Evan Bayh Doesn’t Think Obama is an Elitist

I disagree
The Republicans would hammer Hillary on Bosnia
then hammer Bill on Bosnia
This “bitter” comment is only weekend news
It won’t last
Just as everyone thought Rev. Wright was the controversy to damage Obama
His poll numbers increased

It’s just not accurate to say that Hillabeans is any less likely to spur on the Republican attack machine than Senator Obama.
We just have to be ready for them, and Senator Obama has proven he is the most capable of meeting them head-on.
Obama 2008 — Yes, WE CAN!!!

Vanessa – No offence, you are biased in favor of Obama. Currently Obama is tied with McCain. Obama used to lead him by double digit.
This democratic fight has lasted a bit longer than thought.
I used to think of a dream ticket with both Obama and Clinton, but now with so much fight between them this ticket would rather backfire.
I am concerned we will have to live with McCain for the next 4 years.
Good luck to the democrats.

I am a rich American who made my money myself. I did not inherit it from my father. What Obama said is the real truth! I am appalled that he has to recant the wording.
“You demand politicians to be honest and when they speak the truth you despise them”
Now a question!
Are you all blue collar workers in small towns in PA happy that you have lost your good paying jobs, houses, sons and daughters in Iraq? Are you not bitter?

So, small town folk go to church and hunt because they are bitter. Not because they love god or like to hunt. They also take their “bitterness” out on immigrants, who they dont like either, because they are so busy hating and going to church and hunting to express their hate. Is that it? LOL

There is SOOOOOOO much ammunition that the Republicans have for Hillary.
Evan Bayh should think TWICE on what he said that Hillary isn’t as vulnerable.
The reality is that she REALLY is.
The Republicans have been preparing for over a year in case Hillary gets the nomination. The Republicans have just been preparing for a few months for Obama.
Hillary, be careful for what you wish for.

In a discussion today with my neighbors this topic came up. the word elitist came up and out of the 5 of us. think that if you make $100,000.00 a year your are elite.
so John, Hillary you are also calling yourselves that name also to the working poor.
I would like to know what dollar value others believ that you makes you elite?

I fix shoes for a living, and I think Obama should not be attacked for what he said, he should be elected. He shows that he understands why working people are ###### off, and why guns and religion are important issues to a lot of working people.

Honest
Working class get it . Its the weathy who do not.

Michelle Obama took 50K a year from a company named treehouse, huge supplier to walmart. Clintons had nothing until after they left the white house.
Obama and Michelle already rich off of corporations and trade. Rich AND bitter!

Those who would wrongly label Obama as ‘elitist’ are too bedazzled by his acute intellect, his Harvard eduction, and University professor status to notice that Obama is as down to earth as they come.
Intelligent young people DO NOT flock to ‘elitists’ in droves. They FLOCK TO TRUE LEADERS, like President Obama.
And those who would wrongly suggest that Obama is ‘out of touch’ are feigning ignorance of Obama’s years of service as a Community Organizer, Civil Rights lawyer and State senator to working American families who lost their jobs due to plant closing in Illinois.

This is so much BS. Anti-Immigration was spread to help explain why people lost there jobs. When bad trade deals take away American jobs, Politicians like Hillary have to deflect the blame to outside groups but If you lost your only source of income or insurance you blame the person who took the job away from you. The politician and the immigrant. You become cynical of what the government will do and you retreat to other values and propagate anti-immigration, and anti-trade notion because your angry and bitter. What Obama was saying was true of the social situation and to take away the complexity of the situation shows how out of touch $109 million Hillary is.
What happen to this outrage when it was proven Hillary lied about supporting NAFTA, or Bosnia, or Ireland, or when Penn went to Columbia of all places. All these things are a lot worse then anything Obama’s done.

Hey Al
Hillary worked on the Board for Walmart has a Corporate Lawyer. And lied in South Carolina when she said she work for women’s rights when fact she did nothing but keep quiet while Walmart pushed out Unions.
This is the real reason so many Unions jump off the Hillary bandwagon.

michelle and obama already have their fingers in the pie, while the clintons didn’t have a dime until after they left the white house. but you go ahead and keep drinking that kool aid. obama is not electable. whoever urged him to run NOW was nuts to do so.
obama is no longer the savior: he is just another politician and actually he is bumbling more than most. he is mired in race and class issues now that can will be used against him, and only a fool would have gotten into this position. Not CIC material.

DavidM and roger, Hillary is unelectable and with her 109 million does not care about poor people like you and me. She has never seen a bitter personne in America, never, she has never seen an unhappy American, eveything is good and fine, that is why more than 70% of the Americans say that the country is going in the wrong direction. Hill the Bosnian General has only happy people in her meetings, people who have not lost jobs or health care, etc. People do not be distracted, let us open our eyes the mischaracterization of Obama’s words is a serious distraction. Leaders have to feel the pain of people and that is what Obama was expressing. God bless America and God bless Obama.OBAMA08.

Lobbyist do not care who they hurt. As long as they get what they Lobby for.columbia trade deal .who will this effect Unions , American workers

