Rick Santorum - bullhorn racism

[weemadando]

At a campaign stop in Sioux City, Iowa on Sunday, Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum singled out blacks as being recipients of assistance through federal benefit programs, telling a mostly-white audience he doesn’t want to “make black people’s lives better by giving them somebody else’s money.”

Video and full article at the link. The statistics they use are misrepresenting the scenario a little, but that doesn't change even a little of what this racist said.

[Broomstick]

Rather conveniently ignores that there are twice* as many white folks below the poverty line as black folks.

* Best recollection, did not actually confirm statistic, but my memory usually isn't too far off.

ETA: that's "twice" in the sense of absolute numbers, not percentages

[weemadando]

Hence me saying the statistics are misleading.

[RIPP_n_WIPE]

Though aren't black people, per capita below the poverty line?

[Mr. Coffee]

[weemadando]

They still don't have topography.

[Mr. Coffee]

They still don't have topography.

But their State Fair is the best State Fair in the state, yo.

[Simon_Jester]

They still don't have topography.

Yes, they do. I drove up and down it. It's pretty understated topography, but they've got it.

[DudeGuyMan]

Rather conveniently ignores that there are twice* as many white folks below the poverty line as black folks.

Yeah but don't go with the "Haha black people are only 49% of (something bad)" argument when you want to attack stuff like this. It leaves you open to a devastating "Yeah but they're only 12% of the population!" counter and isn't a line of debate you need to go down anyway.

[Panzersharkcat]

What's really funny to me about Santorum is that his own nephew is refusing to endorse him, albeit for different reasons.

[bobalot]

What's really funny to me about Santorum is that his own nephew is refusing to endorse him, albeit for different reasons.

Seriously, so what? (Note: I don't like Santorum at all)

[Broomstick]

Rather conveniently ignores that there are twice* as many white folks below the poverty line as black folks.

Yeah but don't go with the "Haha black people are only 49% of (something bad)" argument when you want to attack stuff like this. It leaves you open to a devastating "Yeah but they're only 12% of the population!" counter and isn't a line of debate you need to go down anyway.

Your 49% is bad math - if you have a group that is comprised of black and white people, and there are twice as many white people in the group as black, then it's not a 51/49 split, it's a 66 white/33 black split. It also ignores the Hispanics, Asians, and Natives who are below the poverty line, thereby marginalizing those minorities even more than the black population. Why did you assume blacks would automatically comprise the whole of the remainder of the non-white poor folks?

The majority of poor people in the US are white. Apparently Santorum doesn't know this. Which really is the main point here.

[Panzersharkcat]

Seriously, so what?

It seemed funnier in my head, which goes to prove my sense of humor is stupid.

(Note: I don't like Santorum at all)

I figured.

[Darth Wong]

Rick Santorum's strong showing in Iowa merely proves what everyone has known for a long time: that nothing works better in politics than saying "I hate the same people you do".

[DudeGuyMan]

Your 49% is bad math

It's not really an attempt at math at all, it's a paraphrasing of a common line of argument. I don't think I was very clear anyway. My only point is that arguing over the actual demographic spread of welfare recipients or whatever isn't really the best way to engage some guy going "Goddamn nigras taking all the white man's money!" (Which is what Santorum basically said.) You give the impression that the demographic spread of welfare recipients is actually apropos of anything, and end up having to argue otherwise anyway as soon as someone points out that certain groups are overrepresented relative to the population.

I guess all I'm saying is that the best response isn't "Well an absolute greater number of white people are on welfare!" but rather "Haha what the fuck?" or better yet "Well what would you like to see done about that?" followed by an attack on whatever likely-indefensible hilarity is proposed.

Anyway Santorum's showing goes to demonstrate what a piss-poor pack of candidates the GOP has this cycle. The Republicans picked Bush over McCain in '00, held their noses and grudgingly picked McCain over Romney in '08, and now they're sort of visibly glum and dissatisfied at finding themselves in a situation where they might actually have to pick this Romeny fucker they liked even less than McCain last time.

So far the GOP primary gives the impression of a guy with nothing in his fridge but a spinach casserole he hates, desperately turning his cupboards inside out hoping he can find something else to eat. Romney is the spinach casserole and Santorum is the two-years-expired can of soup the guy is trying to fool himself into thinking edible.

[Grumman]

To me, it sounded like he started saying "lives", not "black".

[Executor32]

To me, it sounded like he started saying "lives", not "black".

He clarified in a later interview that he did indeed say black, the article even mentions it.