I am usually not one to pay much attention to the news media manufactured controversies over a remark made by a politician and exploited by opponents. But I feel compelled to comment on the latest episode because the issue at the center of the controversial remarks can be construed, in some ways, as the most important issue in the entire campaign (as unbelievable as that sounds.)
Last week when Barack Obama said that people who have come up against hard times in their communities "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." Hillary Clinton, still pursuing the Democratic nomination against Obama, pounced on this remark to claim that Obama is elitist, out-of-touch and unelectable in small town America. In response, Obama delivered a terrific rebuttal explaining what he meant. (Click here to read a concise summary of the entire affair.)
Elitist, condescending, out of touch - who cares? That's all the dumb rhetorical part of the controversy. Much more importantly, Obama is RIGHT. In 2004 many Americans voted to continue a senseless war in Iraq that is killing people for no reason and draining our country of resources. They voted for policies that have brought America to the brink of economic and fiscal crisis. They voted to allow unsafe mines to operate and lead-contaminated children's' toys to reach market. The voted to torture innocent people, to spy on Americans, and to ignore environmental destruction. Why did Americans vote for these policies? Three reasons: 1) because "the other guy was godless, 2) so that no Democrat would take away their guns, and 3) to insure that gay people could not get married.
We need to get people to direct their focus away from the wedge issues that do not affect our health, happiness and well-being and get the voters to consider the important, substantive issues of the day. And not just the voters of course, the major news outlets also need to emphasize important issues and get away from the red meat. Obama may have been a little off target by seeming to put the blame entirely on the people rather than on the politicians who exploit them (what I really mean is the Republican campaign apparatus), but on the core of the issue, he's right. And as important as the economy, Iraq, health care, education and the environment are, the US will not move forward in addressing these problems until more voters make their choices based on them instead of God, guns and gays.
Watch The Young Turks tackle the important issues here.
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Putting the Controversy Aside, Obama was Right
Posted Apr 13th 2008 10:37AM by David Koller
Filed under: Politics, Young Turks, Barack Obama, Controversy
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Reader Comments ( Page 4 of 6)
46. Captain Nagative
Correct, Obama was talking down his nose at the "Rednecks" except he did not use that term. He was addresses fellow Democrat Elitists at the fundraiser, all of whom were rich, and talking down at middle class americans as the unworhty ones.
Obama is very careful at what he writes and what he says in his speeches. So his apology is worthless since he was well aware of his well thought out speech before he gave it and said far to many things that are degrading to middle class americans. He might as well said "Rednecks" the same way you use the term when you talking down at others with opposing views.
robert okane at 9:24AM on Apr 14th 2008
47. What don't you people understand about "shall not be infringed"? Its a right, plain and simple.
Jon at 9:49AM on Apr 14th 2008
48. If Obama wanted to "kick corporate ass" as one commenter seems to think he wants to...why didn't he say it in front of these people?
http://www.zombietime.com/obama_visits_billionaires_row/
Obama is a phoney.
Davidg at 9:52AM on Apr 14th 2008
49. Seeing articles like this makes me think that perhaps our nations founding fathers shouldn't have clung to their guns or sense of freedom of religion. I wonder what kind of world we'd be living in if they were as big a bunch of spineless cowards as the current crop of candidates or their sycophants that unabashedly defend their "mis speaks".
Having been a lifelong resident of Pennsylvania I can tell you this, I only cling to one of my guns at a time. However when I see things like Ruby Ridge, Waco or the current nightmare occurring in Texas I do take all my weapons, strip them down and clean them up till they work like fine machines. After reading your spin on Obama's mouth running faster than his brain,I'm sure you could justify the authorities moving into a small town and removing all of it's children, or at least 400 of them,using military force with nothing but an "anonymous" cell phone call to support such a measure.
Remain in your big city ivory tower and endorse the governments use of military force against the citizenry every time it suits your needs or beliefs because that's all you're doing when you pander to statements like Obama's. It's people with beliefs like this who the government is counting on to delegate gun owners to the same social status as pedophiles.
Chessienut at 10:24AM on Apr 14th 2008
50. Could I run for President as a Republican if it were known that I published the following Bombastic Racist Rant?
["I ceased to advertise my mother's race when I began to suspect that by doing so I was ingratiating myself to BLACKS."
"It was my father's image, the WHITE MAN, Conqueror of Africa, that I'd package all the attributes I sought in myself, the attributes of Hitler, Attila, Mussolini and Caesar."
"To avoid being mistaken for a sellout, I chose my friends carefully. David Duke, the more politically active WHITE students, the EUROPEAN BLUE BLOOD students. The Vanderbilt's, Carnegie's and Astor's. The ANGLO-SAXON Professors, PATRIOTIC CONFEDERATE Feminists and SOUTHERN REBEL Poets."
"There were enough of us on campus to constitute a PHYLE, and when it came to hanging out, many of us chose to function like a CLAN, staying close together, traveling in packs."
"(I)t remained necessary to prove which side you were on, to show your loyalty to the PURE masses, to strike out and name names."
I wrote frankly about how to blame "BLACK people – the criminals, the ignorant, the faceless image of a Wealth Transfer System claiming power over our FINANCES."]