New Yorker:
Your assertion that people who believe Obama is elitist are “bedazzled” by his credentials is comical. I am equally credentialed as Obama (we have just about the same academic background). I am a University Professor — not a lecturer, and many others consider me intelligent (although I am too modest to state that affirmatively). Yet, I see the elitism in his comments, and I am not wowed by his credentials at all.
Intelligent young people are a mixed bag just like everyone else. They can (and have) flocked to elitists and to people who are not true leaders (whatever that means). There is nothing remarkable and compelling about the candidates that young people support. If anything, older voters know more about leadership and potential for change, since they have more experience on these matters.
I would not say that Obama is “out of touch” for making these comments. I would argue, however, that he was impolitic and elitist. The white liberal crowd in the San Francisco audience supports a lot of policies that might harm persons of color and the poor (like gentrification and land use — which has made San Francisco completely unaffordable to most persons of color, the poor, and to most families with children). Are San Francisco whites bitter? Or do they embrace policies based on principle? This is the fundamental problem in his statement. He seemingly removes the potential for principled political commitment from the table when talking about poor whites. He would NEVER do that when talking about wealthy whites and their political views. And if Clinton had said something similar about a demographic beyond her reach, Obama’s supporters would be drumming for her execution. Imagine someone asking Clinton, for example, why she is doing poorly among black voters, and she said: “Well, things are bad for blacks economically, and they are bitter and left out. As a result they are very religious, oppose immigration, do not support abortion rights, are anti-trade, and I guess are not that comfortable with me because I do not look like them.” No one would call for calm and context.
Finally, I find it disturbing that his response followed a question concerning his inability to attract working-class voters. What does he do? Accuse them of being unprincipled and angry — a result of Bush and Clinton. His refusal to look inward is galling and wreaks of narcissism. But that seems to be a common theme in his campaign – at least among his surrogates. The have argued, for example, that if he loses the election, we should blame Clinton. If Obama loses to the Republicans, at their lowest point in modern history, following one of the worst Republican presidents in history, immediately after or during a recession, and during a very unpopular war, then Obama can blame himself alone, not Clinton. Similarly, he should blame himself for his inability to connect with poor voters. Outside of African Americans, he does miserably among the poor. The media and many of his online fans have attributed this to racism. He blames Bush and Clinton. None of these answers is helpful.

Obama is a huckster who is not electable. Keep dissing the Clintons if that makes you feel better, but you are only continuing in a losing proposition. Sorry that you backed the wrong person.

Clinton has a stronger record than Al Gore had?
Where does this guy get this stuff?

How many years Obama graduated from college, how many years he has owned six figure money, why can`t he pay his debt from college, tax deduction???

lauren — obama said he is not in favor of protectionism. he has never said he would have voted against nafta as a senator, and he says if elected president, he would not seek to have it repealed. so, how exactly does he differ from clinton in the issue of nafta?

Al
I’ve notice your statements are not supported by facts. When forming an opinion don’t let facts get in the way of supporting Hillary. Truth be told she nearly cant win because all Obama needs is to win Indiana and North Carolina and 33% of the superdelegates to clinch the nomination.
I will say this to your credit, the media needs to stop putting Americans against each other. Catholic vs Protestants, Blacks vs Latino vs Whites, Educated vs Lesser Educated.

O my god a Bad words, “people are BITTER”-
Shame on Obama for telling the truth.
She is trying soo hard to find something to make obama look bad, It really make her look like she is sick in the head. The multi-millionairest has no Idea what the people below that make $50 thousand really think and feel!!! This is sooo stupid!! God please help her!! Republicans are also bitter — ‘Bitter Feud Among Republicans!!!

Lauren – if Obama cannot beat McCain, it’s his own fault – not Clinton’s. The argument that Clinton is destroying him and the Democratic party is just paranoia and fear-mongering among his supporters. In the “real world,” we know that the Democrats have only had one two-term president since Harry Truman!!!! And that president was Bill Clinton — the person who Obama’s college-age and white wealthy supporters despise, even though he stood up to the Republcans, balanced the budget, created a surplus, cut taxes, appointed liberals to the federal courts, and helped usher through important legislation (including the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Violence Against Women’s Act).
This is the party of Carter, Mondale, Dukakis, Gore, and Kerry. A bunch of losers get nominated every four years; now that the party is nominating another likely loser, it is Clinton’s fault. You guys are just enabling his narcissism. It’s Bush’s and Bill Clintons’s fault why poor people do not vote for him. It’s Hillary Clinton’s fault why he might lose to McCain. I guess he is only responsible for his success. Talking about assuming the mantra of a victim.

tony, these obama supporters don’t understand that obama would lose in november. those of us who are not obamanuts are going to cross over to mccain after this horrible treatment we have received. their prize will be an empty one. the dems do this almost every time.

nICHOLAS
Say if your from a small state you do not count. ah shucks I thought this was America were everyone counts. Once Again Hillary supporters think only a few states count.
It’s a good thing that Barack is running He thinks all states count.
Hillary talks about the Big states
Fla. and Mich. right.
Well does she tell you that her senior advisor help strip delegates? nah that would make those voters angry with her.

Gina
Nicely said. Hillary’s apology consisted of geez I’m human.

lobbyist serve only those to whom they lobby for.
they do not care who they hurt and how they hurt them.
Mark Penn
Bill Clinton

While the discussion on this non issue continues,
Supporters of Obama have accepted the Colbert challenge and are only about 5 grand short of the 150 grand donation goal to Pennsylvania school. It seems Obama supporters care more about education then Hillary’s. I would think supporters would donate more then 20 grand. I guess one voice can make a difference.
Bye the way, he can win is not a valid argument not to vote for someone. It’s like voting for the British because the colonies can’t be the most impressive military Europe has seen.

Wake up Americans. It is not about money, who has it or not, but which candidate recognizes one essential truth and that is that the average, not wealthy, Americans like me who are indeed bitter that they are not being listened to and we are afraid, not of foreign enemies, we can handle them, we always have. But that we are afraid of not being able to live out our years in the hope that our children will do well and not have to greatly suffer the consequences of the past several years of inept “leaders” in the government, who are indeed the domestic enemies who endanger our future. The Clinton duo are certainly not offering us much hope with their inability to tell the truth! And the erratic and confused John McCain certainly is not the face of hope for us. Barack Obama stands out to the great numbers of working people, like myself, of America as a man of principle who will represent all of US and not the establishment of Washington D.C. I will continue to send him the few dollars I can spare each month to see him elected. Si se puede! Yes we can!

