Newt goes off the deep end, says riding the subway is for elitists

[marmar]

from Grist:


Newt Gingrich thinks riding the subway is for fancy people

By Jess Zimmerman
20 Jan 2012 9:19 AM


Not that this is the most ridiculous Gingrich news in the last few days or anything, but it’s pretty amusing: Evidently “metro-riding” is the Gingrich equivalent of “arugula-eating.”

“Those who, you know, live in high-rise apartment buildings writing for fancy newspapers in the middle of town after they ride the metro, who don’t understand that for most Americans the ability to buy a home, to have their own property, to have a sense of belonging is one of the greatest achievements of their life, and it makes them feel like they are good solid citizens,” he told the crowd.

Oh yeah, those subway-riding, newspaper-working, apartment-dwelling elites. Even leaving aside the fact that public transit is a public good, is this now or has this EVER been a trope? Newspaper reporters in studio apartments being more fancy-pants snootified than property-owners, who are the salt of the earth?


http://grist.org/list/newt-gingrich-thinks-riding-the-subway-is-for-fancy-people/

[barbtries]

1. so limos are for...

just who exactly?
the quote is nonsensical; i'll have to go read the article.

[kestrel91316]

3. Limos are for poor little salt-of-the-earthers.

[alcibiades_mystery]

2. It's anti-urban rural populism

That's clearly going to be Gingrich's play in South Carolina. It's also why he can't win nationally.

[redqueen]

9. +1

[kysrsoze]

32. I'd like to see that shitbag ride the Chicago Red Line

They'd whoop his ass.

[Ecumenist]

4. Huh? Is this man using crack AND meth, washing it down with HARD liquor?

These people who live in Apartments DON'T want to live that way BUT THEY CANNOT AFFORD their own, you idiot. Do honestly believe they LOVE riding the subway? God, what the hell is wrong with this idiot? It's like he just says anything that comes out of his rear end...

[barbtries]

7. i must be a real elitist.

i dream of living in a city where i can get rid of my car. LOVE riding the metro.

[Ecumenist]

13. LOL!!

[markpkessinger]

27. I live in NYC -- haven't owned a car in over 25 years! n/t

[barbtries]

28. i'm jealous!

i am just over the traffic.

[Glimmer of Hope]

5. That's me. Ms. Fancy Pants.

[Lucky Luciano]

6. Funny. My coworker originally from Moscow

...was just telling me today that a lit of people prefer to be stuck in traffic for two hours over taking a 20 minute subway ride because only the lowly "downtrodden" must resort to the subway! The shame of being seen on the train - imagine that.

[yardwork]

8. Lot of dog whistles in that statement!

South Carolina, part of the south, doesn't believe in public transportation because "those people" would be allowed to ride too. Remember that the south fought the end of segregation by privatizing everything. Anything to keep it whites only.

South Carolina doesn't have any big cities. Big cities like NYC are scary places where white people have to rub shoulders with, you know, and live together in tall apartment houses and ride the subway together and even eat at the same restaurant and drink from the same water fountains111!!!!

NYC - that's where those Northern elites live who came down here and burned our hallowed ground and messed up our way of life and you know, wrecked everything. And the New York Time is a liberal rag.

We own property down here in South Carolina dammit!!!!!1111

[Raine]

11. Yes, EXACTLY. It's all code

they continually use code thinking only their people get it ... WRONG! It's to be divisive then they have the nerve to claim that Obama pits people against each other.

[yardwork]

18. If the Republicans accuse us of something you can be sure that they're doing it themselves.

And yes, that means that THEY are doing all those nasty perverted things that they constantly accuse us of doing. We are home taking care of our families while they are out carousing.

[gratuitous]

16. Notice, too, that Newt avoids the word "subway"

No, he says "the metro." And in case that isn't quite obvious enough, allow me to translate: Le Métro.

[yardwork]

20. It's French!!!!!!!!11111

[muriel_volestrangler]

23. Plus Washington DC

and, even though Gingrich has based his whole career there, Repubs always get bonus points for sneering at Washington as a place, and pretending they're not 'insiders'.

