To my way of thinking, Rachel Maddow is second only on my liberal loathing scale to Joy Behar and right above media whore Gloria Allred.

In spite of the fact that she gets the matter of long-term unemployment benefits wrong (they are really an incentive for low-paid, unskilled workers to avoid seeking employment until after the benefits run out), she does manage to nail Newt Gingrich as a direct-mail scammer.

Considering the amount of spam I receive bearing Newt’s name, I would tend to agree. While there is no doubt in my mind that Newt is a very smart college-level professor who has an acute sense of history and a somewhat engaging manner of explaining politics, it remains that all of his various organizations are designed for the greater glory of Newt Gingrich --- Newt the presidential candidate, Newt the political pundit and Newt the well-paid author and businessman. Nothing wrong with all of that – but when it comes to giving out phony awards in exchange for handsome “contributions,” I draw the line.

Every year I am offered the chance to enter my name in some book or apply for some award – be it the Who’s Who of Blog Authors, the list of best bloggers or anyone of the so-called “small business” groups which are little more than shills for the insurance companies they represent. I am buried in both spam and direct mail seeking to “reward” me for my “significant” accomplishments, good works and various other sundry achievements. All for buying a “presentation copy of the book,” paying for the frame for the certificate or making a donation to the organization for “their” good work. All with no more legitimacy than my buddy Gary Halbert, the greatest direct marketing copywriter that ever lived, who offered family Coats-of-Arms to families who had no ancestral claim to royalty.

In Maddow’s own words …

Bottom line …

While I admire Newt’s presentation skills, there is something “hinckey” about his persona.  He appears to be on the edge of an explosive temper tantrum and I have trouble believing that he actually writes all of his signature works. Nothing wrong with that, artists have been taking credit for the work of their atelier staff for hundreds of years.

But I find that Newt’s actions in selling awards to be particularly odious.

The stunning hypocrisy of the so-called conservative GOP is adopting family values as a political issue only sets them up for failure when one of their members is caught in a “compromising” position or deviating from some unwritten strict moral code. The hypocrisy is that most politicians are amoral in and of themselves and will do or say anything to gain or maintain political power. They will knowingly cut deals to defund projects that are truly needed in the community to simply make a point about those who are abusing the system.

Pardon me if my cynical nature is, once again, showing, but I do not believe that Newt or the GOP has the high ground when it comes to flouting human nature and explaining they are the party of “morality.”

Correct me if I am wrong, but isn’t House Speaker Newt the one that was sanctioned by the House for using a tax exempt college course for political purposes? Isn’t he the same Newt that won reelection for an 11th term in office, then declined to take his seat because of the swirling opposition? Isn’t he the same Newt that left his cancer-stricken first wife after his affair had become public. And then cheating on his second wife with a House staffer whom he subsequently married and is now touted as a co-author on many of his media ventures?

Hardly a representative of morality and his ability to keep the sacred oath of marriage. I believe he is every bit a façade as John McCain – but with more intelligence and presentation skills.

I hate it when a loathsome television pundit is actually right when she characterizes someone the GOP is considering supporting for the Presidency of the United States. A man who is nothing more than a “go along to get along” traditional politician who looks good among a line-up of washed out political hacks and near-celebrities.

I sure hope that the GOP understands that they are the solution to the clear and present danger of increasing Marxism, statism and corporatism that is destroying America. And it is time to start presenting candidates whose moral compass and leadership skills can prevent the years beyond 2012 into turning into a further loss of personal freedoms and an era of ever-rising tax-fueled government bureaucrats who are supported by the rest of productive America.

-- steve

Reference Links …

Owner of Dallas topless club The Lodge stripped of entrepreneur award | Dallas Morning News

“Dawn Rizos didn't need any formal recognition that The Lodge, one of the best-known gentlemen's clubs in Dallas, was a successful small business.”

“But when former House Speaker Newt Gingrich's conservative group named her an "Entrepreneur of the Year," she was thrilled by the opportunity to accept the award in Washington and speak about ways to help small businesses.”

“That all changed, however, when Gingrich realized that The Lodge was a topless bar, not some other business in Virginia. He rescinded Rizos' invitation to a private dinner and returned the $5,000 donation she made to his group, American Solutions for Winning the Future.”

Newt Gingrich Bio