Newt: A painful lesson in semantics

When it was first revealed last week that former House Speaker Newt
Gingrich was once a paid contractor for Freddie Mac, he figured he could
pass the $300,000 sum off as a simple exchange of ideas. His response —
so painfully Newtonian — was that he was paid as an “historian.” It was
unctuous, to be sure, but let’s give him credit for creativity and a
talent for keeping us laughing. But by Wednesday, when Bloomberg broke
the news that the payout was actually more than $1.6 million, his
description was no longer applicable. Suddenly those history lessons
became “strategic advice.”

Yes, as a former Speaker, Newt explained, he was knowledgable about these issues and advised Freddie Mac on how to expand homeownership. In order to expand the number of people owning homes, they needed to expand the number of people “capable of owning homes,” Gingrich explained. Wow, that’s some pricey advice. “You don’t just give people a house, because they have no idea what they’re doing,” he added.

Ka-ching!

Just when the fickle GOP electorate had moved past Gingrich’s adulterous past, ready to forgive him in order because Herman Cain and Rick Perry were no longer viable options, the bomb drops on Newt’s “outsider” status. No matter how many times he boasts of working with Ronald Reagan at those debates, he still wants to paint himself as an outsider — not someone who would profit handsomely from his connections on Capitol Hill to the tune of $30,000 per month.

Gingrich has insisted that this “Gingrich Group” earned the money, which doesn’t necessarily mean he earned it, and he repeatedly said that none of this activity amounted to “lobbying.” Gingrich’s semantics may fool some new supporters for now, but rival candidate Michele Bachmann isn’t buying it: “the point is, he took money to influence senior Republicans to be favorable toward Fannie and Freddie,” she said.

For now, according to a brand-new Fox News poll, Gingrich is in the lead. So he knows that means more cameras and more questions. Will Iowa caucus-goers like what they hear?

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