By FITSNews || First it was S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford and his “soul mate” … then along came extra-caffeinated S.C. Congressman Joe Wilson and his “You Lie” outburst … now it’s Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer and his bizarre comparison of welfare recipients to stray animals.
South Carolina politicians just can’t stay out of the national headlines – for all the wrong reasons.
On Tuesday, Bauer’s comments headlined Yahoo! News, while the previous night they provided fodder for Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart, who took the opportunity to thank the Palmetto State.
“It’s not always easy to fill a half hour comedy program with three minutes of comedy, that’s why we are especially grateful to those frequent contributors, those who give more than their fair share,” Stewart said during his show Monday night. “Like the state of South Carolina, whose elected representatives yell ‘you lie!’ at the president, whose governors use taxpayer funds to fly to Argentina to see their mistress and whose ordinary citizens get arrested for having sex with a horse.”
“The same horse … on two separate occasions,” Stewart notes.
The comedian then proceeded to tee off on Bauer’s controversial comments.
“I poke fun but at base what Bauer is saying is a very logical premise,” Stewart deadpans. “The solution to poverty is to starve the poor, so they don’t have sex … it’s a compelling case.”
You can watch the rest of Stewart’s hilarious “Thank You, South Carolina” segment by clicking here.
Meanwhile, Bauer stayed on the offensive, saying that his “intended metaphor could have been delivered more eloquently,” but that his “overall message remains true.”
“Government has bred a culture of dependency, and there’s absolutely no one in government with the courage to stand up and say, ‘We need to break that cycle of generational poverty and dependence,’” Bauer said Monday night in a statement issued from his campaign. “Well, now there IS someone saying it. I do not care about being politically correct. I care about being honest. And we honestly have a problem of dependency which is getting worse instead of better.”
Bauer also sought to clarify his comments – which he initially said were taken out of context by the Greenville News, the paper which broke the story.
“There are parents who are dependent upon the government for food and shelter, but who are unwilling to engage in their children’s education,” he said. “This robs children of a chance to break out of poverty. Thousands and thousands of innocent young children are stuck in this cycle, and will never have a chance to break out of it … unless WE change the system. Requiring the parents to show up at their child’s school once or twice a year is not too much to ask if they expect to keep getting their welfare payments, and it might just make the difference in the child’s future.”
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By political hack January 26, 2010 at 10:24 am
the truth shall set you free
By Liberty For Me January 26, 2010 at 10:30 am
Even if he takes one for the team and smokes white owls.I think he is of course right about this.We preach it here every day.
Of course if you can not come up with better phrasing…maybe being the leader of the state might be too big of a job.Besides I think he “might” just be putting this out there to make national news.It worked.But it does not change who you are and what you have done in the office that you now hold….so vote Nikki Haley
By james January 26, 2010 at 10:33 am
Another embarrasment for South Carolina. Poverty is not a crime or a deliberate act for parents. A privileged twit spouts out rabble rousing language and South Carolina looks worse for it. Ironically, as a feeder of stray animals (like birds) he annoys me even more.
By tammy January 26, 2010 at 10:36 am
‘the thing about SC is you keep giving them a chance and they keep f**king that same horse.” That is gold Jon Stewart.
By beentook2 January 26, 2010 at 10:37 am
“And we honestly have a problem of dependency which is getting worse instead of better.”
You are damn right, cockroach. You and your fellow cockroaches are bleeding the taxpayers dry. Rather than cutting government spending you increase it. Rather than cutting taxes you shift them around. To add insult to injury you add fee after fee for taxpayers to get anything from State Government. No doubt the Highway Department and all government agencies will add parking meters to their parking lots. Entry to a state building will require a swipe of a debit card. Pens,pencils and clipboards will be rented by the minute. Standing space at the counter will be auctioned to the highest bidder. If your problem requires a private office, the rate will be prorated by the hour with the base rate being the same as the best five star hotel in the world. And if you don’t tip the state employees, you will not be allowed to leave the building. If you had an ounce of morality, you would take that $1,000,000 in your pimp fund and give it to the poverty kids you hate so much.
