Elliptical training

Catholic Leaders Challenge Gingrich and Santorum on Divisive Rhetoric Around Race and Poverty says a press release at the organization Faith in Public Life. The introduction to this "open letter" clarifies that the signers are mostly academics willing to call themselves "prominent theologians".

In the body of the letter, they say,

"Mr. Gingrich has frequently attacked President Obama as a 'food stamp president' and claimed that African Americans are content to collect welfare benefits rather than pursue employment."

No citation or link is provided. I found this example of what Rep. Gingrich has said.,

"You don't get out of 9.2% unemployment, you don't get out of -- today it was announced [that] the largest number of Americans [are] on food stamps in history. I've said now for six months, this is the most effective food stamp President in history. That sounds like it is an attack, it's just a statement of fact. It's just that his administration kills jobs. They are driving Americans onto food stamps. Most Americans would rather have a paycheck."

The "open letter" then goes on,

"Campaigning in Iowa, Mr. Santorum remarked: 'I don’t want to make black people’s lives better by giving them somebody else’s money.'"

The Faith in Public Life press release linked to a report of Sen. Santorum's statement at Think Progress. Note its ellipsis "[...]". If you compare the report of the same statement at Gateway Pundit, you will see the portion omitted by Think Progress, which I have bracketed.

"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.]"

Signers include our Archdiocese's own Rev. Bryan N. Massingale, Associate Professor of Theology, Marquette University, which might be why a Catholic News Service report of the open letter was picked up by the Milwaukee Catholic Herald, where I read it.

P.S. Mickey Kaus from 2010 on missing Gingrich's point. "...Gingrich was charging that the Democrats, and the Obama administration specifically, are too comfortable with a society in which citizens rely on government handouts."

P.P.S. "References to a lack of respect for the 'Founding Fathers' and the 'Constitution' also make certain ears perk up by demonizing anyone supposedly threatening core 'old-fashioned American values.' --Juan Williams, Racial code words obscure real issues (via James Taranto)