BATON ROUGE, LA —EBBQ Newt Gingrich hastily called a press conference after appearing on Sean Hannity’s FOXNEWS telecast.
He said in opening the sparsely attended 2-reporter conference: “I was completely misquoted in my answer to Sean where he said that I had harshly criticized President Obama for his comment on Trayvon Martin’s tragic shooting.
“Here’s the video with my quote which was taken out of context: [YouTube video of Gingrich answering Hannity’s question]…“It’s, in a sense, a disgrace and I find it appalling. Does President Obama think he is the only one who can have a son? I have two daughters as well, but you won’t ever find me saying if I had a son, what he would look like. Trying to say who that young man looked like is, in a sense, appalling to me.”
“That’s fundamentally not what I said at all. By my specific use of the in a sense, qualifier — said no less than twice as you can plainly see — my comments were completely taken out of context on Hannity’s question to me. Sadly we lost the tape of Sean’s exact wording of his question. And now I don’t even remember being at the taping.
“I do admit that the person speaking on the video does resemble me. But, seriously folks, you know that I am told every day that I was seen at so-and-so or such-and-such, and it’s not true at all. You’ve even had videos of me at these so-and-sos or such-and-suches. No matter what your videos on YouTube purport, it’s usually not me, unless I specifically hold a press conference and say it is so. Like I am doing here, except this really is the opposite of my example. Do I make myself clear?”
Pedaling fiercely, Newt continued, “But onto my crux of this matter: We have got to recognize that there are always going to be gated communities where these young people won’t have a decent future.”
Pounding the lectern, he said, “People, you have got to stop wearing hoodies if you want to get past tomorrow. We need to get beyond the sense of one group in America thinking they can be like the others. America’s unalienable rights do not include wearing hoodies. Freedom doesn’t recognize hoodies.”
When asked about his comments on the quality of life and the sanctity of life of every American, he said, “Yes, as a movement – we conservatives; as a party – we, GOPTeas™; we have to show great concern when our youth are shot in the communities where they don’t belong. In the Chicagos of the nation, the gangs take care of this for the government at no cost to the citizens. And there are sometimes 40-50 of these occurrences each week.
“But we must help those not so fortunate, in our smaller towns and more rural areas, to determine where the dangers to their life exist and keep them away from those places. Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Asians, even Native Americans and lower class whites, need to fundamentally realize the importance of the sanctity of life and where that exists – and they need to stay there, or they won’t have a decent future.
“In closing, if I may point out, it’s a proven fact about the hoodies. Written down fact. I read it on Gerry Rivera’s website.”
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In a related instance with Mitt Romney campaigning in the French Quarter in New Orleans, the former governor was asked about the Martin matter. Mr. Romney smilingly said he was sorry that, as he was now in training for the Boston Marathon, he couldn’t be bothered to answer such a question, and ducked into his waiting campaign bus.