Gingrich fires back at Carter’s ’subtlety of racism’ charge
In an interview to air on Piers Morgan’s show tonight, Jimmy Carter suggests Newt Gingrich is engaging in “that subtlety of racism” when he talks about food stamps and “welfare mommas”:
Over the phone a few minutes ago, Gingrich gave me this response to Carter’s words:
It’s sad to watch people on the left who have no solutions for the problems of poverty and who automatically start talking about racism the minute a conservative starts talking about how to solve poverty. Carter tried The Atlanta Project*, it didn’t work. You would think he’d have a little happiness that someone was trying to solve poverty.
Gingrich sounded cautiously optimistic about his chances in South Carolina but did not commit to a particular share of the vote or ranking he thinks he needs to hit. (”I hope to come in first.”) If he does well there and in Florida on Jan. 31, Super Tuesday on March 6 — with Georgia as a major prize — will be a huge day in the campaign. Texas, too, “depending on where Governor [Rick] Perry is.” If Perry is out of the race by then, as many observers now expect, Gingrich expects to do well in Texas relative to Mitt Romney.
As for Georgia: Gingrich cited his friendships in the state, including his supporter in the governor’s mansion, and volunteers, many of whom are working for him in South Carolina at the moment. His campaign themes here are unlikely to differ from those elsewhere:
Jobs and economic growth will be number one. National security and American strength, number two; American exceptionalism, number three; and balancing the budget, number four.
—
*I have never heard of The Atlanta Project. Fwiw, this evaluation is not exactly boastful (”TAP doesn’t claim to have all the answers, or the solution for eliminating urban decay”) and it’s probably not a good sign that the link to the TAP page at the Carter Center doesn’t work and the most recent document about TAP on the Carter Center’s site is from 1999. If someone has more recent or complete information about TAP, post it below.
– By Kyle Wingfield
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
212 comments Add your comment
Rafe Hollister
January 18th, 2012
8:47 pm
We have been about 3 years without a budget passing (I thought). Must have missed the budget passing, I guess. I thought Oblamers budget was defeated something like 98-2.
How you guys defend this man who does nothing but blame others for his failures. He signs a bill into law and immediately turns around and says the mean ole Republicans made me sign it. Saw where he blamed Nixon for something the other day, maybe it was for his lack of transparancy, just following Trixie Dicks advice.
Rafe Hollister
January 18th, 2012
8:49 pm
Bart
Previous comment directed to you, getting late for us old folks.
Vinny
January 18th, 2012
8:50 pm
Jimmy Carter is a senile old coot that and was a miserable failure as Potus. Who gives a rat’s ass what he thinks?
Miss Daisy Cook
January 18th, 2012
8:53 pm
When is Jimmy Carter just gonna go away. He was a bumbling failure as a president, who was an embarassment to Georgia. He is a senile, intrusive clown as a former president.
Reminder for Jimmy
January 18th, 2012
8:54 pm
Reagan/Bush 489 Electoral Votes
Carter/Mondale 49 Electoral Votes
Jimmy, get back to your hammer.
Karl Marx
January 18th, 2012
8:55 pm
Actually I think John Wilkes Booth received a vision of Jimmy Carter just before he died when he ask that his hands be raised to his face then he muttered “Useless. Useless”. Sounds like a perfect description of Carter to me.
Newt's Soon to be 3rd Mistress & Soon to be Fourth Wife
January 18th, 2012
8:56 pm
Could someone please get me a nice latino or African American to fetch me a glass of sweet tea and a fifth mistress
Bart Abel
January 18th, 2012
9:02 pm
How you guys defend this man who does nothing but blame others for his failures…
I’m the one blaming others here. I watched what happened, I watched how it happened, and I reported the truth. The Bush tax cuts for the wealthy were extended because Republicans refused an up-or-down vote on any legislation until they got their way. Full stop.
