“The story can go one of two ways: It can disappear and join thousands of other blips on the campaign radar screen to date or it can persist and become a larger narrative about the problems with Obama’s message,” Chris Cillizza wrote in his Washington Post blog about Barack Obama’s “Bittergate” controversy. Cillizza pondered which factors could influence the direction the story goes. For example, the pope’s visit could help push the story off cable TV. But Hillary Clinton’s new campaign ad (see below) tries to make sure the controversy stays alive.
46 Comments
It is not a story. It is an out-of-context smear that means nothing.
What Obama said was entirely true. He did not say that rural people “are bitter.” He said that because of gov’t policies of ignoring the rural population after promising change, people “get bitter” to that.
It’s typical manufactured outrage by the infotaiment media.
I think it’s a resounding comment that turned off a lot of the moderates, the Reagan democrats, and will cause them not to vote for Obama.
Here is a quote from a column by George Will about the false populism that liberalism has become, typified by Obama’s elitist attitude.
———–
“Obama may be the fulfillment of modern liberalism. Explaining why many working class voters are “bitter,” he said they “cling” to guns, religion and “antipathy to people who aren’t like them” because of “frustrations.” His implication was that their primitivism, superstition and bigotry are balm for resentments they feel because of America’s grinding injustice.
By so speaking, Obama does fulfill liberalism’s transformation since Franklin Roosevelt. What had been under FDR a celebration of America and the values of its working people has become a doctrine of condescension toward those people and the supposedly coarse and vulgar country that pleases them.”
http://townhall.com/columnists/GeorgeWill/2008/04/15/barack_obamas_bitter_liberalism?page=fu
Meanwhile, the real scandals–the immoral and illegal war, the torture, the witch hunting using the Justice Department, the ignored Congressional subpeonas–are ignored by for-profit corporate media.
Surprise, surprise.
On this subject, Crowson’s cartoon is priceless:
http://www.kansas.com/599/image_media/372900.html
George Will . . . hahahahaha
Good one, outlander, good one.
In keeping with the Gomer deployments, see above link, that should have been, Capn,
“Surprise, surprise, surprise….”
“What Obama said was entirely true. He did not say that rural people “are bitter.” He said that because of gov’t policies of ignoring the rural population after promising change, people “get bitter” to that.”
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Your comment is true as far as it goes CapnA… But there is the little matter of how Prof Obama thinks the great unwashed demonstrate their bitterness. As he confides his inner thoughts to to a gaggle of elitist San Francisco libs.
That’s your problem.
I think this is just one more slit in the death by a thousand cuts. Any one incident is no big deal by itself, but after a while, a pattern emerges. And the pattern gives a complete picture of the candidate and what they think and believe.
And I dont think the picture of obama is one that will draw enough e.c. votes to win in November.
But hey, if you cross your fingers and click your heels three time and keep repeating “hope and change, hope and change, hope and change” maybe all those crossover, independent, formerly republican voters will put obama over the top.
Maybe.
It will continue until the “liberal media” (sic) finds something else to smear him with.
I cant wait for someone to chime in here and say “those people” wouldnt have voted for him anyway.
Seems to me there is plenty of “proof” for Obama’s words right on this Blog… Guns/Jesus/anti-ethnic/anti-gay/anti-welfare bloggers crying in their beer…
Oh yea, and I dont like the billboards and other advertisements that seem to equate Faith in Jesus with Coca Cola, or Bayer Aspirin, or Bunny Batteries, etc., ad nauseum… Makes Jesus look like some sort of “habit” one can fall into!! Yuck!!
There is little for Obama opponents to grab onto and yank around by its neck until it’s dead in their opinions, so this will need to last. Maybe they better sling it a bit more gently or they’ll kill it before they’re ready.
I don’t know Phillip, ask Rhonda since she wrote about it yesterday. I think it’s the most pathetic show of outrage the republicans can muster.
But on a related story, here is something to be truly outraged about.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080415/ap_on_bi_go_ec_fi/economy
I called it yesterday, didn’t need a story to come out about it to know we’re being bent over and shafted hard.
