Last updated on July 13th, 2012 at 09:09 pm
Rush Limbaugh claimed Mitt Romney got booed at the NAACP convention because all black people want is more food stamps.
Here is the audio from Media Matters:
Transcript via Rush Limbaugh:
LIMBAUGH: Imagine if Romney had told them what they wanted to hear, how would that have gone? If Romney had told the NAALCP what they wanted to hear, he would have said, “Under a Romney administration, we will get even more blacks on food stamps than President Obama has.” Yeah, right on, dude, right on. We’ve gotta be honest about this, Snerdley. Romney got booed for articulating policies that would improve the lives of every American. He did. He got booed for policies that are designed to improve the lives and lifestyles of every American, did he not?
Okay. So what could he have said that would have generated applause? Well, I was thinking about it. He could have said, “Under a Romney administration, we will get even more of you on food stamps than President Obama has.” Right on. “We will keep unemployment above 14% for black Americans, and we will raise the minimum wage so that 75% of blacks won’t have a job.” Right on, dude, right on. (interruption) You say he would have been booed if he said that? No, wait a minute. He was booed for saying the opposite, because Romney’s policies want to reduce black unemployment. Romney’s policies want to reduce the number of people on food stamps. Romney’s policies want more people working, and that got booed, so I’m simply asking what could he have said that would have generated cheer? He got booed for telling the truth.
We last waded into this racist cesspool when Newt Gingrich insisted on calling President Obama the food stamp president. The fact is that 70% of all food stamp recipients are white. Many of them probably watch Fox News and listen to Rush Limbaugh. 2010 Census data revealed that 49% of food stamp recipients were white. Twenty six percent were black. A 2009 New York Times map revealed that the top ten counties in food stamp usage were all located in red states.
I know this will come as a shock to many, but Rush Limbaugh was spreading a racist myth. Romney would have more success going to a tea party rally and promising to increase food stamps than he would at an NAACP meeting.
This was just the tip of the iceberg for Limbaugh’s racism. His comments also assumed that African-Americans are lazy and looking for a handout. He was also reviving the right wing mythology that African-Americans only support President Obama because he gives them stuff.
The truth is that the sort of vile racism coming out of Limbaugh’s mouth has become a staple of Republican campaigning. When you hear statements such as those uttered by Limbaugh it is obvious which political party is obsessed with race and racism.
Republicans and right wing mouthpieces like Limbaugh are so desperate to explain away Mitt Romney getting booed that they are overlooking the most obvious reasons why it happened. Romney was booed because the audience didn’t like what he was saying. The crowd disagreed with him. They disagreed with his insulting of the president, and they disagreed with his plan to abolish the ACA.
In order to hide the fact that only Republicans like their nominee, Rush Limbaugh happily threw himself down the dark pit of American racism.
Rush Limbaugh’s racism isn’t just ugly and disturbing. It is also factually inaccurate, and another reason the white power GOP is destined to become the minority.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
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