Hoosier State Mayors Decry Senator Obama's Comments on Small Town America in an Open Letter

[indimuse]

Quote of the Day
"Whether it's tax returns or legislative records or his relationship with indicted political fixer Tony Rezko, Senator Obama seems to take "the dog ate my homework" approach to disclosure.

"When it comes to transparency, the only thing transparent about Senator Obama is his claim to be transparent."—Hotline On Call, April 15, 2008.


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4/15/2008

Hoosier State Mayors Decry Senator Obama's Comments on Small Town America in an Open Letter
In response to comments made by Senator Obama last week at a fundraiser in San Francisco, mayors from across the Hoosier State lent their names to an open letter decrying his characterization of those living in small towns.

BACKGROUND: At a fundraiser in San Francisco last week, Senator Obama shared his views of Americans from small towns: "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."

The text of the open letter from Hoosier State mayors follows.

To Whom It May Concern:

We wish to express our sincere disappointment with comments made by Senator Obama at a San Francisco fundraiser last week--comments which demeaned the values of small Midwestern towns. These views are offensive to millions of hardworking Hoosiers who strive everyday to provide for our families, lift up our communities and strengthen our country.

We embrace our faith not out of frustration but as a foundation of the values that guide us - the values we inherit and the values we pass on. We have faced difficult times. However, Hoosiers are resilient, optimistic and unwavering in our commitment to our families and country. After seven years of a president who refused to talk to us, the last thing we need is a presidential candidate who talks down to us.

These remarks also serve to drive us further apart instead of uniting us around the great challenges we face together. We need good paying jobs. We need an end to this war. We need health care for every American. But to meet these challenges, we need a president who honors our values. We need a president who stands up and fights for us, and shares our can-do spirit. That is what Hoosiers will be looking for when we go to the polls on May 6.

Sincerely,

Mayor Mervyn Bostic of Rushville
Mayor Ann Bradshaw of Brazil
Mayor Charlie Coons of Crawfordsville
Mayor Michael Fincher of Logansport
Mayor Pam Hendrickson of Boonville
Mayor Tommy Jones of Linton
Mayor Tom McDermott of Hammond
Mayor George Pabey of East Chicago
Mayor Brian Snedecor of Hobart
Mayor Roy Terrell of Jasonville
Mayor Olga Velazquez of Portage

[GarbagemanLB]

1. In other news, that 'million mayor march' in PA drew only 19 mayors....

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Obama 51, Hillary 40 in the latest Gallup. Keep harping on this, Hillary! Thank you!

[ShortnFiery]

2. Oh goody! More feigned self-righteous outrage? They sound quite BITTER ...

:evilgrin:

[SeaLyons]

3. Go Hoosiers!!!!

Great Post.

Thanks,


:kick:

[Drunken Irishman]

4. Gosh and here I thought Indiana had more than 11 mayors.

The things you learn on DU!

[msallied]

7. Eleven Mayors?? LMAO! That's all there was?? n/t

[babylonsister]

5. Makes me wonder if any of these folks were bribed like David Kovach was:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x352807

[islandmkl]

6. '..talks down to us.'....bitterhill's talking point verbatim...

talking 'over one's head' (generally referring to comprehension, only) is not in any way related to 'talking down to one'....

lack of comprehension = feeling of condescension (or being condescended to)

the moranmayors has spoken...

[redqueen]

8. Hillary's talking point or the M$M's?

Oh, wait...

[DefenseLawyer]

9. Well if the mayor of Rushville speaks, we all sit up and take notice.

I'm a hoosier. No one cares. No one cares about this issue and certainly no one cares what some hack mayor of Palookaville says about much of anything.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

10. I just have to say this is one of the dumbest "issues" to come up in this cycle.

Saying some people have grown to be bitter is like saying that the sky can be cloudy sometimes. I think harping on Obama's comments as if they're evil will only highlight how out of touch people are with how apathetic the public is with our political system.

[wurzel]

11. What gutless garbage!

These guys said nothing while a president lied the country the are so committed to into a war. And have remained silent while he destroyed our economy on which the families they are so "committed to rely. Do the families they are so committed to have health care? How did these chumps get elected?

[thevoiceofreason]

12. Interesting demographics

Just did a little wiki search to learn about these towns - a few of decent size (Hammond, Portage and East Chicago, all extensions of Chicago to the east, are over 30K). Hammond and East Chicago had a fairly mixed ethnic makeup (especially East Chicago).

Here's the race makeup in the 5 towns under 10,000 people:

Rushville: 5995, of which 95 are African American
Brazil: 8188, of which 53 are African American
Boonville: 6834, of which 44 are African American
Linton: 5774, of which 5 are African American
Jasonville: 2490, of which 2 are African American.

There is another demographic in each town that I can't decide how it cuts: the women earn about 40% less than the men.

I am not saying that the race makeup of the towns drove the endorsement of their respective mayors. I just thought the numbers added a little texture.

[PVnRT]

13. Many are currying favor with Evan Bayh

Some of the state legislators around here have endorsed Hillary as well, hoping to get invited to the national convention as delegates.

[PVnRT]

14. Where did this get published?

Link?

[progressoid]

20. I Googled it and couldn't come up with any results

(other than this posting on DU) :eyes:

[Maribelle]

15. 'These remarks also serve to drive us further apart instead of uniting us '

Obama's followers, as witnessed above, truly do not get this.

[cliffordu]

19. Only cause it's bullshit. A non-matter. Anti-matter....

Specious. Bogus. Crap.

NOT AN ISSUE!!!!

[MyshkinCommaPrince]

16. Small town Indiana

I've lived in Indiana most of my life, and spent about a third of that time living in small towns. In my experience, small town Indiana displays exactly the dynamic of which Obama spoke. But they hate having that revealed, I think. They hate acknowledging that sort of thing. Maybe it feels like an admission of weakness if they recognize themselves in that position. Maybe when you're at the bottom, the only thing keeping you going might be the illusion that things aren't that bad, or that the problem doesn't exist, or that something else altogether is the real problem. Dunno. But, man, there's some bitterness.

Sigh.

[AllentownJake]

17. 11 that's all

Shit Indiana has over 2000 small towns and you got 11?

[Az_lefty]

18. Clueless mayor's refuse to recognize what is taking place in small towns...

their just hoping beyound hope to be part of the Clintons Washington Hedge fund.