Newt Gingrich Mysteriously Cancels Press Conference at S.C. State Capitol

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COLUMBIA, S.C.
This morning’s schedule showed that Newt Gingrich would have an 11:30 a.m. press conference here at the Statehouse, and I drove nearly 100 miles from Charleston to cover it but Newt was a no-show, and no one seems to know why. I’ll add more information as soon as I can find out what happened.

UPDATE: According to the British Guardian newspaper, the press conference was actually held at 10 a.m. But here’s what was on the Politico‘s campaign calendar:

And it wasn’t just me who got misled by this scheduling mixup. Ben Adler of The Nation was there, as were Dave Hogberg of Investors Business Daily, Stephen Dinan of the Washington Times, more than a dozen other reporters and multiple TV camera crews.

While I didn’t get to cover a press conference, I did find time to read the inscriptions on the famous Confederate monument at the Statehouse:

On the north side, it reads:

“This monument perpetuates the memory of those who true to the instincts of their birth, faithful to the teachings of their fathers, constant in their love for the state, died in the performance of their duty: who have glorified a fallen cause by the simple manhood of their lives, the patient endurance of suffering, and the heroism of death, and who, in the dark hours of imprisonment, in the hopelessness of the hospital, in the short, sharp agony of the field, found support and consolation in the belief that at home they would not be forgotten.”

On the south side:

“Let the stranger who may in future times read this inscription recognize that these were men whom power could not corrupt, whom death could not terrify, whom defeat could not dishonor, and let their virtues plead for just judgment of the cause in which they served. Let the South Carolinian of another generation remember that the state taught them how to live and how to die, and that from her broken fortunes she has preserved for her children the priceless treasure of their memories, teaching all who may claim the same birthright that truth, courage and patriotism endure forever.”

Some other reporters, desperate to get something useful from their dry run to the press conference we missed, decided to try the old campaign-coverage trick of interviewing a “typical” local voter:

Perhaps unknown to this camera crew, the man they’re interviewing is the infamous Will Folks, a disgraced Republican political consultant who once claimed to have had an affair with Gov. Nikki Haley.

So much for the “typical” voter, eh?

56 comments

  3. You know, given Haley selling her endorsement for $36K to Romney, and then today telling the press that Romney didn’t have to release his tax returns, makes me wonder if perhaps Will Follks got a bad rap.. maybe he was telling the truth.

  4. Fox news is owned by Rupert Murdoch, the same man who supported and manipulated coverage for the left wing labour parties in Australia and the UK, before switching over to the tories in 2009 when the tory in name only David Cameron, was elected. Murdoch also allows Saudi Prince bin Talal to dictate Fox coverage, he’s bragged about it in the foreign press, about how his ownership of of stock in  Murdoch’s Newscorp gives him a say so in what is and isn’t aired. What’s more, if you ignored the coverage of what Murdoch and company did in the UK, hacking, wiretapping and blackmailing individuals, victims of 7/7, politicians and others, for his own advantage. Murdoch manipulates his news companies for his own advantage, he is like Soros.  Fox is no longer fair and balanced, they courted conservative viewers to get high ratings and now feel they can spurn them by switch hitting for Obama & RINOs like Romney.

  5. You mean to tell me you’re saying Nikki might be a horndog? Yep, that’s what I think. Who knows, maybe she was blackmailed for that Romney endorsement. From what I saw at the debates it seemed like all she could do to keep from taking her panties off and flinging them at Rick Perry.

  7. Wow I hope everybody reads that story. That sure as hell should call Brit Hume’s objectivity into question. Yet another reason not to trust Fox when it comes to this election.

  8. There’s also a rumor that Haley wanted to be Romney’s running mate. She’s not quite the Tea Party darling everybody thought she was. According to some sources I’ve read about she’s reneged on almost all her campaign promises, including transparency in SC government. It kind of makes sense when you consider that she was one of the bright and shining stars of the state Republican Party from her freshman year in the legislature. Such people do not good rebels make.

  9. The Fair And Balanced crapola just means they give equal time to leftists and conservatives. The only problem is how they define the term conservative. It usually comes down just slightly right of center.

