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This is Why She Stays in the Race
- Filed under: Democrats '08
- Date: Apr 12,2008
Senator Obama:You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. So it's not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.
"Anti-trade sentiment"? Isn't Obama the one going around saying he wants out of NAFTA and railing against the Colombia deal? Cling to religion? Is that a topic Obama wants to go near? Some people probably live in a small town, go to church, own a gun and it has nothing to do with the fact that the factory shut down. Not just in Pennsylvania, but elsewhere too.
When you are out everyday campaigning, you are bound to say something you wish you could take back or say something that comes out wrong. Not even perfect candidates like Obama are exempt from mistakes. He probably wishes he hadn't made the mistake in liberal California of all places. I don't know why I would even make a half attempt to defend the guy when he blatantly distorts McCain's 100 year comment. Maybe I shouldn't. Democrats wouldn't show the same courtesy.
Personally, I am not shocked by the comment by Obama. Just like Kerry and Gore, there have been signs along the way that Obama and his wife share the typical Democratic elitist attitudes - for example the complaints over the financial strains of sending your children to expensive summer camp. This latest Obama statement is a killer in Pennsylvania - it will take a few days, but there will be fallout once it is played over and over on AM radio and the comment sinks in to life's losers in PA that walk on a dirt road in their bare feet to get to the polls. It will take more than $2.2 million a week in ads to make up for this blunder. Instinct tells me that this is going to be a huge deal.
This morning, speaking in Indiana, Obama tries to spin out of his comments, saying they were "ill chosen." Do you still need to know why Hillary won't give up?
Other Ohioans have opinions as well: Taxman Blog and King's Right Site have opinions from the right. Word of Mouth - and I have yet to figure out what side that site is on - also has an opinion. A blog that is for sure on the left, De Magno Opere says Obama was correct in his statements.
23 Responses for "This is Why She Stays in the Race"
Exactly. We perceive what we want to perceive based on our previously formed ideas and arrogance. There is another way of seeing, but Obama is showing us how he wants to see things. See:
http://christianprophecy.blogspot.com/
There is no "spin" to his comments today.
1) He is CORRECT over those rural voters. Many rural voters continue to vote against their financial interest because they are convinced to cling to issues like abortion, gun rights, or anti-immigration stuff……things that don'e affect their day to day life.
2) He is CORRECT that his statements were "ill chosen" by a candidate for President. Because people like you will act like he is some bad person for making this statement (even though he is 100% correct).
If any other candidate (Hillary or "McSame") engaged in the same stereotyping of rural people that Obama did with his comments, Obama backers would outraged. Just say he made a dumb commemt and MOVEON (.org). Those who will be most offended are the people who wouldn't vote for Obama anyway. His die hard supporters love him and will defend anything.
Again, he was correct in his assessment. But it is dumb for him to say that type of thing.
Because now we have to listen to all the fake outrage of the Keeler/Hannity wing of the world.
and the "liberal" media will cling to this story for several days.
Ben: Thanks for commenting over at my site. Obama might be elitist - certainly he shows signs of it with his recent remarks - but "but there will be fallout once it is played over and over on AM radio and the comment sinks in to life's losers in PA that walk on a dirt road in their bare feet to get to the polls. is just as bad.
PA has a few dirt roads left, but 99.9% of our citizens do, in fact, wear shoes.
Agree,disagree,spin it anyway you want. The bottom line is this defines Mr. Obama. An arrogant elitist. It reminds me of a "progressive" that is a fanatical Obama supporter. He stated after flying over the vast area of America's heartland that if all those farmers had access to all the information he did they would understand the correctness of the views he promotes. Thank you Mr. Obama and his supporters I now understand,if only we all had the proper knowledge and quidance we would abandon guns, religion, embrace all peoples and open our borders to one and all. Perhaps the bigger question is what right does this small town hayseed have questioning those that have the correct information.
"and the "liberal" media will cling to this story for several days."
So is the Huffington Post, the ones who broke the audio, now part of the liberal media?
Victor David Hanson has a great piece on this matter at NRO
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=Y2Y3MmU4OTViZjQ5YTA5ZGUzZjhiOWJhYTIzMGM2ZTE=
Ben: Sorry I missed the jest. Guess I was still sensitive from the Obama remarks.
Alaskan - I dont get your comment. The Huffington Post is part of the liberal media - they arent even one that pretends to be non-partisan. Not sure if you botched the comment or what.
Chuck Dont blame me for his comments. I just report. In my estimation, Obama did not mean them negatively - they just reflect his honest views of how he sees people in PA who havent yet signed on to his message. Its up to voters to determine if they are offended by it. Not me or Sean hannity.
