Media don't ask if Gingrich considered Reagan comment "intellectual nonsense"
SUMMARY: CNN's Candy Crowley and CQ Politics' Jonathan Allen reported Newt Gingrich's claim that "I am not a citizen of the world. I think the entire concept is intellectual nonsense and stunningly dangerous," saying the line was a jab at President Obama. Neither reported however that President Reagan made similar remarks.
In reports on Newt Gingrich's June 8 speech to the Senate and House Republican campaign committees, CNN senior political correspondent Candy Crowley and CQ Politics' Jonathan Allen reported Gingrich's claim that "I am not a citizen of the world. I think the entire concept is intellectual nonsense and stunningly dangerous." Both Crowley and Allen reported that the line was a jab at President Obama, but failed to report that former President Ronald Reagan made similar remarks. In a July 2008 speech in Berlin, Germany, Obama described himself as "a citizen -- a proud citizen of the United States, and a fellow citizen of the world." In a June 17, 1982, speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Reagan similarly said, "I speak today as both a citizen of the United States and of the world."
During the June 8 edition of CNN's Anderson Cooper 360, Crowley reported that Gingrich was "on offense when it comes to the president" and aired Gingrich's claim that he is "not a citizen of the world. I think the entire concept is intellectual nonsense and stunningly dangerous." Similarly, in a June 9 article on CQPolitics.com, Allen wrote of Gingrich: "On foreign policy, he attacked Obama for declaring himself a 'citizen of the world,' " and quoted Gingrich saying: "We must strengthen our unique American civilization. ... Let me be clear: I am not a citizen of the world."
On its June 9 broadcast, while interviewing Gingrich, Fox News' Fox & Friends aired on-screen text that read: "Newt: I am not a citizen of the world":
Referring to Obama's Berlin speech, Gingrich similarly claimed on the August 6, 2008, edition of Sean Hannity's radio program: "I think saying that you are the -- a citizen of the world, talking to 200,000 Germans is very dangerous because the average American does not want to elect a president of the world to use up America in order to make the rest of the world feel good."
From Gingrich's June 8 speech:
GINGRICH: Let me be clear. I am not a citizen of the world. I think the entire concept is intellectual nonsense and stunningly dangerous. There is no world sovereignty. There is no world system of law. There is in fact no circumstance under which I would like to be a citizen of North Korea, Zimbabwe, Venezuela, Cuba, or Russia. I am a citizen -- I am a citizen of the United States of America, and the rest of this speech is about the United States of America.
From the June 8 edition of CNN's Anderson Cooper 360:
CROWLEY: Guess who came to dinner? They both did. Former Speaker Newt Gingrich, keynote speaker, in defense of conservatism, on offense when it comes to the president.
GINGRICH: I am not a citizen of the world. I think the entire concept is intellectual nonsense and stunningly dangerous.
CROWLEY: Alaska Governor Sarah Palin -- star spectator.
GINGRICH: I also want to thank Governor Palin and Todd for coming tonight and for being part of this.
CROWLEY: She was supposed to be the keynoter. Earlier this year, her staff accepted on her behalf but later said they hadn't asked her, and Palin seemed uncertain. A staff snafu, or indication of a split among the Palin image rehab team?
From the June 9 CQ Politics article:
On foreign policy, he attacked Obama for declaring himself a "citizen of the world."
"We must strengthen our unique American civilization," Gingrich said. "Let me be clear: I am not a citizen of the world."
By the end, enthusiastic or exhausted, Republicans acknowledged it was Gingrich, not Palin, who was memorable.
"A few months ago, I told the American people I did not trade arms for hostages. My heart and my best intentions still tell me that's true, but the facts and evidence tell me it is not."
Or shutting down the gov't . . .
News flash - isolationism doesn't work. It makes us less safe. Please Newt, go away for several months and write another book or something.
Our country is suuuuuch a great place when the loonies are in charge, supported by loonie bloggers and media outlets.
