COMMENTARY | According to the most recent polling data, the South Carolina presidential primary race is tightening. It seems that the man on the move at this moment is the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich. There has been an even larger surge in nationwide polling as Rasmussen has Gingrich trailing Mitt Romney by only three percentage points, 30 to 27. Some are crediting Gingrich's rise to a strong debate performance on January 16 in Myrtle Beach, SC.
Newt Gingrich is an original, outside the box thinker. Sometimes this can get him into trouble and make him sound, to use Mitt Romney's word, zany. However at other times Gingrich is capable of brilliance. In the debate on January 16 he made some valid points about teaching work. He did not single out any race of people. Gingrich simply stated that it would be an excellent way to provide jobs for young people that need money.
Of course Newt's debate performance is very dependent upon your political perspective. Conservatives in the debate audience were quick to applaud Gingrich. Afterwards, those on the left, including former President Jimmy Carter, criticized his comments as being just short of racist. That is a bridge too far even for Jimmy Carter.
My own view is that Mr. Gingrich was on track, for the most part, with his comments in the debate. Americans need jobs. Ignoring the unemployment data for a moment, a recent government report indicated that over 48 percent of American households received some type of government assistance in the first quarter of 2010. This would seem to indicate that at least some Americans have lost the work ethic or the ability to hold a job. Any politician should realize that we need to restore this basic building block of society. America needs productive citizens contributing to the economy, not more dependency on government.
Newt Gingrich's statement about Barack Obama being the food stamp president is also correct. The latest data show that there are 44.7 million Americans receiving food stamps. That is an amazing number when you consider that the total population of the United States in 2010 was just under 309 million people. I thought that Newt Gingrich did a good job of contrasting the conservative approach of personal responsibility and limited government with the current state of affairs in this country. The primary voters in South Carolina will be able to voice their opinion on his approach on January 21.
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