Now that Rick Santorum is the latest non-Romney candidate to surge, I think it's time we got to know him a little, what do you say? Let's take a look at what he's been up to on the trail -- besides sporting a stunning array of sweater vests, of course. Oh let's see, here he is Sunday at a campaign trail stop in Sioux City, Iowa talking about entitlement reform. Tell us more, Ricky.
"I don't want to make black people's lives better by giving them somebody else's money; I want to give them the opportunity to go out and earn the money." (ME, SPITTING OUT MY COFFEE ALL OVER THE KEYBOARD.) Wait, what did you just say?!? You're kidding, right? Someone is playing a joke on us. Tell me this is a misquote! Because last time I checked, WHITE people were getting entitlements, too. SMH, Ricky, Shaking. My. Head.
Oh Lord, where do I get started with this one. I guess let's begin with his characterization of black people -- like ALL people on assistance are black. Black = welfare recipient. You know you're out of touch with the general population when you STILL think of black folks as the Face of Poverty. Meanwhile, 9 percent of food stamp recipients in Iowa are black and 84 percent of them are white. And yeah, there are way more white people than black people in Iowa to begin with, but I think it's pretty clear that singling out black people is deeply unfair, not to mention racist.
Here's what NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous had to say about Ricky's remark: "Santorum's targeting of African Americans is inaccurate and outrageous, and lifts up old race-based stereotypes about public assistance." Ya think? Rick claims he didn't even say "black people." For reals. He says he reviewed the context and he "was starting to say one word, and I sort of came up with another word and moved on and it sounded like black." WHAT WORD WERE YOU TRYING TO SAY, RICK?!? Blue? Blah? Blandishment?
I get the point Ricky was trying to make (I guess) -- that he wants there to be enough good jobs for us all so no one needs government assistance. That's fine. But why, Ricky, why'd you have to single out black people? That was so unnecessary and DUMB! And I hope it's not the kind of Freudian slip that reveals how you really feel about black people -- oh who am I kidding, of course it reveals how you really feel about black people. Ew. Looking forward to seeing you slip in the polls now, Ricky.
What do you think about Ricky's statement about black people and entitlements?
Image via CBS News