Gingrich and Blacks

Newt Gingrich's campaign speech involving food stamps and the NAACP, "And so I'm prepared if the NAACP invites me, I'll go to their convention and talk about why the African American community should demand paychecks and not be satisfied with food stamps," Gingrich said earlier today in Plymouth, N.H.. "The fact is if I become your nominee we will make the key test very simple - food stamps versus paychecks. Obama is the best food stamp president in American history. More people are on food stamps today because of Obama's policies than ever in history," Gingrich said. "I would like to be the best paycheck president in American history." Gingrich caused controversy last month over his comments about poor children having no work habits or people around them to teach them how to work. Gingrich offered the solution that some school janitors should be fired and children should work part time within their school for money and to develop "pride in their community." The Gingrich campaign pointed to Gingrich's book Real Change, in which Gingrich was critical of President Bush's "failure to address the NAACP." Gingrich said it was a "clear signal to the African American community that Republicans did not see them as worthy of engagement in dialogue." Gingrich said, earlier this week, that he was prepared to go into any ethnic community that would listen to his ideas. "There's no neighborhood I know of in America where if you went around and asked people, 'Would you rather your children had food stamps or paychecks?" Gingrich said. "You would end up with a majority saying they'd rather have a paycheck."