Seizing on Mitt Romney’s recent gaffe that he is “not concerned about the very poor,” Gingrich offer his goal as . . .
. . . the exact opposite of Governor Romney[‘s] — my goal is not to ignore or forget the poor. My goal is to turn the safety net into a trampoline to allow the poor to rise and be like the rest of us and have a job and buy a house. . . .
Exactly. (H/t Ed Morrissey)
The problem with Speaker Gingrich is that does anyone really think he means it? Unfortunately I suspect it’s just another pithy Newtie sound-bite that he’ll soon forget about…
The problem with Speaker Gingrich’s statement is that it is absurd. I grew up in an “Indian Reservation” in Southern California. When the free houses were given away, all the relatives of the person in charge of the program moved back from urban areas to the Rez to get in on the freebies. They have yet to obtain legitimate employment and are collecting other government entitlements. I, on the other hand, do not “qualify” to be supported by the government largesse at this time – I make too much money and have to “fork over the tax money” to support my “brethren” who are still not gainfully employed. Those who get the entitlements seldom have the motivation to get off the “government” teat.
Context
“I’m not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs a repair , I’ll fix it. I’m not concerned about the very rich…. I’m concerned about the very heart of America, the 90-95 percent of Americans who right now are struggling…”
Of course the MSM leftists will not use the quote in context, but what Mitt said was correct.
I AM NOT A MITT SUPPORTER
The problem with what Mitt said is how the welfare leeches hear and remember it with a huge amount of help from the MSM.
The problem with what Newt said is that those mired in the receiving end of socialism have little interest in merit. They want a boost in the standard of living given to them and they prefer it now.
The problem with being conservative is the whole concept of the “safety net” when the liberals are busy telling the underclass that rich and the Republicans are stopping them from getting a whole train load of goodies from getting through.
When accomplished liars and manipulators stir up class envy and keep it boiling, there is hardly much room open for preaching competency, reliability and responsibility.
More and more I hear the faint echoes of the Late Weimar, and unlike most Americans it seems, I learned from history what came after. If Obama caries the 2012 election…I shudder at what the 2016 primaries will be like with both party’s extremists and radicals vying for the nomination.
Anyone want front-row tickets to the torch-lit rallies? I’m having my glockenspiel polished…
Newt gets it. He also got it – past tense – as Speaker of the House. Newt understands that government dependence and handouts breeds poverty. That is why his welfare reform in the Contract for America was so important:
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Bipartisan Welfare Reform that Lifted Millions from Poverty. Within five years of the passage of bipartisan welfare reform, child poverty had dropped by nearly a quarter, child poverty in single-parent households reached an all-time low, and nearly two-thirds of those who left welfare were gainfully employed.
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Now, that is what America needs.
I would add that Romney, the squish, OPPOSED the Contract with America.