JKL2
January 18th, 2012
9:03 pm
carlosgvv- When he gets into a primary where he actually needs substantial black support, he will say whatever he thinks will win him votes.
obama says,”What?”
@@
January 18th, 2012
9:03 pm
Looks like Newt was right. An article from 1995 says TAP was a major FLOP.
Carter’s original vision of an army of 100,000 volunteers linking the ”two Atlantas” – black city, white suburbs – failed to materialize, according to Giles, a Carter Center fellow and senior adviser for evaluation of the project.
Giles’ assessment found low participation in the program among inner-city residents; neighborhood initiatives that were more event-oriented than aimed at long-range solutions; and an overall fuzzy perception of what The Atlanta Project is, even among its key players.
The main criticism of The Atlanta Project is that it is big on health fairs, forums and field trips but hasn’t addressed the systemic problems that keep people impoverished.
td
January 18th, 2012
9:05 pm
Bart Abel
January 18th, 2012
9:02 pm
How you guys defend this man who does nothing but blame others for his failures…
I’m the one blaming others here. I watched what happened, I watched how it happened, and I reported the truth. The Bush tax cuts for the wealthy were extended because Republicans refused an up-or-down vote on any legislation until they got their way. Full stop.
That is not the total truth. It was a lame duck session before the Republicans took over the house in Jan and the Dems had total control of both houses with 59 votes in the Senate.
BTW: This is how politics get done. It is called compromise. Obama agreed to the bill, signed the bill so it is now his tax cuts.
The Stench of Racism, The Foul Odor of Hypocrisy and The Putrid Air of Lies
January 18th, 2012
9:11 pm
Newt says, “It’s sad to watch people on the left who have no solutions for the problems of poverty and who automatically start talking about racism the minute a conservative starts talking about how to solve poverty.”
I say – there’s a SPECIAL PLACE IN H*LL FOR NEWT GINGRICH.
Rafe Hollister
January 18th, 2012
9:12 pm
td
well said and thanks for the backup!
ragnar danneskjold
January 18th, 2012
9:17 pm
Certainly the former president is acquainted with the subtlety of racism. From the Washington Examiner:
“Carter, in the early 1960s, supported legislation in the Georgia State Senate, which would have effectively eviscerated the Civil Rights Act, and would have prevented the desegregation of public schools there as well as open housing.”
“In 1966, during the contested gubernatorial election in Georgia, Carter had a choice as a state senator. He could support the Republican, Bo Calloway. He could support the moderate Democrat, Ellis Arnall. Or he could stand with Lester Maddox, one of the repugnant leaders of segregation in the South. Carter chose the stand with Maddox, in order to protect his political future.”
“During the nasty 1970 Democratic primary for governor of Georgia, Jimmy Carter’s campaign mass produced photos of his opponent, Carl Sanders, with the black members of the Atlanta Hawks. Sanders was the real progressive in the campaign.”
“Even as late as 1976, Carter, while campaigning in the South, praised Senators John Stennis and Jim Eastland, two longtime Southern Democrats who were supporters of “Massive Resistance,” the attempt by some whites in the South to oppose racial integration. For the record, President Lyndon Johnson had also supported Massive Resistance early in his Congress in Texas.”
“When reporters caught up with Stennis to ask him his position on racial desegregation he replied, “I’m against it. Always have been and always will be.””
“Also that fall, Carter’s home church, the Plains Baptist Church, voted to ban blacks from joining. Carter did not quit in protest, knowing it would undermine his “Southern Strategy” in the election. Weakly, he said he would attempt to change the policy from the inside.”
washingtonexaminer.com/node/163876
ragnar danneskjold
January 18th, 2012
9:24 pm
For all of his screwups, President Carter had three legitimate accomplishments in his not-quite-brief-enough administration.
(1) Abolition of Interstate Commerce Commission, which set the rates interstate trucks and trains could charge for transporting good.
(2) Abolition of the Civil Aeronautics Board, which set the fares airlines could charge passengers in interstate travel.