The media also leave aside Newt's actual performance as speaker with his Contract for America. As the Cato Institute noted, the top 20 programs slated for extinction by the Newtians in Congress grew at a faster rate (by 2000/2001) than all other programs.
But, hey, what's history got to do, what's fact got to do with the "idea man" of the Republican Party.
The only way the Reps get back in power is changing their name. Know-Nothing sounds about right.
Depending on your viewpoint, you may be a "citizen of the U.S" but; you are also a "citizen of the world" whether you want to admit it or not.
Reagan's use of the phrase was as President and to the U.N. Assembly and discussing the nuclear arms race with the U.S.S.R.
So context is everything. Gingrich simply disagrees with Obama's insistence on pandering to foreign countries led virulently anti-American and anti-democratic leaders.
The war on Terror is NOT the US versus [Country X] not is it Christians vs. Muslims. If you think it is, you're an idiot. The war on terror is and always has been struggle of liberal democracy versus religious extremism. A struggle between those of us who would live and coexsist in peace, and those who insist of killing in the name of their god.
You might want to ask yourself what side your on.
I guess applause lines are only okay if they're stories you made up about how black people are cheating you for welfare.
"In spite of the wildly speculative and false stories of arms for hostages and alleged ransom payments, we did not -- repeat did not -- trade weapons or anything else for hostages nor will we."
I bet that line got lots of applause at the time.
Is Germany led by anti-American and anti-democratic leaders?
I really don't see how the distinction asserts any difference in the meaning of the phrase. Gingrich may believe that Obama panders, but I'm not sure how this comment demonstrates it.
From the movie "Head of State". ;-)
You gotta remember: to AA, IOKIYAR.*
* its OK if you are republican
That's got to be one of the stupidest things you've ever written. Too bad there's lots of competition for that honor. Sheesh.
So, what you're saying is that when Reagan spoke of himself as a citizen of the world he was speaking for the US so his statement had more gravity. In that case, Gingrich should consider it as a higher degree of "intellectual nonsense" than when Obama said it.
The whole argument makes not a bit of sense, as far as I'm seeing. It seems to be an arbitrary distinction determining that when Reagan said it, it was perfectly fine, but when Obama said it, it was a clear signal that he wanted to pander to anti-American leaders.
Obama and Reagan said the SAME DAMN THING.
Perhaps the science of Albert Einstein should be shunned because he was born on the wrong continent.
H.G. Wells: Our true nationality is mankind.
A sense of fairness and empathy are not blessed on everyone. Those of us that have it are more likely to be liberal and less likely to be nationalistic zombies. I'm proud to be a rational citizen of the reality-based world.
Grey Path, so being a citizen of a country is nothing more than some "arbitrary lines on a map"? Incredible.
OnceYou...., And being proud of ones citizenship and pride in ones nation is like being a zombie, or some such nonsense you just spouted? Also, incredible.
And then you squawk when you get called unpatriotic or advocates of the one world order? Wonder why.
If America tortures, indefinitely detains without due process, and conducts wars of choice, what intrinsically is there to be proud of? A country is only as good as its people and their actions. Sometimes they do the right thing (WWII) and sometimes they go astray. I'm not willing to turn a blind eye when they go astray, simply due to some misguided nationalism.
I want to know. What exactly has America done lately that shows its "greatness"?
Meanwhile, I will still look at the world and my country with a rational eye. I'm free of the sickness that is nationalism. I pity those of you who are not.
There are plenty of people who went along with the Iraq war simply because they believe in supporting the country's actions, not because they made a rational assessment of the situation. The same thing happened in Vietnam. Politicians bank on this kind of cheer leading when they make these types of controversial decisions.
The cheer leading needs to stop and rational thought needs to take it place or a country is doomed to make this same mistake over and over again.
You really didn't think any of this through, did you?
Read "Conservatives Without Conscience" by John Dean. He talks about the concept of authoritarianism, both those wanting to exert controlling force on others and those that want to submit. In this country, these are almost overwhelmingly conservatives. It's in your brain. It's how you are wired. It's not your fault.
