Late last week, disgraced former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R), now on the presidential campaign trail, delivered quite a provocative speech. Gingrich compared the 2012 election to the 1860 race, called President Obama “the most successful food stamp president in modern American history,” and raised the specter of bringing back poll tests that were common under Jim Crow.
More than a few observers heard a not-so-subtle dog whistle, and to his credit, “Meet the Press” host David Gregory pressed Gingrich on the point over the weekend. Gregory said “a lot of people” heard the remarks as having “coded racially-tinged language.” Gingrich dismissed this and the interview moved on.
Last night, former half-term Gov. Sarah Palin (R) talked to Sean Hannity about the exchange, and accused Gregory of being racist.
“Well, talk about racism, that was a racist tinged question from David Gregory. He made it sound like if you’re black, you are on food stamps. And the president is referring to you as being on food stamps. I think that’s racist. Then, you know, enough is enough of this calling out, this racism, this false charges. Obviously, it is done just to end the conversation. Just to distract, divert attention from what the real substance is, and stop the conversation.
“Here again, enough is enough. Why do we let the press, the media personalities get away with such? Let’s call him out on them.”
My favorite part of that? When Palin refers to Gregory as a “media personality.”
She went on to urge conservatives to “ignore” reporters who might ask tough questions. “Instead,” Palin said, “candidates need to get their message out via the news social media, be a fair and balanced reporters who will just allow the facts to get out there. Don’t even participate in that goofy game that has been played now for too many years with the leftist mainstream media trying to twist the candidates’ words and intent and content of their statements.”
I guess Palin won’t be making the rounds on the Sunday shows anytime soon.
Hannity asked, by the way, about Palin’s own possible presidential ambitions, and she responded with the kind of trademark word salad that’s come to define her unique communications skills: “Still assessing the field because I know it is still going to change the line-up. People are going to come and go before that legal deadline is imposed on us to have to make the decision. So, I’m still not ready to make an announcement. Still seriously considering it, and praying about it. And talking about it with family. Because of course it is a monumental leap for a family to put themselves out there again in the limelight and be ready for the scrutiny that ensues in a campaign. So, still talking about it, and assessing yes. The field, looking for others who are ready to go rogue and fight against the machine on both sides of the aisle in order to get the economy back on the right track and do the things that the private sector needs done to implement some solutions to all the problems that America is facing right now. I want to make sure that we have a candidate out there with Tea Party principles, understanding that we are taxed enough already. Our job creators cannot afford to be taxed anymore. And we’ll do the right things that so many Tea Party patriots have already been articulating and cheering on and looking for candidates to embrace.”
