Jimmy Carter: Gingrich Appeals to Racists

Jimmy Carter wouldn't call Newt Gingrich a racist, but he will say that the former speaker sure knows how to appeal to racist groups. The former president told CNN's Piers Morgan that Newt talks about welfare in a way that has "been appealing in the past, in those days when we cherished segregation of the races." Carter noted specifically that Gingrich's arguments that "the African-American community should demand paychecks and not be satisfied with food stamps" and that poor urban children should work as janitors in their schools could be interpreted as racially insensitive. This may be what Gingrich is going for in South Carolina but, Carter suggests, "I don't think it'll pay off in the long run."