Comments

What was he thinking?

The lazy thing to do is to judge someone based on a fragment of sentence. The best thing to do in this case is read what Obama actually said

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 feel most cynical about government. The people are mis-appre...I think 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, and they feel so betrayed by government, and 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 (laugher), then that adds another layer of skepticism (laughter).

But -- so the questions you're most likely to get about me, 'Well, what is this guy going to do for me? What's the concrete thing?' What they wanna hear is -- so, we'll give you talking points about what we're proposing -- close tax loopholes, roll back, you know, 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. So we'll go down a series of talking points.

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. 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.

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.

I do appreciate that Senator Obama has recognized and apologized for the way his words came across as demeaning to some. It's obvious by the full transcript above, however, that he cares very deeply for the people who have lost their jobs and wants things to get better for them.

Senator McCain and his campaign has accused Senator Obama of being an "elitist" for those remarks. The guy who is the son of an admiral, has 8 houses, and is married to a woman worth $100 million is accusing the black guy who was raised by a single mother and lived in Indonesia and Hawaii of elitism. Ludicrous!

He told the truth, he just worded it badly

Thank you Nancy,

Obama really does care about jobs for Americans
He believes we can do better for our country.

Here Clinton jokes about jobs she helped outsource to India.

MyDD :: "Punjab," RevisitedClinton began by joking that "I can certainly run for the Senate seat in Punjab and win easily," after being introduced by Singh as the Senator not only ...
www.mydd.com/story/2008/1/25/213841/090 - 33k

We must also keep in mind that Clinton demeaned entire states
that she chose not to campaign in.

It seems to me that Obama was simply trying in these comments to restate briefly, to make the basic case that was laid out in a book a couple years ago called "What About Kansas?" I apologize that I am forgetting the author's name. but the basic thesis was that in state after state, district after district, the Republican party was using hot-button issues like gay marriage, gun rights, and abortion (which they never were able to deliver on) to get votes. And then turning around and harming the economic interests of their constituents by appeasing the corporate interests who had been their primary donors and benefactors. Obama is trying to encourage us to stop being cynical - even though we have every right to be cynical- because our representative government has not been representing us - but instead multi-national corporations.
So I am left wondering about who is really the most scared about his candidacy? Here is a man who was invited to speak by Rick Warren and who has been going to church for 20 years and openly talks about his faith and has maintained a stable loving family life. He has not suggested an overhaul of the second amendment. He was sworn in on a Bible and leads the pledge of allegiance in the senate. All these "scares" that keep being thrown at him are trying to distract us from the fact that he wants the American people to take back their representative government, to get engaged, and to diminish to some kind of reasonable limit the power of money and corporate interests in Washington. Even if small town America isn't angry -- they should be. And frankly, as someone who grew up in a town with one big factory which has now ceased operations and most of my old high school friends are out of work and can't pay the mortgage... well - I hope they vote their economic interests. Because no one in government is going to deliver on the social morality issues-- we need to change the culture at the level of our own communities.

Obama is a fraud. He's a socialist and a gun grabber and these comments demonstrate who he really is. No amount of spin by his campaign can change the fact that America is waking up and seeing what a truly nasty and hateful person he really is. The fact that he refused to admit how wrong he was and apologize for it shows you that his heart is filled with contempt for ordinary Americans. I hope the voters of PA send him a message and support Hillary instead.

If critics would take the time to learn more about the man they would recognize the fact that he is not an elitist but a very caring man who has seen more reality in his lifetime than any TV Reality Show. He is a Man of The People, who will work for all of the people.

So the offensive thing is that people cling to religion in times of trouble? I'd be more concerned if they didn't. Religion is important for people who are struggling too, not just those who are "spiritually rich," whatever that means.

This is what I hate about American politics: if someone says something even remotely politically incorrect, the media has a field day taking it out of context and then everyone running against the person crucifies them. Combined with the ridiculous multi-year campaign this has been and you end up with a inoffensiveness endurance race.

In the end, all it does is filter out anyone who isn't bland or deceptive enough. And those are definitely two traits Americans look for in their politicians.

