Saturday, April 12, 2008

Catherine Crier: Punished for the Truth. Here are the controversial comments Barack Obama uttered in San Francisco. "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...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." Inartful. That is the only fair criticism of this analysis. Let's ask the voters in Pennsylvania these questions. If the 'distracting' issues of guns, gay marriage and abortion were all resolved to their liking, would their economic lives change? How about immigration? If all illegal aliens were to disappear, would those rust belt jobs return? For so many years, such issues have been used to corral blue collar workers into a party and political philosophy that serves the elites in this country. When someone speaks the truth and acknowledges that this sector of our society has been royally deceived, that issues they rally around have little to do with their ultimate welfare, it is time to banish such a person from the campaign trail. Heaven forbid we should suggest that bitterness might exist in this country of such optimism or that this emotion might be an appropriate and effective reaction to current circumstances. Hillary Clinton countered with this statement. "Well, that is not my experience," she said. "As I travel around Pennsylvania I meet people who are resilient, optimistic, positive...If we start acting like Americans," she said, "and role up our sleeves, we can make sure that America's best years are ahead of us." McCain's spokesman chimed in. "It shows an elitism and condescension towards hardworking Americans that is nothing short of breathtaking...It is hard to imagine someone running for president who is more out of touch with average Americans." Are you kidding me? Pulling the curtain back on a very effective political trick, the old bait and switch, is far from elitist. Americans are working harder than ever. Two job families are the norm. Yet the poor and middle class are falling further behind. What is breathtakingly condescending is watching two candidates stroke this group with platitudes about their being tough and resilient. What exactly has that gotten them? Nada. The real stereotype Clinton and McCain are playing on is that blue collar workers are easily manipulated and will 'stay down' if you just tell them they are hardworking, patriotic, value-driven Americans. It is time for these people to get mad. Illusion may make us feel better, but it simply serves to keep us tilting at the wrong windmills. It is time to embrace the truth and turn that anger, yes bitterness, on those who created such conditions. The alternative is to pat ourselves on the back for our optimism and 'can-do' attitudes while politicians in Washington laugh at such naivite and continue on their destructive course. [The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com] 9:02:51 AM    comment []

Obama Volleys Back at Clinton, McCain for âo[breve]Bitterâo[dot accent] Remarks. Barack Obama has apparently decided to stand by his observation, first delivered in San Francisco on April 6, that some Americans in small-town Pennsylvania are “bitter” about the lack of available jobs. After Hillary Clinton and John McCain criticized his views as elitist and condescending, Obama repeated, and elaborated upon, his original statement Friday. The Washington Post: “Of course they’re bitter. Of course they’re frustrated. You would be, too—in fact, many of you are,” Obama said. He also addressed the same social hot-button issues that Clinton and McCain pointed to as evidence of elitism. “And so people don’t vote on economic issues, because they don’t expect anybody’s going to help them. People are voting on issues like guns, are they going to have the right to bear arms. They vote on issues like gay marriage. They take refuge in their faith and their community and their families and the things they can count on. But they don’t believe they can count on Washington.” Obama also returned fire on both his critics. “Here’s what’s rich: Senator Clinton says, ‘I don’t think people are bitter in Pennsylvania. I think Barack’s being condescending.’ John McCain says, ‘He’s obviously out of touch with people.’ Out of touch? John McCain, it took him three tries to figure out the home foreclosure crisis was a problem and to come up with a plan for it, and he’s saying I’m out of touch? Senator Clinton voted for a credit-card-sponsored bankruptcy bill that made it harder for people to get out of debt—after taking money from the financial services companies—and she says I’m out of touch? Read more READ THE WHOLE ITEM Related Entries April 11, 2008 Hillary to Bill: Shush, You April 10, 2008 Bush¬ís Parallel Universe April 10, 2008 Petraeus: ¬ëThere Are Risks Beyond Iraq¬í April 9, 2008 Put Up Your Nukes April 8, 2008 Everything His President Wants to Hear [Truthdig: Drilling Beneath the Headlines] 8:36:34 AM    comment []