Gingrich Chokes Up in Iowa Talking About Mother
EmailFormer GOP House Speaker Newt Gingrich is known as a policy wonk and a tough politico.
But a softer, rarely-seen side of the former Georgia congressman was on display in Iowa today when he choked up during an event with an Iowa mothers’ group talking about his mother and her struggle with bipolar disorder and Alzheimer’s disease late in life.
“When you think of your mom, what special moment comes to mind when you think of your mom?” Gingrich was asked by Frank Luntz, a GOP pollster conducting the town hall conversation.
“Well, first of all, you’re going to get me all teary-eyed,” Gingrich, 68, said. “First, I will tell you, I get teary-eyed every time we sing Christmas carols. My mother sung in the choir and loved singing in the choir … and I don’t know if I should admit this, but when I was really young, she had me singing in the choir.
“We have pictures of me singing in the choir. But I identify my mother with being happy, loving life, having a sense of joy in her friends. But what she introduced me to, is later in her life she wound up in a mental-health facility. She had bipolar disease and depression and that introduced me to the whole issue of quality long-term care, which I did with [former Nebraska Sen.] Bob Kerrey for three years. And then that introduced me to Alzheimer’s, which I did with him for three more years. And my whole emphasis of brain science comes indirectly from dealing with the real problems within my family. So it’s not a theory. It’s, in fact, my mother.”
Gingrich has worked with Democrat Kerrey on long-term care for seniors and brain science. The two men have served together on the Alzheimer’s Study Group.
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I was just about to be snarky and say “come on, you know a newtgrinch can’t cry” — then read the story and, actually, it was quite touching. There IS a human side to the newtgrinch.
Posted by: MsT-Mac | December 30, 2011, 3:28 pm 3:28 pm
___”I was just about to be snarky and say “come on, you know a newtgrinch can’t cry” — then read the story and, actually, it was quite touching. There IS a human side to the newtgrinch.”
POSTED BY: MST-MAC | DECEMBER 30, 2011, 3:28 PM 3:28 PM_______________No matter how “tough” a man is, the thought of his mother will make him feel emotional. Having a family member with this condition, I understand what Newt is going through. I wish him the best; however, I doubt that he will be the GOP nominee as he claimed.
Posted by: NoFlyZone2 | December 30, 2011, 3:40 pm 3:40 pm
I believe this is his real emotion on this. Politically I am an Obama supporter and I normally don’t like how Newt stirred the pot against Pres. Obama, but with that being said I think the media should lay off with the heartless statements against Newt as he desribes his time with his mother. Im pretty sure he was reflecting back to the difficult time when she was alive or the fact that she is no longer here. my grandmother recently passed and before she did she was in a lot of pain. I can at times get teary eyed when I think of her. Lay off him on this public display of human emotion…. it was his mother. Most sons love their mother..
Posted by: TV | December 30, 2011, 8:30 pm 8:30 pm