You’ve probably seen Matt Drudge’s headline by now, Save Jerseyans. The latest story is that the Marianne Gingrich interview with Brian Ross will air Thursday evening on “Nightline.”
Two initial reactions:
1. Can We Trust Anything Marianne Gingrich Says?
The positive spin: maybe ABC initially believed it would be “unethical” to release the interview because the claims of Newt’s ex-wife are of dubious veracity? Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, right? I’d like to think journalistic integrity isn’t completely dead and buried. Someone could’ve raised a red flag if the allegations appeared a bit too sensational without further verification.
2. Can We Trust ABC to Make an “Ethical” Decision?
The negative spin: How ethical is it for a new organization to withhold a supposedly game-changing interview from the public? If the info is of such tremendous gravity, then wouldn’t South Carolina voters benefit from full-disclosure before heading to the polls?
There’s no way to know without watching the interview. Needless to say, we’ll continue to wonder why ABC was allegedly sitting on the interview until its actually released. Do they have a good reason? Is it a calculated leak to drive ratings before Romney wins SC and public interest begins to wane? Or was someone inside ABC trying to influence the South Carolina primary – and the GOP Primary race generally – by protecting Governor Romney’s last major rival?
Not really sure what o think about any of this. In college, I had an internship with folks who knew Newt and Marianne well, as well as Vin Weber, Bob Walker, etc.-the Conservative Opportunity Society. They liked Marianne, she played an important part of his efforts in those days, so I think efforts to personally trash her might backfire. Just another sign of serious divisions among conservatives. Is a candidate's prior relationships a valid basis to judge their fitness for office?
On the other hand, ABC knows this is likely to get good ratings, Web hits, YouTube clips, etc. & were waiting for maximum possible impact on those, not necessarily the race.
I admit… I am won-over by the economic doom-and-gloomers with regards to the economic climate. Has someone discovered any twinkling of hope in this "dip"?