Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
—Matthew 7: 17-20
Meet the Gingrich Twins: Good Newt and Bad Newt.
Both served as Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999.
Both ran–unsuccessfully–for President in 2012.
Both are again seeking power in 2016–as President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of State.
And both also have much to teach America about the effective–and unscrupulous–use of language as used by ambitious, ruthless politicians.
Here’s how Good Newt responded to a question by CNN Moderator John King during the GOP Presidential debate at Charleston, South Carolina, on January 19, 2012:
Newt Gingrich, once again giving “the finger” to America
King: “As you know, your ex-wife [Marianne Ginther] gave an interview to ABC News and another interview with The Washington Post.
“And this story has now gone viral on the internet. In it, she says that you came to her in 1999, at a time when you were having an affair. She says you asked her, sir, to enter into an open marriage. Would you like to take some time to respond to that?”
Marianne Ginther
Good Newt: “No, but I will. I think the destructive, vicious, negative nature of much of much of the news media makes it harder to govern this country, harder to attract decent people to run for public office. And I am appalled that you would begin a presidential debate on a topic like that….
“To take an ex-wife and make it two days before the primary a significant question for a presidential campaign is as close to despicable as anything I can imagine….
“Every personal friend I have who knew us in that period said the story was false. We offered several of them to ABC to prove it was false.
“They weren’t interested because they would like to attack any Republican. They’re attacking the governor. They’re attacking me. I’m sure they’ll presently get around to Senator [Rick] Santorum and Congressman [Ron] Paul.”
Good Newt is “appalled” that anyone could stoop so low. He’s concerned not only for himself and his party, but the country.
Unfortunately, for Good Newt, he has an identical evil twin: Bad Newt. And sometimes people–especially Democrats–mistake one for the other.
It was Bad Newt who, as Speaker of the House of Representatives, wrote a 1996 memo that encouraged Republicans to “speak like Newt.”
Entitled “Language: A Key Mechanism of Control,” it urged Republicans to attack Democrats with such words as “corrupt,” “selfish,” “destructive,” “hypocrisy,” “liberal,” “sick,” and “traitors.”
Even worse, Bad Newt encouraged the news media to disseminate such accusations. Among his suggestions:
- “Fights make news.”
- Create a “shield issue” to deflect criticism: “A shield issue is, just, you know, your opponent is going to attack you as lacking compassion. You better…show up in the local paper holding a baby in the neonatal center.”
In the memo, Bad Newt advised:
“….In the video ‘We are a Majority,’ Language is listed as a key mechanism of control used by a majority party, along with Agenda, Rules, Attitude and Learning.
“As the tapes have been used in training sessions across the country and mailed to candidates we have heard a plaintive plea: ‘I wish I could speak like Newt.’
“That takes years of practice. But, we believe that you could have a significant impact on your campaign and the way you communicate if we help a little. That is why we have created this list of words and phrases….
“This list is prepared so that you might have a directory of words to use in writing literature and mail, in preparing speeches, and in producing electronic media.
“The words and phrases are powerful. Read them. Memorize as many as possible. And remember that like any tool, these words will not help if they are not used.”
Here is the list of words Bad Newt urged his followers to use in describing “the opponent, their record, proposals and their party”:
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Yes, speaking like Newt–or Adolf Hitler or Joseph McCarthy–“takes years of practice.”
So you can understand why Good Newt hates being mistaken for his evil twin, Bad Newt.
Unfortunately, they look–and sound–so alike it’s impossible to tell them apart.
But since they’re both 73, perhaps one day soon we’ll find out which one we’re left with–Good Newt or Bad Newt.
Unless, of course, they both drop off at the same time. Then we will never know which was which.
It’s definitely a mystery worth living with.
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REPUBLICANS: “I DID IT (ADULTERY) FOR MY COUNTRY”
In Bureaucracy, History, Law, Politics, Social commentary on September 9, 2025 at 12:17 amOn July 10, Texas politics got a jolt: State Senator Angela Paxton announced that she had filed for divorce from her husband, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton:
“Today, after 38 years of marriage, I filed for divorce on biblical grounds,” she wrote on X. “I believe marriage is a sacred covenant and I have earnestly pursued reconciliation. But in light of recent discoveries, I do not believe that it honors God or is loving to myself, my children, or Ken to remain in the marriage.”
