"[T]he African-American community should demand paychecks and not be satisfied with food stamps."The NAACP has issued a response:
“It is a shame that the former Speaker feels that these types of inaccurate, divisive statements are in any way helpful to our country. The majority of people using food stamps are not African-American, and most people using food stamps have a job. . .Point. Set. And Match. Good for the NAACP for taking the high road. Let Newt wallow alone in the mud of his own swill.
“We invited Speaker Gingrich to attend our annual convention several times when he was Speaker of the House, but he declined to join us. If he is invited again, I hope that he would come, with the intention to unite rather than divide.
“Gingrich's statement is problematic on several fronts, most importantly because he gets his facts wrong."
Ralph
PS: Thanks to TPM web blogger for this.
ReplyDeleteThe "dog whistle" behind Newt's comments about food stamps that is insulting to blacks -- and which Newt seems clueless to understand why it is insulting -- is that his message about food stamps in not really a message to blacks about jobs; it's a message to white audiences portraying blacks as poor and dependent on government handouts, which liberals are happy to give them so they keep voting Democratic.
The second thing wrong with it, according to this source is that Newt is assuaging white Republicans of their guilt about short-changing poor people with their policies by saying their policies are good; it's just that blacks haven't heard their message. And Newt is the one to bring it to them.