Newt Gingrich Tells Off Occupy Wall Street At GOP Debate: ‘Go Get A Job After You Take A Bath’

This Saturday, Republican candidates for president gathered around for a “Thanksgiving table forum” debate hosted by Christian group Family Leader, and while the debate was as notable for its absences (Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman abstained; the latter having a surprise SNL date) as much as for the emotional declarations of the candidates, it was Newt Gingrich who delivered the applause line of the night, telling Occupy Wall Street, “go get a job after you take a bath.”

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Gingrich, asked to elaborate on his opinion of the group, quoted Thomas Jefferson and John Smith, the latter particularly telling settlers they could not eat if they did not work, which, to Gingrich, embedded a “deep sense of responsibility” in the American psyche. In contrast, Gingrich argued that Occupy movement was grounded in entitlement– “all the Occupy movement starts with the premise that we all owe them everything.” With that in mind, Gingrich explained that their point was to “self-righteously explain that they are the paragons of virtue to which we owe everything,” which was indicative of “how the left has collapsed as a moral system.” Gingrich concluded with a flourish that the group needs to “go get a job after you take a bath” to raucous applause, and the praise of federal candidate Herman Cain.

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The clip from the Family Leader debate below:

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