Scott Arnold, the Iowa gay voter who
Newt Gingrich told to support President Obama, has said Gingrich made
him feel like a “second-class citizen.”
Gingrich made the comment during an
event Tuesday at Smokey Row coffee house in Oskaloosa.
Arnold, a Democrat and an associate
professor at William Penn University, told the Des Moines Register
that when he approached Gingrich on the topic of gay rights, the
former House speaker told him to vote for Obama.
“When you ask somebody a question and
you expect them to support all Americans and have everyone's general
interest. It's a little bit frustrating and disheartening when
you're told to support the other side. That he doesn't need your
support,” Arnold said.
The Gingrich campaign has denied
reports that he said gay voters should support Obama's re-election
campaign, insisting
that he was only referring to voters who view gay marriage as a
central issue.
During an appearance on MSNBC's The
Ed Show, Arnold said he was very surprised by Gingrich's
response.
“It was almost as if he drew a line
in the sand saying, you know, I don't want your support,” Arnold
said. “Go vote for this other guy because there's no place for you
in my, you know, my presidency. There's no place for you almost in a
sense, you know, as an American.”
“If he wants to be president, he
should be president of all Americans. And yeah, that did make me
feel like a second-class citizen. Absolutely.” (Watch the
exchange at MSNBC.)