“Schultz began the segment with a clip of Rep.James Clyburn (D-SC) telling CNN, “Newt Gingrich is throwing red meat to the base, saying little words and phrases that we are very familiar here in the South. I’m saying he’s appealing to an element in this party that will see President Obama as different from all other presidents that we have had.”

Gingrich responded to that generous critique (it’s really not coded at all) by saying “It’s unfornate that liberal leaders, whatever their ethnic background, can’t have an honest open debate about policies that fail. The fact is far more whites than blacks are on food stamps, and liberals shouldn’t get away with hiding the consequence of their bad policies by yelling racism.”

This is a strange statement by Gingrich, because he appears to be correcting himself. It wasn’t “liberal leaders” who singled out black people as being “satisfied with food stamps,” it was Newton Leroy Gingrich. It wasn’t “liberal leaders” who singled out urban poor kids to become 9 year-old janitors, it was Gingrich. He appears to want it both ways, to be a “teller of uncomfortable truths” about race to his base, while whitewashing his rhetoric for the CNNs of the world.

Panelist Martin Bashir tried to correct Gingrich, telling Schultz “We know today that more people were collecting food stamps under George W. Bush than are under President Obama. Something like a difference of half a million people.”

Bashir misstates the case somewhat, but he’s referring to the fact that Gingrich’s assertion that more people have been added to the food stamp rolls under President Obama than any other president is false. Under Bush, the number of food stamp recipients rose by 14.7. Under President Obama, 14.2 million have been added, but the number actually declined in the most recent month available.”