Santorum targets blacks in entitlement reform

Updated: 6:35 p.m. ET

At a campaign stop in Sioux City, Iowa on Sunday, Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum singled out blacks as being recipients of assistance through federal benefit programs, telling a mostly-white audience he doesn't want to "make black people's lives better by giving them somebody else's money."

Answering a question about foreign influence on the U.S. economy, the former Pennsylvania senator went on to discuss the American entitlement system - which he argued is being used to politically exploit its beneficiaries.

"It just keeps expanding - I was in Indianola a few months ago and I was talking to someone who works in the department of public welfare here, and she told me that the state of Iowa is going to get fined if they don't sign up more people under the Medicaid program," Santorum said. "They're just pushing harder and harder to get more and more of you dependent upon them so they can get your vote. That's what the bottom line is."

He added: "I don't want to make black people's lives better by giving them somebody else's money; I want to give them the opportunity to go out and earn the money."

"Right," responded one audience member, as another woman can be seen nodding.

Full CBS News coverage: Rick Santorum

"And provide for themselves and their families," Santorum added, to applause. "The best way to do that is to get the manufacturing sector of the economy rolling again."

It is unclear why Santorum pinpointed blacks specifically as recipients of federal aid. The original questioner asked "how do we get off this crazy train? We've got so much foreign influence in this country now," adding "where do we go from here?"

When asked about the comments in an interview with "CBS Evening News" anchor Scott Pelley, Santorum said he wasn't aware of the context of his remark, but mentioned that he had recently watched the movie "Waiting for Superman," which analyzes the American public education system through the stories of several students and their families. (The students and their families portrayed in the movie represent several races.)

"I've seen that quote, I haven't seen the context in which that was made," Santorum told Pelley, of the Sunday remarks. "Yesterday I talked for example about a movie called, um, what was it? 'Waiting for Superman,' which was about black children and so I don't know whether it was in response and I was talking about that."

Santorum stressed that he wants to make life better for Americans regardless of race.

"Let me just say that no matter what, I want to make every lives [sic] better - I don't want anybody - and if you look at what I've been saying, I've been pretty clear about my concern for dependency in this country and concern for people not being more dependent on our government, whatever their race or ethnicity is."

CBS News found that of the people on food stamps in Iowa, only nine percent are black and 84 percent are white.

Just days ago, the Pennsylvania conservative raised some eyebrows while talking about diversity at an event in Ottumwa, Iowa.

"I was at a debate with Howard Dean and we were asked what was the most imp quality of America and he said diversity. Diversity? Have you ever heard of e pluribus unum?....The greatness of America is people who are diverse coming together to be one," Santorum said. "If we celebrate diversity, we lay the groundwork for that conflict. We need to celebrate common values and have a president that lays out those common values."

39 Photos

Rick Santorum on the campaign trail

Tolleah Price and Naureen Khan contributed to this report.

[csmither]

For heaven's sake, can we stop getting these clowns as candidates? Can't we, as Republicans, get candidates of substance? No wonder Independents and moderates don't want to vote for us. We have to demand better of our GOP.

[rememberwhatbushdid]

Santorum, in practice, is NOT a Christian politician, but a survival-of-the-fittest Darwin politician. To single-out blacks, who are a small minority of those on welfare is ignorant, arrogant, cracker politics.

[stephknox3]

I absolute LOVE how we tell stories with numbers. Hardee Har Har Har! If Iowa is 96.4% white and 2.5% black THEN there are just toooooo many blacks on welfare and blacks should NOT accept the Mother Communist/Socialist/Democrat/Liberal welfare check and DEMAND the jobs that Rick Santorum wants to give US because oh yeah I'm black and republican and originally from Pennsylvania and I LOVE Rick Santorum! It's all in the context that someone takes it!

[RobAla]

He added: "I don't want to make black people's lives better by giving them somebody else's money; I want to give them the opportunity to go out and earn the money."

I suggest that he make that same speech at the NAACP. Really. The statement would have been better if he had actually been addressing a room of black Americans. This was a very poor choice of words, as there are as many whites as blacks on welfare.

