Gingrich Still Thinks Obama is ‘Food Stamps President’

Jan 17, 2012

At Sunday’s Fox News/Wall Street Journal debate, Newt Gingrich got a [standing ovation](http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/01/17/gingrich-spars-with-moderators-gop-rivals-in-fox-news-debate/) from the audience after he challenged moderator Juan Williams by saying he stood by his racially loaded statements about the president and "really poor children in really poor neighborhoods." "Speaker Gingrich, you said black Americans should demand jobs, not food stamps. You also said poor kids lack a strong work ethic and proposed having them work as janitors in their schools," Williams asked. "Can’t you see that this is viewed, at a minimum, as insulting to all Americans, but particularly to black Americans?" "No. I don’t see that," Gingrich said without any hesitation. Williams went on to explain himself: > I have to tell you my Twitter account has been inundated by all races, who are asking if your comments are not intended to belittle the poor and racial minorities. You saw some of this reaction dug your visit to a black church in South Carolina. We saw some of this during your visit to a church in South Carolina where a woman dad’s asked you why you referred to President Obama as the food stamp president. It sounds as if you are seeking to belittle people. "Well, first of all, Juan, the fact is that more people have been put on food stamps by Barack Obama than any president in American history," Gingrich said. "I know among the politically correct you are not supposed to use facts that are uncomfortable." Speaking at a fundraising Des Moines, Iowa in December, Gingrich said poor kids didn’t have any work ethic "unless it is illegal." ‘Really poor children in really poor neighborhoods have no habits of working and nobody around them who works,’ [Gingrich told potential donors at the rally.](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2069134/GOP-frontrunner-Newt-Gingrich-poor-children-habits-working–unless-illegal.html#ixzz1jjIlgB4w) ([h/t TPM](http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/01/debate-crowd-cheers-as-gingrich-rejects-racial-insensitivity-charge-video.php))