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Obama defends comments about bitterness in small towns
The Chicago Tribune ^ | April 11, 2008 | John McCormick

Posted on 04/11/2008 7:54:25 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Sen. Barack Obama was criticized Friday by his two fellow presidential candidates for statements he made recently at a San Francisco fundraiser that could be viewed as derogatory toward rural America.

"You go into 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," Obama said Sunday, according to the Huffington Post web site.

"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," Obama reportedly continued. "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."

Obama does not allow reporters into fundraisers held at private residences, so they were not reported at the time.

The comments could fuel suggestions that Obama can be arrogant. They began circulating on the Internet Friday and drew rapid responses from both Sen. Hillary Clinton, his rival for the Democratic nomination, and Sen. John McCain, the likely Republican nominee.

"It's a remarkable statement and extremely revealing," McCain adviser Steve Schmidt said in a statement. "It shows an elitism and condescension towards hardworking Americans that is nothing short of breathtaking, it is hard to imagine someone running for president who is more out of touch with average Americans."

Clinton, campaigning in Pennsylvania, also suggested Obama sounded like an elitist.

(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Front Page News; Politics/Elections; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: adividernotauniter; amishvote; antitheism; condescendingliberal; elections; elitists; flyovercountry; gaffe; hillary; liberalbigot; macacamoment; mccain; obama; pa2008; phonychristian; projection; psychobabble; rural; thescreampart2
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Keep talking, Barry!
1 posted on 04/11/2008 7:54:25 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Its just typical white people, with holes in our souls, getting all jacked up.


2 posted on 04/11/2008 7:56:48 PM PDT by PGR88
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

“...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.”

Un-FREAKIN’ believable!


3 posted on 04/11/2008 7:56:51 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (Save The Earth. It's The Only Planet With Chocolate.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Image hosted by Photobucket.com
and the RATS, take another one in the..................HA ha!!!

4 posted on 04/11/2008 7:59:20 PM PDT by Chode (American Hedonist ©®)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

If Obama doesn’t see it on a teleprompter he shouldn’t say it.


5 posted on 04/11/2008 7:59:37 PM PDT by Anti-Bubba182
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Imagine a President who has even more contempt for the American people than Jimmy Carter does.


6 posted on 04/11/2008 8:00:16 PM PDT by VR-21
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Just came across this on the Just One Minute blog:

HALP US BEROK O'BOMBA-- WE R STUK HEAR N ALTOONA

LOL! Deserving of a good photoshop.

7 posted on 04/11/2008 8:00:46 PM PDT by Timeout
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To: Chode
He stepped in something...


8 posted on 04/11/2008 8:02:25 PM PDT by Condor 63
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Comment #9 Removed by Moderator

To: 2ndDivisionVet

Yeah, I cling to guns and religion and keeping hostile invaders out. I guess that makes me bitter. And Christian, and patriotic. Out of touch, Barack?


10 posted on 04/11/2008 8:04:26 PM PDT by Sender (Stop Islamisation. Defend our freedom.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Another quote:

“I’m out of touch? No, I’m in touch,” he said. “I know exactly what’s going on. I know what’s going on in Pennsylvania, I know what’s going on in Indiana. I know what’s going on in Illinois. People are fed up, they’re angry, frustrated and they’re bitter and they want to see a change in Washington.”

Pinging John Edwards!

When you look around at the people you know, does that describe you? Full of bitterness and despair?

It sure doesn’t describe me or my family!


11 posted on 04/11/2008 8:05:00 PM PDT by Mr Rogers (Let's win Congress - the Presidency is lost!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Lying headline!

He didn’t defend anything.

He just kept repeating that HE’S not out of touch, the other two are.

What a load.


12 posted on 04/11/2008 8:06:01 PM PDT by Mrs.Z ("...you're a Democrat. You're expected to complain and offer no solutions." Denny Crane)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

so does this-”then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion” why you were Lewinskying the good Revrand Wright-because that’s how YOU turned to religion.


13 posted on 04/11/2008 8:06:38 PM PDT by mrmargaritaville
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To: Mr Rogers
Full of bitterness and despair?

Well I am not exactly happy about the check I just had to write the IRS but aside from that things are cool.

14 posted on 04/11/2008 8:07:34 PM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear (A good marriage is like a casserole, only those responsible for it really know what goes into it.)
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Comment #15 Removed by Moderator

To: 2ndDivisionVet
Ask B.Hussein who the enemy is, it wont be Achmadenajhad, or Al Sadr, the boys in Alqueada........No.

Bitter white people, thats who Obama , sees as the enemy.

His wife, His pastor and now He, Himself tells us we are the enemy.

16 posted on 04/11/2008 8:08:48 PM PDT by Kakaze (Exterminate Islamofacism and apologize for nothing.....except not doing it sooner!)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin
...they cling to Marxist revolutions or racist preachers or anitpathy to people who are not as politically correct as them or pro-illegal alien sentiment or an anti-American mentality as a way to explain their frustrations.

There, that's better!

17 posted on 04/11/2008 8:10:04 PM PDT by Wilhelm Tell (True or False? This is not a tag line.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Ya-yup. Just clingin’ to mah anti-trade sentiment here on the porch. Gawrsh!


18 posted on 04/11/2008 8:10:09 PM PDT by P.O.E. (Thank God for every morning.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
His internal polls in Pennsylvania must not be showing him taking out the Mz. Clinton. So it is the voters fault for not doing his work for him.
19 posted on 04/11/2008 8:10:58 PM PDT by Just mythoughts (Isa.3:4 And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

You know...The damaging part about this, is not that he meant to be huerful, or he intended to be derogatory..the damaging part of his description, is the fact that this is how he sees, and thinks about americans who donn’t live in big city rat warrens of Liberalism. It is eye opening to see that he thinks of small town America as soomehow being natural preserves for americas “not too bright” relatives. Gun totin, bible thumpin, xenophobes, who are somehow clueless, that the products of their labors, are intrinsically tied to international trade.

We are to be pityied.

What ignotant Liberal snobbery. More of the Liberal “Soft Bigotry”.


20 posted on 04/11/2008 8:11:18 PM PDT by DGHoodini (Tin eared zeroes and Hollypukes comin...)
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