Sarah Palin: David Gregory Asked Newt Gingrich 'Racist-Tinged' Question (VIDEO)

During an appearance on Fox News' "Hannity" on Wednesday night, Sarah Palin suggested that David Gregory, host of NBC's "Meet the Press," asked a "racist-tinged question" in pressing presidential candidate Newt Gingrich on an eyebrow-raising characterization of President Barack Obama he made last week.

The former House Speaker criticized the president as "the most successful food stamp president in modern American history" while speaking in Georgia. Here's an excerpt of the exchange that went down between Gingrich and Gregory after a clip was played of the remarks:

GREGORY: First of all, you gave a speech in Georgia with language a lot of people think could be coded racially-tinged language, calling the president, the first black president, a food stamp president.

GINGRICH: Oh, come on, David.

GREGORY: What did you mean? What was the point?

GINGRICH: That's, that's bizarre. That -- this kind of automatic reference to racism, this is the president of the United States. The president of the United States has to be held accountable. Now, the idea that -- and what I said is factually true. Forty-seven million Americans are on food stamps. One out of every six Americans is on food stamps. And to hide behind the charge of racism? I have -- I have never said anything about President Obama which is racist.

GREGORY: Well, what did you mean?

GINGRICH: Well, it's very simple. He has policies -- and I used a very direct analogy. He follows the same destructive political model that destroyed the city of Detroit. I follow the model that Rick Perry and others have used to create more jobs in Texas. You know, Texas two out of the last four years created more jobs than the other 49 states combined. I'm suggesting we know how to create jobs. Ronald Reagan did it. I was part of that. We know how to create jobs. We did it when I was speaker. And, and the way you create jobs is you have lower taxes, you have less regulation, you have litigation reform. When the New York Stock Exchange puts its headquarters at Amsterdam, Holland and, by the way, follows 40 other companies in the last year; when General Electric pays zero in taxes; there's something fundamentally wrong with the current system. The Obama system of the National Labor Relations Board basically breaking the law to try to punish Boeing and to threaten every right-to-work state. The Environmental Protection Agency trying to control the entire American economy by bureaucratic fiat. The Obama system's going to lead us down the path to Detroit and destruction. I think we need a brand-new path. It's a path of job creation. And one of the central themes of this campaign is going to be paychecks vs. food stamps.

"Well, talk about racism, that was a racist-tingest question from David Gregory," said Palin of the exchange. "He made it sound like if you're black you're on food stamps and the president is referring to you as being on food stamps. I think that's racist. And, you know, enough is enough of this calling out, this racism, these false charges."

Via ThinkProgress comes video of what Palin had to say.

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Comments

[Rogell]

02:09 AM on 07/15/2011

Sarah Palin would do alot of us some good, and that is to simply fade away...

[dennishastings]

10:04 AM on 05/25/2011

Does anyone have any numbers? Are there more people on food stamps NOW then there were during the Bush presidency?

[CalSailor]

06:54 PM on 05/24/2011

Sarah herself has used so much code language to refer to minorities, the poor, GLBT, etc., that she doesn't recognize is when it is pointed out to her. Ronald Reagan used "welfare queen" as his code phrase for the poor...the ones he thought drove up in shiny Caddies and bought steaks and other high priced foods on food stamps, while living off the dole. While abuses of every program exist, the vast majority--in most cases more than 99% of the people who get funds on various programs use them correctly. But Sarah, because she has no idea of the history under Reagan, doesn't recognize its resurgence in the GOP. Sheesh!

Pr Chris

[MissIndependentLady]

03:53 PM on 05/23/2011

Once again, she has no idea what she's talking about because she's incredibly naive and dense.
"He made it sound like if you're black you're on food stamps."
That's exactly how rational people think about Newt. You really think if Obama was white, Newt would refer to him as the food stamp president? People need to wake up and realize that racism is still alive in this country but nowadays it's all about disguises. Racists don't have the stones to say the n word in public so they say other things and then when someone accuses them of being racist, they pretend to be extremely offended.

[MichaelRCooke]

03:01 AM on 05/23/2011

Yes it is racist to believe food stamps are associated with being Black, and yet the racist meme exists. And labeling president Obama the 'food stamp president', it's a statement no racist will take issue with and is, indeed, enrolling for racists.

