabeth Drew said last week that Gingrich has talked with close associates about the possibility of impeaching both Clinton and Vice President Al Gore -- a report the speaker's office labeled "fantasies." So much for the quieter, gentler Newt, who until recently had been circumspect, even statesmanlike, about the president's alleged scandals. In fact, before last week's outbursts, the speaker had appeared to be going through something of a makeover, described in his latest book, "Lessons Learned the Hard Way." During a recent interview in his Capitol Hill office, Gingrich -- dressed in gray slacks and a blue and white gingham shirt open at the collar -- came across as eloquent, easygoing, quick with a chuckle or an impromptu history lesson. Still, he seemed to restrain himself more than once. You could almost see his jaw muscles working as he tried to clamp down on his tongue. Nevertheless, after the interview was conducted, he fired off a few verbal grenades as if he were still a defiant backbencher. During the interview, he said little about the impeachment scenario, but spoke extensively about public opinion, morals, his political goals and religious beliefs, his reputation for meanness and who he would most like to play in a movie. You draw a distinction in your book between public opinion and public judgment. Do President Clinton's robust poll numbers in the face of the scandals swirling around him reflect the former or the latter? [Pollster Daniel] Yankelovich makes the argument that public opinion is what you say when asked by a reporter about a topic you haven't thought about. And most of the time you are repeating something you heard somebody else say. Public judgment is what you say after you and the people you trust have talked about [a topic] at length. The president's health plan did very well in public opinion the morning after the speech; it did very badly in public judgment eight months later. Public judgment tends to be much more complex and more introspective. I think the public has exercised both right now with the president. On one hand, the public has heard a lot of noise for a long time and refused to pay attention. "Oh that's more of the same." On the other hand, the president has asserted very forcefully his innocence and so far the public is willing to suspend its judgment, so long as his innocence is not disproved. I wouldn't want to bet an enormous amount of money on those [poll] numbers. Do you expect that there will be impeachment hearings? I do not think about it. I wait for Judge Starr to brief us. C'mon, you don't think about it? No, I rigorously don't think about it. Many have argued that the Lewinsky allegations, even if true, should be a private matter between her and the president. When should a politician's private life remain private? I think when it does not involve the violation of law and does not involve the gross violation of public trust it should remain private. I think we've had 35 years of soap operas and they've actually weakened the country. I don't believe that America was in any way weakened, and I believe it was in many ways strengthened, by the fact that the press allowed Franklin Delano Roosevelt to have a private life. I believe that America fought the Second World War better because the press corps decided that there were zones in which they would not cover, such as private behavior. But I think over the last 35 years there has been a process of degrading the entire quality of public life that has been astonishing. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - N E X T+P A G E+\| Newt on adultery