Smearing Gingrich  Pages: 1 2  Except that it isn’t. Under
President Obama, the number of people on food stamps has risen
to a record high. As of October 2011, there were over 46 million
people enrolled in the food stamp program, officially known as
the Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program (SNAP). A
large part of the reason, as even the Times concedes, is that
the Obama administration expanded the eligibility for food
stamps as part of its stimulus package. In fairness, President
Bush also eased the eligibility restrictions during his term.
But even taking that into account, there has been a 44.5 surge
in SNAP benefits since Obama took office. Much of that increase,
it bears mention, has been among whites. At the very least, this
fact complicates the claim of Gingrich’s media critics that in
bemoaning the proliferation of food stamps he is driven by
racial animus.  If the “Food Stamp President” charge resonates
among Republicans, it’s not because they’re racists. Rather, it
is because the Obama admin