By Philip Bump September 25

Former Florida governor Jeb Bush made a weird comment during a town hall meeting in South Carolina on Thursday night. Responding to a question about how the Republican Party could win black votes, Bush said that "[o]ur message is one of hope and aspiration. It isn't one of division and get in line and we'll take care of you with free stuff."

The comment was odd in part because it echoed remarks made by Mitt Romney in 2012 that prompted a strong backlash. It's similar to Romney's famous "47 percent" remarks, but also, as our Sean Sullivan notes, is precisely the language Romney used at a separate fundraising event that year. Even if Bush thinks that the Democrats win votes by giving "free stuff" to black voters, it's not a smart thing to say.

But he also shouldn't think that, because there's no evidence that it's true.

1. More whites than blacks receive food stamps

It's not clear what "free stuff" Bush was referring to, but it's safe to assume that food stamps, properly known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), is one of them. According to 2012 data, the plurality of SNAP households are white.



http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/09/25/why-jeb-bushs-free-stuff-argument-about-black-voters-is-so-off-the-mark/