Republican presidential contender Newt Gingrich's recent controversial comments about minorities shouldn't shock anyone, especially after a letter was uncovered on Monday that contains disrespectful comments about Latinos and African Americans, the Huffington Post reports.
In 1993, at the height of his career in Congress, Gingrich wrote a speech in which he accused Latinos and African Americans of not knowing the "keys to future wealth." He said that Asians have a "thorough understanding of wealth."
"For poor minorities, entrepreneurship in small business is the key to future wealth," Gingrich wrote by hand in a first draft. "This is understood thoroughly by most of the Asians, partially by Latinos, and to a tragically small degree by much of the American black community."
The handwritten draft — which never made it to the podium because his handlers rewrote the speech — was one of thousands of notes that were part of the former House speaker's Ethics Committee investigation, which was settled in 1997.
Gingrich has continued his controversial remarks, calling President Obama the food stamp president and characterizing poor children as lazy.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. One thing we can continue to expect in this Republican race for the presidential nomination are tasteless and near-racist comments by the likes of Gingrich and Rick Santorum. As we get closer to determining the candidate who will face off against Obama, the 2012 presidential election may become the most racially tinged election in U.S. history.
Read more at the Huffington Post.