Posted on 04/13/2008 1:28:33 AM PDT by KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle
Small-town Pennsylvanians aren’t bitter; they’re optimists, steeped in family and tradition, and upset that Barack Obama would characterize them as gun-toting zealots.
That was the message Mayor Chris Doherty had at a news conference Saturday called to rebut comments recently made by Mr. Obama, D-Ill.
Mr. Doherty and supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., including other mayors and union officials, rallied outside the county courthouse, saying Mr. Obama’s remarks reflect a disconnect.
“For a man who just spent six days crossing this state saying he was listening, obviously he wasn’t listening, because he missed us,” Mr. Doherty said.
At a fundraiser outside San Francisco, Mr. Obama said people in small-town Pennsylvania cling to guns, religion and anti-immigration sentiment because they are bitter about the Rust Belt economy.
Former Scranton Mayor Jim Connors said the remarks demean people here as hicks. Mr. Obama wants to transcend stereotypes, but then he stereotyped others, Mr. Connors said.
Standing in front of the John Mitchell statue, Mr. Doherty called hunting a tradition, borne not out of spite but culture and pride. The area’s churches, he said, were built on hopes of improving life and fostering families, not because the population here is downtrodden.
Mr. Doherty pointed to economic growth and investment. He said it’s necessary to combat that negative image.
“That’s not the truth,” he said.
At Mr. Doherty’s side were Mr. Connors and the mayors from Jessup, Taylor, Freeland and Moosic, along with New Hampshire state Sen. Lou D’Allesandro.
Taylor Mayor Richard Bowen said Mr. Obama’s comments hit home beyond Pennsylvania, and he predicts it will cost the senator voters who are on the fence.
Mr. Connors said what most offends him is that Mr. Obama said these things on the other side of the country behind closed doors. Mr. Connors bet Mr. Obama wouldn’t have made such remarks in Altoona.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Obama’s campaign held its own conference call. Mayor John Fetterman of Braddock said the underlying sentiment is sincere. Small-town Americans, he said, are frustrated and angry.
“Everyone acknowledges Mr. Obama may have slipped in different words if he could do it over again, but it’s not patronizing, it’s not condescending, it’s not elitism,” Mr. Fetterman said.
Efforts by the Times-Tribune to reach U.S. Sen Bob Casey Jr., who supports Mr. Obama, were not immediately successful Saturday.
Rosemary Boland, a Clinton delegate and president of the Scranton Federation of Teachers, said while she isn’t quite offended, she disagrees with Mr. Obama and finds the remarks immature.
“He should be very careful with his words and pick the right words to use,” she said.
Contact the writer: jburton@timesshamrock.com
Obama is really saying if you had Government provided jobs and were fat and happy you would not care about guns and guns could easily be banned.
Good point. The same would apply to religion in his thinking.
ignored by “administration” seems code for “give the white folks free stuff and they will not care about god or guns.”
(see great society programs)
zero sum Obama, the rubes need to trade one shiny object for a fat belly.
It has now been four days and the media is quiet. There is no backlash and the Sunday shows are all about how Obama can put Hillary away in Pennsylvania.
What is more amazing about Obama's statement is that he would make it before elitists in San Fransisco.
Google results for "Obama" + "bitter": 537,000.
Result even if only 1% of these were materially relevent: 5,370.
Some "quiet." ;)
Oh no you don't. Not this time. The time for the right words has pasted. After three pieces of evidence to Obama's bias, I am convinced that he believes exactly what he said about small town Americans.
pasted=past
Excellent point, Barry was addressing his fellow hate America comrades, and he was tickling their ears with the bigoted stereotypes that they wanted to hear. Barry never expected for an audio tape of his FULL remarks to be published on the internet by "citizen journalist" just as he never expected that Uncle Jeremiah would go against him by telling someone in his church to go ahead and sell Whitey the damn tapes and show them some of my real preaching.
Operation Chaos continues!
Rush has nothing to do with it...his own liberal friends realized he is not what they thought he was and outed him.
Thanks! ;)
SPOT ON!!! This is bigger than a Steeler draft pick discussion (in other words HUGH!!! and even SERIES!!)
All kidding aside, it is a very, very big offensive hurtful story here...I think some (even out here in the bitter hinterlands) were ‘falling’ for BHO. But we are just racist hicks...Hillary (in local media) is coming across as the school marm smacking down the bully Obama. FWIW, Hillary and her team in SW PA are handling it very well...I am waiting for Rendell (or Bill) to say something equally offensive...but Hill must have them bunkered somewhere in Potter County...
and BC, Jr is just so gosh darn eloquent...can’t wait til he opines on BHO’s gaffe.
It’s “Magic Negro”.
Obama’s organizing methods let him down in this case. According to the Alinsky method, he was supposed to play up the concerns of the group that he is trying to organize. Play up the concerns until he rubs them raw, sympathize with them and then offer them hope by telling them that they can help themselves by rebelling against the established government and demanding that the government respond to their concerns. It’s all sort of like what Jesse Jackson does.
Obama just messed up.
Hillary is defending small towns, worship, and guns in PA so seemlessly I fully expect a media release Monday morning that she is now an NRA lifer.
Got it. I like it.
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