Newt Gingrich: Hendrik Hertzberg A "Jerk"

Politico caught up with Newt Gingrich and asked him about comments that fueled an on-air fight between Bill O'Reilly and New Yorker writer Hendrik Hertzberg:

"I thought that was funny. 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."

O'Reilly sent a camera crew to ambush Hertzberg, calling him a "far-left zealot" for his writing on Gingrich.

Comments

[ddoc701]

Gay and secular facism, well Newt maybe I should point you towards another type of facism. There's a group of people infecting children's mids from birth telling them about a god that NOBODY has seen EVER. And the god of theirs seems to be against gay marriage, even though it is not even mentioned in the bible ONCE. But don't worry he speaks through his word and amazingly they interpret a book that never even mentions gay marriage to be against gay marriage.

[tucsonarizona1]

What about all the religious fascists who pass laws to discriminate against gays?
Is that okay?

[foomonkey]

i don't know... i think i would be more likely to call someone a jerk if they cheated on their wife.

or this lovely bit.

"He walked out in the spring of 1980.... By September, I went into the hospital for my third surgery. The two girls came to see me, and said, "Daddy is downstairs. Could he come up?" When he got there, he wanted to discuss the terms of the divorce while I was recovering from my surgery." - Jackie, his first wife.

the best part, his speaking at conferences on family values in america...

[mediamarv]

And I'm opposed to fascism of any kind."

Except his own, of course.

[maggieblue]

said the pot to the kettle...

[d45]

My thought exactly!

[unite4change]

Why is Newt Gingrich still in the news. Who cares what he thinks? This man left his wife while she was sick for another women after impeaching President Clinton for his affair. Yet the GOP, the party of family values and morals, still embraces this man. Same old double standard and hypocrisy.

[cobraxus]

the single worst thing Newt Gingrich ever did was resigning after he won re-election but lost the speakership.I disagree with this man's politics vehemently but he made a promise:Elect me and I'll represent you in Washington.people voted for him,he won and then resigned because they wouldn't let him be speaker of the house anymore.now yes I know his real reason for resigning was that without his position nobody was going to keep quiet about his latest extra marital affair but still.

[drumz]

You believed what a republicant said? Bwhahahahahahahahah WTFU

[Joeblue]

Look in the mirror if you want to see a jerk Newt.

[bmwracer]

My thoughts exactly.... The Gold Standard in politics.

[stevensjohn26]

I guess Clinton is a jerk too; since he went along with 90% of the Contract with America which Gingrich authored.

[drumz]

Bbbbut Clinton! Um it was a repuklican congress, try again.

[dhertzfe]

"...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."

This is exactly what the republican Christian conservatives are trying to do with Gay marriage. So are they all fascists?

[Dave01]

Pretty much!

[walleymr]

I remember when he was still relevant.

[rudiy]

Newt has got an amazing ideology. "they're fascists, because they believe in imposing their views on you." He as a leader of the right wing nuts foistered anti choice, gay rights, separation of church and state, limiting Constitutional rights says people like him are fascists. I agree, he is!

[MaryinNY]

There is only one face that is more distasteful for me to view than GW - that would be Newt's.

For the sake of my intenstinal fortitude, I respectfully request that the Huffington Post stop writing about this man - NOONE cares what Newt has to say.

If you must write about him, PLEASE find a nice picture of a puppy - hell, put up a pitbull if you want - anything but this man's face (and, if you do continue to use his face, have some mercy and don't leave it on the politics front page for days!).

[Rog49Thomas]

this country has a rich tradition of caustic political invective and the best that brother newt can come up with is "jerk" and "fascist"

how sad

the founders are no doubt spinning in their graves to see our heritage slipping away

[DEMTRUPATRIOTS]

WEL NEWTERED ONE...IF ANYONE KNOWS ABOUT JERKS, IT IS Y-O-U

[Wiserone]

It's amazing how these wind-bags, Newt, Bill-O, Limpbaugh, Hannity, etc. actually believe that a majority of folks are just waiting for their opinions on anything. It's one thing, having a certain following if you will, but can't they realize by now the majority of people DO NOT side with their thinking? They must get rightly discouraged when reading blog's, such as this and others and realize they are so out of step with America.

[Rog49Thomas]

nearly 60 million people voted for the rp ticket in 2008

while that's quite a scary thought, it also explains why these gas bags are still in business - there's a real market

[middlemarch]

yes, that may be true but i don't believe that they all listen in lock step with these j.o.'s on tv and radio. in fact, i know many people who voted republican who don't. i really believe that the margin of people who listen to them is quite small. it's cable television, after all.