Blogs and Stories
Is Newt Preparing for a 2012 Run?
Jose Luis Magana / AP Photo
As Newt Gingrich converts to Catholicism, a leading Catholic conservative says his sins—including an affair with a congressional aide—"no longer exist." Is he gunning for 2012?
When Catholic University announced in January 2005 that Newt Gingrich would deliver a speech on campus, a group of students rose up in protest, accusing the twice-divorced, admitted philanderer of violating the Catholic values that their school was founded upon. Four years later, just last week, on March 24, Gingrich blasted another hallowed institution of Catholic higher learning: “It is sad to see Notre Dame invite President Obama to give the commencement address since his policies are so anti-Catholic values,” Gingrich wrote on Twitter of the president’s scheduled May address. What happened?
During the George W. Bush era, Gingrich rose quietly from the ruins of his failed crusade to impeach President Bill Clinton, trying to transform himself from a Republican pariah into a voice of conscience for the badly demoralized conservative movement. The religious-right elements that helped orchestrate Gingrich’s downfall as Speaker of the House became the catalyst for his resurrection and may now propel him into contention for the GOP presidential nomination in 2012. But winning them over has not been easy. Before earning a seat at their table, Gingrich has had to confess his darkest sins and beg for redemption, first on the radio show of his former nemesis, James Dobson, and then before a priest at St. Joseph’s Rectory, a Catholic church on Capitol Hill.
“He [Gingrich] has gone through a change in his life through his third marriage and he has decided to settle down....You’re never too old to settle down.”
Indeed, on Sunday, March 29, Gingrich converted to Catholicism, the faith of his third wife, Calista Bisek. Though the ceremony was announced without fanfare, leading Catholic conservatives like Deal Hudson are brimming with excitement. Hudson was the most important Catholic political adviser to President Bush and Karl Rove, founder of the seminal Catholic journal, Crisis magazine, and self-described “theocon.” He contends that Gingrich’s conversion represents more than a concession to his wife; it signals a dramatic break from the past, both personally and politically.
“From a Catholic point of view,” Hudson told me, “Newt’s sins no longer exist—they’ve been absolved. He’s made a fresh start in life. So Newt will continue to sin and confess but there aren’t going to be a lot of Catholics who will hold that against him. They understand why being a Catholic makes a difference.”
Hudson said that while many of his friends are “extremely close” to Gingrich, he and the former Speaker of the House are just friendly acquaintances. But Hudson explains that he relates to Gingrich’s experience on a deeply personal level. Like Gingrich, he is a convert and a thrice-married sinner engaged continually in confession and absolution.
Raised as a Southern Baptist, Hudson converted to Catholicism at age 34 after becoming enraptured by the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas. Upon receiving communion, Hudson received an annulment from his first wife, then divorced his second wife four years later. “It’s not unusual to do that in this day and age,” Hudson reflected, “so that sort of angle that Chris Buckley is taking to make fun of Newt is unfair.”
After entering the church, Hudson worked his way up the rungs of academia, eventually earning tenure as a philosophy professor at Fordham University. He was a charismatic figure in the classroom, casting a spell over his students with engaging lectures on natural law. But Hudson was not without his weaknesses. In 1994, after a night of drinking games at a West Village pub, during which he allegedly made out with two female students and took “body shots” with them, Hudson brought an extremely intoxicated 18-year-old student named Cara Poppas back to his office and compelled her to perform oral sex on him. When the student told school authorities about the incident, Hudson promptly resigned and moved to Washington to edit Crisis. Two years later, Hudson settled a sexual-harassment lawsuit out of court with Poppas for $30,000. The incident remained unknown to everyone except Poppas and Hudson’s closest confidants.
How Rich People Smoke Pot
Paul Schrodt is a writer living in New York City. He has contributed to New York magazine, Radar, and Esquire.com.
Stars Celebrate the Super Bowl
The Daily Beast is dedicated to news and commentary, culture, and entertainment. We carefully curate the web’s most essential stories and bring you original must-reads from our talented contributors.
The War on Christmas Peters Out
Max Blumenthal is a senior writer for The Daily Beast, writing fellow at The Nation Institute and author of Republican Gomorrah (Basic/Nation Books). Contact him at maxblumenthal3000@yahoo.com.
Palin's Wing-Nut Rival
Max Blumenthal is a senior writer for The Daily Beast, writing fellow at The Nation Institute and author of Republican Gomorrah (Basic/Nation Books). Contact him at maxblumenthal3000@yahoo.com.
