Newt Gingrich: Gay Marriage A 'Temporary Aberration'

Former House Speaker and struggling presidential candidate Newt Gingrich sure has a way with words.

During a campaign event in Iowa Friday, Gingrich dismissed same-sex marriage as a "temporary aberration," reports Jason Clayworth for The Des Moines Register.

That choice of words could also perhaps be used to describe Gingrich's bid for the Republican presidential nomination. Despite being a long-time figure in Republican politics, the GOP hopeful's campaign is reportedly running low on cash and in the past month, he's been forced to compete against former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and Texas Governor Rick Perry for media attention.

Gingrich's full remarks on the issue of same-sex marriage, in response to an audience question, are as follows: “I believe that marriage is between a man and woman," he said. "It has been for all of recorded history and I think this is a temporary aberration that will dissipate. I think that it is just fundamentally goes against everything we know.”

It's not the first time Gingrich -- who has been married three times -- has made contentious statements about gay marriage. In June, when New York became the sixth state to legalize gay marriage, Gingrich spoke out against the legislative achievement. “I think we are drifting towards a terrible muddle which I think is going to be very, very difficult and painful to work our way out of,” he said at the time, according to Reuters.

Gingrich linked same-sex marriage to the country's economic troubles in an interview in August.

As the race shapes up and is increasingly defined as a two-man showdown between Romney and Perry, Gingrich is showing signs of frustration. He recently snapped at a Los Angeles Times reporter for asking about his fundraising numbers. "You should really go home and think about why you would even ask that today," he said.

A mid-September USA Today/Gallup national poll showed Gingrich with 5 percent of the likely GOP primary vote. That puts him significantly behind Perry, with 31 percent, Romney, with 24 percent, and tied with other third-tier candidates Herman Cain and Minnesotta Rep. Michele Bachmann.

 

 

Comments

[jimboy71]

09:09 PM on 10/03/2011

Well, to be fair to Newt, it only makes sense, as he has always viewed his marriages as temporary abberations.

[areukiddingme]

02:07 PM on 10/03/2011

I think Newt IS the aberration, but a permanent one.

[ProgressiveView]

01:49 PM on 10/03/2011

Republicans say that Newt is one of their most intelligent candidates--the most ideas, the best ideas, well. . . that sort of says it all on the gay marriage issue. Older Republicans seem to have the greatest problem with this reality. Move along, Newt, nothing to see here.

[PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS]

12:13 PM on 10/03/2011

Says the pig who served his wife with divorce papers as she lay dying of cancer........

[LeftFoLyfe]

12:05 PM on 10/03/2011

Coincidentally, Newt's support of his cancer-stricken wife was also a temporary aberration, one he resolved by dumping her for another woman.

[Norcal2]

11:57 AM on 10/06/2011

Yes...but Pat Robertson thinks things like that are ok....so Newt passes to the Christian hypcrisy test with flying colors.

[lambdin1]

10:58 AM on 10/03/2011

We can only hope that Newt and those of his ilk (GOP) will someday die off as all in the world must do. To think he is only an aberration. That the Newts of the world will be gone for evermore. Why hate goes with old age I do not know. I'm old and have very little hate, except for the Newts in the world today.

[jmac44]

04:36 PM on 10/17/2011

The Newt is such a scholar, I'm sure he is aware that Gay People have not just "appeared" on the scene. We have had Gay's for as long as we have had crooked politicians...

[TXanimal]

10:27 AM on 10/03/2011

Apparently, Newty isn't very good with history.

[truth be told again]

11:22 AM on 10/03/2011

He isn't terribly "good" at marriage, either.

[thinkingwomanmillstone]

08:43 AM on 10/03/2011

The most salient thing about this statement of Newt's is what it says about him. I've enjoyed the obvious comments about how Newt's own marriages are "aberrations that will soon dissipate" and made a few jokes myself. The obvious disrespect to gay citizens and the American value of a equal rights for all is telling of Newt's true character and morality. However, it is the total lack of awareness of his own behavior and what such comments would reveal about that lack which is most interesting. He is so unaware of his own patterns of behavior that he says these things and sets himself up to be the target of well deserved negative feedback time and time again. Is this lack of introspection and discernment traits of a clear thinking, problem solver and leader. I don't want such gaffe's coming from and inability to comprehend reality in the White House. If you can't recognize and evaluate your own patterns of thought and behavior, you cannot recognize and evaluate the behaviors of others.

[Donald J Sullivan]

02:05 PM on 10/03/2011

I look at it the same way..well said!!!

[smug-git]

12:36 PM on 10/04/2011

well said. Anyone giving this joker money needs their head examined...

[jmac44]

04:38 PM on 10/17/2011

Yeah, both of them...

[Robin Rae Overholt]

08:42 AM on 10/03/2011

Newt, you are just plain gross!

[kelsye2000]

08:24 AM on 10/03/2011

“I believe that marriage is between a man and woman," or in his case many women. Also that till death do us part-he means only until they are diagnosed with cancer. What a terrible waste of air Newt is

[truth be told again]

11:22 AM on 10/03/2011

No, it's one man, one woman - at a time.

[Skeetshooter]

03:44 AM on 10/03/2011

Oh yeah? I'd say the latest Gingrich devolution is a temporary aberration. Time turns backward for no man.

[Ms Liann]

03:37 AM on 10/03/2011

Newt believes that marriage should be between an adulterer and his mistress, and don't pay any attention to the Scarlett Letter A or stoning adulterers or any of that historical or biblical stuff about adulterers. Marriage is so sacred that one should do it with several women in succession after dumping the old sick ones.

[Reiner-von-Sinn]

07:32 AM on 10/03/2011

Excellent, salient point. Thank you.

[LiberalPaul]

11:58 PM on 10/02/2011

Newt thinks that marriage is between a man and a woman, and another woman, and another woman, but not all at once.

[Bigleague]

11:00 PM on 10/02/2011

His wish that gay marriage will be a temporary abberation is sad.
Then again I would LOVE to assert that republican/teabaggers will be a temporary abberation.

[SocialistBoy]

10:02 PM on 10/02/2011

And the 'thief' speaks again!!

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/newt-gingrich-charity-paid-cash-gingrich-profit-business/story?id=13804431