This Can't Be Good, Can It?
I don't know if Barack Obama's getting cocky or just being honest, but his recent stuff about Pennsylvania sure came out sounding nasty:
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.
Isn't this more politically damaging than McCain's "100 years" statement, especially since you don't have to quote it out of context to make the speaker look bad? He seems to be mocking people's atttachment to their firearms and their faith, and calls them racists to boot.
The funny thing is I find the first paragraph more ominous than the second.
PS There have been a lot of blogs discussing this statement. (Whether it'll filter out to the public at large remains to be seen, though you'd think Hillary will give it her best shot.) The pro-Obama blogs and commenters are doing their best, pulling out the same old Wright arguments--he didn't mean it, it was taken out of context, others are worse and let's face it he's right.
The rest of the blogs are concentrating on the second paragraph--no one seems scared of what the first implies.
Maybe the most memorable line comes from Ace Of Spades HQ: "Obama To Rural Pennsylvanians: Vote For Me, You Corncob-Smokin', Banjo-Strokin' Chicken-Chokin' Cousin-Pokin' Inbred Hillbilly Racist Morons"
posted by LAGuy @ 12:49 AM
7 Comments:
I'm confused. I know that Obama is anti-gun, etc. But is he really anti-anti-trade? I thought he was anti-NAFTA, protectionist, etc.
The true feelings slipped out for a second. He'll soon be back to hatin' on free trade.
BO and HRC are so busy destroying themselves with gaffes, they don't give the other anytime to sink in his/her own mire. Bill brought up the bosnia thing again just when it was fading from youtube hits. This BO comment feeds into 2 things he does not want in the general. 1. He is a liberal. 2. He is John Kerry2.
John Kerry 2? Let's not forget Kerry was one state shy of being President. He also got the second most votes for President ever.
Besides, Obama has a stirred up base that will never abandon him. Also, he and McCain may split states different compared to the last few elections. McCain can win in Pennsylvania or New Jersey, while Obama can win in the South.
How are these statements anything other than a reflection of reality- evidently an oddity in politics which seems to have stunned the critic/pundit class
As I added in the PS, even as Obama tries to disatnce himself from his statements, his supporters claim he's telling the truth.
Actually, there's a lot wrong with the statement and it's pretty obvious. His premise is wrong, but let's forget that (though, as I said, that's the part that worries me most, since it suggests he has an incorrect view of history and what government can and should do).
What's worst about the statement is its condescension. I have no doubt Obama believes what he's saying, so maybe he'll just have to brave it out, but in essence he's making the classic leftist argument of false consciousness--that the only reason people (especially those who should be in solidarity with him rather than their enemies--the rich) disagree with him on the issues is due to their failure to see the truth, which he knows, of course, and this failure manifests itself in various ways. In doing this, he's denying people their autonomy and avoiding serious debate at the same time. So maybe he disagrees with people on their views of guns and religion and even free trade (though what his view is on this no one can tell), but at least he should pay the people he hopes to represent the respect of taking their beliefs seriously, rather than dismissing them as manifestations of their confusion.
by John Kerry2, I meant elitist.
BTW right now my money but not my vote is that he will win. If he keeps this stuff up though he will lose the hope theme real quick.
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