Has Santorum had his “Macaca moment”?

(Ah, Republicans, gotta love ’em. Or not. – promoted by lowkell)

by Paul Goldman

“Santorum targets blacks in entitlement reform” is the headline in a current CBS news story.

At a campaign stop in Sioux City, Iowa on Sunday, Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum singled out blacks as being recipients of assistance through federal benefit programs, telling a mostly-white audience he doesn’t want to “make black people’s lives better by giving them somebody else’s money.”

Say what? This type of bigoted view didn’t work in the last century, much less this one, for President.

Santorum continues:

It just keeps expanding – I was in Indianola a few months ago and I was talking to someone who works in the department of public welfare here, and she told me that the state of Iowa is going to get fined if they don’t sign up more people under the Medicaid program…They’re just pushing harder and harder to get more and more of you dependent upon them so they can get your vote. That’s what the bottom line is.

…I don’t want to make black people’s lives better by giving them somebody else’s money; I want to give them the opportunity to go out and earn the money.

Santorum’s “Macaca moment?” If Santorum becomes the GOP presidential nominee, this quote could become one of the best known in history.

Yes, he can still go on to win the GOP nomination if things break his way. But how does he explain this comment to the swing voters of America who don’t want to go backwards? Why would anyone who voted for Obama in 2008 switch to this kind of intolerant attitude guy in 2012? As for all the new voters, mostly young, why would they cast their first vote for this guy?

Santorum seemed a fresh face for about 48 hours. I am sure he will try and walk the comment back. But is it too late now?

For a guy who preaches family, he seems to have little appreciation for the American family. I don’t see how he explains away the mind set required for such a comment by someone running to be President of all the people.