Bitterness is the least of what Obama said that bothers middle America

[2rth2pwr]

People are not upset that he says there are people who are angry and who are bitter.

Obama insulted people by saying that the reason they are not supporting him is because of

some stupid thing called "values". He is telling these people that they are voting for politicians who support the 2nd ammendment

because they are so bitter that they can't think straight.

He is accusing God fearing people of using religion as a crutch because they have been screwed over so many times.

He is saying that people who are concerned that our borders are too porous are irrational racists driven out of their right minds by trade policy.

Here's a of an email from a resident-

..Second, the comment about "people who are different" is just so insulting to those of us who live in or around Pittsburgh, an area noted for its ethnicity. I can go 25 miles in any direction from where I live and see churches, temples, neighborhoods, signs, social halls, stores, etc., for many different ethnic groups from every part of the world. I can also pass through many small towns and not notice anyone who is hoping for a remake of "Deliverance." Honestly, Obama is such a sham. He doesn't have a clue about anything having to do with real life. What an idiot...

Dem strategist Kirsten Powers- “It comes off very badly,” Democratic strategist Kirsten Powers said of the small-town America remarks. “They are things that I think in a liberal world sound totally normal, and outside of that world I don’t know that he appreciates how it sounds. And it just sounds very elitist, and it sounds like he’s looking down on people.” http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/04/11/obama-draws-fire-for-comments-on-small-town-america/




Obama To Rural Pennsylvanians: Vote For Me, You Corncob-Smokin', Banjo-Strokin' Chicken-Chokin' Cousin-Pokin' Inbred Hillbilly Racist Morons

[Hepburn]

1. Hide thread is your friend....

....click.

[2rth2pwr]

6. Talk to the hand.

Please put me on ignore. Thanks.

[JackORoses]

33. talk to the hand!

[GoldieAZ49]

46. Great photo

and sig pic too!

[MoonRiver]

80. Hide thread:

The first choice for ostriches.

[LWolf]

81. Of course, it's difficult to hide 99.9 % of GDP.

:rofl:

[NYCGirl]

2. And the only link you come up with to bolster you is FOX!

:rofl:

[2rth2pwr]

9. That's it? That's your whole rebuttal?

weak.

[NYCGirl]

15. That's your whole OP? Weak. NT

[2rth2pwr]

23. good one.

[MadBadger]

3. Do you know what bothers flyover country? CALLING THEM FLYOVER COUNTRY

[GarbagemanLB]

4. oh my god, I didn't notice that.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[scheming daemons]

5. I live near Pittsburgh.... have my whole life.... Obama is DEAD RIGHT.

...and you... who know NOTHING about Western or Central PA.... are DEAD WRONG.



And another poster is right.... calling us "Flyover Country" is more insulting than anything Obama said.

[2rth2pwr]

7. I am using Flyover country because that's the way Obama sees them.

[MadBadger]

12. You're candidate IGNORED so called "flyover country" while Obama got 15,000 in Idaho. IDAHO.

If anybody ignores "flyover country" its Hillary Clinton.

[GoldieAZ49]

50. I can't wait to see if Idaho goes BLUE this election year

:rofl:

clue to the 15,000: novelty!

[JeffR]

13. Oh. Right, yes of course.

That just why you used the term. It makes sense now. Right. Of course that's why. Thanks for clarifying!

[dionysus]

48. omg you didn't....

i hope you get the relate....

[JeffR]

56. Seems the wording has magically changed to "Middle America"!

Now the OP is perfected. Its pristine logic gleams under the stars like a monument to truth carved by visionary hands from cold, stern granite. Really it does.

[dionysus]

60. Giles is a british character in Buffy the Vampire Slayer who always says

"ah.... yes of course" it's like you quoted him.

BTW i am agreement with you...

:toast:

[JeffR]

64. Ah!

:toast:

[dionysus]

65. i can no longer hear or read the words "...yes of course" without it being in that british voice!!

[JeffR]

68. Yes of course

;-)

[dionysus]

71. AAARGGHHHH!!

;)

[scheming daemons]

14. No.... he understands us perfectly.... I live here... he nailed it....

Very perceptive of him, for someone who hadn't spent much time here before this past month.


He "gets" western PA perfectly.



YOU, however, do not.

[MercutioATC]

20. So Clinton has adopted Dean's "50-state strategy"?

Good for her!

[Danger Mouse]

28. That makes perfect sense! I mean, wasn't it Obama who...

lost in all of those states, didn't really bother trying to win any of them, and had no ground game in any of them?
Yeah, and it was also Obama who implied that none of those states counted, and the only states that really matter are the big states.
Thank you for reminding me!

