GOP Presidential Candidate Rick Santorum’s New Year’s Resolution must be honesty. In an address to Iowans one day before the caucus, Santorum has singled out a group of Americans that he has no intention of assisting. Namely, Black Americans. In a statement about welfare reform, the Republican presidential hopeful stated that “I don’t want to make Black people’s lives better by giving them other people’s money.” Engaging in the ancient tactic of painting welfare as a Blacks-only program, Santorum panders to the backward elements in Iowa. Skipping over the fact that there are more white people on welfare than Black in the country, he plays crudely into this welfare stigma narrative. Apparently, Mr. Santorum does not intend on building a broad coalition to win the presidency, to say the least.
This blogger appreciates Mr. Santorum’s honesty. Rather than sugar coat his intention to cut more social programs to hurt more undeserving minorities, he speaks from the bottom of his hate filled heart. Racist ideologues like him push for cuts in social programs to hurt Black people, but it truly ends up hurting everybody. The myth of Black overdependency is used to slash programs that help millions of people. Those Iowans applauding do not seem to realize that. Let’s see how many people continue to buy into the notion of selfishness. Its what the politicians depend on to keep cutting vital programs, and to keep us cutting one another’s throats.
Marc W. Polite
Wow! He’s trying to out Klansman Ron Paul!
Yeah! For real! What else will the GOP candidates say?
In many ways I should not be surprised that a GOP candidate is using an internal xenophobia of sorts to be decisive and to get attention. The fact remains that a majority of those that receive government assistance are not of a minority background. Yet individuals continue to push this stereotype of the black “welfare queen” and that minority populations in the US as a whole are poor, destitute, and need to be ripped away from the nipple of government social programs. GOP candidates continue to bash the president on his policies labeling them as “class warfare”, yet then need to realize that their own words foster a much greater dived in the classes then any policy that has been passed by the current administration.
I am not surprised either Elden. The idea that Black people are overly dependent on government assistance is an age old card in the hands of bigots. Whether it reflects reality or not, means little in the eyes of those who see Black people as lesser than. No one does class warfare like conservatives. The only difference is, its the rich against everybody else. Thanks for your commentary.