Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer of South Carolina (R)

Well, just when you thought you had heard the pinnacle of all ignorant quotes by an elected official,  up walks Andre Bauer, South Carolina’s republican lieutenant governor, and makes this gem of a remark concerning free school lunches for the poor.

“My grandmother was not a highly educated woman, but she told me as a small child to quit feeding stray animals. You know why? Because they breed! You’re facilitating the problem if you give an animal or a person ample food supply. They will reproduce, especially ones that don’t think too much further than that.”

This Republican S.C. Governor candidate got a little too free with his speech and let the world know what he really feels.  Honestly, I believe that this attitude toward the poor isn’t isolated to South Carolina.  I think that many conservative, republican, right wing, members of our society feel this way.  Bauer just said it in public, even if he didn’t mean to.

Neal Thigpen, a political scientist at Francis Marion University, said about Bauer,

” [Bauer] gets his mouth in place quicker than his head…don’t count him out.  The kid’s got a fanatical following.  They’re [The Republican National Committee] going to forgive him almost anything and stick to him like glue.”

This info only goes to prove my point.  Republicans seem to hate the poor and do not think that any governmental assistance in any form is a viable use of tax dollars.  However, the jobless rate, recession, and current fiscal malady we currently are in could, by some experts, be blamed on conservative political thought and a litany of special interest based governmental decisions.

Bauer’s reaction to the backlash over his comment is presented here in all it’s insincere glory:

“Do I wish I’d used a different metaphor?  Of course I do. I didn’t intend to offend anyone.”

ANOTHER METAPHOR?  ANOTHER METAPHOR????  So, he isn’t denying his feelings and beliefs-just his choice of literary device or word choice?

WOW!

Attention:

Poor people of South Carolina, and I assume everywhere else, Bauer thinks if you are on welfare or take free lunches at school you aren’t like a “stray animal” you are like some other metaphorical allusion to greed and laziness that doesn’t think on a level above “reproduction.”  Not a “stray animal.”I I repeat NOT a “stray animal.”

Oh, here is one last fun fact:

Andre Bauer ate free lunches throughout school!

Chew on that.