Gingrich’s rhetoric -- calling President Obama “the best food stamp president in history” and so forth -- is a dog whistle designed to appeal to South Carolina’s white Republican voters. Gingrich boldly promised to "continue to find ways to help poor people learn how to get a job," as if the majority of poor people were not, in fact, employed and as if the unemployed lack knowledge rather than opportunity.
Gingrich knows the secret to his success among Republicans is his penchant for mocking and excoriating liberals. In South Carolina that approach has taken on a racially inflammatory element, and it seems to be working. This was the first state to secede from the Union. Surrounding the state capitol building there is a street named for slavery defender John Calhoun, a statue of segregation defender Strom Thurmond and a Confederate flag flying. When he says black parents will take him up on his offer of jobs instead of food stamps some listeners might hear “get blacks off of food stamps,” particularly when it comes after his boast of having passed welfare reform.
Cynically, the rhetoric was a brilliant piece of jiu jitsu: Gingrich plays to racial animosity while claiming credit for trying to empower poor minorities.
Myths about Food Stamps - The Cost of Hunger Blog
MYTH 1: Most food stamp recipients wouldn’t need this benefit if they would just get a job.
50 percent of food stamp participants are children and 8 percent are elderly citizens. In fiscal year 2005, of all food stamp households, 84% contained either an elderly or disabled person or a child, and these households received 89% of all food stamp benefits. Commonly referred to as the “working poor,” many food stamp users who are employed full-time still earn poverty level wages, making it difficult to afford food.
MYTH 2: The Food Stamp Program uses tax dollars that never benefit my community.
every dollar in food stamp benefits generates two dollars in household spending. Food stamp benefits not only support grocery purchases, but also free up cash for other necessities, such as medical care, children’s clothing, house repairs, and child care. As more money is spent, more jobs are created, ultimately promoting a more robust local economy.
MYTH 3: Only people who are on welfare get food stamps.
As of 2005 less than 15 percent were receiving welfare and over 29 percent were gainfully employed. Participants need not be receiving welfare to receive food stamps.
MYTH 4: Food stamp recipients are all the same
Currently, food stamp beneficiaries are a diverse group. USDA statistics show that:
59 percent of food stamp recipients are female,
43 percent are Caucasian,
33 percent are African American,
19 percent are Hispanic,
2 percent are Asian, and
2 percent are Native American.
Fact-Checking Newt Gingrich's Food Stamps Claims - Huma Khan
It is true that the number of Americans who rely on food stamps is at a record high. Nearly 46 million Americans received benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — better known as food stamps — this year, the highest number in recorded history. But experts attribute that mainly to the weak economy and high unemployment. Additionally, George W. Bush’s administration expanded eligibility for food stamps to get more Americans to apply, which also contributed to an increase in recipients.
The idea that administrators are not working to cut fraud can also be challenged. The Department of Agriculture, which administers the program, contracts with a computer firm to analyze food stamp purchases to root out fraud, for which it has received kudos from the Government Accountability Office.
While fraud remains a problem, it is not just a federal government issue. The problem also lies within states, each of which has a different requirement for who receives such benefits. In 35 states, people can get food stamps even if they don’t partake in any other assistance programs. States are also responsible for targeting fraud by recipients, while the federal government monitors such misdemeanors on the retail side.
