Newt Gingrich Uses Racist “Southern Strategy” In S.C. Primary

Newt Gingrich Uses Racist “Southern Strategy” In S.C. Primary

WASHINGTON — Newt Gingrich is leaning into his argument that President Barack Obama is a “food stamp president” and that poor people should want paychecks, not handouts.

The pitch earned him a standing ovation in South Carolina during a presidential debate on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Gingrich has turned the moment into a TV ad as he works to claw his way to the top of the leader board in the closing days of the campaign for South Carolina’s primary on Saturday.

But that type of rhetoric is stoking concerns among some blacks that the political discourse is rewinding to the days of “Southern strategy” campaigning, when blacks were used as scapegoats to attract white votes.

Newt Gingrich Uses Racist “Southern Strategy” In S.C. Primary
Associated Press
Wed, 18 Jan 2012 21:59:24 GMT