So, if you can show me a conservative purist who is now a blind nationalist once Obama was elected, I will concede your point.
It's your ignorance that is stunning. You can't tell the difference between partisanship and blind nationalism, amazing.
I think you would agree, as a "blessed" liberal (lol elitism) that you would like to live in a country of like minds, and those who disagree with your politics want the same, obviously. You're really a utilitarian, and you base "greatness" on how many people are happy and to what level they are happy, and you're pretty sure that it's somebody else's fault first and foremost if one isn't happy.
So I'm sure you don't see any "greatness".
But do understand this: you never will see it. Progressives/utilitarians will always see something unjust, something bad, that other people are doing.
Ever heard of "Continuous Improvement"? It's a business movement to continually evaluate processes for their efficiency and effect on the bottom line. Too often organizations or countries get to the top only to forget how they got there, leading ultimately to a downfall. Cheer leading is one of the main culprits in corporate and political malaise.
America has been defacto called "great" for too long. We need to start demonstrating to the world, and most importantly to ourselves, what greatness means. So far, the only greatness we have recently projected has been military might. That may be your idea of greatness, but it isn't mine.
Not torturing people, behaving humanely towards the rest of the world, commitment to human rights, and judicious use of military force are good principles to start from. Adherence to these used to set us apart as a nation. These are all principles that were abandoned by the neo-cons in the past few decades.
If it means that we are "graced by God", then as an atheist of course I think it's nonsense. Even if I were a believer, it wouldn't make sense. There is nothing in the bible that reinforces the core American values. In fact, a lot of the time quite the opposite. There is no evidence to support the notion that any so-called God would prefer this nation over any other.
I'll tell you what my Grandparents used to think made America great: Opportunity. Not just for white Christians born in this country, but to everyone who came here to make a better life for themselves and their families. Equal Justice. The rich shouldn't be treated any differently than the poor. Rule of law, not of people. But most importantly, they saw America as a shining example to the rest of the world. We stood for freedom (not forcing people to pray to a Christian God and obey Chiristian theology) and justice (Not Gitmo) and tolerance (not gay bashing) and inclusiveness (not walls along our border). Everything that they considered to be great about this country is anithemic to conservatives/Republicans
"To this day, when I am rooting for my sports teams I try to objectively evaluate each call and I'll admit it when the call goes against my team but is nonetheless correct."
That's support, just not blind support.
The pride I feel in my country is in direct proprtion to the outrage I feel about what you and your lot have done to it the past 8 years and what you would do to it in future were you given the power. I was never prouder to BE a citizen than I am RIGHT NOW. And every day I hear that your lot disintegrates a little further, my pride SWELLS even greater.
It is YOU that in unpatriotic, because you have no appreciation of what TRUE FREEDOM AND LIBERTY - the ideals that America was founded on - truly mean. No right-winger does anymore, and few ever have.
That is nuts. It's a human weakness best exhibited in Nazi Germany but alive and well in this country. It will probably always be with us, but should be resisted at every turn.
If Obama screws up, I will be right there criticizing him. That's what being fair is all about. Unfortunately, the right is less likely to rationally evaluate their leaders and more likely to blindly follow them. It think this is demonstrable. It is both a strength and weakness of the con movement. They are good at rallying behind <fill in the blank> con politician. Unfortunately, this same tendency prevents them from rationally evaluating these same politicians and the last eight years was a great example of the wrath that is born when that happens.
Pundits on TV may only support America's direction when it's their guy at the helm, but there is a large center in this country that do give their country the benefit of the doubt and rally behind it even when the politicians run the train off the track.
Face it, those that disagree with your politics are just misinformed zombies, that was your point, we both know it. You have said as much in all your posts in this thread.
Yes. That's precisely the definition. If Obama were president and decided to invade Iraq in 2003 I would not support him because it was an insanely stupid idea and contrary to American ideals. I look at politics rationally, not as someone who thinks because America does it, that makes it right. That's the difference.
