Blogger Is Surprised by Uproar Over Obama Story, but Not Bitter

The backstory of how Senator Barack Obama’s comments about small-town voters became news is getting almost as much attention in the blogosphere as the comments themselves.

Mayhill Fowler, a blogger for OffTheBus.net, a Web site published by Huffington Post and created by Arianna Huffington and Jay Rosen, was the first to report Mr. Obama’s comments — that small-town voters bitter over their economic circumstances, “cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them” as a way to explain their frustrations.

The comments created an instant sensation in the media and Senator Hillary Rodham-Clinton seized on them, hoping they would slow Mr. Obama’s momentum in the polls against her in Pennsylvania, which votes in 8 days. If Pennsylvania rejects Mr. Obama by a big margin, and voters in Indiana and North Carolina follow suit, the comment could be seen as the game-changer.

Ms. Fowler told me in an interview Sunday night that she was initially reluctant to write about what Mr. Obama had said because she actually supports him -- which partly explains why she was at the fund-raiser in the first place and why there was a four-day delay between the event and the publication of her post. Ultimately, she said, she decided that if she didn’t write about it, she wouldn’t be worth her salt as a journalist.

Some Obama supporters in the blogosphere were up in arms at Ms. Fowler. They doubt that she really supports Mr. Obama, have called her a plant for Mrs. Clinton and suggested she was deceptive in getting into the fund-raiser.

The whole episode gives a revealing glimpse into yet even more ways in which the Internet is changing the coverage of politics. And Ms. Fowler says she is surprised that she is playing a role in this revolution.

No one has raked in more cash in San Francisco than Hillary Clinton. Recall: "I'm taking something from you for the common good" -- took place at a private event IN San Francisco.

In re BO's "rural bitter" comments, why is anyone surprised. It's a strategy. Not for a second did he "misspeak" as he is now asserting.

We saw this same despicable stereotyping happen in the JENA 6 CASE -- an entire town was vilified as racist, red-neck white racists, when in fact that wasn't the case at all. The media didn't even care to research facts; they simply echoed the black supremacist assertions of lies.

And even yet no one can fathom or determine what happened to all that cash raised to "free the Jena 6". I've no doubts Jodie Evan's "group" donation to BO's campaign is typical, rather than unusual. The funds will all ultimately end up in the Clinton's pockets.

This gambit of HC and NO requires no rocket scientist to see thru.

“The whole episode gives a revealing glimpse into yet even more ways in which the Internet is changing the coverage of politics.”
At least one ratmedia type gets it. The new media will destroy barack mcgovern in the general and there is nothing the ratmedia will be able to do to cover up for him.

I find it ironic that people use THIS medium to write that the “media will go into overdrive to cover up Obama’s problems and highlight McCain's.” It will be THIS medium that destroys barack mcgovern.

Sounds like they want her outed as the next Greg Gutfield(whatever happened to him? I love reading his columns)

I think that it is funny though. She breaks the story on a website dedicated to rich, mostly white Liberals who probably live around the area of the Getty’s and have the same thoughts. Can anybody else see the irony, including Obama’s apology on the same rich, white Liberal website?

A blog run by a working class Liberal doesn’t matter but a blog run by a rich, white Liberal on a cruise does. Obama was an elitist before this story broke.

I also find it funny that everybody is saying that it hurts Obama except for Obama himself.

I wonder why she isn’t a McCain plant, probably because Hillary has already had enough plants to start her own garden and she donated to Hillary’s campaign.

One must also remember that it was in San Fran when during the 2004 protests was a guy who had a sign saying F Middle America. That is the kind of attitude they live in. Then there is the generalization that Pbitondo(who might have a family full of Democrats) shares which is that her family in small town PA are angry for no reason, that they don’t understand it and that they are “jobless” yet they can afford the ammo to put into the guns that they hunt with. So her family has been jobless for 18 years? No wonder, she really needs Big Daddy Government to help her parents.

And how is Obama the poorest of the three candidates? Besides being married to a heiress(which is probably why somebody would say that), John McCain did not graduate from Harvard, he was a soldier. He was also a man in a long-line of military people. McCain also did not become a lawyer, he became a senator. Obama also went to private schools in Hawaii. Knowing that McCain is still more blue collar in some respects than Obama. In fact in 2004 President Bush was the poorest out of the VP, and the Democratic candidates.

It is also funny that Chuck Ignoriss is using Republican points to say why people support Obama. Again with the news article about how the Bush Administration “approved torture”. I still find the reaction to it completely outrageous. Ah, a Liberal Journalist who has worked in the business for 20 years, is that you Dan Rather?

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