Newt Gingrich is an idiot, a liar or both

Gingrich is regarded as an intellectual giant in the right wing world. This doesn't sday much for the rest of them. Yesterday he came up with a new slogan, "Democrats are the party of food stamps" while the GOP are "the party of paychecks." Nancy Pelosi shot back accusing him of class warfare.

On Fox Newslast night Greta Von Susteren noted that Pelosi said "...foor every dollar a person receives in food stamps, $1.79 is put back in the economy,”

GINGRICH: Well, you know, I carry around a bumper sticker that says 2 plus 2 equals 4. So I’d be very curious how a dollar given to somebody becomes a $1.79. And I think if we could get that to work with the U.S. Treasuries, so if people gave the Treasury $1,000, it became $1,790, we could pay off the federal debt and never worry about spending or anything. I mean, I — you know, somehow, I don’t understand how liberal math turns $1 into $1.79.

The USDA actually came up with a slightly higher number of $1.84. Even that well known bastion of liberal economic thought the Wall Street Journal agreed with Pelosi, getting "liberal math."

Money from the program — officially known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — percolates quickly through the economy. The U.S. Department of Agriculture calculates that for every $5 of food-stamp spending, there is $9.20 of total economic activity, as grocers and farmers pay their employees and suppliers, who in turn shop and pay their bills.

Money from the program — officially known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — percolates quickly through the economy. The U.S. Department of Agriculture calculates that for every $5 of food-stamp spending, there is $9.20 of total economic activity, as grocers and farmers pay their employees and suppliers, who in turn shop and pay their bills.

While other stimulus money has been slow to circulate, the food-stamp boost is almost immediate, with 80% of the benefits being redeemed within two weeks of receipt and 97% within a month, the USDA says.

Nevermind that the program helps families at least put food on their tables in these tough times, an idea that Gingrich obviously finds abhorrent. I should be inured to it by now, but the callous disregard for any level of compassion still stuns me.