When will Republicans be honest about who really gets the most out of welfare programs?
By: Edward Wyckoff Williams|Posted: January 10, 2012 at 12:53 AM
The leaders of today's Republican Party are expert storytellers. When it comes to manipulating racial stereotypes for political gain, they are akin to
animation artists of the 1920s: coloring the lines in black and white.
Last Thursday Newt Gingrich told a crowd of senior citizens in New Hampshire, "The African-American community should demand paychecks and not be satisfied with food stamps." Rick Santorum was even more egregious, claiming he doesn't "want to make black people's lives better for giving them other people's money" (although he later claimed that he never intentionally said "black").
Gingrich's latest offense comes only weeks after he received widespread criticism for saying that poor children should work as janitors and clean toilets. He specifically made a point of addressing "inner city" youths -- which
has become conservative code for black and brown people everywhere, from the South to the coasts, the suburbs to the metropolises, regardless of where they actually live.
For some odd reason, this is acceptable rhetoric among the conservative political class. It is especially troubling because every reliable statistic shows that white Americans are the overwhelming beneficiaries of welfare in this
country and make up the largest number of those in poverty by a wide and substantial margin. The Republicans' well-rehearsed lies on the subject have been so effective that people of every hue have come to believe them, feeding widespread ignorance about the true face of poverty and the ever-growing gap between America's rich and poor.
Perhaps it's time for a lesson in mathematics and history.
The Myth of the Black Welfare Queen
Ronald Reagan, now lauded as the great Republican demigod, is largely responsible for the GOP's misguided obsession with framing African Americans as the predominant poor and welfare-dependent. In his 1976 race for the White House, Reagan repeated hyperbolic stories of a woman on the South Side of Chicago who was the quintessential "welfare queen."
Reagan claimed, "She has 80 names, 30 addresses, 12 Social Security cards and is collecting veteran's benefits on four nonexisting deceased husbands. And she is collecting Social Security on her cards. She's got Medicaid, getting food stamps, and she is collecting welfare under each of her names. Her tax-free cash income is over $150,000."
Reagan never named the actual woman, but his statement, including the reference to the South Side of Chicago, said it all.
animation artists of the 1920s: coloring the lines in black and white.
Last Thursday Newt Gingrich told a crowd of senior citizens in New Hampshire, "The African-American community should demand paychecks and not be satisfied with food stamps." Rick Santorum was even more egregious, claiming he doesn't "want to make black people's lives better for giving them other people's money" (although he later claimed that he never intentionally said "black").
Gingrich's latest offense comes only weeks after he received widespread criticism for saying that poor children should work as janitors and clean toilets. He specifically made a point of addressing "inner city" youths -- which
has become conservative code for black and brown people everywhere, from the South to the coasts, the suburbs to the metropolises, regardless of where they actually live.
For some odd reason, this is acceptable rhetoric among the conservative political class. It is especially troubling because every reliable statistic shows that white Americans are the overwhelming beneficiaries of welfare in this
country and make up the largest number of those in poverty by a wide and substantial margin. The Republicans' well-rehearsed lies on the subject have been so effective that people of every hue have come to believe them, feeding widespread ignorance about the true face of poverty and the ever-growing gap between America's rich and poor.
Perhaps it's time for a lesson in mathematics and history.
The Myth of the Black Welfare Queen
Ronald Reagan, now lauded as the great Republican demigod, is largely responsible for the GOP's misguided obsession with framing African Americans as the predominant poor and welfare-dependent. In his 1976 race for the White House, Reagan repeated hyperbolic stories of a woman on the South Side of Chicago who was the quintessential "welfare queen."
Reagan claimed, "She has 80 names, 30 addresses, 12 Social Security cards and is collecting veteran's benefits on four nonexisting deceased husbands. And she is collecting Social Security on her cards. She's got Medicaid, getting food stamps, and she is collecting welfare under each of her names. Her tax-free cash income is over $150,000."
Reagan never named the actual woman, but his statement, including the reference to the South Side of Chicago, said it all.
Though the story was later proven false, the concept became an American
colloquialism, propagated by news media and Hollywood, and remains a
disturbingly popular image of poor black women and families.
The truth? Of the 46 million people living in poverty in America in 2010, the
U.S. census revealed that 31 million were white. Ten million were black. Of the 49 million people without health insurance coverage, 37 million were white; 8 million were African American.
Latinos of every race and Asian Americans represented the remaining largest ethnic groups.
The face of poverty in America is overwhelmingly white, but as sociologist and professor William O'Hare explains in a 2009 study on children in poverty, the white American poor, especially those in rural areas, are "forgotten."
So What Do the Numbers Tell Us About Poverty?
White Americans, poor and middle-class alike, receive the vast majority of tax-funded government assistance programs, from monthly assistance to Social Security to food stamps.
TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), the program that provides aid to single mothers, is the most well-known welfare program, but the truth is that Social Security and Medicare are also social welfare services, funded by tax dollars. To that end, nearly 70 percent of all benefits of these programs go to white people. In fact, since African Americans have lower life expectancy, many work and pay into the Social Security and Medicare programs through their tax dollars, only to have white Americans, who have a longer life expectancy, benefit from the income they've left behind.
O'Hare's research in his 2009 report "The Forgotten Fifth: Child Poverty in Rural America," reveals that 57 percent
of rural poor children were white and 44 percent of all urban poor children were white. But theirs is a story rarely told, their faces hardly seen. High poverty rates for poor and working-class whites have worsened since the 2008 economic crisis. Rural white poverty was already more systemic than urban poverty. Poor whites are more likely to lack basic education levels and remain in poverty for generations.
O'Hare found that white Americans living in rural areas benefited the least from the economic boom of the 1990s. The parents were often underemployed, and this translated into deeper poverty levels for their children.
The Food Stamp Fallacy and GOP Strategy
In December 2009, the New York Times published a series of related articles showing that poor whites across Appalachia and the Mississippi Delta and through the Midwest, Deep South and Texas borderlands were the highest percentage of Americans relying on the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), or
food stamp, program.
colloquialism, propagated by news media and Hollywood, and remains a
disturbingly popular image of poor black women and families.
The truth? Of the 46 million people living in poverty in America in 2010, the
U.S. census revealed that 31 million were white. Ten million were black. Of the 49 million people without health insurance coverage, 37 million were white; 8 million were African American.
Latinos of every race and Asian Americans represented the remaining largest ethnic groups.
The face of poverty in America is overwhelmingly white, but as sociologist and professor William O'Hare explains in a 2009 study on children in poverty, the white American poor, especially those in rural areas, are "forgotten."
So What Do the Numbers Tell Us About Poverty?
White Americans, poor and middle-class alike, receive the vast majority of tax-funded government assistance programs, from monthly assistance to Social Security to food stamps.
TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), the program that provides aid to single mothers, is the most well-known welfare program, but the truth is that Social Security and Medicare are also social welfare services, funded by tax dollars. To that end, nearly 70 percent of all benefits of these programs go to white people. In fact, since African Americans have lower life expectancy, many work and pay into the Social Security and Medicare programs through their tax dollars, only to have white Americans, who have a longer life expectancy, benefit from the income they've left behind.
O'Hare's research in his 2009 report "The Forgotten Fifth: Child Poverty in Rural America," reveals that 57 percent
of rural poor children were white and 44 percent of all urban poor children were white. But theirs is a story rarely told, their faces hardly seen. High poverty rates for poor and working-class whites have worsened since the 2008 economic crisis. Rural white poverty was already more systemic than urban poverty. Poor whites are more likely to lack basic education levels and remain in poverty for generations.
O'Hare found that white Americans living in rural areas benefited the least from the economic boom of the 1990s. The parents were often underemployed, and this translated into deeper poverty levels for their children.
The Food Stamp Fallacy and GOP Strategy
In December 2009, the New York Times published a series of related articles showing that poor whites across Appalachia and the Mississippi Delta and through the Midwest, Deep South and Texas borderlands were the highest percentage of Americans relying on the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), or
food stamp, program.
According to the New York Times, 36 millionAmericans relied
on food stamps. More than 24 million of them were white, 8 million were African American and 6 million were Hispanic of any race.
Reagan and the GOP learned a powerful lesson from Barry Goldwater's
devastating defeat in 1964 and the Southern strategy implemented by Nixon: that race was a powerful tool in securing the white vote, even if it meant convincing working-class whites to vote against their own economic iterests.
It was Reagan who in 1980 described the Voting Rights Act as "humiliating to the South," a strategy that led to the phenomenon known as Reagan Democrats. By surreptitiously appealing to disgruntled working-class whites across the South and in states like Ohio and Pennsylvania, Reagan fed suspicions that Democrats were purveyors of welfare economics.
The "black welfare queen" image he touted only served to strengthen the resolve of white voters who considered themselves social conservatives. As Paul Krugman pointed out in his 2007 article "Republicans and Race," Southern whites still voted for the GOP at a ratio of 2 to 1. But for poor whites voting Republican, it's a strategy that only serves to keep them in poverty.
Like everyone struggling to provide for their families amid the nation's economic challenges, poor whites are a demographic sorely in need of progressive answers to their socioeconomic ills. Yet many remain adherent to a racially polarizing Republican Party that has taught them to fear Obama as "alien" or "other."
From Reagan to Gingrich to Santorum, race-baiting has only profited the Republican leaders who have sold it. Those at the bottom, and poor whites in particular, are left to pay the price.