I have LIVED IT ! - Obama speaks the truth... and the truth sometimes hurts.

The Barack Hussein Obama supporters think he can do no wrong... The fact is, these things people "cling" to have a special NAME in this country. They are called "Rights". Play it down however you want, but a potential president who accuses the people of "clinging" to RIGHTS, is a serious threat that needs to be taken VERY seriously. If Obama wants to start taking away Rights, perhaps he should lead from the front, and give up some of his rights first, like oh, I don't know the black man's freedom? I bet that would make him bitter...

Barack Obama is a champion phony, empty vessel, narcissist, and bigot.

It is extremely entertaining watching him self-destruct, and watching his worshipful fans choke on their own Kool-Aid.

Sen. Obama is 100% correct in his assessment of the economy in PA, and of the frustration and bitterness that many people feel. His "fell through" remark (re. this state's "little people" having been ignored and forgotten by a series of administrations) is very accurate.

It's a shame that once again, something he's said has been taken out of context and twisted, though I'm not surprised that it's happened.

MY FELLOW BITTER, STUPID, WORKING CLASS PEOPLE.

YOU MIGHT BE AN IDIOT, TOO :-(

If you think like Barack Obama, that WORKING CLASS PEOPLE are just a bunch of BITTER!, STUPID, PEASANTS, Cash COWS!, and CANNON FODDER. :-(

You Might Be An Idiot, Too!

If you think Barack Obama with little or no experience would be better than Hillary Clinton with 35 years experience.

You Might Be An Idiot, Too!

If you think that Obama with no experience can fix an economy on the verge of collapse better than Hillary Clinton. Whose husband (Bill Clinton) led the greatest economic expansion, and prosperity in American history.

You Might Be An Idiot, Too!

If you think that Obama with no experience fighting for universal health care can get it for you better than Hillary Clinton. Who anticipated this current health care crisis back in 1993, and fought a pitched battle against overwhelming odds to get universal health care for all the American people.

You Might Be An Idiot, Too!

If you think that Obama with no experience can manage, and get us out of two wars better than Hillary Clinton. Whose husband (Bill Clinton) went to war only when he was convinced that he absolutely had to. Then completed the mission in record time against a nuclear power. AND DID NOT LOSE THE LIFE OF A SINGLE AMERICAN SOLDIER. NOT ONE!

You Might Be An Idiot, Too!

If you think that Obama with no experience saving the environment is better than Hillary Clinton. Whose husband (Bill Clinton) left office with the greatest amount of environmental cleanup, and protections in American history.

You Might Be An Idiot, Too!

If you think that Obama with little or no education experience is better than Hillary Clinton. Whose husband (Bill Clinton) made higher education affordable for every American. And created higher job demand and starting salary’s than they had ever been before or since.

You Might Be An Idiot, Too!

If you think that Obama with no experience will be better than Hillary Clinton who spent 8 years at the right hand of President Bill Clinton. Who is already on record as one of the greatest Presidents in American history.

You Might Be An Idiot, Too!

If you think that you can change the way Washington works with pretty speeches from Obama, rather than with the experience, and political expertise of two master politicians ON YOUR SIDE like Hillary and Bill Clinton..

You Might Be An Idiot, Too!

If you think all those Republicans voting for Obama in the Democratic primaries, and caucuses are doing so because they think he is a stronger Democratic candidate than Hillary Clinton. :-)

Best regards

jacksmith...

p.s.

If you don't know that the huge amounts of money funding the Obama campaign to try and defeat Hillary Clinton is coming in from the insurance, and medical industry, that has been ripping you off, and killing you and your children. And denying you, and your loved ones the life saving medical care you needed. All just so they can make more huge immoral profits for them-selves off of your suffering...

You Might Be An Idiot, Too!

You see, back in 1993 Hillary Clinton had the audacity, and nerve to try and get quality, affordable universal health care for everyone to prevent the suffering and needless deaths of hundreds of thousands of you each year. :-)

Approx. 100,000 of you die each year from medical accidents from a rush to profit by the insurance, and medical industry. Another 120,000 of you die each year from treatable illness that people in other developed countries don’t die from. And I could go on, and on...