I apologize Al I mistook what you said. You have such leaps in judgment and thinking I thought you were referring to me. But to enlighten you, Black people didn’t start voting for Obama until Bill Clinton started bashing Obama. Remember the polls show a 50/50 split before South Carolina. Obama also won Iowa, No black candidate for president has won Iowa. Obama earned the black vote, and Hillary lost the black vote by doing nothing for us. List some reason why Hillary should have our support. By the way Obama has done alot for the Black community in Chicago has a state legislature.

I think the Super delegates of the democratic party are doing the party a great deal of harm. Only time will tell. This is not an ordinary election, this is an election in which the Democratic party has its best and may be the best chance it will ever have to win the General election. Super delegates do not have to wait for this thing to play itself out, if they do, it will be too late, the party will not heal and the democtratic party may not win in November. This is the time for them to show their mantle and the reason they are Super delegates and come out and support the leader in delegates otherwise they will go down to the drain with any one other than the one leading in the delegate count and who it appears will be leading after all the primaries.

I have one problem with what Mr. Obama said: Cling to their religion
This man is NOT A CHRISTIAN – end of story. A true christian would never say, think, believe that they use their religion to deal with their bitterness.
Excuse me – what is wrong with people on this blog beating this to death. VERY CLEAR NOW WHO MR. OBAMA IS AND WHAT HE BELIEVES. I knew he would eventually give himself away. He just did it!!! Argue all you want about the word bitter/not the issue/ the issue is he is not a christian. I would never vote for this guy. Anyone who hangs on to the Obama cause is nuts.
HILLARY 08

Obama hit it on the head. The economically depressed understood his words and he is right. One day there will be a economical incited revolution in this country it will cross racial and gender lines as the rich get richer and the poor poorer. I’am sorry if I sound bitter.

I grew up in a small town, and while I think Senator Obama was correct in saying that people are bitter (though angry would have been a better word), he was wrong to suggest that small town folks like myself “cling” to guns or religion because we are bitter…that is just wrong, and it pushes a negative stereotypes of middle America. We are religious because we believe and we like guns because we enjoy hunting…these two things were a part of our culture long before we fell upon hard times. And as far as him suggesting that we don’t like immigrants, well, my small town welcomed my immigrant parents and I with open arms…
And why does Senator Obama think only people in small towns are bitter? People in cities are plenty bitter and they also carry guns. You need look no further than Senator Obama’s own Rev. Wright to know that people are bitter in cities. If Senator Obama is making the argument that these people are bitter because they have been failed by Bush and Clinton what makes him think he can do any better? He has been a part of Rev. Wright’s church and family, by his own description, for 20 years and Rev. Wright is still plenty bitter…
While I am willing to believe that Senator Obama may not have meant the words to come across as poorly as they did, I really do believe he owes small town folks like myself an apology. NOT because he said we were bitter, but because he suggested that in our bitterness we “cling” to foolish things like guns and religion (that was the implication), and we become xenophobic. His comments reinforce negative stereotypes about rural America that are not fair and if he wants to be President of all of America, not just urban America, he needs to show that he gets it, that he can relate to all of America.

tony
If I understand you correctly Obama is guilty of tailoring his speeches to the audience, I’ll give you that one. But pandering is when you change positions for an audience, in this case doesn’t apply. For example suddenly being pro-gun in Texas and anti-gun in Los Angeles. By your standards all writing, speeches are pandering. Your argument falls short because emphasizing position to certain crowds it not parenting but rather sound campaigning. Take the job searching example: If I were to apply for an overseas job, I would put a studied abroad or foreign Language skills in my resume. Pandering would be writing Spanish when it is a lie. Knowing how to speak to people with different backgrounds is an accepted plus for Obama.
Your other opinion is valid, but it leaves alot out. For instance Nafta is not a bad idea, in fact it’s a good idea. But if you look at both sides of the border the reason it failed was because of unenforced Labor agreements. Remember Mexico had an uprising over Nafta.
The bitter comment is where the context leaves the discussion to interpretation. If I lost my Job, I would turn to religion for guidance. It’s the empathy that negates the elitest critique. He tries to put himself in there shoes and see where there coming from. Yes they aren’t immediately voting for him because he is different. This why he pointed out his name and age in the first place in the passage. Hillary is name brand Democrat and people will pick her as the safe choice. Also the fact that politicians do push anti-immigrant policies to explain away job losses. There was serious debate about this earlier in the race.
By the way I apologize if I misunderstood your original post, I welcome a good and intelligent argument. But be careful it is easy to selectively picking information that supports your original argument.

LA in Indiana — most of the so-called “gaffes” in this campaign have come as a result of people asking questions. So this is beyond the point. He did attack them, and I stand by that.

tony, that is disingenuous.
He was asked why he thought they were not voting for him, why his numbers were not going up….and if you read his response ending with (and I paraphrase) we already don’t trust our lousy gov’t, and now here comes this black guy asking for our vote….
What he stated was not an attack, but fact. They are angry, they are frustrated, they don’t know him and are trying to decide if they should believe what he says.
The government is not only NOT listening to them, this gov’t we have is not listening to anyone that doesn’t have money.
It is funny how saying you understand why people feel the way they do has now become an ‘attack’.
I don’t care how you spin it, that is just wrong.

bill and hillary have turned into nothing but background noise.
PA voters, we don’t want more of the same. The clintons have adopted karl rove tactics, jumping on distraction after distraction. Please take this baby home.
O-ba-ma 08

Hey, here’s a way for Hillary to show us how elitist she isn’t: She can give back her half of the $800,000 Bill got paid by the Colombian government to sell out American workers on CAFTA.
While she’s at it, maybe she’ll explain why she expressed her “opposition” to NAFTA by helping Bill get it through Congress.

This double standard in the media is the problem. HRC lies week after week and the media give her a free pass. Her own supporter Senator Bayh disagree with her assertions but will ignore her lies and call for super delegates to rally around HRC. This is remarkable when you think about it – the liar get no scrutiny but the one who expresses truth is being bashed. This is further proof that race is the elephant on the dining room table.