However, the point is that people should not be kept down by encouraging them to stay where they are taking handouts from taxpayers. I am not talking about those who are mentally or physically handicapped (I worked at a rehab center for 5 years), and I am not talking about helping those who are temporarily hitting hard times. We should encourage those who are mentally and physically able to better themselves to do so.

As for diversity: President Obama does not seem to appreciate diversity of religion. He wants the Catholic church to operate their hospitals only they why HE SEES FIT - the heck with what beliefs the Catholic church may have - it has to be his way.

[FACEITT]

Wonder what this piece of shyt calls the $55 thousand in taxpayer money he received when he cheated Penn into paying for his kids schooling while LIVING in VA! Of course, cause he's white, that isn't welfare, that isn't a handout, that isn't an entitlement. What it is is JUST PLAIN WRONG. IT'S CALLED CHEATING! Santorum is good at cheating, corruption, lying and backpedaling. Now watch him come out and put the blame for what he said on the media or even Blacks themselves. This is a true lunatic. Vote for him at your own risk.

[sareptacat]

amen

[sareptacat]

bottom line is rick don't want to give blacks or poor anything --just no taxes for the rich no ss for poor--mandatory religious dogma -at least the appearance of submission to it-have we come so far from the scarlet letter and learned nothing.

[sareptacat]

amen

[alflanagan]

Obama is probably praying at night that the Republicans pick Santorum. He wouldn't have to bother campaigning. I respect Santorum's work ethic and probable sincerity, but the man's a lunatic.

[sareptacat]

i dont respect anyone who wants to increase wealth to the rich-and take away basic needs of the poor such as ss and foodstamps.these sleaseballs will hide behind religious drama and deny the poor the bread of life.

[gep1955]

Most of the news audience targets CBS as a former source of reliable information.

[rgharper]

Yeah 3% of people get 9% of Food Stamps. 14% of people get 30% nationally. Not racist, just facts and shows where the entitlement mentality is most prominent.

[SJames6621]

while the suprer rich corps move the good jobs overseas by the millions.

example - fancy x ray machines sell for 10s of millions. GE moved that bis to India in early 2010

[Mrig1234]

Yeah this is the same guy against hand outs but LIED to get Penn Hills Muncipality to pay his kids cyber school...He said he lived in the district( a home that was really uninhabital) but yet never stayed not even for one day. Oh yeah, thats right when he was called on it, he got a supporter to pay Penn Hills back. But I guess he would've paid the tax payers back anyway cause he's so honest. Amazing racist, bigot and overall sham artist. Just what Americans need. Wow..and you support that. AMAZING.

[gep1955]

He doesn't target blacks, just refers to an example. You corrupt liberal media phonies better start cleaning up you act, your quickly being replaced by the computer and accurate blogs. Your headline is false and misleading, just like CBS News.

[sareptacat]

he stated blacks- thats specific--as more whites are on food stamps it made no sense-but the guys a lying fake religious idiot-so what can one expect.

[sareptacat]

well he called them out -as a race-black people--if thats not targeting what is--u pubs will believe and convince urself of anything.

[Dan13a]

Lets see, 9% of folks in Iowa on Food Stamps are black, yet blacks make up only 2.9 % of the population. That means that blacks as a group get 3 times the free food that others in the population get. So I guess that pointing this out is racist, right? Finally a potential leader that speaks the truth. Nobody can solve a problem that they deny exists.

[paulflorez]

Of course, being black is why they are on welfare, not because they are poor or anything! Or wait, I'll bet they are poor because of the color of their skin! We all know black people are naturally lazy! Thank you Dan13a, thank you for speaking the truth, now go out and tell all of American this, they SURELY will agree with you and not go and vote for our current President, who is also black!

[LewisUSMC]

3 times the free food that others in the population get??? 2.9% of the populations times (x) what number gets you 3 times the food free food that others in the population get? What math are you using to validate this information? A leader unifies people not split them up based on race.