COMMENTARY | Rosie O’Donnell was on Joy Behar’s show on CNN’s Headline News network and was chewing over Newt Gingrich’s proposal to assign students in poor communities to clean their schools when she made an unintentional joke on herself.
She declared that Gingrich really ought to read a history book, noted Newsbusters.
O’Donnell proved that she should really read a biography. If she had done so, she would have known that Gingrich not only has a PHD in history, but has taught history, and has written a number of books, many of them about history.
O’Donnell is not the first person, even in the entertainment industry, to beclown herself by running down the intelligence of a conservative. The cliché among the left is that the right must be stupid because if they were smart they would be liberal. Ronald Reagan, both George Bushes, and Sarah Palin have been the recipient of this slam.
But never before has something like that been said about a man whose intellect is generally acknowledged, even by his enemies. Gingrich peppers his speeches full of historical references. He has shined during the debates with his deep understanding of political policy and his quick, albeit sometimes acerbic, wit. Jonah Goldberg, writing in the National Review, stated that conservatives look forward to Gingrich taking apart President Obama in a debate in the same way fanboys dream about a battle between Gandalf and Darth Vader. Obama has been accused of being smart. Gingrich really is smart.
Gingrich’s proposal about putting the children of the poor to work to teach them the value of work in a culture that does not respect it much, has been given over to caricature, much like his 15 or so year old idea to replace the foster care system with orphanages. By thinking outside the box, he has placed himself in the position of being accused of being one of the more unpleasant figures out of Dickens.
Gingrich does have a tendency to speak his mind, even if sometimes he shouldn’t. But he can be comforted that if the O’Donnells of this world do not hate him for something he said, they will find some other reason to despise him.
Sources: Rosie O’Donnell: Newt Gingrich ‘Should Read a History Book’, Noel Sheppard, Newsbusters, Dec 9, 2011
In Debates, Newt Gingrich’s Real Target Is Obama, Jonah Goldberg, National Review, Nov 16, 2011