How in the world can it spin this way…Obama said small town America is bitter racist gun-toting religious fanatics…It is pretty clear what he said…and to try to spin it into “I want to work for these people and make their lives better” is a stretch.
He was explaining at a fundraiser whey he hadn’t gone over the top yet in PA…despite the millions and millions he’s been spending.
It’s because all the bitter ignorant people hadn’t fallen for him yet.
Master deceiver this one.

People please face it. If Obama had the dismal lack of judgment to stain the very fabric of the American electorate and express his elitist, highly insensitive views to a group of San Francisco millionaires then he simply doesn’t have the IQ nor the continental compass to be president. It simply proves he is out of touch. He catered to these rich people’s “hauteur” and imperialistic musings without flinching or thinking of the consequences. He got caught saying exactly what he thought. One hopes that the eventual nominee is the president for all people, at the very least “the smartest guy in the room.” This last “bitter” issue in addition to the way he handled the “God Damn America” Reverend Wright controversy clearly proves that Obama is not that “guy”. Let’s face it Hillary is and has always been—thirty five years ago and from day one.

People in small town PA: Are you NOT BITTER?

Why must we dissect every word uttered? Why can’t we accept what BO said and view it in the context it was presented? There is no spin. The what “if’s” only confuse voters (HRC is counting on that). I agree with BO because there are politicians who feed off voters emotions and lead them astray from the real issues. If we can’t see this for what it is then we will fail come November.

Sen. Obama said that people do not believe the govt can deliver for them so they don’t vote based on a belief that things can change. Instead they vote on other things important to them like gun rights, religion, etc.

A poplation of 300 million and these are the presidential candidates we have to choose from?

A person only knows what they know which in Barack’s case is either the southside of Chicago that is feeling their pain by embracing racial hatred and wild thoughts that the government is plotting against them, or his personal home setting in a upper intellectually elite environment in Chicago. Neither setting is in any way like most of PA. PA is a big state with a lot of the population living in a rural environment. Barack’s experience is city living which is a pretty big difference. I personally find it degrading and ugly to refer to certain states as being poorly educated and thus inferring that they are dumb and are taking up guns and hanging out with only certain people because they are ignorant. So if you choose to think like that what can be said about the congregation that he sat with for 20 plus years. Are those folks smart? Are they happy? Are they well educated? And yet, he felt very comfortable with that church? So PA voters are bitter because Bill Clinton and George Bush have largely ignored them. I assume that Barack’s church members are bitter for the same reasons and also because their elected officials which include Barack ignored them too. The truth is that jobs come and go. Companies constantly look for ways to cut costs, do things cheaper or more efficiently which frequently requires less manpower . It is called progress. When one door opens usually another one opens. The key is seeing that opening.

Some people really make me laugh! To say that the Clintons had nothing until after they left the white house!! What a level of ignorance. They had plenty (or do you think that Hillary worked for free being a partner of a legal firm in Arkansas or sitting in the Walmart board of directors? They just had to many legal fees to pay to defend themselves from all their Whitewater dealings… For God sake! They took “souvenirs” from the White House before they left.
I don’t defent Obama not I critize it, but some Clinton’s supporters are incredibly blind.
One thing I need to do is to congratulate the Clinton’s for being so effective in brainwashing people.
<>

Oh Good God help us all with the level of ignorance displayed here. It is absolutely scary that these people are given the right to vote. It’s too bad we all have to pay the price for their bad choices when they make it at the voting machine.
This nonsense is without a question a smoke screen that’s why senator Bayh made the comment he did. CNN irritates the crap out of me. They spend hours reporting nonsense stories like this and hype it up meanwhile they barely focus on issues like the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. When was the last time you heard of the progress in Afghanistan where Bin Laden is supposed to be? How far have we gotten in capturing this man? But yet we have hours upon hours of looping nonsense stories like this because Hillary is wants it that way. When McCain was making serious gaffes that show his level of incompetence, news networks barely covered it because the status quo has no issues with that. But here they zero in on a real person who was trying to make sense of the state of our nation so we can fix it together. To fix something you have to understand it, to understand it you have to analyze it. So Hillary and McCain sure have not done that so they bash the person who has. Then voters turn around and wonder why we are in the condition we are in.
Voters it is up to us not them, if we want to change our situation for the better, we must turn over a new page and eliminate the status quo, eliminate the pettiness in politics and let us analyze and solve the true problems holding us down. Enough foolish pride, time to change this for real and for the better. Time to vote for the real change we can seriously believe in.

CNN and many of the main stream media that are pushing Obama forward, are the same venues that were used to push GW Bush down our throats through 2 elections. If Barack Obama wins the Democratic nomination, their defense of Obama will change, overnight.
They do not want a Democratic president. That is why they have chosen to back the one Democrat that has a lot of unanswered, serious, questions kind of hanging out there.
I was stunned when GW made it the first time. I thought it would be impossible for him to win the second time. But, mainstream media’s constance attacks on Al Gore talked a number of Democrats into voting for GW the second time. How ridiculous!
And, now, you are going to do it again? That is incredible.
If Barack Obama wins, mark my word, CNN will be mopping the floor with him immediately. You will all be sitting back stunned and have no one to blame but yourselves. Too bad, because the United States of America has gone as low as it can go.
We won’t have to worry about Mexican immigrants crossing our borders, because we’ll be clamoring to get into Mexico!