  10. Nah, there are plenty of typical man on the street Republicans who fantasize about sleeping with Nikki Haley. 

  11. Frankly, I’m no fan of Gingrich, I’m a Santorum supporter, but I would vote for Gingrich in a New York minute if he was the nominee, and respect myself afterwards, I couldn’t vote for Romney no matter what. In fact if Romney is the nominee, like many others I will campaign & support for principled republican senate and house candidates, to increase house gop majority and retake the senate, as a bullwark against Obama or a Romney presidency, but I will write in Rick Santorum’s name on the ballot. I will let the RNC and their hypocritical establishment pals, lose the presidential election, because to give in to their demands we hurry up and let them steal our election, is on par with giving up the constitution. The RNC, the media, even Fox and the establishment don’t even bother hiding their contempt for our votes and our rights. I wasn’t raised to be a slave, a willing dupe, and I will go down fighting any attempt to deprive me of my freedoms.

  15. ” I wasn’t raised to be a slave, a willing dupe, and I will go down fighting any attempt to deprive me of my freedoms.”

    Oh hell yes you were. You’re a lemming who’s been gladly fed a pack of lies and you regurgitate them with retarded pride.

    Brakabama appreciates your ardent support.

  16. You’re kidding right?  A bunch of unsupported bullshit and now Brit Hume’s objectivity is smashed?

    Frankly that’s absurd.  I’d use much harsher language but that’s the kindest way I can put it.  Seriously.  The Miami Herald of all things?

  19. I guess you missed the part where she said she was going to campaign for and support principled Republican Senate and House candidates. And what the fuck do you care if she doesn’t support Romney anyway? Isn’t there some Massachusetts abortion doctors you should be stalking? Just go through Mitts donor list and you can probably find out where they live.

  20. Why should she support somebody she feels so strongly about? Some folks like to be able to look at themselves in the mirror when they get up in the morning. Its damn bad enough that if I vote in the Kentucky GOP primary I’m going to probably have to choose between Romney and Paul. I seriously doubt I will have the stomach to make such a decision twice in one damn year.

  21. “the press conference was actually held at 10 a.m.”
    Hilarious! Made the trip but missed the news. Hunter Thompson turned exactly that kind of chronic fail into a shtick that made him a celebrity.

  22. Makes you wonder: is steering other reporters wrong on press  conference times the way Politico expects to “win the morning”?

  23. I didn’t say Hume’s objectivity was “smashed”, those are your words. I said it left it open for question. Big difference. It just means you should take what he says into consideration in light of this story. Note it is a fact his son committed suicide. What Newt may or may not have had to do with that might be open for debate. But if Hume does blame Newt in part for that, how could he possibly be objective? Granted, he might honestly try to be. But there’s a reason surgeons are strongly discouraged from operating on their spouses.

  25. Well. That monument will be next on the list of grievance mongers.

    It’s too tall, too white and memorializes slave owners.

    There’s gotta be SOMETHING raaaaacist about it.

    And I think Will Folks fellated it once. Allegedly.
    I heard that somewhere from somebody sometime but can’t talk about it now.

  26. You went to Charleston looking for Newt Gingrich and all you found were a lying blowhard and monuments to a lost cause. I’d say you found what you were looking for.

  28. Beat me to it — after all the goddamn bellyaching about “what Politico did to Cain,” I can’t believe he trusted them.

  30. Yes.  I am not a Democrat, I don’t vote a party because that is what I am programmed to do.  I would rather fight an enemy with full knowledge of what he is than have an “ally” whom I can’t count on in a firefight.

  31. Read my comment again – I was talking about the general, not primary.  As I’ve said repeatedly, anyone has the right to vote or not to vote for anyone as they choose, BUT they should not pretend that not voting for our nominee isn’t just helping Obama.

    Because that’s what it is.

  34. Absolutely not. Firstly, I never even knew the name Will Folks until today. I remember the attacks against Haley during the previous election, but I don’t live in South Carolina. I’ve only heard the criticism against Haley, after I started googling to see if I could learn more after reading about her taking that $36K bribe from Romney just before giving him her endorsement. I then started reading all about Haley’s record of pay for play and cronyism since taking office.  She’s certainly not the principled conservative she painted herself as being, during her campaign. I merely stated, and I don’t think I’m wrong for saying as much, that perhaps Nikki Haley wasn’t being truthful when she claimed Will Folks was lying. I come from a long line of common sensical, old fashioned dyed in the wool New Englanders. . . fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. Apparently Folks isn’t the only one decrying Haley, conservatives with sterling reputations have been speaking out against her cutting dirty backdoor deals with businesses, for her personal profit. Her flying on the taxpayer dime to cut deals in France? Cities and states are denied under the constitution from makign deals with foreign interests and foreign governments.

