With several state primary elections over and the field of Republican Party, presidential hopefuls narrowed down, I thought this a good time to highlight where the candidates stand on a few issues that impact families. As I mention last week in The History of Fatherhood in the United States, the family became a fully politicized issue by the 1970′s and nothing has changed since. In this current election this holds true, more so than ever.

In this post, I spotlight former Georgia Congressman and Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich. Ironically, when it comes to family, the majority of the attention Mr. Gingrich has received is focused more on his marital debacles than his political ideology on the topic. And his ideology isn’t without controversy either if you recall his remarks on poor children and their work ethic.

Before moving on, it’s worth reviewing Mr. Gingrich’s childhood and background. Born near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Mr. Gingrich was adopted as an infant by his stepfather who was a career infantry soldier. This regimented, conservative upbringing no doubt had an impact on his views of the family. Later he went on to earn a Ph.D and then taught history at West Georgia College. In 1979 he was elected to Congress and retired in 1999, earning a reputation for being controversial. Since then, Mr. Gingrich has acted as a political consultant, while also authoring 27 books.

Note: In gathering the following material, I attempted to use objective information based on voting record, quotes, and non-partisan sources. At the moment, I fall in the category of “undecided” with respect to both the candidates and the parties they represent. Therefore, the views expressed here are not necessarily my own.

Gingrich on Poverty

Gingrich believes education is the key to ending poverty, not welfare. Orphanages like Boys Town and group homes for unwed mothers would, in fact, be better options than such government programs. He wants welfare to be limited to 2 years and would deny additional funding support for children born while the mother is still covered by welfare. Outreach to the poor should be handled at the state and local levels where volunteer groups can be more effective in his opinion. Gingrich has voiced his stance that poor children need to learn the importance of hard work.

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Ron Mattocks is a father of five (3 sons, 2 stepdaughters) and author of the book, Sugar Milk: What One Dad Drinks When He Can’t Afford Vodka. He blogs at Clark Kent’s Lunchbox, and lives in Houston with his wife, Ashley, who eternally mocks his fervor for Coldplay.

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons (Top: Wiki Commons, Gage Skidmore)

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