Conley
12-31-2011, 06:25 PM
Asked by pollster and Republican consultant Frank Luntz talk about a "special moment" he remembers about his late mother, Gingrich first responded, "first of all, you're going to get me all teary-eyed - Callista will tell you, I get teary-eyed every time we send Christmas cards."
He then started crying, prompting many in the audience - made up mostly of mothers - to say, "awww." Luntz is known for asking questions to get answers based on emotion, telling PBS' Frontline in 2003 that 80 percent of life is emotion to intellect's 20 percent.
"But, uh -- excuse me - my mother sang in the choir," he said, speaking over a crying baby in the audience. "And loved singing in the choir. And I don't know if I should admit this, but when I was very young, she made me sing in the choir."
He went on to discuss how his mother, Kathleen Gingrich, is someone who he remembers "loving life" and "having a sense of joy in her friends." He then talked about how she lived in a long-term care facility toward the end of her life, which led him to emphasize brain science and other issues in his public life.
As he talked about what he called "the real problems of real people in my family," he began crying again. Gingrich's comments prompted enthusiastic applause from the audience. Later, one of his daughters brought him a tissue to wipe his eyes.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57350250-503544/newt-gingrich-cries-when-asked-about-his-mom/
Remember that time last election season when Hillary started crying? I wonder if Newt will be similarly criticized. IMO this seems more reasonable since he is getting emotional over a family member and not attack ads.
He then started crying, prompting many in the audience - made up mostly of mothers - to say, "awww." Luntz is known for asking questions to get answers based on emotion, telling PBS' Frontline in 2003 that 80 percent of life is emotion to intellect's 20 percent.
"But, uh -- excuse me - my mother sang in the choir," he said, speaking over a crying baby in the audience. "And loved singing in the choir. And I don't know if I should admit this, but when I was very young, she made me sing in the choir."
He went on to discuss how his mother, Kathleen Gingrich, is someone who he remembers "loving life" and "having a sense of joy in her friends." He then talked about how she lived in a long-term care facility toward the end of her life, which led him to emphasize brain science and other issues in his public life.
As he talked about what he called "the real problems of real people in my family," he began crying again. Gingrich's comments prompted enthusiastic applause from the audience. Later, one of his daughters brought him a tissue to wipe his eyes.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57350250-503544/newt-gingrich-cries-when-asked-about-his-mom/
Remember that time last election season when Hillary started crying? I wonder if Newt will be similarly criticized. IMO this seems more reasonable since he is getting emotional over a family member and not attack ads.