COMMENTARY | The South Carolina Republican primary is narrowing, according to a CNN poll released Wednesday. The candidate on the rise is Newt Gingrich, who was at 23 percent to front-runner Mitt Romney’s 33 percent. Gingrich was credited with a strong debate performance Monday, but it did not come without controversy. Gingrich again repeated his remarks that President Barack Obama is the “food stamp president,” and again said that poor children lacked proper work ethic. The two statements drew applause at the debate, and Gingrich turned them into a web video. Former President Jimmy Carter, among others, recently said that Gingrich’s statements were racially charged, according to Fox News. As a Republican voter, here is how I feel about what Gingrich had to say, and how it might impact the presidential race.
I was not offended by the remarks that Gingrich said during the debate, and think it is actually a good thing he said them. In 2009, Freedom Eden reports that people in Detroit were waiting in line to obtain stimulus money, when the phrase “Obama money” was thrown around. I felt sick when I heard women refer to the government stimulus as “Obama money,” and the women did not even know where the money came from in the first place. This is just one instance since Obama became president where people have felt entitled to money, and it is money none of them worked for legitimately to get. The “Obama money” is basically the same thing that Gingrich was talking about with the food stamps, and it is a very sad reality in America. Instead of wanting to produce a generation of hardworking Americans, Obama has helped increase the availability of government programs, and hands out money to those that do not need it in the first place. I applaud Gingrich for coming forward to talk about the entitlement problem we have going on in this country, and agree that more young people need to develop work ethic, and not collect money from the government.
The comments are a product of Gingrich’s tell-it-like-it-is style, which I like, although I do not personally like Gingrich. Gingrich might be a liberal and somewhat progressive candidate, but he is not afraid to tell people to get off their butt and work, because the government should not be taking care of people who think that way. In this country, there are so many men and women that have the capacity to work, but rather watch television and collect checks, which is not a sustainable path for this country economically. As a libertarian and somewhat Republican, I agree with the in your face style that Gingrich brings to the table, because sometimes the only love is tough love.
Myself, Personal Opinion
Paul Steinhauser, “CNN/Time Poll: Race for South Carolina tightening”, CNN
Fox News Staff, “Jimmy Carter: Gingrich Is Racist”, Fox News
Mary, “Detroit Woman: ‘Obama Money’ (Audio)”, Freedom Eden