Let's set aside for a moment the overt racism that brought cheers of approval for Newt Gingrich during his exchange with Juan Williams at last Monday's latest installment of the Republican Clown Show.
Yes, Newt's doubling down on his "Black children would be better served learning something more suited to their station in life... like mopping floors" moment was jaw droppingly ignorant, and racist ... but should we expect any more from a man who has characterized the President as a food stamp peddling, Kenyan anti-colonialist? Newt staked out his ground as far as race is concerned a long time ago and has firmly planted himself in the Antebellum South he so reveres.
But lying just beneath the surface of the Historian and Chief's racially charged comment was another right-wing philosophy as pernicious and persistent... a disdain and disrespect for those who earn their living with their hands, the strength of their backs, or the sweat of their brows.
While much of the focus on just how out of touch Republicans are with average working people has been aimed at Willard Romney and his numerous gaffs and missteps in attempting to relate to "regular folks," Newt has chosen to run with a familiar and frequent right-wing theme... "your job is so insignificant, a child could replace you."
