He said the crime rate would go down, not the crime numbers. And if you agree with that then uhhhh...

The difference between those two things being...?

Wow. You're right. In context that makes a lot more sense. FUCKING MEDIA MOTHERFUCKERS!

Dude suggested that aborting every black baby would reduce crime. It's like he gift-wrapped controversy and handed it to the media. He's not a victim here.

Someone says: "We can reduce welfare spending by aborting the fetuses who are statistically most likely to become poor people."

Bennett responds by saying: "Well, yeah, and we could reduce crime rates by aborting all of the fetuses statistically most likely to be convicted of a crime, too. That doesn't mean we should."

Headline reads: "BILL BENNETT CALLS FOR HOLOCAUST OF BLACK BABIES TO CURB CRIME"

It was a stupid example and an even worse phrasing, but it's hardly the eugenics-fueled comment it was made out to be. I don't feel sorry for BB, but getting indignant over this is stupid.

This is assuming the point of contention here isn't that per capita crime rates are (for whatever reason) higher among blacks than among other segments of the population. If that's what yall are getting huffy about, I've got some bad news for you.

BILL BENNETT CALLS FOR HOLOCAUST OF BLACK BABIES TO CURB CRIME

Your point was that it was taken out of context, but even in context it's not that great of a thing to say. Black people may be more statistically likely to commit crime, but the insinuation here is that that is tied in with their being black, not the social station or the culture they live in. Also there's the whole "genocide can possibly mean good things" part of it.

In any case, Bennett is an ignorant right-wing shill and he deserves what he gets.

Oh, and if Bennett had phrased his statement the way you did then there wouldn't have been any trouble. Maybe you're just writing fanfic at this point?

If this were a simple case of out-of-context, Crote wouldn't need to make seven paragraphs worth of excuses for Bennett.

Unless Bennett preceded that statement with "If I were a stupid racist douchebag, I'd say something ridiculous like..." there is no possible context that can excuse this.

I guess we just see it differently, then.

The more important issue: Is there actually Bill Bennett fan fiction?

Bennet's problem was that he didn't say, "that the same could be true if you aborted all poor white babies too." While the percentage of crimes caused by blacks is higher, the actual numbers of crimes committed by whites is higher by sheer population. It's more a class issue then a race issue. The guy Bennet was quoting, the author of Freakonomics, ran as far away from Bennet as possible when this was an issue.

...not to mention reality.

If you are talking about the Freakonomics piece, then Yes.

Bennet's mistake was using "black babies" as a synonym for "unwanted, poor, natural-born criminals."