Though Mitt Romney began as a moderate Republican, he's certainly not that anymore. This week in an interview, the Republican candidate dredged up old stereotypes like the "Welfare Queen," saying that he'd increase the job requirements for those individuals on welfare. Ebony contributor Michael Arceneaux writes that Romney also mentioned that his opponent, President Barack Obama, is in favor of reducing the work requirement and most likely did so to shore up his base who might not have voted for him otherwise.
The lie continued: "And, I think putting a measure that would take work out of welfare and waiving the work requirement in welfare is an extraordinary political move on his part, and one which I disagree with. My own view is that we should have greater work requirements with welfare, not less."
There it is in perfectly plain sight. Mitt Romney wants the White working class voters who continue to view him cynically to embrace him under the shared belief that he doesn't want those lazy, shifty Negroes to get free taxpayer money without having to work.
His remarks aren't a "dog whistle." This is a desperate man shouting a perspective rooted in the lowest common denominator with the hope that it will help make up for his own ineptness as a politician.
Of course, it's been proven again and again that White people benefit more so from welfare than Blacks. Likewise, nearly every major media outlet has called out Mitt Romney on not telling the truth about President Obama removing the work requirement to welfare reform. Some have called it truth-bending, others have gone with misleading while a few others have pushed their creative buttons to state what ought to be said simplistically: Mitt Romney is lying.
Read Michael Arceneaux's entire piece at Ebony.
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Michael Arceneaux hails from Houston, lives in Harlem and praises Beyoncé’s name wherever he goes. Follow him on Twitter.