By Old Bike Dude January 26, 2010 at 11:22 am
Tuesday Haiku
Left wing radicals
Assholes like Andre Bauer
Both hate poor people
By MOHANNA January 26, 2010 at 11:46 am
Gosh, I hope Andre addresses Corporate Welfare next. I wait with baited breath.
By HMMM January 26, 2010 at 12:02 pm
Courage? How is it courageous to play directly to the resentments of small-minded, ignorant people? I mean, just look at the vote count on this blog.
By Crooner January 26, 2010 at 12:05 pm
His comments will likely propel him to frontrunner status for the GOP primary. Stray animals who don’t know anything better than to breed and welfare queens riding around in Caddys both stir up the same image. There’s a reason the GOP employed the “southern strategy.” It works, at least in SC. Why else would a state that trails the nation in every meaningful category that defines success (eg, per capita income) continue to vote against their economic interest?
By Genomic Repairman January 26, 2010 at 12:13 pm
SC is fucking doomed with this many asshats running government.
By Ynotfirst January 26, 2010 at 12:33 pm
uhhhh which bank should we have starved????
Oh wait, corporate welfare, well kick that up a notch, right?
By Brandon January 26, 2010 at 12:42 pm
When the Senate opened today with the devotion, even the Chaplain stuck it to him with Matthew 25:40.
By Billy Bob January 26, 2010 at 12:55 pm
I thought he was reprehensible BEFORE he said this
By kierthos January 26, 2010 at 1:04 pm
Right… now it makes sense why the Senate didn’t impeach Sanford.
Because Bauer is that much of an idiot.
By Les January 26, 2010 at 1:27 pm
He is right. Just could have said it better. Welfare should not be forever. GET A JOB!!!
By Andre Who? January 26, 2010 at 1:30 pm
SoapBox Time:
1.) Andre Bauer is a spoiled arrogant brat who has never known the meaning of doing without.
2.) Andre Bauer is a childless bachelor with no idea what is would be like to be responsible for chidren…. much less love someone more than you love yoursef.
3.) Andre Bauer should withdraw from the GOP primary (along with Nikki Haley) and let those with a chance of being elected go after the prize.
4.) Andre is cut from the same egotistical, entitled clothe as Mark Sanford which is probably why they dislike each other so much.
My question for Mr. Bauer is this. How can you suppot a charity like Samaritan’s Feet which gives shoes to needy children and determine that we should not feed tham at school. I say in a country who send trillions of aid to forieghn nations, all children should get free lunch.
By f January 26, 2010 at 3:26 pm
Has this idiot not read any of the thousands of books, research papers, studies etc. on the subject of “breaking the cycle of poverty”? For him to say he is the only one in government “brave” enough to spout off his ignorant opinion is not only arrogant but crazy.
By Libb January 26, 2010 at 4:04 pm
Perhaps he’s auditioning for the C Street gang.
By Bobby January 26, 2010 at 4:54 pm
The problem isn’t that Bauer said it, it’s that a majority of South Carolinians agree with him. Our representatives aren’t backward, our state is.
By SnakeMD January 26, 2010 at 4:55 pm
Andre quoted his grandmother. You do not quote your grandmother in today’s political world, unless you are Sarah Palin. The last politician to quote his grandmother, and get away with it, was Harry Truman. You need to quote such and such Think Tank or quote from The Journal of Higher Reasoning–something that makes you appear well read.
By Reginald January 26, 2010 at 5:36 pm
“Reprehensible” – Check
“Understandable” – coming from that Boob, CHECK.
So, Andre, does this mean that you’ll now support meaningful sex education and not that abstinence crap that nobody – including the Luv Gov – listens to?
