Newt Gingrich weeps as he recalls his mom

Author: Susan Page
Source: USA Today
Date: 30 December, 2011

During an Iowa town hall conference, Newt Gingrich showed tears of sadness and remorse when he was asked about his late mother. His mother, Kit Gingrich, died in 2003 after suffering a bipolar disorder as well as depression, turning into brain disorders. Newt grew up with a distraught mother, but he says, "I identify my mother with being happy, loving life, having a sense of joy with her friends" and Newt became teary eyed and stumbled over what he was saying. He acknowledged that he got emotional and says he does policy better than he does his personal life. He devotes his candidacy for his mother. Showing his tears and emotions is reminiscent of the time Hillary Clinton cried at a New Hampshire conference. It was a turning point where she gained support from voters.
Were Gingrich's tear genuine or fake? In my opinion, it was just a tactic in an attempt to gain support the same way that Clinton did. The articles and debates that I have come across with Gingrich show that he isn't fit to be president. In fact from this article itself, it shows that Gingrich can't keep his personal life split from politics. While the death of a family member is always hard, it doesn not change the fact that duty and personal life must remain separate. If a president were to have a mental breakdown because of something similar to this, then how would the nation function? I am now of legal age to vote and you can bet he isn't getting my support, nor is this sob story going to get him more support. A president shouldn't be totally mechanical, but he also shouldn't go off on tangents such as these because then we lose focus on what is really important, his effectiveness as a possible president. These petty tactics need to stop because people aren't gullible and they won't take in these tricks for long, which means in the end, Gingrich himself will lose support from the GOP.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2011/12/newt-gingrich-cries-mother/1