Obama by making these comments exhibits his ignorance about all those who live in rural America. Much of this comes down to the mentality of those who support big government. I just finished reading Denis Boyles book titled Superior, Nebraska, which actually is a book about those who live in Red States and why they think differently from those who live in urban areas of Blue States. Perhaps Obama should read it and then spend some time with these people who cling to their religion and guns.

Obama is the wrong choice. He is a socialist, and he just uses faith to pander to people of faith. Would a committed Christian support abortion or Planned Parenthood? He gave a speech at a Planned Parenthood event. Hillary is no better, abortion is a plank in her platform. Obama does not have enough experience to run the country. McCain is a better choice. He will be careful with our military because be knows what it is like to be in a war and even be a POW.

Areas that suffer from the most blight and economic despair are those areas in which people may vote for single issues such as abortion, but not issues to change their communities economically. We must have an honest discussion on the issue of poverty. I am opposed to abortion, but I am also opposed to children living in poverty. In fact, I am strongly against seeing children going hungry right her in the United States. In marriage counseling, one of the biggest issues for married individuals is financial. Financial issues effect families and often lead to divorce. We must begin to strengthen families, and I see economics as a large part of that equation. We must raise and uplift the economic standards of improvised communities everywhere. For this reason, I encourage all to begin to discuss the issue of voting on just one issue and staying home if no candidate believes in that one issue. There are so many things that need to be considered in this election and if we are honest with ourselves and what it means to vote our values, I believe we must include our economic values as well as others.

Wasn't it Karl Marx who said that religion is the opiate of the masses? This remark by Senator Obama harkens to that and reveals his mindset.

Hilary may have meant well in stating that people of faith are "spiritually rich," but she is wrong. True believers in Christ [I assume we are talking about Christians) do not embrace faith in Jesus because they are spiritually rich but because they recognize how spiritually poor they are. Jesus says, "Blessed are those who are poor in spirit." That being said, I don't support either democratic candidate for president, nor do I support McCain. The only person I would vote for is Ron Paul, the only candidate in the lot who is truly committed to limited, constitutional government. And, although he is a Christian, he doesn't use his faith in Christ as a campaign tool.

Obama has been unmasked for the elitist liberal that he really is. He has no regard for religion, certainly not following Jesus. He is a true believer--in Rev. Wright and black racism. For all of his followers here at CT--keep on making excuses for this deceitful left-wing liberal.

First of all, none of the candidates, including Ron Paul, has all of it "right," in my opinion. Of course, that is always the case, isn't it? Unfortunately, I don't see any of the 3 front runners as top choices, so for many voters, the choice is choosing the best of a weak slate.

Second, I would like to know just what Hillary Clinton has 35 years of experience in that makes her "ready to take command the first day in office," as she has so often repeated. How does being Bill Clinton's wife give her executive experience?

Third,not all of us think sitting at the feet of Bill Clinton is a particularly good training ground for the presidency. For example, if Clinton had taken the appropriate action when we knew where Bin Laden was, there is a reasonable possibility that 9/11 would never have occurred and that would have eliminated the excuse for going into Iraq. Keep in mind the bombing of the American embassy in Kenya and the attack on the USS Cole had already occurred and Bin Laden had taken credit, but Bill still did nothing. And what about White Water, Vince Foster, and Bill's womanizing? Going to church regularly does not automatically make you a devout Christian.

I would also like to know why those of us who don't have an unmitigated love for Bill and Hillary Clinton are considered idiots?!?

Even the usually liberal media has talked/written about how Bill's campaigning for Hillary has been a detriment more often than a positive. To me, that is huge!

Ironically, Obama insulted many in his own denomination, the United Church of Christ (UCC). The UCC is the 5th largest rural and urban religious body in PA, containing nearly 15% of the UCC's 1.2 million members.