Paul Sparcello at 10:53AM on Apr 14th 2008
51. All of you spewing forth the charge of "elitist," please see this cogent and relative commentary by Janeane Garafolo. It's insightful and, without leveling any charge at any candidate, makes Hillary sound more Republican than John McCain.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o-uwBJSUnc
John in Philadelphia
OBAMA '08
John at 11:10AM on Apr 14th 2008
52. I do agree that perhaps Obama could have worded this better. I think even he said it was clumsily said. However, how many of us DON'T know somebody who is this way? It's a hard truth, but come on. I see the trucks with dixie flags and gunracks. In Ohio. People declaring things are the work of Satan. People putting Christian worship in public schools. People hating others blindly because they're different. How are they not bitter?
It's a big pill to swallow but I think we'll come out a better country if we just admit we've treated our working class SEVERELY poorly and that as a result some of them are acting poorly in turn. Admission to a problem is the first step to solving it.
Strados at 11:29AM on Apr 14th 2008
53. The Banal Obama?
http://youtube.com/watch?v=rDHsHM0laT8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxyPBmZE69s&NR=1
http://youtube.com/watch?v=LIe4d9Nmg9k
Paul Sparcello at 11:35AM on Apr 14th 2008
54. THE AVERAGE AMERICAN IS NOT OUT OF TOUCH THATS WHY IM VOTING FOR OBAMA.ITS THE FLOCK OF SHEEP THAT BOUGHT THE CLICHE'S OF THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION AND THOSE WHO SAT AROUND THINKING 'OH IT DONT MATTER' WHO VOTED AGAINST THIER OWN BEST INTEREST.MOST AMERICANS HATE BEING LABELED A SUCKER BUT GUESS WHAT THOSE OF YOU WHO HELPED PUT BUSH IN OFFICE ARE SUCKERS,YOU GOT FLIMFLAMED AND BAMBOOZELED.NOW LOOK AT YOUR COUNTRY.THOSE OF YOU WHO WANT HILLARY SIMPLY BECAUSE SHE IS A WOMAN DONT REALIZE SHE IS NO BETTER THAN ANY REPUBLICAN...SHE WAS A MEMBER OF THE YOUNG REPUBLICANS IN COLLEGE WHY THE SWITCH..HER HUSBAND PROMOTED REPUBLICAN TRADE POLICIES AND DID NOTHING FOR MIDDLE CLASS WORKERS EXCEPT USE SMOKE AND MIRRORS TO MAKE IT LOOK GOOD.OBAMA WAS RIGHT SMALL TOWN REPUBLICANS WERE HODDWINKED INTO THINKING WEDGE ISSUES WERE THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES AND THEY VOTED THAT WAY..THEY HAD NO CLUE..ONE MAN TOLD ME THE ECONOMY WAS JUST FINE 31/2 YEARS AGO AND BELIEVED IT NOW HE IS ANGRY LIKE A DEMOCRAT AND STILL BLAMES DEMOCRATS.DEAD END THINKING...BURNING THE HOUSE DOWN THAT YOU LIVE IN WITH A MATCH HANDED TO YOU BY A SLICK TALKING POLITICIAN....VOTE FOR OBAMA,HE IS REAL.
John at 11:44AM on Apr 14th 2008
55. Thank you gunless(post number 1) your post says it all. Thanks for making it unecessary for any further comment.
audrey hobbs at 11:51AM on Apr 14th 2008
56. #28 & #30 Dave and Brandon. As much as it pains me to say it, Gore lost Tennessee. He went from Favorite son to an "elitist liar who is gonna take my gun" overnite. My point is that Andy of Mayberry might have a better chance of being elected than someone who is seen as being elitist.
Don't rag on me about Andy either. He and Barney are my favorites.
Steve Seivers at 11:58AM on Apr 14th 2008
57. Obama's Church
http://www.tucc.org/about.htm
Wake Up Americans!!! Can you find any mention of America in the TUCC mission statement?
Paul Sparcello at 12:02PM on Apr 14th 2008
58. "These comments, and the larger issue of the Obama campaign's inability to connect with these working class voters, is not a little thing. It's a big thing. And it's a big thing that is likely to end up making a big difference in November,"
AlasAlas at 12:24PM on Apr 14th 2008
59. Though the first wave of criticism focused on Obama's use of the word "bitter," over the weekend critics concentrated more on Obama's use of the word "cling" and the negative connotation it gave to people's attachments to guns and God. "I think you're on dangerous ground when you morph that into suggesting that people's cultural values, whether its religion or hunting and fishing or concerns about trade, are premised solely upon those of kind of anxieties and don't have a legitimate foundation independent of them,"
AlasAlas at 12:26PM on Apr 14th 2008
60. "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."
What does he mean? Cling to guns? WTF is he talking about? Does he want to take away people's guns?
Clint to religion? WTF? This is the guy who sat and listened to Rev. Wright for TWENTY YEARS. He should be the last person to talk about clinging to religion.
Antipathy to those who are not like them...Obama can't open his mouth without some kind of thinly veiled reference to racism.
Anti-immigrant? Again WTF? Who is anti-immigrant. He's really saying anti-illegal immigrant.
Anti-trade...yeah we get it we should all be pro-NAFTA, pro-ONE WORLD.
There is so much in those few words he said. It speaks volumes, especially when you consider it was said while at a fundraiser on billionaires row in San Francisco among the elite of the elitist, the top 5%.
Obama is NOT what his supporters believe he is...well not his average supporters. He is most assuredly what his upper-crust limoLibs think he is.
Where do you think his money is coming from? College kids skipping a concert? Working people going without a Starbucks?
He's a liar, he's a phoney and he's dangerous.
Davidg at 12:31PM on Apr 14th 2008