In a speech at a rally for homeownership, the Wall Street Journal reports that Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich explained basic American values and managed to bash the media, people who live in cities, and people who take public transit all at once:

Those who, you know, live in high-rise apartment buildings writing for fancy newspapers in the middle of town after they ride the metro, who don’t understand that for most Americans the ability to buy a home, to have their own property, to have a sense of belonging is one of the greatest achievements of their life, and it makes them feel like they are good solid citizens.

Hmm. It’s possible that Gingrich was talking about New York, but since he used “metro” and not “subway,” we’re guessing he was thinking of our fair city. It’s a weird dogwhistle from Gingrich, considering how many large tracts of land in the District are covered by single family rowhouses. Especially since 45 percent of D.C. residents own their homes—-a significantly higher percentage than New York City, San Francisco, or Los Angeles. And we’re willing to bet that some of these homeowners even take the Metrorail to work.

Photo by Mr. T in D.C. via Flickr/Creative Commons Attribution Generic 2.0 License