“Captivating” is a fantastic word…if used correctly. One definition of the word is “to influence and dominate by some special charm, art, or trait and with an irresistible appeal.” Some consider GOP Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich “captivating,” given his recent defeat of Mitt Romney, a fellow hopeful. But when we consider how Newt-dawg has been fist-bumping his way through Florida attempting to capture the “minority vote” and the January 31st Florida primary, it’s well worth reflecting upon the “charm” and “irresistible appeal” of Gingrich. We thought it would only be fitting to provide readers with a pre-Valentine treat and a question: How doth Newt love us?
Let us capture the ways…
1) Newt loves minority-owned businesses. And he enjoys expressing this love in debunked 19th-century anthropological terms. For example, in a hand written draft of a speech (which was part of an ethics investigation against Gingrich back in the 1990′s), Newt wrote: “For poor minorities, entrepreneurship in small business is the key to future wealth. This is understood thoroughly by most of the Asians, partially by Latinos, and to a tragically small degree by much of the American black community.” Tough love or controversial propagator of racial stereotypes? You decide.
2) Newt loves non-english speaking immigrants, especially when they don’t vote. In 2008, Gingrich said: “The government should quit mandating that various documents be printed in any one of 700 languages depending on who randomly shows up.” So, if you are one of 2 million Latinos living in South Florida (an increasing portion of which are spanish-speaking only immigrants), apparently some would like you to believe that Newt has got the political hots for you. To qualify, though, just make sure that you’re not expressing that love in a voter’s booth. Tough love or controversial propagator of voter marginalization? You decide.
3) Newt loves poor hungry people. In recent statements directed at criticizing people who use food stamps, he said: “We [Republicans] believe in work. We believe people should learn to work and that we’re opposed to dependency.” According to a recent NBC article:”One in seven Americans now rely on food stamps, which give low-income people – a family of four with an annual gross income of less than $29,064, for example - help to buy groceries.” Poverty increases during a recession – everyone knows that. And the need for critical supports (such as food stamps) increases, too. Gingrich’s solution: Take away assistance from hungry people and push little kids to work as janitors. Tough love or totally heartless and clueless? You decide.
Love is definitely in the air but the claim that Gingrich is the cause of that should be questioned. As we gallop toward the January 31st Florida primary, we need to keep in mind the policies of candidates. If candidates are not willing to help move America forward by demanding that the wealthy pay their fair share, then we should think carefully about whether we should respond to their lack of love with our political love (read: votes). As Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich compete “neck-to-neck” for the Florida primary, voters should keep asking themselves: how much do any of these candidates really love us?