By Scout January 26, 2010 at 6:46 pm
I believe that the welfare system should be reformed but it was very mean and callous for Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer to speak in that manner in regards to welfare recipients.
I’d also like comment on Mr. Bauer’s grandmother’s advice of not feeding stray animals so that they don’t breed. Instead of letting these poor animals die from starvation, one should take them to a local free vet clinic where they can be neutered/spayed and possibly adopted and placed in a new home. Obviously Mr. Bauer’s grandmother was just as mean and insensitive as he is.
By Mrs. Ethel Krabitz January 26, 2010 at 6:51 pm
Public assistance has done more to create a permanent underclass in this nation than it has to “break the cycle of poverty”.
NO fan of Andre am I, however, I do agree with the basis of his message, just think he could have put a little forethought into his phrasing.
By Sparkling Wiggles January 26, 2010 at 8:25 pm
Get a job!
By James the Foot Soldier January 26, 2010 at 10:14 pm
put a fork in him – he’s done
By baker January 26, 2010 at 10:26 pm
I don’t know Andre Bauer — though I think I may have met him once or twice. But I kind of gather that Bauer is not a bad guy. I kind of figure he doesn’t mean nearly what he said. Doesn’t really mean it.
But…..my guess is that he thought he was pandering to the Republican base in South Carolina. That is what is pretty shocking — that an experienced politician in South Carolina would think that this is ‘winning’ talk. And, you know, sure, there’s a case to be made for a “hand-up instead of a hand-out.” There’s something to be said for expecting people who receive government assistance to give something back. And, surely, parents of all backgrounds should be involved in their kids’ education. But the guy really did put poor people in the category of “stray animals.” It’s just wildly inappropriate — and to think this is the way to corral GOP votes says something pretty sad about the state of things in SC.
I also figure that this indicates that Bauer isn’t the sharpest guy around. And if you want to be Governor, I think you ought to have pretty decent sense about what you say and how it’s going to play in the public.
By No Name January 26, 2010 at 10:33 pm
Where is Jackie on this….better than that where is Gilda on this…..
whether this was calculated or not it now seems to be blossoming beyond his controll.
Can’t we just yell “he lied” and move on from this kid’s obvious embarassment.
The more we keep him on this one the harder it will be the see the next one.
I think he picks a fight with Gresham over who is prettier.
By BFife January 27, 2010 at 8:36 am
Andre Bauer is alot of things but the most important thing to remember is, he is a unmarried, childless, man who thinks the universe revolves around his off the wall self 24 hours a day — He is a nut to sum it up and we need to rid political offices of that mentality in South Carolina – WE ARE DYING HERE – HELP US SIC WILLIE, HELP!
By WorkingTommyC January 27, 2010 at 8:40 am
Infamous Quotes from elitists throughout history:
Julius Caesar: “Quit feeding the Barbarians. You know why? Because they breed!”
Stalin: “Quit feeding the Ukrainians. You know why? Because they breed!”
Hitler: “Quit feeding the Jews. You know why? Because they breed!”
Andre Bauer: “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 person ample food supply they will reproduce, especially one who doesn’t think much further than that. So what you got to do is curtail that type of behavior. They don’t know any better.”
They don’t know any better because poor people are animals, eh, Mr. Bauer?
What about the corporate welfare elitist politicians spending money we don’t even have in the Statehouse? You want to be strict with poor people during a rough time in the economy but don’t even think about cutting back the hundreds of millions of dollars being funneled by politicians to favored businesses and industries. Welfare and a culture of dependency has been engendered among the rich in this state as well. When are we going to cut THEM off?
How about some transparency in the statehouse so that we, the people, can know where all the money is going and who’s voting for what? Perhaps that would be a more worthwhile mission than using the dependency culture as an excuse to create a bigger police state to further regulate the poor in exchange for doling out a few crumbs to them.