Ben,
It was a remark directed at Chuck who believes that just because the media brings this up that it cannot possibly have a liberal slant
Or maybe I'm reading the last part of Chuck's second comment the wrong way, I don't know.
Obama's statement was not just a dumb thing for a candidate to say, it's a dumb piece of dimestore psychology.
Small towners care about guns and fetuses because they lost their rust belt jobs 25 years ago? How many rest belt jobs are there in these rural towns anyway? What's he talking about?
Obama has a hard time relating to middle-class whites. His comments regarding "typical white person" during his Sacrifice Grandma speech, and now these lastest comments, demonstrate this. His comments are no less racist than a white candidate claiming that frustrated blacks turn to fried chicken and collard greens, with an occasional slice of watermelon. He is, for all practical purposes, a racist.
I'll bet all those "typical whites" in Pennsylvania can describe Obama with one word: Uppity.
the story is a real story, worthy of a few days of news. but if this thing goes on, like ben projects, it is a sign of the media being not-so-liberal.
I don't think Obama is racist, but maybe I am wrong.
But I am almost positive this Baladeer person is a racist that better keep using code names to hide his identity.
I was increasingly wondering if Obama was racist. Now I am leaning towards the elitist lib. He understands that those small town people dont have the insight that people of his strata enjoy. They are the victims of the system and while they may be prejudice it is only because the system encourages them to look for villians to keep them from knowing the real enemy. Once they are lead and nutured by a government that understands and corrects the true nature of socities ills people can be transformed. Didn't Michelle tell us that Obama can fix our souls. Once the progressive elite fix our souls there will be no fear thus no need for guns. The shackles of religion can be thrown off and we only need to look to our leaders for quidance. There will be no need for thoughts of race,gender,relgion or want. We are all one people divided only by artifical walls and borders. Let those that can end the suffering and inequality lead us to a land of equal outcome. Damn, I only wish my college professors could read this. They thought I slept through class.
[...] Keeler over at The Point has excellent analysis of the latest Obama gaffe when talking about Pennsylvania voters that cling [...]
"Democrats wouldn't show the same courtesy."
That right there is a big reason why I don't vote. Is anyone else tired of the back and forth between Ds and Rs arguing about whose poo smells terrible and whose smells like flowers.
Mrs. Clinton is not the best Democratic nominee. She voted for the war, supported NAFTA, and lied about events that she was involved with (e.g. Bosnia issue). She should drop out of the race after Obama beats her in the primary season. A fight at the Democratic Convention in August would be poor public relations for the party. The Democrats need a united front to beat McCain and to turn this country around.
Tom, the Democrats arent going to be united behind either. AT least not from what we see right now.
I agree with Ben that anyone constantly under media scrutiny and always in the spotlight will eventually regret some of their comments, be they D or R. It seems obvious that Obama needs additional help with his speechwriting since that gaffe should have been caught before it was ever uttered. As a voter who has voted both ways, I don't see this comment necessarily racist or elitist but certainly naive and uninformed. If there was doubt in some peoples' minds, I think this will definitely push them into the Hillary camp.
I get a kick out of the use of the word elitist. McCain, or at least, McCain's wife, owns 8 houses and has access to more money than God. The Clinton's earned over $100 million since Bill left office. Bush, the Younger, had to hide his elitist existence with chainsaws and cowboy hats, fig leaves to counter his privileged status.
This alleged gaffe by Obama had nothing to do with elitism. Just as his comment, brought up again by balladeer, about his white grandmother's fears, was not elitist.
He was speaking the truth. I realize it's hard to comprehend. We so rarely hear truth from our highest leaders.
Speaking truth is risky. Those who oppose the truth will always resist and fight back.
It is true that many Americans have given up believing that government even cares about day to day concerns of the average family. Jobs, education, health care, economic conditions for working families are areas that voters know through experience government simply won't do anything about unless it's making the conditions worse.
So what do these cynical realist voters do? They settle for the controversial scraps from politicians about choice, immigration, guns, religion, etc. It's a frustrated cynical bitterness over government's total failure to deal with real-life issues that leads some voters to fight over these tangential issues.
That's what Obama was saying…..and it's true.
P.S. Will someone please list for me the names of all these "liberal" media folks? I realize I'm not an expert, but for some reason when I go to count genuine liberal media people, I only come up with a handful.
P.S.S. What I really think is that establishment cheerleaders are becoming desperate over Obama's candidacy. Chickens….heads cut off….running. That sort of thing.
How do we know that's true, Reverend? Have any of these hicks been on the couch to talk out these transference issues with a licensed professional?
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