We're Nothing Like Gingrich and his wife.

[Rozlee]

Ever since Newt Gingrich announced he's running for president, my FB page has been buzzing with comments from stories about him gleaned from the news media. So have so many liberal websites that I visit, including DU. One of the biggest criticisms I hear is that he married a woman 23 years his junior.

In his personal relationships, I think he was smarmy in the way he dumped his first wife while she lay sick with cancer. He cheated on his second wife with his third while he sanctimoniously pummeled Bill Clinton for his affair with an intern. All the while, he was having an affair with one too; the future, third, Mrs. Gingrich.

But, one of the biggest criticisms I hear is that he married a "woman young enough to be his daughter." "A trophy wife." "A gold-digging younger woman that wanted an old, rich fart." "An old perv that wanted a sweet young thang."

I'm married to a man twenty years older than I am. He was a widower when we met in 1987. I was a single mom, working three jobs as a cocktail waitress at night, a grocery bagger by day, and an Army Reservist one weekend a month. He was an Air Force officer.

He'd stood steadfast by his first wife's side while she died of leukemia. He'd never have left her for another woman then, or any other time. He wasn't rich, although he was high ranking. He was shocked and confused when a young Army Reservist was crushing big time on him at the Air Force hospital I worked my drills at. He tried to tell me he was too old for me. I told him age was just a number. He was uptight enough that he refused to date me for two years for fear of fraternization until I no longer worked at Wilford Hall. This wasn't a man that was taking advantage of a younger woman. And I wasn't going after a rich old fart.

I always see people startle when they see us together. Now, I've turned 50 and he's turned 70.

It makes me cringe when I hear comments like those above about the reasons for May-December marriages. Even after all these years, it's hard not to flinch at hearing some of them. It's stereotypical to the max and it hurts, it really does. It's like being an interracial couple. By the way, we're an inter-ethnic couple. I'm Hispanic, he's Anglo. I'm sure that doesn't help either. I just wanted to get this all off my chest.

My husband warned me it would be like this when we were seeing each other. Hey, he's worth it, and more. But, maybe it might be nice, if you're ever in South Texas and see a small Hispanic woman and a tall strapping older Anglo man, holding hands as they walk their dogs, you might think for a moment and say, "They really love each other," and not, "Boy, she got herself set for life," or "He must've liked them young."

[Brickbat]

1. This was a very brave post. K&R for love.

[tabasco]

2. "Smarmy" for dumping a wife with cancer.

That right there tells me why you're here.

[treestar]

3. This is Newtie we are talking about

I don't think they mean to demean all such relationships. They can be genuine.

But they can also be trophy wife things. And we're talking about Newtie. So we suspect him of that, rather than a genuine relationship. I'd be willing to bet Newtie has looked at all wives in terms of their usefulness and reflection on him.

[TheDebbieDee]

4. Wilford Hall? I was hospitalized there once. What a huge honking

hospital. At the time I was there, in April of 1987, it was the biggest hospital in the world........

Sorry to get carried away, but your reference to Wilford Hall sent me down Memory Lane.

[madinmaryland]

5. There is nothing wrong with an older man marrying a younger woman. There is a problem with

a man "dumping" his very ill wife, to take up with another woman, who also happens to be much younger than he is. I find that unseemly.

Your relationship and circumstances are the complete opposite of Newt's.

[dsc]

6. Honestly I had no idea how much younger his current wife

is than he is. My problem with him is his repeated history of infidelity while he tells me that I am too immoral to get married. I congratulate you on your marriage.

[pnwmom]

10. She was the intern he was having an affair with at the same time

that he was criticizing Clinton for his affair with an intern.

So there's incredible hypocrisy and overweening ego on top of everything else.

[dsc]

11. get out of town

she was an intern, that I didn't know.

[pnwmom]

14. I may be wrong. Wikipedia says she was a "staffer"

who started working in Congress in 1988 at age 22, just out of college -- and then at Gingrich Productions that same year.

Gingrich claims he didn't start "dating" her until 1993. (If you can believe that.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callista_Gingrich

Callista Louise Bisek was born to Alphonse Emil Bisek and Bernita (Krause) Bisek.<1> She graduated from Whitehall Memorial High School in Whitehall, Wisconsin in 1984 and from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa in 1988.<3>

Prior to leading Gingrich Productions, from 1988 until 2006, Gingrich worked as a staffer in the United States House of Representatives in Washington, D.C., on the House Committee on Agriculture and in the Office of Congressman Steve Gunderson (R-WI).<3>

[dsc]

16. too bad it would have been so perfect

[blue neen]

7. IMHO, the issue is not about having a much younger wife.

It is about Gingrich's behavior throughout his life.

