Adam Serwer, WaPo Op-Ed: Newt Gingrich’s clever race-mongering

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Posted at 10:43 AM ET, 05/16/2011
Newt Gingrich’s clever race-mongering
By Adam Serwer

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/newt-gingrichs-clever-race-mongering/2011/03/04/AF2r7q4G_blog.html

Newt Gingrich made a bit of news over the weekend on Meet the Press by coming out against Rep. Paul Ryan’s Mecicare plan by describing it as “right-wing social engineering.” But during that same interview, he did something else that may be more worthy of attention: He addressed a series of interesting claims he’s made about the president in a way that reveals how racially coded attacks on the President will be central to his campaign.

Gingrich recently referred to Obama as “the first food stamp president,” and came out in favor of voting requirements that resemble Jim Crow-era poll tests. When asked by David Gregory about such remarks, Gingrich feigned ignorance about their implications:

MR. GREGORY: First of all, you gave a speech in Georgia with language a lot of people think could be coded racially-tinged language, calling the president, the first black president, a food stamp president.

***

REP. GINGRICH: That’s, that’s bizarre. That — this kind of automatic reference to racism, this is the president of the United States. The president of the United States has to be held accountable. Now, the idea that — and what I said is factually true. Forty-seven million Americans are on food stamps. One out of every six Americans is on food stamps. And to hide behind the charge of racism? I have — I have never said anything about President Obama which is racist.

[FSogol]

1. Gingrich is the worst of the worst. /nt

[my2sense]

2. I imagine things will get extremely

ugly before 2012 is wrapped up. I hope our country can take it.

We will be living back in Jim Crow days if we are not careful.