Obama Lumps ‘Elitism’ Slams with ‘Political Silly Season’

As a person with liberal humanitarian views of the world, conservative fiscal views on public funds, naturalist views on environment, and libertarian views regarding government interference in personal lives, I am a moderate Independent because no one party fits the bill.
I read an assertion today that at first I found stereotypical. The assertion was that liberals feel and conservatives think. While that may be true for the extreme liberals and conservatives, it is certainly not true for those like myself. I think extremists are the minority in this country but sometimes I wonder when I read the blog comments.
I will say that we can certainly apply the feel vs. think theory to the democratic candidates. In general, Obama appeals to the emotions of voters while Clinton appeals to the minds of voters. Each candidate tries to appeal to the other’s base as expected. So it is not surprising that where the candidates digress, Obama leans liberal in his voting record and Clinton leans conservative in her voting records.
What it seems to come down to is which of those we the voters find most important. If we like the one who appeals most to our emotions, we follow Obama. If we like the candidate with the greatest command of the issues, we follow Clinton. The polls completely support this assertion.
People talk about inspiration a lot in this campaign. While some find Obama inspirational, I find Clinton more inspirational because she speaks from the heart and not just words. (For the poster that said Obama doesnt use teleprompters you are mistaken. In fact, the experts have been critical of his faulty speeches and debate performances when he does not have them available.)
In any case, why do we need our President to inspire us? Do we hire the best mechanic, doctor, lawyer, accountant, etc. because they inspire us? I think most people hire the people we find most qualified for the money we can afford. If we were electing a class president, we might be looking for someone to inspire us to achieve our goals. But the role of the POTUS is nothing like a class president. In my view, we need a competent CEO/COO and CIC of the largest most complex organization in the world that is directly related to the security, stability, and welfare of the citizens of the USA. A class president does not impact any of these. An inspiring speaker alone is not qualified to be POTUS. The political climate of the world has changed placing the security of the nation among the top two issues we must realistically address. Economically, we have serious issues and we need a President with serious answers and a record of getting the job done for all Americans not just certain demographic sectors. Elitism is a real issue not a silly one.
The voters in the democratic electorate hold different perspectives on what is most important in a candidate. This is a race for the nomination and we the voters should be considering all of the attributes of each candidate. Let’s allow the remaining voters to do just that and stop all the personal attacks based on misogynist and racist views.
What we see happening was engineered by the RNC via Karl Rove’s expert manipulation in his advice to Obama on how to beat Clinton and the RNC manipulation of the voters through the media pushing them to vote with their emotions prompting Identity splits. In that sense, the RNC is making the assertion a reality – in their view, liberals (democrats) are voting with their hearts and conservatives (repubicans) are voting with their heads.
Usually voters do vote with their hearts in the primary season and their heads in the election season. This is part of the reason democrats lose most general elections for President – they tend to select a nominee that is not competent to be POTUS.
Former President Bill Clinton has the ability to reach out and touch the voters but ran on a platform based on the issues and was successful because he had the experience and record of getting the job done. Senator Clinton also took the time to establish her own experience and record of getting things done. She reaches out to voters in a different way but still runs on a platform based on the issues. The polls continue to maintain the voters believe she is the most comptent on the issues. Unfortunately, half the democratic electorate thinks that emotional inspiration is more important which is exactly what the RNC wants. If you truly want change, the only way that can happen is by electing a democrat to the White House and more democrats into Congress. Falling victim to the RNC ploys will not make that happen. For all the voters who have not yet voted in the primary, please consider all of the attributes of the candidates and dont just vote based on emotions.

Misleading voters about his upbringing is unethical. Obama went to private schools all his life. Most Americans are not fortunate enough to be part of that elite.
Misleading voters about living arrangements is also unethical. Most Americans in urban areas cannot afford to live in a 3 bedroom condo. Most ubran dwellers do not have garages. He has never been in the socioeconomic middle or lower class. He has also never had to work to put himself through school.