His first wife was, in fact, older than him. Check this out:

"Let's inject a bit of history. Newt married his first wife -- one of his high school teachers -- to avoid the military draft during the Vietnam War. Later, he told friends that he needed to divorce her because she "is not pretty enough to be a politician's wife." Newt was carrying on an affair with Marianne at the time. He served divorce papers on his first wife while she was in ICU recovering from cancer surgery. He married Marianne then started an affair with a young staffer -- Callista, about half his age -- at the same time he was attacking Bill Clinton over the Monica Lewinsky affair. Newt then divorced Marianne to marry Callista."

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/08/10/891893/-Newt:Do-as-I-say,-dont-watch-what-I-do

Newt Gingrich is a hypocrite, liar, cheater, draft dodger, adulterer, sniveling slime of a human being.

Older wife, younger wife, girlfriends, one night stands, parking lot blow jobs--it matters not their ages. They have all been used by a master manipulator.

That's sad.

[Rozlee]

15. He's a horrible piece of slime.

He won't win, although I guess I shouldn't say that since it's sort of in the way of what I said about Reagan and Dubya cause I confidently thought no one would be dumb enough to vote for them. But, really, this is the guy that said the biggest threat to America is "atheist Muslims." I was heartened to read that his treatment of his ex-wives has made him toxic to all women, even evangelical women. If he can't get past 30% approval in the female evangelical community, he's toast among the women in the rest of the country. He's just too slimy for women to even bear looking at.

[Raine]

20. Geesh he a total piece of shit

even worse than I thought! :puke:

[blue neen]

22. Oh, he really is.

Do some Google searches...you'll be amazed at how rotten Gingrich was, is, and always will be.

[cali]

8. absolutely. two of my closest friends have now been married for 16 years

he was 49 and she was 26. I never thought it was weird. they were just so perfect together. And they still are.

[truth2power]

9. Thank you for sharing this. Age is not the defining factor....

Late night talk show host Craig Ferguson's wife is about 27 and he'll be 49 or 50 this year. They seem to be very happy.

[virgogal]

12. There was a twenty year age difference between my parents-in-law,

Each one's face would light up when the other entered the room.

A wonderful marriage.

[sabrina 1]

13. I'm surprised you have had any negative reaction to your relationship.

Generally in this society it is perfectly acceptable for a woman to marry a man much older than she is. Not so much if a woman does it though.

I have seen no one go after Gingrich on the age of his wife alone. The disgust with him, and his wife is that they were cheating for six years on his other wife. That after cheating on his previous, sick, and older than him btw, wife.

Your circumstances in no way compare to theirs so I don't know why you feel any need to compare them yourself.

Congrats on finding the right guy, and without hurting anyone else in the process. :-)

[Schema Thing]

18. I'm surprised that you're surprised

because comments like the OP described are VERY common. I tend to notice those comments since I am the child of a couple with a 26 year age difference.

As time goes on, our society is getting *more* rigid, not less, wrt age differences. People seem to want to codify anything they personally view as "normal" especially if sex is involved.

[Raine]

17. CONGRATULATIONS on your happy marriage! :-) I had no idea Newtie

was so much older than his wife. I actually thought they were about the same age, I guess marriage to him has aged her. x( I don't care that he's older and she's younger. :shrug: I care that he's a hypocrite moralist who dumped on Clinton while he was doing something much worse! :grr:

[progressoid]

19. I don't get why people are fixated on the age thing.

BFD.

To me, the issue is his hypocrisy regarding Bill Clinton's affair.

[stevedeshazer]

21. Thanks for this post.

My wife happens to be older than me. Not by 20 years, just seven.

You'da thought the world was coming to an end when we married 25 years ago, as far as our families were concerned.

I get sugar mama comments from time to time. I just consider myself lucky that we found each other 30 + years ago.

Time waits for no one. More power to ya.

[Fire1]

23. More power to ya! n/t

[pacalo]

24. I feel the same as you, Rozlee! Age is just a number in so many respects.

Your husband sounds like a gem. And so do you.

:toast:

[GeorgeGist]

25. If you can't recognize the fools after all these years ...

shame on you.