    Now, if you want to take the time to tell me if this Folks character had a bad reputation prior to this hoo haa with Nikki Haley, then do so.  If not, and he’s only the bad boy for daring to say something  that isn’t to her credit, then say so.. let’s have some context so an outsider to SC politics has at least some bearings. Other than that, Haley is a whore, and needs to be removed from the governor’s office. I don’t want to hear any malarkey defending her, she’s getting exposed left and right. If you provide cover for that cheap slag, you’ll find SC with a democrat governor, especially given Sanford’s disgrace.

  35. “Why should she support somebody she feels so strongly about?”

    Why  “feel so strongly” about some politician? This isn’t a goddam basketball game.

  36. Oh puh-lease.. voting for Romney is akin to voting for Obama. They are both in the service of the same interests who desire the sublimation of the United States,the looting of our wealth and resources and the enslavement of our once proud and free people.  It speaks of idiocy, a cavalier manner. The US is at the precipace, we don’t have time to, pardon my French, dick around. You don’t save the country by voting for Tweedle-dum over Tweedle-dee.  You’ve heard that old say, you’ve got to dance with those who brung you? Here’s what you’ve been missing, you’ve got to look at whose brought who. Romney is empowered by and serving the exact, same people as Obama. I don’t know whether it’s ideological, or just that he serves the same interests for profit, and I don’t care what the reason is. The pertinent info is that Romney isn’t fit to be president, because he would finish the job that Obama and before him, Clinton started. What I actually believe is the plan is that Romney, for his own profit is going to hand the re-election to Obama, as McCain did. That Freudian slip McCain made a few weeks back wasn’t the first sign that he’d been in the bag for Obama all along. Examine Romney’s record, going way back. He’s been in the service of the left, he has no love for or loyalty to the United States.  He’s hiding his tax returns for the same reason Obama hides his personal records, the facts therein speak volumes.

    There’s a 200 page document making the rounds online, some people claim it’s John McCain’s 2008 opposition research file on Romney Whether it’s from McCain’s campaign or not, the facts cited within are backed up with sources. Romney is an utter fraud, and anyone who is willing to hold their nose and vote for him, well then all I can say is you are the sort who is just as willing to drop trou and take it up the backside from obama. BTW, here’s the link to that full 200 page record of Romney. http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/78582788

    I’d also recommend you to got http://amycontrada.com she’s the woman who wrote the Romney expose Deception, in it she reveals Romney’s record of massive tax and fee increases, his quadrupling gun fees, his making the taxpayers of the other 49 states subsidize Romneycare in Massachusetts, how Romney used Massachusetts taxpayer dollars to fund and subsidize his cronies from Bain’s pet interests, and his willing participation in the sexualization of Massachusetts school children

  38. At this hour, I’d say Newt has bigger fish to fry…or be fried, as the case may be.  Drudge is reporting that Newt’s second wife sat down for a two hour interview with ABC News and the interview contains a bombshell concerning Newt’s candidacy.  ABC is playing the ratings game by scheduling airtime after the SC primary.

  39. yep, that’s a big Ruh-Roh!

    I’m sure after they’re done frying the Republican candidates ABC and their brethren will dive into vetting Obama.
    Yeah, and the oceans will be wearing rubber pants to keep their bottoms dry the day that ever happens. 

  42. He killed himself, allegedly because his lover was involved in trying to oust Gingrich as speaker and somebody, maybe Gingrich or possibly Dick Armey (possibly because he found out he would be passed up for Speaker) outed the two of them. That’s the story.

    Of course with all the unreasoned Gingrich hate I’ve been reading here I’m guessing it won’t be long before I’ll be reading somewhere that Gingrich personally put the rope around his neck, or however the guy died.

  44. It wasn’t just Will Folks who had a long-standing affair with her, there was another guy who claims he had a one-night stand with her in the front seat of an automobile. Of course he was denounced as well. front           seat of an automobile. seat of

  45. @Mary M-It wasn’t just Will Folks, there was another guy whose name I can’t recall who claimed he had a one night stand with her in the front seat of a car. Of course he was derided just like Folks. For some reason Disqus wouldn’t put this comment through as a direct reply to your post, but sent it down here. So, whatever.

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