SEARCH BLOG: RACE and EDUCATION

Recently, Newt Gingrich got into the "racist" swamp by taking a swipe at the food stamp program. Most politicians shy away from using words like food stamps because they are bound to be seen as racists. Why? Not because they are referring to programs that cater exclusively to blacks or as a metaphor for racial preference or racial incompetence. No, they get into the racist swamp because someone else who only thinks about possible racial subtext makes the connection.

What was said [source]:

"I'm prepared, if the NAACP invites me, I'll go to their convention and talk about why the African American community should demand paychecks and not be satisfied with food stamps," Gingrich said.

The former House speaker has made a habit of calling President Obama the "food stamp president" -- a nickname he used on Thursday as well -- and has often painted the contrast between himself and Mr. Obama as a choice between paychecks and food stamps.

"The fact is, if I become your nominee we will make the key test very simple: Food stamps versus paychecks," Gingrich said. "Obama is the best food stamp president in American history. More people are on food stamps today because of Obama's policies than ever in history. I would like to be the best paycheck president in American history."

The use of food stamps in America has continued to climb in recent years, and hit an all-time high of nearly 45 million in 2011.

According to U.S. Census Bureau, about 28 percent of households that receive food stamps are African American, while 59 percent are white. According to the same report, about 78 percent of American households are white, while about 12 percent are black. (The overall population is 72.4 percent white and 12.6 percent black.)

The issue Gingrich was attempting to address was economic policies that take people off payrolls and make them food stamp recipients. Unfortunately for Gingrich, statistics split by race show that blacks are twice as often the recipients of food stamps than whites... an example of how Obama's economic policies are failing blacks... a fact which was immediately deflected into the realm of being a racist.

That was pretty daring on the part of Gingrich to use any reference to race, even if it wasn't the central issue. It's the political equivalent of sitting on a stockpile of decades old dynamite; a very unstable situation. He strayed into the realm of "Blackthink."

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2012 IS HERE