Newt Gingrich Designs Online Course for Liberty University

New course designed by Newt Gingrich (Liberty University Online, luonline.com, October 17, 2011)

Random thoughts:

• Remember that time the former Speaker of the House developed a high-profile distance learning course? Who was that and how did that go for him?

• I guess course designers don't, or, umm, at least this person who helped with course design doesn't, have to sign the Doctrinal Statement. That bit about the church being "a local assembly of baptized believers […] Its offices are pastors and deacons, and it is self-governing" is probably fairly important to an evangelical Protestant school in the independent Southern Baptist tradition. I'm not so sure what this guy would make of it.

• Hasn't he got something else going on?

 

I applaud the contribution by the Newt. Nothing wrong with a little cooperation. I might even be interested in taking the class just out of curiosity.

 

Someone might as well mention here that Bill Clinton is "Honorary Chancellor" of Laureate International Universities, the operating division of Laureate Education that owns or is somehow comparably behind Walden University, National Hispanic University, and other schools around the world. Clinton spoke at this summer's Walden commencement. Here he was reported making a speech on online learning in 2001.

 

I think Newt knows that he stands no chance in the primary, and is just using the debates to get his message out.

What many people don't know is that he has an earned doctorate from Tulane University, so it's not like he's not qualified to design a course for a university.

 

What is the gestation time for designing a course? Can you pop these things out pretty quickly?

You're probably not going to find too many courses at more traditional schools on American Exceptionalism. Unless of course it's talking about the end of it, or whether is was ethnocentric and imperialistic, etc.

Meh news.

 

Indeed, he has a PhD in History. His dissertation topic was on the history of education in the Belgian Congo. And his job immediately prior to becoming Speaker of the House was Professor of History at the University of West Georgia.

 

Yes, one of my former professors at North Carolina Wesleyan College, Dr Ken Finney, graduated a year after him at Tulane. He was mum about him when he made to Speaker.

 

Been a while since the ethics charges on ol' Newt. I remember that he stepped down when he found out the some 30 Republicans would not vote for him on the floor of the house. I don't think he has a snowball's chance in hell in getting the nomination at this point. I like how SNL had him and Bachman out in the parking garage during the last debate. Funny skit.

 

And now a new poll has him tied with Romney for second, both of them narrowly trailing Cain. Cain is in trouble and Romney's universe is limited. Advantage Gingrich!

…But wait. All this breaking out of the pack in a presidential race, writing, lecturing, and designing a new distance learning course, all this must make for a very busy Newt.

It's obvious the man feels passionate about his country. But he's working far too hard.

What could go wrong in this scenario?

…Oh. That.

 

Newt Gingrich: "In a sense, our Judeo-Christian civilization is under attack from two fronts. On one front, you have a secular, atheist, elitism. And on the other front, you have radical Islamists. And both groups would like to eliminate our civilization if they could. For different reasons, but with equal passion."

I think if you ask either of these groups this question privately, they would admit to wanting to end Christian conservative values in a capitalist America. So he is right on the money.

 

Liberal Arts Majors, Take Note (Laura Conaway, The Maddow Blog, msnbc.com, November 16, 2011)

 

What did he consult with Freddie and Frannie for? Why did they pay for his services?

 

I had to go look. Newt's numbers are up in the polls? Ahhh, now I see the fascination.

 

"Newt: Fire the janitors, hire kids to clean schools"

American exceptionalism, for Newt Gingrich: We don't need no "truly stupid" child labor laws –

Newt: Fire the janitors, hire kids to clean schools (Maggie Haberman, Politico, November 18, 2011)

 

I'm waiting for Herman Cain to respond, "And the only thing worse is OSHA! If you lose your arm working in a factory, don't blame the company; blame yourself!"

 

Gingrich and Cain already pledge as President to disobey Supreme Court rulings they disagree with enough.

Cain Jumps On Gingrich’s Authoritarian Bandwagon, Pledging To Openly Defy The Law If SCOTUS Strikes DOMA (Ian Millhiser, Think Progress, November 21, 2011)

Gingrich, ever the intellectually honest and consistent grown-up, tries to play the "well Roosevelt did it" gambit. This liberal is, and I think almost all liberals today are, ashamed or worse of Roosevelt at his worst on civil liberties and constitutional issues.

 

Jonathan, it is actually nice to hear someone who is a Liberal admit that FDR had some serious flaws.

 

FDR had some good ideas, and I can understand his being frustrated with obstructionists, but he went waaaaaaaaaay too far.

Of course, that era seemed to be the era of extremes....do nothing, or do too much? I do wonder if our current political environment is moving in that direction.

 

Newt and U of Phoenix

Now Newt is talking about teaching an online course through the University of Phoenix when he is president.
Newt Gingrich: The new University of Phoenix? | The Ticket - Yahoo! News