Obama on Small-Town Pennsylvania...

[Sam Spade]

Politico's Ben Smith has quoted this from Huffington Post blogger Mayhill Fowler.  His article, of course, has now made it onto Drudge.  I quote from the original article, but have linked both:

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0408/Obama_on_smalltown_PA_Clinging_religion_guns_xenophobia.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mayhill-fowler/obama-no-surprise-that-ha_b_96188.html

And when he spoke to a group of his wealthier Golden State backers at a San Francisco fund-raiser last Sunday, Barack Obama took a shot at explaining the yawning cultural gap that separates a Turkeyfoot from a Marin County.

"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.

"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."

"And 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."
Thoughts?

[elcorazon]

Politico's Ben Smith has quoted this from Huffington Post blogger Mayhill Fowler.  His article, of course, has now made it onto Drudge.  I quote from the original article, but have linked both:

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0408/Obama_on_smalltown_PA_Clinging_religion_guns_xenophobia.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mayhill-fowler/obama-no-surprise-that-ha_b_96188.html

And when he spoke to a group of his wealthier Golden State backers at a San Francisco fund-raiser last Sunday, Barack Obama took a shot at explaining the yawning cultural gap that separates a Turkeyfoot from a Marin County.

"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.

"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."

"And 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."
Thoughts?

seems pretty accurate.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

He's right, people in small-town America would be best voting for a liberal like Obama, but their frustrations come out in the voting booth where they vote on cultural issues.  It's what elected Bush in 2004. 

[Alcon]

Essentially correct but an extremely dumb thing to say.  He should apologize.

Pretty much an Obama gaffe RSS feed, aren't you Sam? 

[tik 🪀✨]

Sounds pretty accurate for a lot of places and people in the Midwest. Perhaps it's rather sweeping, but it's largely true. People won't like to hear it, though.

I look forward to people freaking out about it here. You guys will get upset about anything.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

He has such insight to say such things. If people voted without hate and fear, we've never elect a Republican.

[ChrisFromNJ]

Is he wrong? People are so quick to engage in faux outrage for a GOTCHA...

[opebo]

As always, he speaks the obvious truth.

[Flying Dog]

True but unwise to say in a political sense.

[Sam Spade]

Essentially correct but an extremely dumb thing to say.  He should apologize.

Pretty much an Obama gaffe RSS feed, aren't you Sam? 

The positions of Clinton and McCain gaffe RSS feed were already taken at this site and I suspect very other few people would have lined up for the position.  Besides, the pay's good. 

[Sam Spade]

I'm not surprised of the forum's opinion on his remarks concerning guns, religion and anti-immigrant ideas, but I would have thought differently on anti-trade ideas.  Or maybe there are more free-traders here than I thought.

[ChrisFromNJ]

True but unwise to say in a political sense.

What small towns/counties did Kerry carry in 2004? It may be unwise to say this, but what were the realistic chances of Obama carrying these small counties/towns in (most likely) Central PA that he was referring to?

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

I thought Obama was anti-trade?

[Brittain33]

I'm not surprised of the forum's opinion on his remarks concerning guns, religion and anti-immigrant ideas, but I would have thought differently on anti-trade ideas.  Or maybe there are more free-traders here than I thought.

What about people's responses about this statement indicate their own views about trade?

[Sam Spade]

I'm not surprised of the forum's opinion on his remarks concerning guns, religion and anti-immigrant ideas, but I would have thought differently on anti-trade ideas.  Or maybe there are more free-traders here than I thought.

What about people's responses about this statement indicate their own views about trade?

Although the statement was made in context to small-town PA, there's a direct line between "when they getting bitter" ---> "they cling to anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain frustrations" in his comments.

[Alcon]

I'm not surprised of the forum's opinion on his remarks concerning guns, religion and anti-immigrant ideas, but I would have thought differently on anti-trade ideas.  Or maybe there are more free-traders here than I thought.

What about people's responses about this statement indicate their own views about trade?

Although the statement was made in context to small-town PA, there's a direct line between "when they getting bitter" ---> "they cling to anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain frustrations" in his comments.

Even for someone who is anti-trade, I think that's fairly undeniable.

[ChrisFromNJ]

Obama has never lived in the real America.  Therefore, his inability to connect with Americans is unsurprising.

He has never lived in real America? What in the world are you talking about? This isn't a man born into a hedge fund family. He started out with very little.

[Flying Dog]

Obama has never lived in the real America.  Therefore, his inability to connect with real Americans is unsurprising.

Where exactly is this "real america"?

[Brittain33]

Although the statement was made in context to small-town PA, there's a direct line between "when they getting bitter" ---> "they cling to anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain frustrations" in his comments.

Ok. I presumed the discussion was only about its impact on the campaign and wouldn't have thought to condemn or support Obama--but since I'm from the same milieu that isn't personally threatened by trade, maybe that's why I lack the impulse to condemn him or feel surprised that he said it.

[Brittain33]

Even for someone who is anti-trade, I think that's fairly undeniable.

The problem is that it makes them sound as if they're behaving irrationally or emotionally, and the Democratic platform appears to be that opposition to trade is the rational point of view.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Maybe it wouldn't look quite so bad if he didn't talk about them as though they are an essentially inferior branch of humanity to be talked about in the way that you might talk about, I don't know, hefted sheep.

You'd think that a Luo would grasp that, but apparently not. Disappointing.

[tik 🪀✨]

Obama has never lived in the real America.  Therefore, his inability to connect with real Americans is unsurprising.

It's so cute when you guys say stuff like this! "Real America." Priceless

[Sam Spade]

Obama has never lived in the real America.  Therefore, his inability to connect with real Americans is unsurprising.

Here's the important question?  Has Obama ever lived in or visited "New America"?

[tik 🪀✨]

Obama has never lived in the real America.  Therefore, his inability to connect with real Americans is unsurprising.

Here's the important question?  Has Obama ever lived in or visited "New America"?

Which - Iraq or Afghanistan?

[Keystone Phil]

Keep up that attack on the religious, Barack! Motivate that GOP base!