Edward Wyckoff Williams is an author, columnist, political analyst for
MSNBC and a former investment banker.
"Food Stamp President"
"Gingrich went on to say that he simply wants to help more people of all ethnicities find jobs and get them off food stamps."
Why didn't he say this when he made his original comment? Why did he single out one group of persons when people from all racial/ethnic groups in America benefit from welfare of one kind or another?
I think the answer is because he wanted to give the impression that it is only blacks using these benefits and
that means we're lazy, shiftless, looking for a handout and are to be viewed as a major drag on the nation's economy. With rhetoric like this we're supposed to believe that Gingrich is a uniter and not a divider? Gingrich did the same thing with Park 51. He lied and said the site would be built at Ground Zero when it's blocks away. Porn stores are closer to Ground Zero than Park 51, but he didn't say one word about this. There were Muslim prayer rooms on certain floors of the Twin Towers, but he didn't say anything about this either. Muslim-Americans worked in the Twin Towers and died on 9/11, but he didn't say anything about this. He messed all over the place, then walked away, and later refused to attend Geller's 9/11 event after saying that he would. IMO, Gingrich is a bomb thrower who gets stuff started, receives blow back, then pretends he had no role in it or didn't mean what he said/did. Something tells me he'd be the same dishonest and divisive person in the WH.
Gingrich:" My position should not offend blacks"
Newt Gingrich on Monday continued to stand by comments he has made suggesting that poor children should serve as janitors to earn money - arguing not only that kids would benefit from the work but also that you could hire "30-some kids to work in the school for the price of one janitor."
In the 16th Republican presidential debate of the political cycle, this one in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Gingrich said African-Americans should not be offended by his recent comments over food stamps and child labor.
The issue was brought up by moderator Juan Williams, who said: "Speaker Gingrich, you recently said black Americans should demand jobs, not food stamps. You also said poor kids lack a strong work ethic and proposed having them work as janitors in their schools. Can't you see that this is viewed, at a minimum, as insulting to all Americans, but particularly to black Americans?"
"No. I don't see that," Gingrich replied.
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The former House speaker argued that children would be an affordable alternative to unionized workers - and that "they'd be getting money, which is a good thing if you're poor."
"New York City pays their janitors an absurd amount of money because of the union," Gingrich said. "You could take one janitor and hire 30-some kids to work in the school for the price of one janitor, and those 30 kids would be a lot less likely to drop out. They would actually have money in their pocket. They'd learn to show up for work. They could do light janitorial duty. They could work in the cafeteria. They could work in the front office. They could work in the library."
"They'd be getting money, which is a good thing if you're poor," he added. "Only the elites despise earning money."
Williams pointed out that some had perceived Gingrich's comments about child labor, as well as remarks he made this month singling out blacks when speaking about food stamps, as offensive to poor people and racial minorities.
"The suggestion that he made was about a lack of work ethic," Williams said. "And I've got to tell you, my e-mail account, my Twitter account has been inundated with people of all races who are asking if your comments are not intended to belittle the poor and racial minorities."
"You saw some of this during your visit to a black church in South Carolina, where a woman asked you why you refer to President Obama as 'the food stamp president,'" Williams continued. "It sounds as if you are seeking to belittle people."
Williams' comments prompted loud boos from the audience. After he finished speaking, Gingrich refused to walk back his characterization of the president.
"Well, first of all, Juan, the fact is that more people have been put on food stamps by Barack Obama than any president in American history," Gingrich said to applause. "Now, I know among the politically correct, you're not supposed to use facts that are uncomfortable."
Gingrich did not address the question of why he singled out blacks specifically when speaking about food stamps in January remarks.
"I believe every American of every background has been endowed by their creator with the right to pursue happiness," he said. "And if that makes liberals unhappy, I'm going to continue to find ways to help poor people learn how to get a job, learn how to get a better job and learn some day to own the job."
Gingrich's response was met with a standing ovation from many in the audience.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, about 28 percent of households that receive food stamps are African American, while 59 percent are white. According to the same report, about 78 percent of American households are white, while about 12 percent are black.
on food stamps. More than 24 million of them were white, 8 million were African American and 6 million were Hispanic of any race.
Reagan and the GOP learned a powerful lesson from Barry Goldwater's
devastating defeat in 1964 and the Southern strategy implemented by Nixon: that race was a powerful tool in securing the white vote, even if it meant convincing working-class whites to vote against their own economic iterests.
It was Reagan who in 1980 described the Voting Rights Act as "humiliating to the South," a strategy that led to the phenomenon known as Reagan Democrats. By surreptitiously appealing to disgruntled working-class whites across the South and in states like Ohio and Pennsylvania, Reagan fed suspicions that Democrats were purveyors of welfare economics.