I listened to Sen. Obama’s speech about bitternes, and he is right, problem is no one wants to accept the truth, when a man or woman asks you look at the realities.
Reality, why are the industrial jobs going to China, because we give tax breaks to businesses who send our job overseas. Penalize business for doing this to the people that make this country great.
The jobs are gone and will never come back unless we face the fact and move into other jobs. Renewable energy, becoming less dependent on oil, do give the oil companies tax breaks, give it to the people that need it.
It is not the illegals that are defeating us, it is the notion that no one in government will get off their dead ass and stop it.
The media makes this sound like a death sentence, and we allow John McCain say it is okay that your children are dying in Iraq for freedom. More will die and he doesn’t care, because he is fulfilling his Republican agenda, let our jobs die, foreclose on our homes, have no health care, and he will be happy.

First his wife says she’s never been proud to be an American, then his minister wants God to damn America, he talks about “typical white people,” and now he’s saying people hold on to core beliefs out of cynisism…what more is it going to take before the Democrats come to the realization that he’s the wrong candidate and that the Republicans are going to crucify him in the general election? The superdelegates really need to take a closer look at Obama, and they need to support Hillary Clinton. If they don’t, we’re looking at another four to eight years of a Republican in the White House.
I know this Democrat won’t fall in line if Obama gets the nomination. I’m not supporting him now because he’s the worst candidate running, and my mind isn’t going to change just because Howard Dean tells me to change it.

Wake Up America !!!! Iwouldnt care if Obama was purple! His true character is really starting to show
1. His name Barack Obama
2. Ties with Farrakan, Rev. Wright, Omar kadafy, George Soros(socialist)
3. Refuses to wear American Lapel Pin
4. Refuses to cross his heart durng the peldge of alligance.
5. Has continued to fuel the divison of race by his continual comments of how white society is to blame.
6. Wife speaks to black women groups teling them because they are not white they have to work harder.
7. Wife “for the first time is proud of America”
8. Why in Indiana were tickets for him attached with having to make 75 calls for him or no tickets which only occured in Valparaiso IN,, prodomently white area?? Where the people of Gary required to do so as well?
9. Obama has the nerve to say people in Pennsyvania are bitter? Did he not justify Rev Wrights comments and teaching due to the black cultures bitterness?
If Obama becomes president, the middle east will be dancing in the streets in celebration as if “Mohammed” himself came to earth, they will never have to fire a single shot.
GOD SAVE US ALL !!!

It’s scary how American voters get led around by the nose. I have tried and tried to think of a way in which Obama’s comments could legitimately be interpreted that would offend rural Americans, but I can’t see it. Obama suggested that because rural voters have been losing jobs and being ignored by politicians that they are bitter, does anyone seriously argue with that? He went on to say that many voters end up focused on narrow issues, such as gun control and imigration, and go to church to find some solace, again does anyone argue with that? Then the same politicians who have been ignoring them all along, lead them by the nose to the conclusion that anyone suggesting that they feel bitter about their treatment is out of touch. It makes me even more bitter than I already was to see how easily rural voters get tricked into supporting politicians who don’t give a damm about them.
Why do people find it so difficult to believe that Obama is what he seems to be, an intelligent, ethical guy who thinks the USA needs some serious change. McCain and Clinton want a new job, they have both been chasing the presidency for most of their lives. I am afraid that both Clinton and McCain have long ago forgotten why they want the presidency, they just know they want it.

funny how corporate media and clinton and republicans have gotten all up in arms about this candidate who frankly told the truth that voters are bitter.
it’s the corp / clinton / republican folks who don’t like the spotlight on them because the corps have supported this “do nothing” system that clinton and republican’s have been running.
the american electorate IS bitter – but NOT stupid.

I for the life of me cannot figure out what all the fuss is about. I am a Pennsylvania native and I think what Obama said was exactly right. I cannot see what Hilary Clinton and in this case it would seem to be that her allies are the Republicans. I want to get us out of the Washington Loop. We are ready for Obama. He is not a Muslim. We supposedly were not ready for Kennedy because of religion.
Pennsylvanians are all the things he said and he waws not being either elitist or offensive. He also did not make 109 million dollars in the last 7 years.

Hillary is looking and sounding more desperate to find anything to spin on Obama. The people are hearing his message and getting fed up with the finger pointing and bickering from other candidates. But isn’t she the one that makes claims and then shrugs them off as due to poor memory?The Clinton’s need to at least agree on their own stories because they don’t agree on issues!

I forgot to add the fact that Obama made these remarks at a San Francisco Oil Billionaire’s Mansion during a private Fund raiser in Pacific Heights CA, why did he wait until he was among The Rich Billionaire’s to say this? Why not say it when he was here in PA, amongst us Small Town Midwesterners? Why?…because he never intended for the people of Pennsylvania to hear it, He never thought these remarks would get out to the masses and they wouldn’t have, had it not been for someone who was there with a pocket recorder.

J.S.-Obama actually made comments to a PA crowd acknowledging that he understood and felt their frustration with losing jobs to overseas companies, unaffordable healthcare, losing homes,etc. I think he wanted to get the rich billionaires to get a sense of what the little guy was feeling because they are so high above, they wouldn’t get the chance to feel the same way as us little guys.

Obama at least tells it like it is regardless of whether or not someone agrees or disagrees. The others quickly change their tunes or diminish their advisors roles in their campaigns even if they are conducting back room meetings with foreign governments on issues that one publicly opposes but privately supports. How many times can Hillary support Bill’s issues as First Lady and now reject them as a candidate?

Or how about Bill publicly stating yesterday that Hillary is getting up in years and at 60 she forgets a lot of things that she says and did!Sounds like Bill did it again. She should publicly denounce Bill’s statements and forget focusing on Obama. Her own team is self destructing and can’t recover.

J.S.-The point is that the initial reports were that the Clintons donated 10%to charity.To most of us, that sounds like a very generous thing to do…the bad taste is when you find out they gave it to themselves!They control The Clinton Foundation.Oh yeah, where’s 2007 returns-Tuesday is the last day report unless they need another extension.