Ever heard of the saying "My country, right or wrong..."? That saying is the root of nationalism and a huge part of the problem in America and every country on this Earth.
Examples that come quickly to mind:
Anyone who was impressed by the "Mission Accomplished photo op on the aircraft carrier.
Anyone who voted for Bush in 2004.
Anyone who criticized the work of Valerie Plame.
Etc. Etc. Etc.
That's not what I said. I didn't say they never criticize their country. I said that they give their country the benefit of the doubt. If you go back to the original post and my kickball analogy, people see what they want to see. If your inclination is to think America is the force of goodness in the world, you might be inclined to spin and make arguments to justify things that are counter to long-held American ideals. This isn't theoretical. It happened very recently and is still happening today.
Brab did an excellent job reiterating the point I was making. If you don't like it, then come up with a cogent counter-argument. So far, your rhetorical skills are found wanting.
I'm not sure why this is a problem.
Hi TJ!
Stubborn: Check
Has to get the last word in: Check
Illogical: Check
Takes absurdist positions: Check
The more challenged, the more absurd his arguments get: Check
Gets feelings hurt easily: Check
You may be on to something there. He's either Tommy or cut from the same defective cloth.
Always has to get a dig in at MMFA: Check
Claims to be MOR but has a righty bent: Check
Has circular arguments: Check
Pareses like a MF: Check
Now, I have seen Tommy make decent points. Three times. And I have saluted him when he showed a good sense of humor. Both times. But most of the time he was just as you've pointed out, and certainly more bother than he was worth.
You mock wisdom and the you squawk when you get called an idiot.
Well, if you believe what you just wrote, and believe in the inherent goodness of this kind of thinking, and think there any wisdom in it all: YOU. ARE. AN. IDIOT. Likewise so is any politician you'd vote for. Thankfully there are fewer of them now and should be even fewer of them, next time around. Jingo-fascist fool.
— Peter Halsten Thorkelson
If Al Gore was not allowed to speak about the policy's of Bush, why is Gingrich being treated like such an important figure?
Welcome to bizarre-o world.
If Al Gore was not allowed to speak about the policy's of Bush, why is Gingrich being treated like such an important figure?
Welcome to bizarre-o world.
I seem to recall Hannity, Limpballs, and the rest of the "librul" media telling Gore, Kerry, and others after Bush's "wins" in '00 and '04 to "get over it", and "Bush won -- SHUT UP."
Why can't Newt the Toot and Shooter Cheney take the same advice?
Thanks to all the back and forth over their ignorant remarks, comments responding to the actual Gingrich post will most likely never get seen or addressed.
What purpose does that serve?
So I can relate to the way you feel. But since Tommy has had a few reincanations as of late, it's hard to know it's him before you get in too deep. From now on I'll skip "right On", because he is a time waster imo.
makes for very dry frottage...
totally boring and not intellectually stimulating.
What is in the cool-age his followers and media drinking? A man who speaks like that should never be on a national stage addressing ordinary people. There's a special audience for a disturbed individual like Newt Gingrich.
The reality is Newt’s hate for Obama is what drives him today. It took a black President to expose the true nature of Newt Gingrich.
Newt, like bonehead Sean Hannity, can not control their dislike for the black President. This is what all of this about, hating on the black President. They are against everything Obama stands for and because of that they will say the most stupid things imaginable.
Newt needs to be confronted with the fact that his idol former President Ronald Regan once said “I am a citizen of the world”. I would pay to see this hate-monger explain him self then.
It is peculiar why the media doesn’t bring this to his intention during interviews, this suggest to me that they are complicit in aiding Newt and other Obama haters in doing whatever they can to dishonor or discredit the President. This is truly sad; and as far as I’m concern it is pathetic and unpatriotic too
Can't we all agree that Stevie Wonder loves his country just as much as Ray Charles did and leave it at that?