(3) Effective abolition of the Glass-Steagall proffered Reg Q, which told banks how much they could pay on interest-bearing accounts.
For now I see no Obama initiative up to par with those few acts of small genius. Thus Carter is no longer the worst president since Buchanan.
GaVet
January 18th, 2012
9:30 pm
Here is an early report from the Carter Center on TAP, which was supposed to be a HUGE project and a lot of effort was applied:
http://www.cartercenter.org/news/documents/doc184.html
Newt's Soon to be 3rd Mistress & Soon to be Fourth Wife
January 18th, 2012
9:33 pm
We Republicans are misunderstood….Romney didn’t mean to make millions while closing down the companies Bain acquired….Santorum was right when he blamed Liberal Boston for the child sex abuse scandal in the Catholic church….eventhough it happened all around the world….it is still due to the liberal city of Boston……and since I married my third mistress….then God forgave my adultry
John
January 18th, 2012
9:33 pm
@ Bart. You are a complete moron who thinks he knows it all. Get a life you loser and keep drinking your Obama cool aid. Idiot!
Newt's Soon to be 3rd Mistress & Soon to be Fourth Wife
January 18th, 2012
9:37 pm
John, maybe you could be Newt’s next mistress…you bologna pony smoker
uppity
January 18th, 2012
9:47 pm
And, Newt Gingrich is an intelligent person with a big, fat mouth. It was his undoing before, and it is now.
Dusty
January 18th, 2012
10:02 pm
President Carter is not a bad man. I think he tries to do the right thing.
I also believe that he has an ego that leads him to believe everything he does is successful. Unfortunately, that is not true.
Gingrich probably understands the elderly ego of President Carter. He mildly reminds the world that he, Gingrich, is not a racist to mention poverty. Nor even to mention that teenagers learn a lot by working.
Thus goes the recruiting of Democrats to speak against Republicans. Will President Clinton join the “maddening crowd”? I doubt it. He’s smart politically. I haven’t heard Hillary either. Maybe they are too smart to join the Lee Atwater smudge brand of politics. The Dems used it for eight years with Bush. They still try and fail.
But like President Carter should remember, it is sometimes better to keep quiet and MYOB.
Liberals Are Lying Racist Hypocrites
January 18th, 2012
10:05 pm
Jimmy Carter is a RACIST!!! He is also a stupid old senile fool and should thank god Obama took over his spot as the Worst President Ever
Ward
January 18th, 2012
10:10 pm
Carter is a senile old leftie who still hasn’t come to grips with Reagan kicking his sorry butt out of the White House. And racism is the last refuge of desperate scoundrels bereft of ideas.
waterstim
January 18th, 2012
10:13 pm
Sick of this jive-ass country we live in, with Jimmy C and BarryHussein. Ph_ck these morons. Time to clean up the mess.
jconservative
January 18th, 2012
10:29 pm
Worse president?
Based just on their ability to handle the nations money they come up this way:
Reagan doubled the national debt
George W doubled the national debt
The Stench of Racism, The Foul Odor of Hypocrisy and The Putrid Air of Lies
January 18th, 2012
11:01 pm
@I Report (-: You Whine )-: mmm, mmmm, mmmmm! Just sayin…
January 18th, 2012
7:24 pm
Dhimmi Karter is a bozo’s bozo. When he’s not pimping the elction of some foreign mass murderer, he’s playing the race card. This make’s him a two trick bozo.
******************************************************************************************
Your racist hatred and evilness is short lived.
What you do to others is already done to you.
Psalms 37:1-40 Of David.
1 Do not show yourself heated up because of the EVILDOERS.
Do not be envious of those doing unrighteousness.
2 For like grass they will speedily wither,
And like green new grass they will fade away.
3 Trust in Jehovah and do good;
Reside in the earth, and deal with faithfulness.
4 Also take exquisite delight in Jehovah,
And he will give you the requests of your heart.