[JVS]

30. I think he sees what you call flyover country as the area that he beat clinton with over 60% and 70%

[Warren DeMontague]

11. Dude, Santa Cruz is, like, TOTALLY the Heartland.

Why, there are even broken-ass shacks there!

Sure, they run about 800K and up, but they're still broken-ass shacks!

[GoneOffShore]

29. Just some enraged Californian

Upset over something that will be gone next week.

[AX10]

8. K & R!

[Eric J in MN]

10. So people who are suffering never turn to religion for comfort? NT

NT

[celophan012]

70. What will happen to their religiousness once they get a job?

Will they then not cling to religiousness?

[Nitrogenica]

16. WTF is this FOX?

[thevoiceofreason]

17. You are on drugs

This was just added to the Huffington Post article that started this mess:

OBAMA: So, it depends on where you are, but I think it's fair to say that the places where we are going to have to do the most work are the places where people are most cynical about government. The people are mis-appre...they're misunderstanding why the demographics in our, in this contest have broken out as they are. Because everybody just ascribes it to 'white working-class don't wanna work -- don't wanna vote for the black guy.' That's...there were intimations of that in an article in the Sunday New York Times today - kind of implies that it's sort of a race thing.


Here's how it is: in a lot of these communities in big industrial states like Ohio and Pennsylvania, people have been beaten down so long. They feel so betrayed by government that when they hear a pitch that is premised on not being cynical about government, then a part of them just doesn't buy it. And when it's delivered by -- it's true that when it's delivered by a 46-year-old black man named Barack Obama, then that adds another layer of skepticism.

But -- so the questions you're most likely to get about me, 'Well, what is this guy going to do for me? What is the concrete thing?' What they wanna hear is -- so, we'll give you talking points about what we're proposing -- to close tax loopholes, you know, roll back the tax cuts for the top 1 percent. Obama's gonna give tax breaks to middle-class folks and we're gonna provide health care for every American.

But the truth is, is that, our challenge is to get people persuaded that we can make progress when there's not evidence of that in their daily lives. 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. And it's not surprising then 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.

Um, now these are in some communities, you know. I think what you'll find is, is that people of every background -- there are gonna be a mix of people, you can go in the toughest neighborhoods, you know working-class lunch-pail folks, you'll find Obama enthusiasts. And you can go into places where you think I'd be very strong and people will just be skeptical. The important thing is that you show up and you're doing what you're doing.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mayhill-fowler/obama-no-s...

[2rth2pwr]

22. How does that change this- "And it's not surprising then 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," he said.

[TLM]

40. It is called context....

explaining why many working class rural voters turn to single issues or away from politics entirely, due to the bitterness towards government.


The context clearly doesn't support your attack, which is based on trying to spin one line out of context.

[2rth2pwr]

49. This is where you and Obama are wrong and condescending

people don't just pick single issues in reaction to being bitter.

There are people all over this country who look at the 2nd amendment of the constitution and see that it is

as worthy as they see the 1st amendment, and it has nothing to do with being upset about their job.

There are families that for generations have belonged to a church, and take communion. They are insulted to

be described as clinging to religion like they are doing it out of fear.

[2rth2pwr]

66. In context, it is the same arrogant, elitist view.

[thevoiceofreason]

76. It puts it into the context of the wedge issues

When democrats were about economic fairness, they ruled.

When the democrats abandoned economic fairness as their core issue, the repubs were able to use wedge issues (the democrats are trying to take away your guns, the democrats aren't really standing up for christian values, the democrats are all in favor of letting the borders get overrun. the democrats are just pandering to the black man) to splinter away people who felt that Washington had to do something (since Washington sure as hell wasn't doing anything about jobs). And yes, they were bitter about being abandoned on the economic front.

[MercutioATC]

18. He was right. Like it or not, he spoke truth.

He didn't accuse anybody of anything. He said that the empty promises of some politicians...Democrats and Republicans...have created a segment of society that is is bitter because they've been promised prosperity but only experienced destitution.

He said that people, as a natural reaction, seek to assign blame for this and that the blame is sometimes misassigned to "hot-button" issues that have nothing to do with the underlying problem.

Addressing the actual issues will do more to solve the problem than denying that the issues exist. Denial is easier..it's less of a risk...but it doesn't solve anything.


Which is better...stating the difficult truth or the easy lie?

[2rth2pwr]

24. Exactly, he is calling them idiots.

[MercutioATC]

25. I see you choose the easy lie...

I DID give the option....guess there's no blame in you selecting that option.

