Newt Gingrich is Baaaaack

After a few drinks, I was hoping to see the ole one-eyed newt.

I got better.

Some memories and opinions of him: When the diner-time topics are quantum mechanics or evolutionary biology or political history, Newt is brilliant, selfless and charming. Then I read the papers on what he says in political mode, and it’s surreal. I think Newt is much smarter than Krugman gives him credit for, but with the churlish competitive streak of a debater who just wants to win with any argument that can carry the day. The rules of engagement are set by others; the positions set by chance. The world is his stage, and when on stage, he decouples acting as an art.

I first met him in 2001 around a number of meetings about nanotech and then I reviewed his draft book on BioThreat (excerpt here), which opens with: “Biological warfare, biothreat, is the largest threat to the human race, a substantially bigger threat than nuclear war.“

Cheers!

P.S. Reading it now, I’m flattered to see that his paper used my text in the top paragraph of page 6.

32 responses to “Newt Gingrich is Baaaaack”

energy88

Dec 9, 2011 at 12:12 am

how stupid

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jurvetson

Dec 9, 2011 at 12:49 am

just feeling festive…. Interesting people and interesting times…. This photo has been in a dual-photo-frame with his ever-chipper nemesis:

That photo was taken when the Lewinsky thing was going down.

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/37825533@N00] – which part?

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pegleg000

Dec 9, 2011 at 2:48 am

" I’m flattered to see that his paper used my text in the top paragraph of page 6."

And well you should be ;-)… Except Newt’s paper was published over a year before your blog, no?

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solerena

Dec 9, 2011 at 3:04 am

what beads are for?

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jurvetson

Dec 9, 2011 at 6:39 am

Mardi gras

Pegleg: yeah, I have his draft paper from 2002, and I wrote a long reply, some of which he added to his 2003 version, before I used it in what was my first blog post. Fun to see. I just hadn’t realized ’til now that he adpted some of the points.

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Pieces of Eye

Dec 9, 2011 at 7:53 am

He still wants to infect the country with religion. So I would still punch him in the face.

I still don’t think most people grasp the fact that the overall impact on the lives of millions of people by the political, economic, and social influence of people like this is orders of magnitude greater then the worst serial killer when it comes to the affect of one persons decisions. I think even they are among the naive.

A quote from his webpage:
"The right to bear arms is a political right designed to safeguard freedom so that no government can take away from you the rights which God has given you."

"Protect the rights of teachers to use historical examples involving religion in their classroom. Nor should they be discouraged from answering questions about religion or discussing it objectively in the classroom." (which is a prelude to putting religion next to science)

Steve, given his druthers, how do you think this man would shape this country and how would you feel about your son growing up in that country.

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pegleg000

Dec 9, 2011 at 8:22 am

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/physicsman] "So I would still punch him in the face."
My, that’s thoughtful.

"The right to bear arms is a political right designed to safeguard freedom so that no government can take away from you the rights which God has given you."
Read the Declaration of Independence, the Federalist Papers and the origin of the 2nd Amendment, et al …. not that it would make any difference….. sorry that this history, and these documents, seem to offend you.

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Pieces of Eye

Dec 9, 2011 at 8:54 am

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/pegleg000]
The second amendment is clearly antiquated, Im not going to debate something that obvious. Though I am most offended by "rights which God has given you." bit.

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pegleg000

Dec 9, 2011 at 9:18 am

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/physicsman] "…is clearly antiquated…"

Well, that’s certainly an opinion. Maybe, you should lead a movement for a Constitutional Amendment, or the repeal of the Constitution, in its entirety? Sounds like you’re not happy with multiple aspects of it.
But I, for one, will defend, to the death, your right to be offended (even if it is by the Declaration of Independence, no less?).

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Erik Charlton

Dec 9, 2011 at 3:47 pm

But where is the ole one-eyed Newt…Too many years have passed. Hear he is NYC.

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jurvetson

Dec 9, 2011 at 6:39 pm

yeah.

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/physicsman] – It’s so sad to read that. Amazingly, when the 1:1 topics are quantum mechanics or evolutionary biology or political history, Newt is brilliant, selfless and charming. Then I read the papers on what he says in political mode, and it’s surreal. If he believes that bunk, I have sympathy for the infected mind. If, instead, he’s just another hypocrite and has to pander to the party line, I feel sorry for the inward spiral of a party for medieval minds. (and the alternative is Romney, with even more peculiar religious views).