Hey, do they think middle class Americans aren’t feeling the squeeze every week or are we supposed to buy into the fact that it’s all getting better and our experiences are just a figment of our imaginations?

They didn’t donate to themselves, they donated to their Foundation which distributes their donations to legitimate Charities, there are many people who set up Foundations and use them as a means to donate to designated charities. The money that went to their Foundation in turn goes out to Charities not to them.

J.S.-don’t forget the photo of Clintons with one of their donors at the White House-REZKO. Or inviting REV. WRIGHT to the White House as one of America’s spiritual leaders to help Bill get through the Lewinsky scandal. Did Bill’s WH staff forget to do a background check on Wright then, too?Obama was just a community organizer at that time.

Voice of Reason-I know what you mean about the Hillary plantation comments. Obama-stay on higher ground and please don’t comment on that one because only “misspoke” again..you know, Hillary “It’s No Big Deal” Clinton.

J.S.-what we know is that everyone denounces Rev. Wright’s words…EVERYONE. We have moved on and as long as those words didn’t come out of Obama’s mouth, I’m ok. Rev Wright is not running for office-Thank God!Unfortunately, all of the candidates have a group of idiot surrogates that distract us from hearing the candidates speak their own minds.

Do we dare pull out the mile long list of Clinton White House scandals and the lives of their now former friends ruined as a result? So why have so many former Clinton supporters defected and continue to do so in large numbers? Maybe they know something we don’t. You’re right…finger cramps.

I need to correct that, he didn’t denounce them.

Tony — I love your mind and how it works!
To the Obama supporters –Barack was wrong; and it is that simple. His comments simply don’t add up. People may be bitter, angry, and hate their grandmothers, but there is no correlation between those emotions and going to church or carrying a gun. Obama offered his “opinion” and said A+B=C. Well, I’m afraid Senator Obama would flunk a Philosophy 101 course with this line of logic. And he wants to be President of the whole United States of America? Is that before or after they stop clinging to their guns and pursuing their churchgoing ways?
Face it — not the worst thing for him to have said, but it is inconvenient for the great uniter, isn’t it!
How is this piece of logic for you. There was simply no reason why Obama made the comments he did in SF other than as an expression of the way he thinks. The most annoying fact for Obama and his supporters to accept seems to be the reality that he got caught saying it!

Tony & Barbara-Ever hear of “swept under the rug”?Clintons did it the best!
Thanks to Bill for yet another foot in mouth comment about Hillary yesterday. Do they always agree to disagree on issues they were once in sync on?

La in Indy – please do not blame Clinton for Bush. All you guys do is blame and blame and blame and blame. How about Gore and his gaffes? How about the US Supreme Court? What about Gore picking the horrible Lieberman as running mate? How about Nader….How about hanging chads? Please stop looking to blame everything on the Clintons. You guys sound pathological.

Clinton is currently losing to McCain in recent polls taken of New York voters, so what does that say about her performance as a New York Senator. Her current New York legislative support “superdelegates” consist of prostitution rings customers and
cocaine addicts.

Choosing Hillary is the worst America can do. Only if you guys know what the rest of the world thinks of her. She will have no respect from any of those world leaders who matter. They will silently scorn her shrilly demands to be heard. Those days are truly gone and America needs a leader who can buy trust from leaders of China and Russia to get things done, for a starter.

Far too many of you are hilarious! Please do this country a favor and don’t vote. I see it over and over on every forum. Republican’s are fearmongers. Then Obama supporters turn around and try to bully Hillary supporters using what? Fear. Obama will never survive a head to head with McCain…Who’s voting record is just as liberal as it is conservative. But, brain children already know this fact.
The I can’t disown Rev. Wright anymore than I can disown my own grandmother and her racist comments. Then turns around the next day and disrespects her even more by telling people, “She’s just a typical white person.” Still waiting for Obama to explain exactly what it is a “typical” white person believes, how is it they act.
The secret meeting in Canada on NAFTA. His own wife’s statement. We still don’t know where she was in Katrina, or 9-11 when the American people came out of their homes. Traveled across the country to help their fellow Americans. Maybe in a Rev. Wright sermon? Now the bitter, religious, gun toting middle class. Oh, let us not forget his only 6 votes, but he was present a lot. Two times pushing the wrong button…his own words. How he voted on the born alive infant act. How he voted in favor of the criminal against homeowners.
He’s not an Environmentalist. He’s not a Humanitarian. Not in any stretch of the imagination. His voting and committee records “horrible”. People voting for a man simply based on the color of his skin, then calling other’s racist because they’re sick of all the “promises”. There is not one person in this country that can claim they’re voting for him on his accomplishments; he has none. Zero. What he’s done for this country. Even for Illinois!! His actions speak a plethora louder than his words ever could. Although he’s getting pretty good at burying himself with those also. So that leaves what? Pretty promises, and the color of his skin. Great reason to vote for someone…Yeah, if you only have one brain cell. Like I said stay at home.