Un-Pelosi: The Senator Who’ll Kill the Stupak Amendment
Max Blumenthal is a senior writer for The Daily Beast, writing fellow at The Nation Institute and author of Republican Gomorrah (Basic/Nation Books). Contact him at maxblumenthal3000@yahoo.com.
misha1000
They're all a bunch of troglodytes.
Show me a Christian, and I'll show you a bigot. The current pope was in the Hitler Youth. But abortion is murder. Sure, they want them to grow up for their wars.
Remember Tom Leherer:
Ave Maria
Gee it's good to see ya
Do the Vatican rag
cuppajo
Who cares what anyone's religion is?
Pseudothyrum
There is lots of talk of the 'sexual indiscretions' of Christians and Catholics round-the-clock in the mainstream media; meanwhile they continue to ignore the rampant 'sexual indiscretions' found throughout other faith communities in the U.S. - see: http://failedmessiah.typepad.com/
Why the double standard?
quick2no
We are one pope away of seeing the end of the Catholic religion. (ex-Catholic for over 40 years with eyes wide open)
Maisel
Reading this column puts me in mind of a statement attributed to Jesus of Nazareth, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." While I may personally question the conviction of Msrs. Gingrich and Hudson, I think it much more important that their fellow Catholics take from them their vast collection of stones. I cannot help but feel that they treat their religion as a "Get Out of Jail Free Card", and that they see nothing inconsistent with their testaments of faith and their treatment of their political opponents.
xbainx
People like Hudson and Gingrich disgust me. As does the new Hitler Youth Pope. I can't hear any more, or I will lose all faith. But I hope the right really does run any number of these idiots in 2012. It will be a slaughter.
Ritarita
You're slimy
Newt
But you're
OUR slime.
tankertodd
Dang Catholics know how to party. Time to start going back to Mass!
Lalachrn
"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." Not all of us that belong to the Catholic Church believe that the act of Reconciliation is a "get out of jail free" card. There will always be those who bash each others religions. Once again I will say, I will live my life knowing that one day I too will be judged. Whether I am a Catholic, Mormon, Protestant, Jew, or a non believer, it all comes down to judgement. "Judge not lest ye be judged".
Martyz42
I love it, sure let Gingrich run for the top spot in 2012 & lets also help him with another "Role Model" of "Family Values" Sarah Palin run as his VP. Newt with his 3 wives, Sarah with her son being arrested multiple times for drugs & petty theft & sentenced to juvenile prison in Michigan & her multiple pregnant daughter.(Both children high school drop outs) Now that pair along with Bobby "I got the devil out of her in her dorm room"Jindhal as their Sec St. & Rush, Laura, Anne, Sean, Billo all act as their aids, that should get us say, another 4 Senate seats & a dozen more in the House.
sippewissett
Wow. How appropriate that a Catholic of similar low morals should leap to defend Gingrich in his new role as "holier than thou." I particularly love the contention that none of Gingrich's previous sins happened because his life started over when he converted.
I guess that's where Republicans get their long-term memory loss from. How convenient for them and how easy to explain the Roves of the world. DESPICABLE to the rest of us mere mortals who think we are responsible for our behavior, all of it.
cjshea
Now that Newt's becoming a Catholic all his sins are absolved? So, let me understand this, you can be a shit your whole life even up until your last minute on earth, but still be welcomed into heaven as long you are truly sorry? So why worry about being good today, I can always repent later. Party on!!! (reformed Catholic)
genoftheheart
This is a completely unfair media attack on Gingrich and Hudson. At least they both got blow jobs from women and not little boys.
camfield
A pope who tells Africans that condoms spread AIDS--just the religion for an ass such as the Newt, who has little regard for the sanctity of marriage.
And wouldn't it be great if somewhere in the future we could have an election campaign free of religion? Any God who can help us out of the mess we're in surely would be the same one who allowed us to get into it in the first place. Let's put our faith in reason, for crying out loud!
southred8
It is amazing to me that men when they get in their 60's suddenly become aware of their immortality.It is as if they need to apologize to God, which they do but then again it is more evident that their greatest fear is to grow old alone.....It is a shame that man's ego is so great he cannot be caring, loving and frogiving until after he has trampled lives, told lies and denied his own soul!People do not forget what you have done and your children shall carry their fathers's sins into their lives.It is fascinating to me that a good woman would marry a man of such history.Perhaps she needs to the '"celebrity" observance to fulfill her need of importance,more so than just the love of a broken man.We come into this world alone and leave alone~
Thank you.
As a first time user, your comment has been submitted for review. It can take anywhere from a few hours to a day or two for your comment to be reviewed, depending on the time of week and the volume of comments we receive.