[underpants]

24. He is going full on racist

in South Carolina that is not surprising - sorry folks in the Carolina

this will not stop in the general election. He will basically insight race riots.

[CatholicEdHead]

31. Exactly

He is playing the rural/urban divide pretty strong. Even in rural Minnesota bus riding is looked down upon because it is so common in the Twin Cities (even though many suburban Republicans ride them every day).

[LeftyMom]

10. He means people who live in cities, by which he really means (nasty racial word) and

the wrong sort of white people. His base understands.

[JackRiddler]

26. Yes, exactly. Also "elite" at this point is just a generic derogatory term.

It stirs up trouble to call the targets of your hatred a rabble or a mob or or to say they're not real Americans, so you have "elite."

[monmouth]

12. I used to ride the subway from Penn to Columbus Circle and never felt elite..Hmmm...n/t

[muriel_volestrangler]

14. Dog-whistle for Randians - looters and moochers who use public transport

even if they write for 'fancy' newspapers and thus could afford their own car (however inconvenient it would be to sit in traffic jams, and pay through the nose for parking).

Specifically, he was speaking to the National Association of Home Builders, who want to make sure that they and people with mortgages get as many tax breaks as possible. He was trying to conjure an idea of people who rent apartments being envious of "solid citizens" who want their mortgage tax breaks.

[yardwork]

19. Yes, and he's suggesting that the city dwellers are commie pinkos who don't believe in property.

Red blooded Murikkkans own property.

[socialist_n_TN]

25. Yep. I heard that too. That myth about Marxism.......

forbidding all property rears it's head. Even Marx himself made a distinction between PERSONAL property (and that can include an individual's house or condo) and private property, like the means of production. As socialism becomes more and more popular over the next few years, these types of disingenious attacks will become more and more prevalent.

[rfranklin]

15. Is Newt stumping for Fannie Mae again? Everybody gets a home!

And they can pay for it with this dandy adjustable mortgage from Angelo Mozillo.

[HockeyMom]

17. Northern City Dwelling LIBERAL DEMOCRATS

That is my reading between the lines.

[spanone]

21. this is from a guy with an account or two at tiffany's...he's got some balls

how anyone can buy his bullshit is beyond me

[Enrique]

37. tiffany's

I forgot about that. How come none of Newt's rivals are making an issue out of that?

[Drale]

22. I love riding the CTA

You see the craziest people and it always makes me feel better about myself. lol

[Louisiana1976]

29. No subway where I live--

but I got rid of my car several years ago and enjoy riding the bus.

[Johonny]

30. because people in cities don't buy property

err... cept they do. If that statement makes sense to you, then you're a prime Newt voter.

[yellowcanine]

33. Subway riding is so European you see. Part of that public transit, bicycle riding, small car,

apartment living European culture. Real Americans consume resources and lots of them.

[exboyfil]

34. It took some convincing but

I got my wife to agree to ride the bus when we were in Oahu. We rented a car at a steal of a rate for two days, and had a bus pass for four days. We got to see everything we wanted to on the island. It was great. Even the scary guy with tatoos and face piercings was very nice and helped us. Got to meet two nice young men who just wanted to smoke their pot prior to boarding, and asked me if it was ok. Sure - I don't do drugs but more power to them.

I look forward to the day when I can retire and not have a car anymore. When I first started working after college, I did not have a car for 8 months. Cars are very expensive.

[Warren DeMontague]

35. "metro" = "gay"

clearly.

[bklyncowgirl]

36. Sorry Newt but riding the "Metro" as you call it is about the least elitist thing you can do.

You want to see real Americans. Get on the NY subway, or the DC metro if you want to go with that French sounding term. You'll see homeless people crushed up against businessmen, students, government officials, secretaries, bankers and a few pickpockets all crushed together.

Watch out for that puddle there, Newt. It could be urine. And don't stand too close to the track. You never know when some wack job might shove you over in front of a train.

Of course the Newtster probably wouldn't know that because he's probably never stepped foot in an urban subway. Limos are the transportation of the common man that is Newt Gingrich.