5 Roll upon Jehovah your way,
And rely upon him, and he himself will act.
6 And he will certainly bring forth your righteousness as the light itself,
And your justice as the midday.
7 Keep silent before Jehovah
And wait longingly for him.
Do not show yourself heated up at anyone making his way successful,
At the man carrying out [his] ideas.
8 Let anger alone and leave rage;
Do not show yourself heated up only to do evil.
9 FOR EVILDOERS THEMSELVES WILL BE CUT OFF,
But those hoping in Jehovah are the ones that will possess the earth.
Hillbilly D
January 18th, 2012
11:02 pm
Evidently Carter has forgotten his run for Governor. Some of us remember it, though.
http://onlineathens.com/stories/021906/opinion_20060219098.shtml
Foghorn Leghorn
January 18th, 2012
11:04 pm
I says republicans ain’t racist atall. They hate all po’ people, regahdless of colo’, I says.
td
January 18th, 2012
11:41 pm
I see the race pimps are out in force tonight spewing their vile rhetoric about how the poor black man is being held down by the racist white man.
To all my conservative friends and moderate white people on this blog and in your day to day travels for the next 11 months: Get use to being called a racist. If you speak up and say anything these race pimps and Obama supporters perceive as negative towards Obama then you will be called a racist. The closer to the election the more often it is going to happen and the more intense there efforts will be to shut your point of view down.
GodHatesTrash, Superstar
January 19th, 2012
6:34 am
If someone were to lobotomize Newt, how would we know?
GodHatesTrash, Superstar
January 19th, 2012
6:35 am
Let’s face it – the whole GOP campaign is just a contest to see who gets to lead the lynch mob.
MiltonMan
January 19th, 2012
6:45 am
Good God will peanut boy ever go away??? We have the “wonderful” Departments of Energy & Education because of this legume grower.
Ship him off to only about a handful of areas where people think well of this guy: North Korea, Lebanon and Syria.
MiltonMan
January 19th, 2012
6:50 am
Seems the lazy media has all but forgotten that slick Jimmy had campaign volunteers handing out photos of Jimmy’s opponent celebrating a basketball victory with a couple of black players when running for election in Georgia.
Skip
January 19th, 2012
7:38 am
Now I get it,Newt cant be a race baiter accuse Carter was a bad president.
Bob
January 19th, 2012
7:44 am
Bart, how is sending kids to school year round teaching any more responsibility than going 9 months, that would be punishment and kids could not get summer jobs. We do have child labor laws and children are allowed to work.
JohnnyReb
January 19th, 2012
7:46 am
The Peanut Farmer is one of Georgia’s biggest embarassments but I gave up long ago on him “gettting it” and keeping his mouth shut.
Bob
January 19th, 2012
7:46 am
Jimmy had no problem going to church that banned blacks. He could have dropped out but chose to stay and hear bigotry from the pulpit. Jimmy, meet Barry Obama.
JohnnyReb
January 19th, 2012
7:47 am
MiltonMan – you overlooked Jimmmmmies biggest contribution to our downfall – CRA, which is not the whole cause of today’s problems but certainly the root.
HDB
January 19th, 2012
7:57 am
Words mean things……..and the problem with Republicans is that they DON’T realize that!! The persistent ostracizing of minorities by the right makes it evident that they don’t desire an equal playing field for everyone….just the maintaining of POWER that the majority has had for over 200 years!! For as much as they marginalize those on the left for a racist past…..at least those on the left have CHANGED….but those on the right have NOT!! Many fail to remember that it was CONSERVATIVES that practiced racist ideology….and now the GOP is the home of CONSERVATIVES…..and the racist tint has yet to change!!
