I’m not sure that Newt himself is racist. I haven’t seen anything to show that. But I can say that anyone of color who hears that kind of lingo hears exactly that. So, in effect, two different groups “get” the language, the racist base, and those who are the recipients of that racism. The middle group, not knowing that this is dog whistle lingo, will not understand the importance of what this kind of rhetoric does to public discourse. I’m not entirely sure of what to make of this. But in light of the context of the group he was speaking to, it almost certainly isn’t good.