I remain a bit perplexed how otherwise smart people completely lose it when they try to be a politician. Wes Clark, Rhodes scholar in economics, suddenly pushing protectionism is another example. Do they all feel the populist pull of polarizing platforms?

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jurvetson

Dec 9, 2011 at 7:05 pm

Here are the two news items that I see this morning, no joke:

"With less than one month to go until primary season begins in Iowa on January 3, 2012, Newt Gingrich has surged to a double-digit lead over Mitt Romney" (Yahoo)

"DNA: The next big hacking frontier.
Bio-crime today is akin to computer crime in the early 1980s." (Washington Post)

with a photo of Venter, who is sitting across from me as I write this.

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Chucil

Dec 9, 2011 at 7:34 pm

ideas to do with the DNA, cells:
"Scientists try to bring woolly mammoth back from dead"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/16093298

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Pieces of Eye

Dec 10, 2011 at 3:07 am

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson] Then, I hope its a farce so a brilliant well meaning person can wade through the B.S. to gain some power in a corrupt system.

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Jeffrey Wallace

Dec 10, 2011 at 6:02 am

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/physicsman] If you tried to run for president, you would not last a moment. Your up turned nose toward any sort of person with an opinion other than yours doesn’t help…

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Josh Thompson

Dec 10, 2011 at 9:36 am

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson] Very interesting to read your comments on your interactions with Newt. I think it is mostly just hypocrisy in the name of attracting Fox News viewers and now voters. How else can you explain the flip-flops (of both Gingrich and Romney) on clear fact-based issues like climate change?

In case you missed it, Krugman summarized it well recently, although it sounds like he hasn’t had as much personal connection with Newt as you have.

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jurvetson

Dec 10, 2011 at 4:45 pm

Thanks for the pointer. That was very well written…

"the fact that the party is committed to demonstrably false beliefs means that only fakers or the befuddled can get through the selection process."

I think Newt is much smarter than the author gives him credit for, but with the churlish competitive streak of a debater who just wants to win with any argument that can carry the day. The rules of engagement are set by others; the positions set by chance. The world is his stage, and when on stage, he decouples acting as an art. (This supports Krugman’s central thesis)

Klein has a funny summary in the Washington Post:

"Newt Gingrich is the kind of candidate I would like to get a beer with. But he’s not the kind of candidate who’s going to win the presidency. The opposition file the Romney team has developed on Gingrich is likely the longest single document written in the English language."

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Kaets Ebut

Dec 12, 2011 at 7:40 am

There’s only one real Newt…and it ain’t Gingrich! (Neither will be President.)

> That photo was taken when the Lewinsky thing was going down.

"Hello, Mr. Tyler…"

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jgury

Dec 18, 2011 at 8:29 pm

If not for Newt Gingrich it may never have been possible to show undeniable empirical counterexamples to the infinite monkey theorem.
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/jgury/6318098340/]
Next up: Expanding the class of ignoramus et ignorabimus. General inductive examples in the US political process and the death of Popper’s fallibilism.

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jurvetson

Jan 10, 2012 at 5:32 pm

P.S. For full disclosure, I was reminded by some Fortune that Newt invested with us in 2004

"According to his financial disclosure form, the only alternative investment vehicle he currently has exposure to is a venture capital fund managed by Draper Fisher Jurvetson. Portfolio companies include several cleantech startups that have received Department of Energy loans, including Tesla Motors (TSLA) and BrightSource Energy."

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jgury

Jan 10, 2012 at 6:55 pm

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson] I thought "looted" companies and "left people unemployed" is a big goal in venture capital, portfolio management and so called angel investments. Regardless, what is even worse, pale by comparison really, is investing with west coast liberals. Liberal enough to have family portraits with you knOw whO.

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jurvetson

Jan 22, 2012 at 12:51 am

spies everywhere…

Meanwhile, Newt wins S.C.

