Score another political point for YouTube: Newt Gingrich, who recently created an uproar when he said that bilingual education taught "the language of living in a ghetto" and suggesteed that it was a waste to print electoral ballots in multiple languages "depending on who randomly shows up" to vote. Not surprisingly, Hispanic Americans were outraged at his characterization of their native tongue as a ghetto language. Yesterday, Newt tried to clarify by saying, essentially, "no no I meant the Jews" — not exactly an ideal backtrack (and kind of ironic timing considering it's Passover, festival of freedom). Gingrich's point — and he did have one — was that people who don't speaky the language cut themselves off from "language of prosperity." Oooh, so that's what was holding back the Jews in Lodz!
Today, a scant two hours ago, Gingrich posted two videos to his personal YouTube channel (scarily titled "Winning The Future: A 21st Century Contract With America" — um, have any doubts as to his 2008 intentions?). One video is in English, one is in Spanish with English subtitles, where he apologizes for his "poor word choice" (leading to a "mal sentimiento" in the "communidad Latino") and clarifies that all he meant to say was, hey, if you want to get ahead in this country, baby, you gotta hablo the Ingles. Not that Spanish is a language "without beauty" 'cause it's not; on the contrary, the 45 million Latino votes in the country are
beautiful, indeed. He also tells us that he has actually been taking Spanish lessons on the sly (so he must like it!) and, in a sort of adorable-until-we- remember-it's-Newt- Gingrich moment, that "I know that my Spanish is not perfect but I am studying so it will be better." Aw. You'll fit right in in the favelas!* Newt sends this message, he says, from a sincere heart. Latinos, he's on it. Jews, he sort of forgot about you, but don't worry. How many of you can vote?
A Message from Newt Gingrich [YouTube]
Mensaje de Newt Gingrich [YouTube]
All Newt, All The Time [YouTube]
Related:
Gingrich: Bilingual Classes Teach 'Ghetto' Language [WaPo]
Gingrich: When I Said 'Language Of Living In The Ghetto,' I Meant Hebrew (Or Maybe Yiddish) [ThinkProgress]
Newt Gingrich Apologizes on YouTube [NewTeeVee]
(Hat tip: NewTeeVee)
Update: A reader writes in to let me know that favelas are shantytowns in Brazil, which I guess means they are Portuguese. True story: I learned the word from Lovers & Gamblers by Jackie Collins (in the final third just before Dallas and Al get lost in the Amazon — you remember!). Apologies for the error — I know that my Spanish is not perfect but I am studying so it will be better.