OO, if people say he is wrong, then people are silly; if people don’t elect him, then his wife is not proud of the country; if his pastor gives constant anti-Ameiica speeches, then it’s because the black are hurt they have reasons to be angry?
Why is he so arrogant?
Who is he?
What did he do for America?
Why he wants to run presidency when he is still a below average US Senator?
Do we have much more capable persons than he is in this country?

To anyone who thinks Barack Obama is an elitis I would invite them to come to the south side of Chicago where Obama spent all those years working with low income family.

If Obama had life so hard how is it that he was able to afford a home to the tune of 1.6 million dollars?
There is no evidence in Obama’s tax returns as to how he afforded this, and how did he get around the banks or mortgage company to give him the money to purchase the property, what spin did he give them or who did he know?
Since when do any agency go off bank rolling anyone that is in financial difficulty, it would be interesting for Obama to fill us in as to where this 1.6 mill came from.

Silly Season? Again? In less than a week Barack and Michelle have been able to insult all people who won’t vote for them.
Clingons of old traditional values. (Paranoid, hysterical types)
Uninformed, Uninvolvled and souless. (Stupid, Lazy and deviod of compassion)
They’re silly if they think anyone wants this kind of garbage in our government.

Oh poor baby lived without a garage.
he did however go to the most prestigious private school in hawaii and has three parents with Phd’s.
How long was his mother on food stamps, if its even true?? A couple of weeks. Sounds like it was part of her upper middle class white intelligencia journey with socialism.
This story is such utter nonsense. He grew up playing on the university campus and going to elite private shcools.

Obama is basically suggesting that his cartoon-like campaign was being silly when he staged this event where he was calling Pennsylvania voters bitter, and pointed out that they cling to guns and religion.
What a jokester. He’s such a riot. The man has my vote. Comedy doesn’t get any better than this.
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Obama is just a wild and crazy guy!
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I am getting mixed up.
According to Clinton and her wingnut allies, Obama is a muslim and a follower of a krazy Christian Preacher. But in the reality based community, you can’t be both.
And this same cast of clowns are telling us that Obama is an Elitist and also is a godless atheist Marxist. But in the reality based community, we alol know that you can’t be both.

Why should be expect Obama to defend our country when up to this point he or his cronies have never defended us in word or deed? You should read what Michelle wrote in her thesis if you think that she ever has had good thoughts about the people in this country!

What’s it gonna be Westie, a 30 or a 40 point win in PA for the tuzla tigress?

TCG – I do not believe polls. Never have. But if Hillary wins by one vote that’s good enough for me.

Obama was the one who started all the attacks on opponents since the beginning of his campaign.
His first mention of War he condemn Hillary and McCain for voting for it.
He failed to tell the people 77 Senators voted for it.
He failed to tell the people he voted to
continue the war.
He hasn’t stopped since.
I doubt he McCain or Clinton could catch up to him with all the name calling, finger pointing, blaming, making up stuff, twisting the truth and misleading the people. Obama Has the corner on That. Plus demanding stuff be release, with the hope he could find something to use against people.
Shame on you Obama
You sold out the General Public, then lied about it, Then tried to tell us That is how we really did feel, Then tried to explain it away.
Can’t you be a man once, Admit your mistake and Apologize. Apparently not!

I like how Obama refused to play the race card. He’s a real stand up guy.

SJ – Obama – My father was a foreign student, born and raised in a small village in Kenya. He grew up herding goats, went to school in a tin-roof shack.

DCVoter,
Outstanding treatise. If an uncommitted voter reads this it is clear which direction they should take.
Good work dude!
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Clinton, standing up for one voter at a time!
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Dogsoldier, I actually agree with your comments above. He made a mistake, but he didn’t lie. My very practical thought is that- it is over- Hillary can’t realistically earn this nomination without very publicly destroying the party. There’s no other way. The democratic party won’t allow that to happen. Hillary supporters are delusional that they don’t seem to realize that they are clinging to ship that is sinking rapidly, and is now 95% below water. Jump off and save yourselves before she brings you down with her. All of our comments are wasted. Others feel free to chime in and threaten to vote for McCain in the National election- and I would like to point out that doesn’t help anyone but conservatives like Hannity and Rush.

