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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)
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THE TESTAMENT ACCORDING TO NEWT | PAGE 2 OF 3
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Has the average American's attitude toward adultery changed since the 1960s?
No, I don't think it has changed dramatically. "Peyton Place" was written when I was in high school. I used to tell my students, if you can find something that isn't in the Bible, come tell me. Until then I will assume that you are repeating normal human behavior. No one ever showed up. The Old Testament is replete with every possible human weakness and every possible venality because it turned out that it was written about humans. We are governed as humans, by humans for humans.
Nicholas Mills, author of the "The Triumph of Meanness: America's War Against Its Better Self," was asked once who he thought is the one person most responsible for fostering meanness in American society? He replied: "Newt Gingrich, who made meanness respectable by continually promoting the notion of 'welfare queens' to the middle class. Being tough on the poor suddenly wasn't acting cruel, but just doing something positive."
The cultural style of meanness began, if anywhere, with "All in the Family" -- and a kind of viciously self-destructive, interpersonal behavior that became the national norm. Cultural tone does matter. We're into a kind of humor that's so malicious that one day I called the president and urged him not to go to another event featuring a comedian, because I was embarrassed for the president, his wife and the country.
Starting with pure personal invective, I would say that the gentleman quoted must have suffered from amnesia or missed most of the 20 years preceding my becoming speaker of the House to figure that it began when I became speaker. And I suspect that if he went back and read the things said about Dan Quayle, for example, he'd be astonished by how mean they often were. Or for that matter the things said about Ronald Reagan. In fact, what I have suggested consistently is that the word "compassion" means with passion at its root, and that Marvin Olasky is right when he says no bureaucrat by definition can behave officially with compassion although they can as private citizens.
What we have done in reforming welfare has, in fact, improved the lives of 2.2 million people who have left welfare for the private sector. The question that I would ask the man quoted is: Does he truly believe that New York City was better off when it had 1.2 million people on welfare than under Rudy Giuliani, when for the first time since 1967 there's less than 800,000 people on welfare? Or does he think that the 400,000 additional people going to work, the civility, the cleanliness of the streets and the general demeanor is in fact an improvement?
You write that you could probably spend nearly every day answering the mean and distorted things that you've got to hear and read about yourself. What were the meanest and most distorted?
I can't tell you. I eventually learned Margaret Thatcher's rule. I don't read them anymore. I just block them out. When in doubt I go to the Smithsonian or the American Museum of Natural History or a zoo.
Are you considering retiring in 2002?
Sure. At the pace at which I do this job I can't sustain it for more than eight years.
Have you accomplished everything that you want to in the legislative branch?
We've got four and a half more years. No one person accomplishes everything. My goals are a majoritarian Republican party, which is inclusive and problem solving. A 21st century information age legislative branch. Then I have four big national goals and two building block goals: a drug free America, dramatically less crime, creating a world standard educational system, dramatic change in retirement. And then, moving us toward an information age government that only costs you 25 percent of your income, not 38 percent. And having science as the central driving provider of knowledge, information and jobs for the 21st Century. If I can get those eight things done, if I can get them up and running in a way that is stable and understandable by 2002, then I've done my job.
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N E X T+P A G E+| Running for president?

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 \| PAGE 2 OF 3 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Has the average American's attitude toward adultery changed since the 1960s? No, I don't think it has changed dramatically. "Peyton Place" was written when I was in high school. I used to tell my students, if you can find something that isn't in the Bible, come tell me. Until then I will assume that you are repeating normal human behavior. No one ever showed up. The Old Testament is replete with every possible human weakness and every possible venality because it turned out that it was written about humans. We are governed as humans, by humans for humans. Nicholas Mills, author of the "The Triumph of Meanness: America's War Against Its Better Self," was asked once who he thought is the one person most responsible for fostering meanness in American society? He replied: "Newt Gingrich, who made meanness respectable by continually promoting the notion of 'welfare queens' to the middle class. Being tough on the poor suddenly wasn't acting cruel, but just doing something positive." The cultural style of meanness began, if anywhere, with "All in the Family" -- and a kind of viciously self-destructive, interpersonal behavior that became the national norm. Cultural tone does matter. We're into a kind of humor that's so malicious that one day I called the president and urged him not to go to another event featuring a comedian, because I was embarrassed for the president, his wife and the country. Starting with pure personal invective, I would say that the gentleman quoted must have suffered from amnesia or missed most of the 20 years preceding my becoming speaker of the House to figure that it began when I became speaker. And I suspect that if he went back and read the things said about Dan Quayle, for example, he'd be astonished by how mean they often were. Or for that matter the things said about Ronald Reagan. In fact, what I have suggested consistently is that the word "compassion" means with passion at its root, and that Marvin Olasky is right when he says no bureaucrat by definition can behave officially with compassion although they can as private citizens. What we have done in reforming welfare has, in fact, improved the lives of 2.2 million people who have left welfare for the private sector. The question that I would ask the man quoted is: Does he truly believe that New York City was better off when it had 1.2 million people on welfare than under Rudy Giuliani, when for the first time since 1967 there's less than 800,000 people on welfare? Or does he think that the 400,000 additional people going to work, the civility, the cleanliness of the streets and the general demeanor is in fact an improvement? You write that you could probably spend nearly every day answering the mean and distorted things that you've got to hear and read about yourself. What were the meanest and most distorted? I can't tell you. I eventually learned Margaret Thatcher's rule. I don't read them anymore. I just block them out. When in doubt I go to the Smithsonian or the American Museum of Natural History or a zoo. Are you considering retiring in 2002? Sure. At the pace at which I do this job I can't sustain it for more than eight years. Have you accomplished everything that you want to in the legislative branch? We've got four and a half more years. No one person accomplishes everything. My goals are a majoritarian Republican party, which is inclusive and problem solving. A 21st century information age legislative branch. Then I have four big national goals and two building block goals: a drug free America, dramatically less crime, creating a world standard educational system, dramatic change in retirement. And then, moving us toward an information age government that only costs you 25 percent of your income, not 38 percent. And having science as the central driving provider of knowledge, information and jobs for the 21st Century. If I can get those eight things done, if I can get them up and running in a way that is stable and understandable by 2002, then I've done my job. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - N E X T+P A G E+\| Running for president?