Think Progress \u00bb Gingrich Blames Virginia Tech Tragedy On Liberalism<\/p>\n
In the wake of the 1999 shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich laid the blame for the tragedy at the feet of liberals. Here\u2019s what he said:<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to say to the elite of this country – the elite news media, the liberal academic elite, the liberal political elite: I accuse you in Littleton\u2026of being afraid to talk about the mess you have made, and being afraid to take responsibility for things you have done, and instead foisting upon the rest of us pathetic banalities because you don\u2019t have the courage to look at the world you have created.\u201d<\/p>\n
On ABC\u2019s This Week, host George Stephanopoulos asked Gingrich if he would apply those same words to the Virginia Tech tragedy. \u201cYes,\u201d Gingrich said, offering a rambling, nonsensical response that segued into Don Imus and McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform.<\/p>\n
Gingrich has a history of spinning tragedy for ideological and partisan gain.<\/strong><\/p>\n – In 1994, after Susan Smith confessed to drowning her two children in South Carolina, Gingrich quickly blamed liberals, saying the only way to avoid similar future incidents was \u201cto vote Republican.\u201d<\/p>\n – After former Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) was forced to resign over his sexually inappropriate behavior towards House pages, Gingrich declared that conservatives didn\u2019t act to stop Foley because they \u201cwould have been accused of gay bashing\u201d by liberals.<\/p>\n – At the Conservative Political Action Conference earlier this year, Gingrich blamed the residents of New Orleans\u2019 9th ward for \u201ca failure of citizenship,\u201d by being \u201cso uneducated and so unprepared, they literally couldn\u2019t get out of the way of a hurricane.\u201d<\/p>\n In Gingrich\u2019s mind, anything bad that happens can always be traced back to the culture created by liberals. <\/p>\n Watch the video at: http:\/\/thinkprogress.org\/2007\/04\/22\/gingrich-liberalism-vatech\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Think Progress \u00bb Gingrich Blames Virginia Tech Tragedy On Liberalism In the wake of the 1999 shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich laid the blame for the tragedy at the feet of liberals. Here\u2019s what he said: \u201cI want to say to the elite of this country – … Continue reading Ask Gingrinch How He Puts His Foot in His Mouth When His Head is Up His Ass<\/span>