Someone posted that Bill Clinton was "already on record as one of the greatest Presidents in American history." My only question is-What record are you listening to? Your turntable needs to be replaced, because it is operating at the wrong speed.

A response to keyser soze,

One of your fellow bloggers gave you the benefit of full disclosure by printing verbatim what Obama said re:individuals clinging to things as a way of explaining their frustrations. Somehow you, not unlike the media, read/heard/understood only guns and religion. Did you somehow miss the litany of other things that he mentioned: "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."

Do you really want to construe xenophobia as "RIGHT"? Is that "RIGHT" really tantamount to the "RIGHT" of freedom from subjugation and discrimination? By the by, is the latter "RIGHT" only warranted only for those of a particularly ethnicity or race? If his (Obama) "RIGHT" of freedom is taken away, how soon will it be that you find yourself in similar circumstances (regardless of your ethnicity).

By the color of your statements, it seems relatively clear that Barack's faux pas is providing the perfect "out" for you such that you can mask your obvious racist proclivity. You can now safely vote for Hillary and couch your decision in the "FACT" that Obama seeks to redress the rights afforded us by the Constitution. Or perhaps you're simply, as psychologists say, projecting:

"If Obama wants to start taking away Rights, perhaps he should lead from the front, and give up some of his rights first, like oh, I don't know the black man's freedom? I bet that would make him bitter..." -keyser soze

Let's make it our first priority to love one another. Only Satan wins when we're hateful. Didn't Jesus say anyone who calls someone a fool will be in danger of hell? That's in the Gospels (look up "raca", which means fool, in a concordance).

We put ourselves and each other "through hell" when we dishonor our God by slamming *any* person made in His image with insults, hateful language, and accusations. Let's leave the name-calling out of the discussion. Regardless of our political views, we can at least be gracious when we share our concerns.

What if all the non-Christians who happened along this thread could truly know we are Christians by our love for one another? What if we actually loved our enemies enough to speak of them with some modicum of respect?

This may sound a bit heated, and for good reason. It burns me up to read such venom as I've seen in several posts of this thread on a Christian site.

Of course there have been a lot of Christlike posts too, from supporters of each candidate. I hope more of the brothers & sisters will follow those examples in the future.

Thanks for taking this into consideration.

in Christ,

Robin Pearson

Obama,
I "cling" to Biblical Christianity because it gives me hope not because I'm bitter. To me it's better then "clinging" to anything man made.

John Sidney McCain III is calling Barak Obama and elitist?

It must break Obama's heart to see good middle class Americans vote against their economic interests by letting pandering Republican politicians trick them into voting for them by hissing them up with "hot botton" issues like guns and school prayer. This what Obama meant by "clinging to guns and religion".

Why is it that Obama always claims his "black" heritage and refers to himself as a "black" man, but never embraces or claims his White heritage and acknowledges that he is also a "white" man?

what could be more honorable than a community meeting together in a church trying to to whats right for their family and neighbors-" cling to " indeed-what about the million man march---or " God Dam America " I'm voting for mccain and planning for the future , living with a subculture of society that doubles its population every 20 years and has the mindset of Mugabe

well, I grew up in a very very rural area. Part of the reason I left (to nyc) was to get away from the judgment and sought after ignorance of the majority of the population. I know both sides very well so no one can say that I don't know what small town "folk" are like because I was one. I cannot see how religion is playing a role in this election at all. The separation of church and state is ignored over and over again. Obama is not a muslim, and even if he were, it should not make a difference. His comment about rural people clinging to guns and religion is not a false statement. This is very much the case in any small town across America. It frustrates me that these "working class rural folk" seem to be frustrated that they are not being listened to in Washington, but are willing to bring in the exact type of regime that we have now. McCain and Clinton are just as greedy and blind to the "regular American" as the pathetic excuse of man we call president today. I am a white adult male. I am from a small town in the south. I have seen the world from a similar prospective as most people who are opposed to Obama have. To me it is quite obvious that the old rich white guy as a leader has lead to nothing but failure in the last 8 years. It is obvious that America needs a change. Why are you all so afraid of change? It cannot be worse than what we are seeing now. please look at both sides of this. stop clinging to your guns and religion.