HDB
January 19th, 2012
7:59 am
JohnnyReb
January 19th, 2012
7:47 am
The CRA was the legal attempt to eliminate REDLINING by the banks; the economic downfall was created by the repeal of Glass-Stegall…..a REPUBLICAN plan pushed forwaqrd by Phil Gramm (R-TX)!! Why do conservatives keep pushing forth that persistent lie, I can never understand!!
man behind the curtain
January 19th, 2012
8:07 am
JohnnyReb
January 19th, 2012
7:46 am
The Peanut Farmer is one of Georgia’s biggest embarassments
No, Johnny, that distinction would go to the many and various posters on this blog.
Mike
January 19th, 2012
8:08 am
I see the usual folks are out in full force with the race card stuff. Mr Carter has done a lot for humanity since being president which more than can be said for Newt, Kyle and ole Mitt put together. Newt is right to pander to those folks of South Carolina who are still caught up racial politics. Stop blaming black folks for your problems people. Try looking at the one in the mirror for the cause but it is always easier to blame someone else.
JohnnyReb
January 19th, 2012
8:12 am
HDB – the problem with you and your Leftie buddies is as Ronald Reagan stated – you know so much that is not true.
Clinton put CRA on steroids and with Janet’s help forced banks to make loans they otherwise would not. Republicnas want Glass-Stegal repealed but Clinton agreed only after receiving pressure from the Southern Christian Leadership Confrerence, Lowery’s group. I won’t go as far to say it was a conspiracy, but the two certainly did fit well together. After that, the greed set in and we have today’s housing market which no doubt it and energy prices are the two biggest reasons the economy has not quickly recovered. BTW – Barry is trying to give large mortgage reductions to the same people who should have never had the loan in the first place. And, we certainly see at the moment how sincere he is on energy indenpendence.
If you want overwhelming suppport in denying CRA try Jay’s blog, most there believe as you.
Road Scholar
January 19th, 2012
8:12 am
For all those who have stated how President Carter is so stupid, he was elected President of the United States. If you are so smart, why haven’t you been elected to the Presidency?! How about dog catcher? Why do all you leaders hide behind your keyboards?
Oh and I am really impressed by all the white folks who know exactly what each black person has to go through in life…it’s so easy for you to make an ass of yourselves. Your mothers and family must be very proud!
Statick
January 19th, 2012
8:13 am
The only poverty problem Gingrich is really trying to abolish is his own and he adeptly solves this by using racial code speech to the prejudiced hayseeds in SC. He gives them funny and they give him money.
JohnnyReb
January 19th, 2012
8:18 am
Well, the Left is out steam already on this thread. They pulled the race card. Why is it criticizing Carter equals racist? Why is it criticizing CRA equals racist?
GT
January 19th, 2012
8:20 am
Newt’s a bigot pure and simple. Carter probably pulled in 10,000 votes for NG last night calling him out. It is people like Newt that have held the south back and his kind of thinking has caused a huge amount of this poverty. He doesn’t care, he and his cronies on WSB are proud of what we are, like the Grand Ole Opera of politics blasting hatred and ignorance, it pays the bill, this is the kind of employment they are talking about. Lets see how many national businesses want to come south, or have wanted to come south because of this thought process. Romney would have never made 200 million dollars living in the south, it would have been like trying to farm on a rock.
HDB
January 19th, 2012
8:24 am
JohnnyReb
January 19th, 2012
8:12 am
The CRA only stated that banks had to grant loans in the communities that they SERVED; it DID NOT change the credit requirements! The BANKS did that on their own!! If you noticed, many banks PULLED their branches out of predominately black neighborhoods so that they WOULDN’T have to follow the letter of the law! It was when many people protested the banks that the banks changed course!! You may not have noticed this…but many did!! The CRA attempted to level the playing field with the banks and consumers…….
If you’re going to BLAME an entity…blame the BANKS!!
saywhat?
January 19th, 2012
8:27 am
For all you people saying how “smart” Gingrich is, remember, Gingrich has been described (accurately I might add) as what a stupid person thinks a smart person looks like.
JohnnyReb
January 19th, 2012
8:31 am
GT – back to the books for you. The South has been a magnet for business for many years, so you are all wet on your 8:20 post.