You Clinton supporters need to drop it. I understand your support for you candidate, but its safe to conclude that the comments had no effect. In fact, the gave Obama a nice bounce in the national polls. Those of you had such a “big and huge” problem with them were not going to vote for him anyway. I bet if Clinton hadn’t made such a big deal of it, you wouldn’t have cared. This is more evidence of Clinton supporters being told what to think rather than thinking for themselves.

Don’t vote for him then! Get over it when he wins!

mixediamerican….Obama had student loans just like the rest of us…he was a harvard graduate and could have been working for a law firm and making money but chose to live in a condo to work with the poor…WOW it is rteally weird how people turn things around. I am sure he didn’t live like the 100 million dollar Clintons or McCain with his wife’s billions.

sandy – my point was that I believe most voters should use both emotion and intellect in making their decision. Unfortunately, these blog comments and those around the Internet seem to indicate voters are in fact voting heart vs. head. I think each candidate brings change to the table. McCain even brings change in that his candidacy may transform the republican party into a more moderate platform. This has been discussed among the Republican media and the party and is worrisome for those in that party who want conservative right wing control to continue.
kay – there is no pain for me personally so I have no idea what you referred to. With regards to Bill Clinton, he is a cheater who lied when he was caught cheating as most men do. But IMHO it has no relevance to his Presidency. With a 60% approval rating upon leaving office and an 80% approval rating among democrats, those who dont like him are certainly in the minority. All candidates are people and they all have personal lives and issues to resolve day to day. We are all shaped by our experiences in life as well as those who inspire us. Clinton has shown her strength of character in all that she has accomplished in spite of Bill and the misogyny embedded in our society. Her heroes are Eleanor Roosevelt and MLK – her personal life reflects their values that she shares.
Obama, however accomplished he may be politically in his few short years, does not embody the values of MLK (his political hero) because he values black separatism. He strikes me as a troubled individual with his own personal demons based on his actions, lack of actions, need to be liked by everyone, and a clear struggle with his heritage as he admits in his book and as his reasons for joining TUCC. This is typical of a person with low self-esteem. If in the event he faces and beats his demons and he vets ok on some legal issues, ethics issues, and his ties to people who support terrorists in the future, he might make a good leader. For now, I see him as a smart man with a weak character that is easily influenced. The fact that he took a run for the Presidency against his own personal statement in 2004 and is clearly being influenced by elitists like Kerry, Kennedy and Pelosi in this campaign is a clear sign of just how easily he is influenced. The more questionable influences are those of black separatists (hate group activity) like his wife and Wright are of greater concern. The office of the POTUS is no place to work out his personal demons… our future and lives depend too much on the actions of a POTUS to take the risk of electing Obama.

DCVoter,
Great comments.
For those think Hillary supporters are uneducated, I think they are wrong.

And what was the process that made Hillary or Bill so vetted? Wasn’t it Bill running for pres not Hillary? So in that scenario she is running on her HUSBANDS experiance then.

Dogsoldier…it is not just Iraq..it is the hwole region…but putting our nose in there we havw de-stabilzied the whole are…

Obama said he grew up with limited money.
How he could afford travel to Indonesia, India, pakistan when he was in the college?
He went to private Catholic high school in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Not many Indonesian can afford to admit private high school because they are pretty expensive.

dogsoldier…I think we should have been on top of Iran a long time ago, just like Afganistan. But of course, we are bogged down in Iraq…

Well, I cannot speak for Obama but I would never have gone into Iraq. I would have concentrated my troops in Afganistan and gone after Bin Laden. Iran is a little tougher, but I think there were quite a few sanctins and political ways to track down where he is getting his uranium. I don’t know it all but I am sure our military does

cindyct
The terrain in Afghanistan makes logistics nearly impossible. Ask the Russians.
The current administration has promoted sanction after sanction against Iran but the international community has been spotty in support.
It’s a complex world out there!