i think i agree with robin pearson about loving one another.
and i don't have a clue of who i'm going to vote for. remember this... Jesus died for Barack, for Hillary, and for John, just as He died for us... they're all people that Jesus died for, and whom He loves...
let's try to see them not as pawns in our desires for change, or as scapegoats for our rage about a world that doesn't make sense... i can't throw hate at people for long before i find myself looking in the mirror...
in the end, whatever happens, the future really isn't in our hands. all we can do is wrestle with God ourselves, to connect with Jesus in whatever we can, and just trust, even though we're angry or scared or even though we don't understand, even when our lives don't make sense, and when our hearts are sick with a body of death that we can't pull ourselves away from... only He can save...
but salvation isn't something visible, at least not now... remember how Jesus said that 'the kingdom of God is within you'? things change when an individual tries to make a difference.
and i think that God works through invididuals who are open, who want to be His hands and feet and voice and even His heart in this world... sometimes that will be very visible, with Christians like Martin Luther King or Mother Teresa, or even with those who aren't Christians, or at least not in any sense that we can say for sure, like Gandhi or Abraham Lincoln, and sometimes not very visible at all, uncommon acts of kindness, forgiveness, grace, and love, that we don't hear on the news, below the radar, when people sit on benches and talk about things, or when someone holds another when they cry, caregivers and hard workers and people who need healing and hope themselves being vessels of healing and hope to others... and these things happen, and we know it...
because anything is possible with God...
everyone He works through is flawed, a sinner just like everyone else... but still... that's how He works...
one day, God will show up loud and clear, when Jesus comes back... it scares me to think of it, because sometimes God scares, but like God told Jeremiah: 'one day, you will understand this'...
but until then, He will work for the most part individuals, sometimes in big ways, and more often seemingly small, but He is working in this world, saving, growing, healing...
we are sinners in the hands of a God who is angry about sin, but for reasons that we can scarcely understand, because He is God and not man, loves us anyway, and wants to take away our sins, and heal our wounds, and set us free, bring us home... and wants us to love eachother, and all people, as He first loved us, died for us...

I've been having fun since Obama made this comment. My self portrait "Bitter" American on Flicker: http://www.flickr.com/photos/53074154@N00/2414536608/page2/?addedcomment=1#comment72157606069742002

With all due respect, the complaint about Obama is not that he doesn't care about people- I am sure he does. The complaint is about the condescending tone of his remarks, implying that the only reason a person would "cling" to religion, or guns, would be because they are bitter over losing a job, and have become cynical about government.

This is why he cannot connect with the majority of Americans, who actually believe in God. not just because they want to get elected to office, but because God is a real and important presence in their life.

Obama will have to pry my Bible and my shotgun from my cold, dead, redneck hand because I will not reluctantly lay either of them down for him.

So true but sad. I don’t look at Obama as a Muslim, a socialist, a liberal, a black man, or any of the negative terms that people ignorantly used as an excuse not to vote for someone who is intelligent, philosophical, informed, well educated and a pragmatist. Unfortunately, all the above labels or qualities, (including intelligent) sometimes do not appear to be ones many Americans like in their leaders. “We want one of us in the White House” – which is sadly why Sarah Palin brought in a few votes for the Republicans when common sense would ask what is appealing about someone who is so clueless about the world.

Not even a week after the president election the blond topblogger from Sweden, Linda Ekholm speaks out loud about Obama!
And I really believe this is truly written by heart. Scary!

http://www.finest.se/userBlog/?uid=30701&beid=1040511

let them have their guns and bibles. hopefully, they'll put both to good use and reduce the human population.

The smoking gun killing many innocent lives in the US and elsewhere.

Obama has nothing but contempt for the American people, who are predominantly bitter God-and-gun-clingers.

He is bankrupting and disarming the nation.

He betrays our allies and bows to terrorists and tyrants.

He is nationalizing our economy.

He will makes slaves of us all.