John Carney spanks the New York Times

I'm starting to wonder which of them is David and which is Goliath:

I doubt that any sizable contingent of Republicans or Tea Party folks know the level of participation in means-tested government assistance of black and Hispanic households.

When they argue for cuts in programs for the poor, they have no idea the beneficiaries are so disproportionately black and Hispanic.

Where would they have learned this fact? Certainly it is not reflected in the reporting of the New York Times. A quick search through the archives of the New York Times reveals this bit of census data has never been reported by the New York Times.

Most likely, if asked about this, most Tea Partiers would greatly underestimate the level of black and Hispanic participation in things such as food stamps, Medicaid, and public housing.

To put it differently, it’s not anyone’s agenda that “racializes policymaking.” Our programs for the poor are deeply racialized regardless of anyone’s agenda.