By “recent discoveries,” she was referring to her husband’s adultery—as she had listed it as the “grounds for divorce” in her divorce filing.
“I move forward with complete confidence that God is always working everything together for the good of those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose,” she concluded.
Angela Paxton
Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
She and her husband had stopped living together since “on or about June 1, 2024.”
On X, Ken Paxton had a different take on the matter:
“After facing the pressures of countless political attacks and public scrutiny, Angela and I have decided to start a new chapter in our lives.”
Thus, he blamed his unfaithfulness on those he had antagonized and those—elected officials and the press—who had held him up to “public scrutiny.”
And it was Angela, not him, who decided to start “a new chapter” in their lives—by divorcing him.
“I could not be any more proud or grateful for the incredible family that God has blessed us with, and I remain committed to supporting our amazing children and grandchildren. I ask for your prayers and privacy at this time.”’
Apparently his gratitude for his “incredible family” didn’t prevent him from violating his marital oath.
As for his request for privacy: Paxton has declared all-out war on women seeking the right to abortion—not only denying them that right in Texas but seeking to deny them the right to obtain such freedom outside the state.
Ken Paxton
Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Angela stood by him during his 2023 impeachment trial for corruption, but was not allowed to vote on any issues or participate on deliberations over whether to convict or acquit.
The Republican-dominated Senate voted to acquit him.
Angela Paxton seeks exclusive use and possession of their home in McKinney as well as financial support.
Paxton served in the Texas House of Representatives from 2003 to 2013. In 2013 he entered the Texas Senate and served until 2015. In 2014, he successfully ran for state Attorney General. He was re-elected to a second term in 2018 and a third term in 2022.
Long before Ken Paxton entered the ranks of Republican “family values” hypocrites, there was Newt Gingrich. Gingrich served as a member of the House of Representatives for Georgia’s sixth district, from 1972 to 1999.
Newt Gingrich
After serving as House Minority Whip (1989 – 1995) and leader of the House Republican Conference (1995 – 1999) he was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives in 1995 and served until 1999, when he resigned from Congress.
Gingrich rejected bipartisanship and damned Democrats as traitors and subversives. In 1996, he wrote a memo entitled “Language: A Key Mechanism of Control.” In this he urged Republicans to attack Democrats with such words as “corrupt,” “selfish,” “destructive,” “hypocrisy,” “liberal,” “sick,” and “traitors.”
He also encouraged the news media to disseminate such accusations.
Gingrich railed against President Bill Clinton for his adulterous tryst with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. But Gingrich had a secret: He was involved in an extramarital affair of his own.
He had cheated on his first wife, Jackie Battley, whom he had married in 1962 and divorced in 1981. He remarried his romantic partner, Marianne Ginther, in 1981. That union lasted until he met Callista Bisek, a House staffer more than 20 years younger. They married in 2000.
When his adulterous relationships became exposed, Gingrich had a ready explanation: “I did it for my country.”
Specifically, in a March 9, 2011 interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network, he said: “There’s no question at times of my life, partially driven by how passionately I felt about this country, that I worked far too hard and things happened in my life that were not appropriate.”
But for Gingrich—as for Paxton–there was an out: “I found that I felt compelled to seek God’s forgiveness. Not God’s understanding, but God’s forgiveness.”
Not change his adulterous behavior. Just ask forgiveness from an imaginary Sky Daddy.
But while Gingrich relished employing “the politics of personal destruction,” he quickly took offense when others raised questions about his immoral behavior.
In 2012, now a candidate for President, he attended the Republican debate in North Charleston, South Carolina. A CNN reporter asked him about the charge by his ex-wife, Marianne, that he had sought an open marriage.
Gingrich exploded: “I think the destructive, vicious, negative nature of much of the news media makes it harder to govern this country, harder to attract decent people to run for public office and I am appalled that you would begin a presidential debate on a topic like that!”
Gingrich’s self-righteousness didn’t win him the Presidency. On May 2, 2012, with $4 million in campaign debt, he officially withdrew from the presidential campaign.
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