McCain and Clinton are the true Elitist; there are both millionaires, they feel the White House is their birth-right.
Senator Clinton lies to the American people and dares us to question her about her countless “misspeaks” or “lies”, she as surrounded her campaign with trade lobbyist and expects the American people to believe she is against free-trade. By the way Free-trade stands for: all us Americans will be poor, just like those poor small town rural voters that have been voting social issues for the last sixteen years, while the Clinton’s and Bush’s have unmerciful sent their jobs overseas.
People wake up and smell the coffee. We are being duped again. The powers to be pull the wool over our eyes ever time. We get all worked up over social issues and we vote the wrong Politian in office. America our great country is bankrupt we are borrowing money from every country under the sun. Now the Clinton’s are poised to slip another one sided anti-America, Colombia Trade deal on all of us, I don’t care where you live Urban America or Small Town Rural America we will all share in the suffering of losing more jobs to countries we can’t compete with because their pay is so low.
And don’t forget about Senator McCain besides the fact he wants to keep us mired in a war we can’t an don’t want to afford, McCain policy proposals consist of legislative changes like: repelling the law that requires employers to provide healthcare to their employees, more tax cuts for the richest Americans, continued tax cuts for companies that ship our jobs overseas, and 4 more years of “No Child Left Behind”. I could go on and on because McCain policies are Anti-Main Street and Pro – Wall Street/ Pro – Overseas.
I am a Obama Supporter but what I am writing about is not about whom we all choose to support, these issues are bigger than I don’t like Obama, I don’t like Clinton Or I don’t like McCain.
What I am writing about the fact the dollar is on the verge of becoming worthless and our once powerful military is being destroyed by power hungry foolish men whom have no regard for the American people’s safety and our brave soldiers well being while serving our country with their precious blood or upon returning home and in need of support/rehabilitation help from our government. Now that’s truly unpatriotic behavior. Our fore fathers said this country was founded for the people and by the people but if we cannot, or will not stand together those profound words are useless. We have to bring the principals our fore fathers wrote about to life, we have to put or differences aside and stand together if “We the American People Will Prevail Against Our Enemies Foreign and Domestic.

Obama just breezes right over this non-sense.
And for the first time ever some poll says McCain is tied with Obama after all these months of being 10 points behind… That’s the biggest thing you guys can come up with.
Trust me, that is only temporary just like Hillary’s double digit lead in Penn.

I am not a sexist. As a starter, I am a full time househusband by choice while my career loving wife brings in the bread. We have no problems with the arrangement. However, despite my latte loving liberal stance, I cannot accept Hillary Clinton for the simple reason of her untruthfulness. She personifies the company we always strive to avoid in any social spectrum.

I got to laugh.. that it takes scores of you to tell me what Obama said. It is like he needs an interpreters even though we are all speaking English. If he is elected President and has to visit foreign countries… he will not only need a translator.. but he will need a context translator. It’s bad enough that things are lost in translation…
Maybe a few of us here can have a new career and a job in “What Obama Really Meant when he insulted you” when he speaks to those Foreign Leaders. Because Obama will not only need a translator in a language .. but will need a “oh it was out of context” translator. And if all of you don’t get the Barack assignment… there is still more openings in the “Michelle” assignment.
— I just wanted to add !!! —
Then maybe those Obama supporters that are bitter … will all have a job. You will have enough work to last you. Kudos

Obama pointed out that voters in Penn. and other states with similar demographics and economies are disenfranchised and one consequence of that is bitterness, or anger. The focus is on things that they have control over because they have none over the economy. Politicians like Hillary and McCain will give them their gun rights and their religious rights. They will play up these things because they really don’t affect the economy. It is a a technique used by candidates to subvert the real issues.
I think there is a majority in this country that are very bitter over the economy, the war, the lies, torture, and Hillary is part of that. She has supported the Bush politics for several years now.
Hillary is trying to use peoples emotional response to guns, hunting, God and happiness and fails to realize that Obama is right to open up this argument this debate on the right of Americans to live without anger and bitterness towards their government.

Behind closed doors Obama is showing his heart. An elitist politician who looks down rural working class America! Why does he think he is better than us? Why did he take his kids to church and listen over and over to stuff he disagreed with? DRIP, DRIP, DRIP, DRIP, DRIP, DRIP, DRIP…

Easy Gary, either he believed and supported what he was hearing, or he did not have the backbone to stand up and do what was right. Take your pick, neither one is a very appealing characteristic for a United States president.

Good Post by ANNA.However,all educated people are elitist.One only have to look at those who are making this claim against Se.Obama,to see they themselves are elitist.Oh!what hypocrisy.Yes,the people in Buffalo N.Y are “BITTER” for the promises made by Sen.Clinton,to bring 200,000 jobs to Buffalo N Y.When recently asked by the BUFFALO NEWS,why she addn’t bring any jobs to upstate Buffalo,she blamed it on the Republicans,she also level the same season for her Healthcare fiasco.Note:BUFFALO NEW YORK IS THE (2)SECOND POOREST BIG CITY IN THE NATION,AND THE CLINTON’S HAS IGNORED THE PEOPLE OF BUFFALO.THANK “GOD” FOR SEN.CHUCK SHUMER,WHO IS TRYING TO BRING SOME BACON TO THE POOR IN BUFFALO NEW YORK.

It is not what your country can do for you… it is what you can do for your country.

I don’t doubt in a few years that Obama will be ready to do the job, but for now I will not give him my vote. To beinging and Elitist I have watched his manerizm, body language, and listened to his speaches. If he stays with his speaches he sounds almost mechnical, when he goes off track he sounds snobish a little more polish from good team with a few years under his belt he will get my vote. For now I have to go with Clinton if she is given the chance if not I have no other choice by going with what I don’t want and that is another stupid Republican that has no respect for the country’s well being just the business.

ETeri J – You assume that no African-Americans live in the Mid West or in Pennsylvania. For the record, President Bush took 9% of the African-American vote , particularly due to the gay rights issue. It’s interesting that you assumed that Senator Obama was only addressing white people. I find that curious. At any rate, Black folk are bitter too – doesn’t make it right for us to vehemently , irrationally anti-immigrant either. Senator Obama has said this in the debates – the same debate where Senator Clinton chose to flame the anti-immigrant sentiment of an African-American woman who had written in to the debate about the issue. So your irrational response raising the affirmative action issue points to something larger – I defer you to Senator Obama’s A More Perfect Union speech – maybe you’ll get that.

to anyone who is open minded: i have read about 95% of the posts here. Usually i skip over the long ones. But if you want a thorough approach to Obama’s position i recommend you read “Astral66 (at 6:51am)”

Hi
I am a Canadian and can not understand why People can not see through Mrs Clinton.Rev Wright went twice to the White House to coucil Bill And Hillary when he had his affair with Monica Yet she belittles him.She Lies and you do not see her going into the slum areas, she would get her Pants and Hands dirty.
My God if you don’t want him we will take him in Canada.He Stands Like a man who will not let you down and his voice never changes.Hillary goes from low to sweet talk to sympathy to Yelling, But if you think Bill will make a good First Lady Keep your Teenage daughters out of the white houseas he will have FREE time to indulge.Wake up America, You have a chance to change things, Go for it.Things aure cannot get any worse for the average person.

