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By Steve Deace

‘What Kind of Racist Thinking Do You Have?’

In an appearance on MSNBC’s “Hardball” on Monday from the Republican National Convention that is definitely worth watching, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich took on host Chris Matthews, who accused the Republican Party of playing the “race card” throughout the day on MSNBC. Gingrich turned the tables on Matthews, asking: “Why do you assume ‘food stamp’ refers to black? What kind of racist thinking do you have? Why are you being a racist, because you assume he’s referring to black?” In a testy exchange, Matthews asked Gingrich why his party was using what he deemed coded racist dog whistles. “I find your assumption so absurd that it’s hard to answer your question,” Gingrich responded. “Let me take the birther thing for a second — what Mitt Romney did the other day, people say, ‘You ought to relax, you ought to be a little bit lighter’. So he tells a joke. Now, it tends to be a joke that serves him in a totally different way that you’re calculating. It reminds everybody in Michigan that he was born in Michigan.”

Clint Eastwood ‘Mystery Speaker’ at RNC?

There is lots of buzz about a potential “mystery speaker” at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday. Townhall.com, where I am also a contributor, believes the mystery speaker could be none other than Award-winning director and actor Clint Eastwood, who is heading to Tampa this week.

New Poll Puts Akin Ahead in Missouri

Missouri Rep. Todd Akin has suffered a week and a half of turmoil in his Senate campaign – and according to one poll, still leads Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill within the margin of error. A survey commissioned by the Family Research Council – the prominent social conservative group standing with Akin – and shared with POLITICO found that Akin now pulls 45 percent support to McCaskill’s 42 percent. That’s not to say Akin hasn’t sustained damage: his personal image is weak, with 44 percent of voters having a favorable impression of him and 50 percent having an unfavorable impression. But he still leads McCaskill by 10 points among independent voters and in the conservative-leaning state, Akin wins about the same percentage of Republicans (78 percent) that McCaskill wins among Democrats (82 percent.) Pollster Fritz Wenzel underlines the importance of Akin’s support on the right: “McCaskill holds a 58% lead over Akin among very liberal voters, but that pales compared to Akin’s 81% to 5% lead among very conservative voters in Missouri.” Yes, I know the poll was commissioned by FRC so it may be biased, but if it is you know the liberal media/Republican Party establishment will let us know it.

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