Open marriage playah or great-grandson of a polygamist, take your pick…. The religious right has to be delighted with their process…

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jgury

Jan 22, 2012 at 6:55 pm

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson] Religious right? Newt is supposed to be a Catholic.
Getting a denunciation by the US conference of Catholic bishops is icing on the cake for him.Now he can be a religious reformer as well as a political firebrand. Very risky as the Catholic church certainly does not take any guff from the US religious right. Of course they get along on a plethora of issues such as anti abortion, LGBT rights denial – dovetails nicely with the need to limit class action in large sex abuse settlements – but make no mistake they are arch super liberals when it comes to things like social programs, poverty, classic civil rights. etc. Plus they are not really trustworthy vis-a-vis the US right because of having to answer to the pope and look what happened last time. The world was one Russian sub officer away from nuke holocaust thanks to Irish Catholic hot headed / soft headed-ness.
Reagan of course was not Catholic. Big difference. Mormons don’t take any orders from the US religious right either. Inasmuch as they have no deep history of anti Protestant warfare and do in fact have a certain commonality of inbreeding along with the functional polygamy so favored in many parts of the US south that is not really a major divisive issue. Somehow atheists are never privy to these basic religious facts of life.
http://www.catholics-united.org/content/catholics-united-condemn...

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jurvetson

Jan 22, 2012 at 7:59 pm

Perhaps we are on the same page – I am saying the religious right must be dismayed at their finalists for 2012. And when Santorum comes out of the closet, we’ll complete the circle. =)

P.S. I just found a flickr friend’s encounter with Newt in 2005.

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jgury

Jan 22, 2012 at 8:30 pm

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson] Look for the religious right to be taken care of in the VP slot. The kid from Deliverance would be a good choice but he does not debate very well. Jeb Bush is always available and does have that name recognition but may not be conservative enough. George P. Bush is interesting as a representative of "the little brown ones" but is too young. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Latino_Republicans

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jgury

Jan 23, 2012 at 2:32 am

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/24270806@N06] "The Ethical Slut" is a real grabber title that may have escaped you attention. books.google.com/books/about/Ethical_Slut.html?id=Y1our6q… I’m not sure how they are distinct from swingers or people who attend eyes wide shut parties. Somehow the costumes, ritual and classy level hookers are a key factor.

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jurvetson

Jan 23, 2012 at 4:54 pm

Yea, let us know how it goes. =)

A friend on Facebook wrote in reply to this thread:

"What the party fears is that he will show just enough discipline over the next few months, just enough focus, to win the nomination. And then, in the fall of 2012, once party leaders have come around and the GOP is fully behind him, he will begin baying at the moon. He will start saying wild things and promising that he may bomb Iran but he may send a special SEAL team in at night to secretly dig Iran up, and fly it to Detroit, where we can keep it under guard, and Detroiters can all get jobs as guards, "solving two problems at once." They’re afraid he’ll start saying, "John Paul was great, but most of that happened after I explained the Gospels to him," and "Sure, Daniel Kahneman won the Nobel Prize, but only after I explained how people can think fast, slow and at warp speed. He owes me everything." (Peggy Noonan, WSJ)"

Then it hit me. Newt is the Ozzy of politics!

"They cursed and buried him
Along with shame
And thought his timeless soul had gone…
But now he’s returned to prove them wrong…
Vengeance is boiling,
He’s returned to kill the light,
Then when he’s found who he’s looking for
Listen in awe and you’ll hear him
Bark at the moon."

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jgury

Jan 23, 2012 at 6:01 pm

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson] When Santorum comes out of the closet? Like this kind of closet? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-u1jtxkgEdQ

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Pieces of Eye

Jan 26, 2012 at 3:38 am

Moon base!

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jgury

Jan 26, 2012 at 4:23 pm

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/physicsman] Mars base! Big money prizes! Let’s see, as I recall, contrary to Mr. ’71 Phd in Euro history, most of the really big aviation aerospace tech was done by tinker type private guys like the Wright brothers and Goddard, Nazis, and then the US army air corp, USAF Boeing and Ford. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2wkBucLej8

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jurvetson

Jan 27, 2012 at 6:28 pm

heh… and they used my photo to illustrate the moon base 2020 story….

They should have zoomed in…. =)

Mars? That will be SpaceX. = )

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jgury

Jan 27, 2012 at 6:50 pm

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson] Hey, what about the an undersea base for Captain Nemo while we are at it, and who took down my sat link!
How am I supposed to communicate with Mars fleet and lunar GPS! I don’t care what time it is on earth or if you can’t see us now you imbeciles! Whats that? You needed the extra bandwidth for the presidential Newt flagship? Well that is just wonderful.

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Newt Gingrich is Baaaaack

32 responses to “Newt Gingrich is Baaaaack”

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