[2rth2pwr]

41. Your so called "Hot Button" issues are not something people

cling to becuse they are ignorant. If that's the way you feel, if that's your truth, so be it.

We'll have to disagree.

[TLM]

47. Apparently you think rural folks are so dumb...

they need hillary to tell them when to feel insulted.


See... snide snarky spin is easy.

[2rth2pwr]

69. "Hunting is part of working-class American culture. Does Obama really think that working-class

whites in Pennsylvania were gun control liberals until their industries were downsized?" M Lind

[TLM]

43. Nope, but you're treating them like you think they are idiots...

by telling them you know better than them, what they should feel insulted by.

[bowens43]

19. Your post is pure bullshit.

Keep spouting the right wing swifboat bullshit, it really helps Hillary........ LOL!
fucking pathetic.

[Mz Pip]

21. Jeez

You must realize that people who are so locked into their prejudices aren't going to vote for Obama (or NEWSFLASH! Hillary, either.) These are the base voters of the Republican Party. People who have been brainwashed to believe that the root of all their problems lie with with the Democrats who want to take their guns, the secular progressives who want to board up their churches and the immigrants who speak funny languages.

These people will never vote for the Democrats. Ever. They have bought into the divisive politics of the GOP.

[2rth2pwr]

37. This is the primaries, he was addressing a question about why his support was low with

these Democrats.

[GoneOffShore]

26. Weren't you awake in 92?

Excuse me, Mr Carville, how will Bill Clinton's campaign handle Pennsylvania?

"Well, we'll treat Philadelphia and Pittsburgh like the big East Coast cities that they are and the rest of the state like goddamn Alabama." or words to that effect.

I guess you're a member of the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Outrage - Shithead sect.

[ShortnFiery]

77. Too good! I'm filing one of your lines for future use.

Hope you don't mind? :hi:

"Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Outrage - Shithead sect." :rofl:

[GoneOffShore]

86. Not at all -

I've been spreading the gospel of Our Lady of Perpetual Outrage every chance I get.

I'd put up a picture on one of the saints, but I'd likely get attacked by her defenders.

And did you notice that the OP never did get back to me on the Carville quote?

Which proved my point.

[JVS]

27. Then how come he's kicked Hillary's ass in flyover country?

[Danger Mouse]

31. 'flyover country' and citing fox news...

you're a credit to your candidate of choice!
:hi:

[2rth2pwr]

63. What, are you the Hall Monitor?

[Danger Mouse]

72. hur hur hur hillarious. really.

no. just sick of spin and distortion and outright lying.

[scheming daemons]

32. Watch this video (Though I know you Hillbots won't)......

There's a lot of people in "flyover country" in this video..... this is their reaction when they hear Obama talk about "bitterness".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc9PepjyDow



That's your next President speaking.... showing you why you are tone-deaf to the feelings of people in "flyover country" (as you call it).

[BlueIdaho]

34. Someone with 1000+ DU posts quoting FOX?????

Have you completely lost your mind?

[2rth2pwr]

39. Try again. The quote is from a Dem strategist.

Who cares if it's from FOX. If it's true, it's true.

[BlueIdaho]

54. When FOX quotes a Democratic strategist you know something is wrong...

Really - FOX, you re proud to associate yourself with FOX?

Wow.

[Barack_America]

35. Where has Obama flown over?

Isn't the entire premise of his campaign to go everywhere and ask everyone for their votes? Yes, even those insignificant red states and caucus states.

Yeah, these people weren't buying what Obama was saying AT ALL!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc9PepjyDow

[2rth2pwr]

55. He flew over quite a bit of the country on his way to the Getty's home

in SF so he could slam rural PA on Sunday.

[TLM]

36. Once again.....

You can't attack what he said, so you're left with attacking your own paraphrased translation of what you think he meant... or rather what you think might best prop up your attack.


His words were clear... which is why you can't quote them in context and support your attack.

[TML]

38. Hazelton is small town

And they don't like us Dirty F**king Mexicans™.

Hey, what's with the Snob graphic? Did you lift that from Michelle Malkin's site by any chance?

[scheming daemons]

42. Note to everyone: The OP changed to remove the term "flyover country"

..and replace it with "middle America"....


Once he was called on it and how it showed his OWN "elitism"....



The OP will not admit this, so I thought you'd all like to know..

[JeffR]

45. I noticed that.

:rofl:

[GoldieAZ49]

44. pride and prejudice

that is it exactly, he talks down to middle America because he doesn't understand them, that smug elitist arrogance will not get him into the whitehouse.