It's not new, it's called the "Southern Strategy" even - to code your language to allow racists to know which side you are on. And in a Presidential race against a Black president, we have NOT seen the last of this!

I'm White, I just lost one of my two jobs. I now qualify for food stamps, and my land lord that really likes my rent will much prefer I get the food stamps so I can pay her rent.

[The Lorax]

04:15 PM on 05/22/2011

I think she dun got dumber

[MsLibertyBelle]

08:50 AM on 05/22/2011

PS Big mouth Sarah needs to go back to AK and kill moose and bat fish to death. Oh, for just one day when I don't have to hear her shrill, sarcastic, double entendre voice or read some idiotic thing she says..............

[MsLibertyBelle]

08:46 AM on 05/22/2011

OMG, is Palin buttering up Newt to run as his VP? God help us all!! Wonder what the brilliant Sarah has to say now about our Pres after stating all over the country: "he pals around w terrrorists" now that he's gotten the "big one"???????????

[CalSailor]

06:57 PM on 05/24/2011

OMG...what an image THAT brings up....I'm already having nightmares about a Palin/Bachmann ticket (or a Bachmann/Palin ticket...they'll have to fight that out!)...Gingrich/Palin....gotta go lie down with a cool cloth....

Pr Chris

[littlebrowngirl]

12:13 AM on 05/22/2011

Where are the funny cream filled pies to the kisser when you need them?

[JohnDrake6]

12:08 AM on 05/22/2011

Sarah Palin is absolutely correct: David Gregory did sound racist when he quoted Newt Gingrich.

And as for Gingrich's own defense, it reminds me of the old joke where someone asks a lion tamer what he'd do if the lions became aggressive and began approaching him during a performance.

"I would crack this whip to lead them back up on their perches."

"But what if the whip doesn't deter them?"

"Then I'd keep them at bay with the chair."

"But what if they slap the chair away and continue coming at you?"

"Then, I'd pull out my gun and shoot them."

"And if the gun misfired?"

"Then I'd reach down and scoop up some sh*t, throw it in their eyes, and slip out of the cage while the lions are clearing their eyes."

"But what if their isn't any sh*t?"

"Trust me, if I was in that situation, there would be."

When pressed, Gingrich just threw some sh*t in our eyes and tried to slip out of the cage.

[Truthseeker512]

02:17 PM on 05/29/2011

So true -- I thought I was the only one that noticed the tactics that are being used. What disturbs me the most is the the interviewer don't really challenge.

[Isome]

11:53 PM on 05/21/2011

Newt said: and the way you create jobs is **you have lower taxes,** you have less regulation, you have litigation reform. When the New York Stock Exchange puts its headquarters at Amsterdam, Holland and, by the way, follows 40 other companies in the last year; **when General Electric pays zero in taxes; there's something fundamentally wrong with the current system.**

Within the same sentence he contradicts himself. If the way to create jobs is to lower taxes, then why does he clearly say that "there's something fundamentally wrong with the current system" by citing that "General Electric pays zero in taxes"?

[andy rig]

11:41 PM on 05/21/2011

Uh-huh, everyones a racist EVERYONE e.v.e.r.y.o.n.e. ... cept good ol' Palin, of course.

[TurnToTheLeft]

10:18 PM on 05/21/2011

That's Sarah always playing the RACE CARD!

Q: "What magazines do you read to stay informed?"

A: "Any of 'em all of 'em"
silently "Oh crap I can't say; People, Us, The Star and the Enquirer...Any of 'em all of 'em in the magazine rack the Wasilla Beehive Hair and Nails Parlor"

[Lahonda]

09:35 PM on 05/21/2011

If it weren't for chips on her shoulder, she'd have no American-made furniture.

[drwtsn]

09:03 PM on 05/21/2011

"the way you create jobs is you have lower taxes, you have less regulation,..."

Which, I guess, is why Bush created an unprecedented number of jobs during his presidency.

[CalSailor]

07:00 PM on 05/24/2011

A really interesting experiment...when people say, they want government off our backs, etc., ask them, then what does daily life look like? Our kids have no education...they're out doing scut work, food isn't safe to eat, medicines are non-existent, etc., etc. Do you want THAT? And they usually look horrified...because it is a mantra without substance....

Pr Chris