Dogsoldier,
You are right.
Why don’t they think why most of AA (90%) support Obama.
It’s not because of race?

Crisis08
What’s your point? You’re correct that an AA candidate has a large AA support base. HRC has a large white female 30-69 y.o. support base. Is that a suprise?
What is amazing is that Obama has won more contest, more popular vote & most importantly more delegates. He has done this even though he does carry the AA vote significantly but also by building a much broader coalition. He has also done this in light of the fact that the democratic primary process is predominately driven by the female vote ~ 56% to 44% according to exit polls. So once again, what’s your point?

Dogsoldier…so are you saying our biggest importer of oil is Canada and they are raising the prices?

DCVOter….the statement came from a former Clinton aid. I don’t remmeber his name but I bet I can get it.

The longer he talks about this, the worse it gets. He needs to stop trying to justify it.

DCVoter, Your post was eloquent but flawed. I am also an Independent voter. I do not find Hillary inspirational in the least. I find find her to blatantly political and divisive as witnessed by this campaign. I wince every time she speaks because I find her less than honest and less than genuine. While I am Independent I have voted Democrat since 1982. Yes, I voted for Bill twice and he mis-used my trust (and the country’s). I always felt that the Republicans relentlessly pursued the Clintons and felt they were justified in responding. However, this campaign has shown the Clintons are no better than the worst of Republicans. Some may be okay with that I am not. Your analogy of a CEO as president is not a good one. This country should not be run as a business where profit is the underlying motive. This country is better than that and needs someone who can inspire the masses to do what they know in their hearts to be right. I simply do not see that coming from a Clinton. They are too divisive to too many people. Is Obama the inspirational leader we need, I don’t know…but I’d rather give him the chance than the someone I simply do not trust (Hillary) or someone whose positions are all wrong (McCain).

Crisis08
Once again … wrong
Barack Obama has not accepted funding from any federally registered lobbyist or PAC’s. You can get the facts from the FEC reports which come out monthly. The media is trying to connect private donors related to lobbyists, oil and banking executives as being the same thing as being funded by lobbyists. A stretch in my opinion but he has a right to his own view.
I work in the Telecom industry. My donations are lumped under my industry in the reports although there is no concerted effort within my industry that I no of to support either candidate. So an analist can conclude that he or she receives x amount of dollars from the telecom industry correctly, while leaving the impression that it is a concerted effort incorrectly.
Bottom line, HRC has taken more money from PAC’s and Lobbyist than any candidate in the race. These folks expect a return on their investment.

well I guess it means every one for Obama is bitter. Many of us IMO in small town America have learned over the last 30 years that there is no job security we have retrained many times but the very people that Obama felt free to share our life style with the ones who look down thier nose at us are the people who have used us gotten rich off us and wake up every morning and think about how can I make another dollar. They always need more bigger houses ,cars,etc I come from a large family half are very rich most are comfortable and a few our a having very hard time and when they need help they don’t go to the ones that are very rich they come to the middle class ones and we are the ones who make sure they don’t go under. If you call the rich ones they say sorry we can’t help but they will treat friends better than thier own family just to impress them.

Beka13,
With all due respect ,that’s your opinion but I think both of Clintons are not racist.
They’ve been working for human rights since long time ago.
Even now Mr Clinton are working to help Katrina’s victims in New Orleans which are majority AA.
It’s just too bad I think some people have mistakenly his words in SC.

boo! Deflect, blame someone else, but never take responsibility for your actions.
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Obama is unelectable. He doesn’t tell lies…he IS a lie!
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indy – lots of non-profits are run by CEO/COO’s. You are entitled to your opinion of course.

