‘Big Jerk’: Grandson of Long-Dead President Weighs in on Newt Gingrich
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The fact that President John Tyler was born in 1790 and still has two living grandchildren has been something of an Internet sensation over the past few days. Harrison Tyler, one of the grandchildren, has been granting interviews and they’ve gotten increasingly pointed.
The 84-year-old told New York magazine earlier today that he’s become disinterested in politics.
“Oh, my family’s conservative. I served as the chairman of the Republican Party here, but I’m sorry, I’ve sort of lost interest,” Tyler told reporter Dan Amira. “They’re killing each other, on both sides. The campaigns are just horrible. It has nothing to do with what we really need.”
That was posted just after noon.
Before 3 p.m., in an interview posted by Politico, Tyler seemed to be doing some of the campaigns’ horrible work for them.
“I don’t really like any of them,” he told Politico reporter Mackenzie Weinger.
But he really doesn’t like Newt Gingrich, who, according to Weinger, Tyler called a “big jerk.”
“He needs to stick with the same wife, that’s what my mother taught me,” Tyler said, according to Politico. “But that doesn’t seem to happen much today.”
Tyler is a retired engineer who lives in an ancestral home, sometimes apparently serves as a docent and likes to drive around his rural property.
“I’m retired from my business,” he said in the Politico story. “I’m 84 years old. I drive around, I bought a lot of additional land, beautiful land around the river. I just drive around watching all the deer and all the turkey.”
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This man expresses my sentiment exactly. I don’t like any of them including the one we have in office. All I can do is pray for an adult to show up and take a run at it.
Posted by: david | January 27, 2012, 6:04 pm 6:04 pm
I’m a bit surprised that the grandson of such a wonderful supporter of the Confederate States would not back a ultra states rights yoyo like Newt or the Dishwater Candidate.
Posted by: Dave | January 27, 2012, 6:23 pm 6:23 pm
Well I don’t disagree there Mr Tyler.
Posted by: johnnie | January 27, 2012, 6:37 pm 6:37 pm
“A big Jerk”………………… Nailed it!
Posted by: Jim Bob jr. | January 27, 2012, 7:24 pm 7:24 pm
He has the right to his opinion but the very fact of his existence is much more cool than his opinion on Newt
Posted by: datechguy | January 27, 2012, 7:31 pm 7:31 pm
Ha ha, yep, could not have said it better myself
Posted by: Vickie | January 27, 2012, 7:43 pm 7:43 pm
Sounds to me like Tyler’s grandson is a jerk! Has he taken a look at this crazy evil SOB we got for a so called president? You talk about a jerk, Obama tops them all and much much worse could be said.
Posted by: Dave | January 27, 2012, 7:58 pm 7:58 pm
So What? The fact that he is a relative of a ‘long dead president’ doesn’t mean a damn thing re who he likes or dislikes! Another non-story – is the world really so dead that this deserves space?
Posted by: Ted Whittlinger | January 27, 2012, 8:01 pm 8:01 pm
For once, or maybe more, there are those, more generational than political, who see the bells and whistles for what they are, bells and whistles!. This grandson is really a TRUE grandson, genealogically speaking, maybe more than political. However, this was all documented a number of years ago, BEFORE the internet, or just shortly after!! I guess maybe he is in Virginia, I don’t know, but President Tyler was buried in a cemetery in Richmond, & was the father of a son, late in his own life, who replicated the ‘scenario’, and still we have a President’s grandson from before 1860. MAYBE the next inaugural committee should invite him to the luncheon held in the Capitol after the swearing in next Jany.
Posted by: terry lamb | January 27, 2012, 8:11 pm 8:11 pm
Gotta say, “So what?”….. Hey, I am the grandson of General Mills, and I think obama is a jerk. Now how many folks do you think I’ve impressed? Or caused to change their minds? I honestly do not think that even ABCNews has ever been this transparently bias in their reporting.
Posted by: ncpilot15 | January 27, 2012, 8:13 pm 8:13 pm
“All I can do is pray for an adult to show up and take a run at it.”…………………………. LOL, a classroom full of smart 13 year olds would probably do just as good. Maybe a 14-15 year to put in the Whitehouse and we would probably be in pretty good shape.
Posted by: anotherday | January 27, 2012, 8:41 pm 8:41 pm
Who cares what he thinks ………. More liberal propaganda, I’d vote for a door knob over obama.
Posted by: Jesse Jackson | January 27, 2012, 9:13 pm 9:13 pm
As a woman, I see some really dangerous arrogant and reactionary thinking signs. Please, he isn’t going to do anything but offer chaos and embarrassment. Check out his record while he was speaker. He was a chaotic disaster.
Posted by: NWise | January 27, 2012, 9:18 pm 9:18 pm
Well said! Thank you!
Posted by: Yabbadabbado | January 27, 2012, 9:25 pm 9:25 pm
Just the other day I heard Obama blaming President John Tyler for the economic problems he is faced with.
Posted by: Phil | January 27, 2012, 9:29 pm 9:29 pm
We should call Newt Mr. 40 Percent – cause that is the most percentage of votes he could ever muster up against Obama. The polls have shown this for over a year now. And he polls 11% behind Obama, consistently. A Newt ticket = 4 more years of Obama.
Posted by: Mike | January 27, 2012, 10:29 pm 10:29 pm
So, any of you guys bashing Obama care to offer any SPECIFICS (FACTS) in support of your slander of him as “evil”/”crazy”/ not an adult/an “SOB”/a bigger jerk than anyone?
Of course not.
This Independent and Obama voter long ago grew weary of such baseless, blind, irrational HATRED of this man who has, imo and based on the reliable evidence, done a pretty damn good job to date AND, based on all evidence, been a good husband and father. Hell of a lot more than can be said of Gingrich.
You guys get together and throw your little hate-fests every chance you get (even trying to divert every thread and story back to your loathing of Obama). It’s beyond LAME.
You’d best get used to him…with GOP offerings like these, he’ll be there for 4 more years. Maybe you could move to Somalia for the duration; a model Tea Party nation with no functioning government.
Posted by: RAVEN | January 27, 2012, 10:52 pm 10:52 pm
Isn’t it nice that a man can get his opinion across without using profanity? I agree with you Mr. Tyler, Newt is a big jerk.
Posted by: m | January 27, 2012, 11:02 pm 11:02 pm
Why is everybody ganging up on Newt Gingrich?
Posted by: NoFlyZone2 | January 27, 2012, 11:56 pm 11:56 pm
We don’t need any more presidents like Tyler thats for sure.
(had no idea that would be a current topic) ;)
Posted by: RoboBobo | January 28, 2012, 12:55 am 12:55 am
k this is weird, RoboBobo’s name and email address is here in the info section for leaving a reply. That seems wrong
Posted by: RoboBobo | January 28, 2012, 1:02 am 1:02 am
People are on G-man because he is a Big fat, hypocritical jerk. My favorite question to the candidates was how do your rate your wife….that was too funny. G-man’s reply…oh, she’s an adulterer.
Posted by: kiddo | January 28, 2012, 6:06 am 6:06 am
Had he criticized a Dem, it would not have been published. Cheap shot. His critique about how there are no good campaigns any more also applies to “journalism.”
Posted by: Colby | January 28, 2012, 8:59 am 8:59 am
Excuse me here but this guy is not a Grandson, he is a Great, Great Grand Child!!! BFD!!
Posted by: Chewonthis | January 29, 2012, 3:10 am 3:10 am
Republicans are cannibals…. it’s just finally out in the open
Posted by: Jesus St. Jesus | January 29, 2012, 11:03 pm 11:03 pm