The "black welfare queen" image he touted only served to strengthen the resolve of white voters who considered themselves social conservatives. As Paul Krugman pointed out in his 2007 article "Republicans and Race," Southern whites still voted for the GOP at a ratio of 2 to 1. But for poor whites voting Republican, it's a strategy that only serves to keep them in poverty.
Like everyone struggling to provide for their families amid the nation's economic challenges, poor whites are a demographic sorely in need of progressive answers to their socioeconomic ills. Yet many remain adherent to a racially polarizing Republican Party that has taught them to fear Obama as "alien" or "other."
From Reagan to Gingrich to Santorum, race-baiting has only profited the Republican leaders who have sold it. Those at the bottom, and poor whites in particular, are left to pay the price.
Edward Wyckoff Williams is an author, columnist, political analyst for
MSNBC and a former investment banker.
"Food Stamp President"
"Gingrich went on to say that he simply wants to help more people of all ethnicities find jobs and get them off food stamps."
Why didn't he say this when he made his original comment? Why did he single out one group of persons when people from all racial/ethnic groups in America benefit from welfare of one kind or another?
I think the answer is because he wanted to give the impression that it is only blacks using these benefits and
that means we're lazy, shiftless, looking for a handout and are to be viewed as a major drag on the nation's economy. With rhetoric like this we're supposed to believe that Gingrich is a uniter and not a divider? Gingrich did the same thing with Park 51. He lied and said the site would be built at Ground Zero when it's blocks away. Porn stores are closer to Ground Zero than Park 51, but he didn't say one word about this. There were Muslim prayer rooms on certain floors of the Twin Towers, but he didn't say anything about this either. Muslim-Americans worked in the Twin Towers and died on 9/11, but he didn't say anything about this. He messed all over the place, then walked away, and later refused to attend Geller's 9/11 event after saying that he would. IMO, Gingrich is a bomb thrower who gets stuff started, receives blow back, then pretends he had no role in it or didn't mean what he said/did. Something tells me he'd be the same dishonest and divisive person in the WH.
Gingrich:" My position should not offend blacks"
Newt Gingrich on Monday continued to stand by comments he has made suggesting that poor children should serve as janitors to earn money - arguing not only that kids would benefit from the work but also that you could hire "30-some kids to work in the school for the price of one janitor."
In the 16th Republican presidential debate of the political cycle, this one in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Gingrich said African-Americans should not be offended by his recent comments over food stamps and child labor.
The issue was brought up by moderator Juan Williams, who said: "Speaker Gingrich, you recently said black Americans should demand jobs, not food stamps. You also said poor kids lack a strong work ethic and proposed having them work as janitors in their schools. Can't you see that this is viewed, at a minimum, as insulting to all Americans, but particularly to black Americans?"
"No. I don't see that," Gingrich replied.
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The former House speaker argued that children would be an affordable alternative to unionized workers - and that "they'd be getting money, which is a good thing if you're poor."
"New York City pays their janitors an absurd amount of money because of the union," Gingrich said. "You could take one janitor and hire 30-some kids to work in the school for the price of one janitor, and those 30 kids would be a lot less likely to drop out. They would actually have money in their pocket. They'd learn to show up for work. They could do light janitorial duty. They could work in the cafeteria. They could work in the front office. They could work in the library."
"They'd be getting money, which is a good thing if you're poor," he added. "Only the elites despise earning money."
Williams pointed out that some had perceived Gingrich's comments about child labor, as well as remarks he made this month singling out blacks when speaking about food stamps, as offensive to poor people and racial minorities.
"The suggestion that he made was about a lack of work ethic," Williams said. "And I've got to tell you, my e-mail account, my Twitter account has been inundated with people of all races who are asking if your comments are not intended to belittle the poor and racial minorities."
"You saw some of this during your visit to a black church in South Carolina, where a woman asked you why you refer to President Obama as 'the food stamp president,'" Williams continued. "It sounds as if you are seeking to belittle people."
Williams' comments prompted loud boos from the audience. After he finished speaking, Gingrich refused to walk back his characterization of the president.
"Well, first of all, Juan, the fact is that more people have been put on food stamps by Barack Obama than any president in American history," Gingrich said to applause. "Now, I know among the politically correct, you're not supposed to use facts that are uncomfortable."
Gingrich did not address the question of why he singled out blacks specifically when speaking about food stamps in January remarks.
"I believe every American of every background has been endowed by their creator with the right to pursue happiness," he said. "And if that makes liberals unhappy, I'm going to continue to find ways to help poor people learn how to get a job, learn how to get a better job and learn some day to own the job."
Gingrich's response was met with a standing ovation from many in the audience.
According to U.S. Census Bureau, about 28 percent of households that receive food stamps are African American, while 59 percent are white. According to the same report, about 78 percent of American households are white, while about 12 percent are black.