The majority of voters are average working class Americans. They don't get a $200,000 a year raise when their husband gets elected to the state senate because he is going to send taxpayers money, to the tune of a million dollars, as "earmarks" to their employer.

What we now know about Obama's "religion" he has no room to talk down to anyone about religion.

[GarbagemanLB]

51. WHY DID you change your OP? Where is 'flyover country'? Trying to hide your elitism?

[2rth2pwr]

62. Hopefully by changing it we could discuss how this truth that Obama speaks

will help him.

[NanceGreggs]

52. This is the third thread I've read tonight ...

.... where someone has "interpreted" Obama's words through their own twisted little minds, and then stated their version as though that is what he actually said.

The desperate straw-grasping is getting really sad ...

[jackson_dem]

53. The funniest thing is the faithful think this HELPS him

That Obama sure is wily! I wonder why no other politician figures out how smart it is to insult segments of voters? :sarcasm:

[GarbagemanLB]

57. I bet you were posting threads about Wright being the 'end of the campaign' for Obama. LOL

[jackson_dem]

59. This isn't the same. Obama isn't Wright. He could BS his way around that with the help of the msm

His recent comments come straight out of his mouth.

[scheming daemons]

61. "his recent comments came straight out of his mouth" .... EXACTLY... and they were BRILLIANT....

...and you are tone-deaf to the electorate.


You're still waging the 1988 campaign.


It ain't 20 years ago, pal. Obama ain't wimpy like Dukakis..... and he's kicking ass.

[JeffR]

58. I know! God!!

The guy's feeble, totally.

[wisteria]

67. I live in Western Pa and I completely understand what Senator Obama is saying.

I have met many people in this area who harbor anger and bitterness towards others who are different and they express it all in the wrong ways.They think others are getting things they don't deserve and that they deserve a "piece of the pie" too. They resent what they don't understand and their lives have kept them down for so long they have become cynical of people, politics and any talk of change. They hide behind their guns fearful of attack and a notion that someone or something is always out to take what is theirs. They lose themselves in their churches and use the church for protection and a crutch, to make right what they think is wrong and to confirm to themselves that they are really good people. These are some of the most sad and hopeless people you will find anywhere. I have lived among them for over ten years and I still feel like an outsider.And, I have a different perspective because I was born and raised in Philadelphia. They view people who are different then them with a cynical eye, they don't trust anyone and they feel everyone is out to get them,their guns and their religion.
I understand completely what Senator Obama was saying. His comments may well serve a lot of good. Perhaps these people will come around to see themselves as many others see them. Perhaps, Obama can break through their shells and find a tender spot that will respond to acceptance and change.
Senator Obama says things that have needed saying for years. If we continue to make certain subjects and comments taboo and not talk about them in an open and honest way, we will never grow or change as a nation or as a people.

[otohara]

73. Fox News Link - WTF

how sad that Sen. Clinton supporters are now fans of Fox News because they bash Sen. Obama.

[cooolandrew]

74. Once PA see his response they will more than understand...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc9PepjyDow&eurl=http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/samgrahamfelsen/gGBWx9

[saracat]

75. Great post. Absolutely right on. Most O supporters don't realize their is a world outside

DU. And those folks, whose votes they think they don't need anyway, will not react well to O's comments.

[ShortnFiery]

79. And this group fully supports your efforts to spread the disinformation and fear

The Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Outrage - Shithead Section. :rofl:

Well, isn't that special? :crazy:

[bluedog]

83. wait til the GOP ads come out.....lol

he said it exactly the way he wanted to, exactly the way he meant it, and he got busted and are now trying to cover his ass.


he slipped up and let everyone know what he really thinks ......... he helped the RNC with many a campaign ads...

[Kahuna]

78. You all tried to make a big deal out of his 'typical white folks' remark.

That strawman didn't go anywhere and neither will this one.

[cali]

82. seek professional help.

he said nothing of the sort- unless you're some sort of deranged and delusional person.

[AZBlue]

84. FOX NEWS? You're posting Fox News here?????

You're on the wrong website.

[Bensthename]

85. Fox news junkies have infiltrated DU.. Get em outa here.

[GoneOffShore]

87. I've noticed how you've shut up on this.

Did you watch the video posted up thread?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc9PepjyDow

Or have you just crawled back into your comfortable little Santa Cruz existence after stirring shit and posting RW talking points and are waiting from the next call from your masters.

"Go forth and post BULLSHIT. Confound the bringers of light and those who threaten our corporate existence,"