Geez…all you have to do is read these comments and figure out that everyone is bitter. It’s amazing how many people listen to the 24 hour news spin cycle without reading or listening to the full context of the comments that were made and then jump to all these conclusions – or just follow the conclusions of all the so called pundits that tell us what we’re supposed to think. Unbelievable. Are we the sheep that they think we are?

It is not that he called us small town people bitter. It is that he said becasue we are bitter we turn to God or guns, etc. He claimed we hold on to our core beliefs out of bitterness. This is exactly what he said, no ifs ands or buts. He made comments off stage, off camera, that he would have never dared to say in a speech. Obama has a publice personna that doesn not match the private person. It makes it hard to trust him.

Obama’s CONTEMPTUOUS, DEMEANING comments are due to his foreign value system bred in a Marxist-Islamist-Pseudo-theological “Church” where he’s attended for 20 long years, and allows his own kids to listen to Hateful Propaganda that should have put his Obscene (gyrations simulating sex acts–Bill/Monica!–on the pulpit in front of kids!!!) Racist Insane Preacher Uncle Jeremiah in Jail, together with his Wetherman friend who’s now Education Faculty member!!! Hell, if Ayrs is a Professor, why not Obama President!
Obama has shown good judgmnet in one area: GOOD SPEECHWRITING and BARITONE DELIVERY!
No way this neophyte guy with truly creepy beliefs and bitter outlook (look at his wife) can be called Electable!
Wait till the repugants catch on to what he did last year in Kenya. He went there with Dic Morris to ACTIVELY CAMPAIGN FOR HIS MARXIST-ISLAMIST COUSIN ODINGA IN KENYA! He asked Condi Rice from Iowa in January if he could do a speech for Kenyans as there were riots started by his cousin’s anti-government gangs (KENYA’S OWN WEATHERMEN) when his SHARIA LAW islamist cousin Raila Odinga lost the election in December and burned 50 churches.
The President of Kenya has ignored Obama telling him he has no business INTERFERING IN KENYAN POLITICS!!
This is what will put the nail on the Electability coffin!
Obamyopics can’t see beyond their bitter noses to appreciate the seriousness of a presidential Candidate interfering actively in a foreign independent (and one of the few democratic countries left) African country’s Elections!!!

Yes I agree.
Obama said: “cling to religion, guns, antipathy to those who are not like them” INTERPRETATION:
‘PENNSYLVANIAN GUYS AND GALS ARE BITTER, ANGRY AND THAT’S WHY THEY ARE RACISTS”!!!
Wow! Obama’s a sick man if he thinks he can insult people and call them Racist ’cause they are poor! My parents are not racists and they’ve been poor all their lives!
GO HOME, OBAMA! You are IGNORANT

HILLARY, YOU’RE STARTING TO LOOK GOOD…AND BETTER…AT LEAST YOU DONATED 10 MILLION AND GAVE HALF YOUR MONEY BACK TO TEH AMERICAN GOVERNMENT.
OBAMA’S A MARXIST-ISLAMIST ELITIST WHO SHOULD CAMPAIGN WITH HIS COUSIN ODINGA AGAIN IN KENYA!!!!GO AWAY, OBAMBI…

As a politician ,you must read MACHIAVEL and like him or not you will learn one thing:politic is a cynical game.the reason i’ m referring to this is how i find OBAMA one more”so naive”.running for the white house is like playing in the NBA!not in his backyard with his supporters…In politic,the last thing to say is all what come to your mind either it is accurate or no.Seems to me that OBAMA is so confident to be in the white house that he has forgotten the basic in politics.the so called”politicaly correct”.And one last thing guys,our focus has to be the white house for democrats not just the primaries….please keep that in mind when you dare to misrepresent one of the smartest politician of our time(BILL CLINTON)because you want to cover the mess that obama as front runner doesn’t need to put by himself!ALL FOR DEMOCRATS IN THE WHITE HOUSE IN 09…

to Tony the Prof: Excellent comment. What you said makes good sense and I would like to add that either way this election goes, Obama will find himself to be a RIOT in both meanings of the word. A riot haha if he is elected or riot OJ if he is not. So which one are we willing to live with? That is the question.

“Sen. Evan Bayh responded that because she has a stronger record than Obama, she is less vulnerable.
“For starters, she has a strong record of delivering on the things that people care about, and actions are more important than all of the statements that have been taken out of context,” he said. “Secondly, I mean this is not the time or place to have a debate on whether Bosnia was a dangerous place. I know that other people on the trip were concerned about safety and all those kind of things, but she will take it on and show that she has a long record to bring the costs of healthcare down, create jobs, deal with the underlying problems.”
“Any time you are new and more undefined, you are more susceptible to those kinds of attacks,” Bayh added.”
1. Didn’t she go to work for the very industry that shut her up on universal healthcare?
2. Did she or did she not OUTRIGHT LIE about the conditions in Bosnia? And then say “I just misspoke myself?” Had she been in court, under oath, it would have been PERJURY.
Are we as a nation supposed to continue to bend over just because ‘they are more experienced?’, or can we get the new broom to sweep clean the dirt that’s been there for ever?

“I’m concerned that statements like this, even if they are taken out of context, can be used very effectively by the other side to keep us from getting the change that we need,” Bayh said.
But Senator Bayh, you are taking this statement out of context to attack Obama. You’re not concerned by it, you’re delighted.