Brian – thanks for the reply but I dont give credence to any argument about Senator Clinton that relates to the wasteful spending of taxpayers dollars ordered by your party to try to take her down. In fact, after 40 mill or so, the best they could do is come up with Bill cheating. No one cares but the republicans about that. Senator Clinton was not found guilty of any wrongdoing after all that vetting. Continued efforts throughout the years have still yielded nothing unusual. McCain is not a bad guy but IMHO not the right man for the job because of the party that he chooses to be associated with and his lack of experience outside military and congressional life. Sorry for you that your party is in danger of reform but that is good for America. Senator Clinton is the right choice for POTUS at this point in our history. I would be perfectly fine with her divorcing her cheating husband but that is not my call. It also does not take away from his success as the greatest contemporary President in our history based on economic prosperity and peace. They both continue to be the humanitarians I respect and admire.

A study of how Clinton and Obama have run their respective campaigns is by default a study of who should contest the election againt Mcain, or in the blogger’s words, who is the best CEO. Clinton, a sterller name in the anals of American politics with an entrenched network of supporters set upj the race with great odd but through a bad strategy and imperfect organisation, frittered the gains sown over 30 years in politics. Where people expected a disciplined and well resourced strategy, we were treated to a strategy based on questionnaire experience and elivered to an ever changing message and cast of managers. Obama on the hand, virtually unknown nationally, and without the entrenched network, and about whom most people did not give a cat’s chance of upending Clinton, crafted a strategy that chimed with the times and put political stalwarts on the defensive, and bar a few gaffes ran a compelling campaign that over a period of 5 months, shifted political sentiment across swathes of the democratic party and in not in the democratic, party. It is clear to me that on the basis of the two campaigns there is only person who is competent and disciplined enough to tackle Mcain. It’s Obama. It is evident that people rooting for Clinton against her run of losses do because they believe passionately in her candidancy but there are also signs that they are doing so out of denial, and an insiduous aversion to change with echoes of racial unedrtones. Foe how else do they negate the Obama undisputed (yes, despite the gaffes which may cost hear dear in the general). Clearly Obama is not perfect – no Man is, but on the balance of his campaign he dserves more plaudits than condemnation. Overseas supporter of a stronger and a principled America…righfully at the centre of the most pressing issues affecting the country and the world…Good bless. Seth

You guys are all nuts…to get so wrapped up into the hype of politics. The bottom line is the issues. while you’ all are fussing about who said what and who is associated with who…why not think about what that person can do for you…If you look at the dems both candidates have most of the same solutions. So, instead on voting on the issues that may or may not affect you, you rather focus on petty things that in the long run are irrelevant to you. This country is going down hill. So, you wouldn’t vote for OB b/c he’s arrogant or Hillary b/c she makes too much money. But you would vote for McCain because you don’t like the other candidate personality…reality check: These people will never be your friends. All of these people are not perfect and will never be perfect…and the last time I checked they were human being. As if any of you are perfect…wow God forbid they say something that may offend someone as if you’ve never done it before. God forbid you were associated with a person, you may think has crossed the line once or twice before…however you’re still associated with them. Wake up people!!! You’re taking this petty thing way to seriously. Focus on the issues and how it will affect your lives. I’m an Obama supporter, however if he didn’t get the nomination, well guess what the next best person would Hillary for me. Focus on the Issues people…come on!!

Fred,
The bottom line is…this man is fresh and new and for some strange reason, he has a lot of followers…What the problem is, the Clintons nor McCain expected him to lead the way is. It’s funny how people start to attack another person when they’re down the bottom of the barrel. If Hillary or McCain are soooo good and is the right person for the presidency, then why would they have to stoop so low in defaming someone’s character. Wouldn’t they just stick to the issues? Well, I let you answer that. Maybe they’re a little insecure…hmmm.

Obama may say he was poor growing up, but he apparantly has come along way baby. Ivy league education, million dollar real estate in Illinois. He totally changed his upbringing by getting away from the “white” world that raised him, changing religion, and I believe he went by the name Barry as a child. Sounds like he moved on up and has not really accomplished a lot. He has just furthered his agenda to be President. Even his grade school teacher said he liked to be No. 1. There is a difference between being ambitious and elitist. I think he is elitist because he actually thinks his scant portfolio gives him keys to the White House.