Was Bush the Best Food Stamp President?

11 Alive in Atlanta is reporting that Newt Gingrich may have to tamp down his rhetoric about President Barack Obama being "the food stamp president," lest he offend the GOP's former leader.

The site went on a fact-checking mission and found that President George W. Bush may actually hold the title.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition service tracks month-to-month figures dating back to January 2001. The numbers show that the total of food stamp recipients rose to 14.2 million during President Obama's administration.

The highest in history so far is President George W. Bush. The number of food stamp recipients grew to nearly 14.7 million while he was in office. But, that's eight years in office, compared to President Obama who has not finished his first term.

The Ag Department's information also shows that 444,574 fewer recipients have signed up for food stamps under Obama's watch, than under Bush. But again, Bush spent eight years in office, as opposed to Obama's three.

... Our fact check results? The food stamp recipient growth grew to an historically high level under President Obama, beginning before he took office, but skyrocketing during his presidency. But, food stamp participation grew more under President Bush's two terms in office, than President Obama's one.

This sort of transgressive messaging was bound to catch up with Gingrich. There are truly more serious issues for him to focus on. The sad thing is that when he tries to focus on truly important matters, such as jobs and poverty, he resorts to divisive racial stereotypes. He needs to try something different.

Read more at 11 Alive.

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