Mr. Bauer, you have the elitist attitude that has been the cause of more evil in the world than any other: you regard people as laboratory animals to manipulate and experiment upon.
You are as guilty of this attitude as the socialists who created the welfare state. You’re not talking about attacking the problem where it really lies: unconstitutional laws violating our unalienable rights imposed upon the states by the Federal government. Instead, you want to take the current system and just tweak it a wee bit. That’s a cute, but airhead scheme and does nothing but put your brand upon the corrupt system that’s already in place.
We need a thinker and a reformer as governor of South Carolina. You, Andre Bauer, are neither! You are a politically created persona barely functioning as an office holder with no other ambition than to gain more power. There is nothing authentic about you. You say what you think people want to hear and even then you get reckless and put your elitist foot in your mouth.
But then, what do we expect from someone who won’t bother to read the airplane owner’s manual when it comes to a matter of life and death? What do we expect from someone who drives his cars at dangerous speeds in an arrogant disregard for the laws that his branch of the government is responsible for upholding?
Your moment of verbal recklessness has shown us all that we need to quit feeding stray politicians like you, Mr. Bauer. You know why? Because they breed.
By Libb January 27, 2010 at 11:01 am
WTommyC, rarely do I agree w/ your posts, but major props to you for this one. You should submit this to every editorial page in the state.
By SnakeMD January 27, 2010 at 2:08 pm
“Let them eat cake!” Marie Antoinette
By WorkingTommyC January 27, 2010 at 2:37 pm
Thanks, Libb! I just don’t understand why you don’t agree with ALL my posts =:>)
Though it’s not the preferred method in my book, I have no problem with STATE and LOCAL levels of government helping people through tough times IF it is the way THE PEOPLE want it to happen at those levels. THAT is another part of what consent of the governed is all about.
Bauer talking trash about poor people and proposing more stringent rules is nuts when that ain’t the real problem which is that BAUER, like most social scientists/politicians, thinks he knows what is best for all of US. Riiiight!
By ABrown January 28, 2010 at 10:50 am
I’m still researching for the exact quote from Bauer that said he was wanting to cut the free lunches for children. From what I’ve read, I believe he was only suggesting that parents receiving the ‘free cash’ should be tested for illegal drugs and be required to actually participate in their child’s education. Doesn’t sound like a lot to ask for free money. I haven’t found any quote where Bauer said to ‘cut the school lunch programs’ (as stated in the other article). Also, I’ve actually heard reports that 7% of children only get one meal a day, and it’s at school (Not sure if this was just the Upstate or the whole State). Well, more then likely, if that is the case, then the free cash is not being spent on food for the recipient’s children at home. Sure sounds like Bauer was just trying to find a way for the freebies to finally be an INCENTIVE rather then a DEPENDENT strangle hold on poor families, and those not having the knowledge and understanding of a strong education. This would probably be a good idea, in order to get them used to helping their child. I was disturbed at first by his comments too, until I realized that he was NOT making a ‘simile’ and merely making (what some might find as a bad) ‘metaphor’! I also discovered that his mother was also on some sort of government assistance when he was little, for a time, and so he wants to help others help their own children reach out of poverty. He apparently sees one way of doing this through involvement in their children’s education, as his mom did. I don’t particularly care for Bauer either, but to twist a mans words and meaning is really reprehensible and pretty petty. I was mad at the comments at first too, especially because of the different articles and twists I’d read. However, then I reread his exact quotes, and sought out the actual intent (in context of the discussion itself). I then realized what he was actually saying. It was NOT about starving the children. Again, my understand is that he was simply wanting to leverage the ‘free cash’ as a way to get parents involved in actually helping their children succeed and move up the ladder. Wow! What a novel concept! Actually asking someone to obey the law and please come to their child’s school and show an interest in their own child’s life, well-being and future. He should be ashamed of himself! HA
Education is critical! The minds of our children are in need of being saved! That’s real love and ‘health’ reform!