By the way, the elitist comments…John Stewart last night said why don’t we WANT someone smarter than the average person running the country, because you know, all those beer drinking buddies sure you want that person running the country.
So can we put the whole ‘elitist’ thing to bed? It makes no sense when republicans defend big business elitists as being shrewd as a good thing. But being smart is somehow not? I agree with Stewart, I want someone smarter than me in the leadership position.
Way to go, Democrats. The first commandment of politics, Don’t shooteth thy own party in the nether regions”, doesn’t apply in this election cycle. Hell, as much as bush’s ratings are somewhere between whale sh** and three-day old fish, he could probably get elected again, what with the Democratic party showing utterly moronic behavior.
“But Hillary Clinton’s new campaign ad tries to make sure the controversy stays alive.”
Of course! Attack Obama! (I hope she keeps it up, because I think it’s hurting her more than the actual statement made by Obama.)
What happened to Hillary’s LIARgate? Obama is too much of a gentlemen to pay for ads reminding us about Hillary’s international experience in Bosnia under fire.
Hillary = Liar
Obama = speech mistakes
One is a character flaw and shows no integrity. The other is just a poor choice of words.
Which will affect their ability as POTUS?
Why is pointing out a reality elitist?
“Why is pointing out a reality elitist?”
————–
Maybe because Senator Obama had fully and adequately explained his relationship with Pastor Wright to everyone but those who could never understand. There had to be something negative and horrible and scary, dangerous, (choose the word of your choice) about this man, didn’t there!?
They’re all good words for the obamaman! Why choose?
Noted without comment:
“Gallup: Obama Has His Biggest Lead Yet, No “Small Town” Damage
By Eric Kleefeld - April 15, 2008, 1:12PM
Today’s Gallup tracking poll gives Barack Obama an 11-point lead over Hillary Clinton, his widest margin ever in Gallup’s polling. Here are the numbers, compared to yesterday:
Obama 51% (+1)
Clinton 40% (+0)
The poll was conducted entirely after the “small town” controversy first erupted, a further indication that the whole flap has yet to actually harm Obama’s poll numbers.”
http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/04/gallup_obama_has_his_biggest_l.php
And, in the race that REALLY matters, both Obama and Clinton STILL beat McCain.
“In general election trial heat match ups, both Democratic candidates now have identical, and slight, 46% to 44% margins over presumptive Republican nominee John McCain.”
http://www.gallup.com/poll/106537/Gallup-Daily-Obama-51-Clinton-40.aspx
Our Midwestern frustrations are not because of being ignored by the federal government, but because of interferences forced upon us by the federal government.
‘Scuse me while I go target practice with by semi-automatic on the goat that’s on our sacrificial altar.
Good cover story about Cindy McClain in USA Today. She should run instead of hubby.
Right, GLF48.
We need more drug addicted billionaires in the White House.
I said she should run — not get elected —- she’s not a billionaire — somewhere around 120 million ….
“By the way, the elitist comments…John Stewart last night said why don’t we WANT someone smarter than the average person running the country, because you know, all those beer drinking buddies sure you want that person running the country” — political mama.
They shut of p.m.’s gas, but not her cable t.v. I see. Oh well, a bath wouldn’t have helped her much anyway. Gotta keep those priorities straight. T.V. is obviously more important to her than her kids.
By cracky: I could be a Republican.
I told you dickhead, the only reason my cable/internet is still on is because they haven’t shut it off yet.
Don’t go after me because I know what you are. You said it all on your own.
Just how many times did you hit that site, looking for something, anything, p.m.? I always thought it was that loathsome puppy. I know what you are too, a bitch out to destroy whomever you can by whatever means you can find.
And I know why, too.
Really do share!
Your anxiety is showing, because I didn’t ‘hit’ that site more than twice.
You’re both from the same place right…well perhaps you can go pay him a visit.
You know what? I don’t have to have multiple ID’s beber.
Well first off,
I’m getting a little irked with dorking.
But to issues here.
I see the word “smear”.
Uh? This is not a smear. This is something Obama said.
Ditto for where I see the word “slur”.
I’m not here to tear Obama down.
But he’s doing a good job of that on himself.
And folks? There’s more. And that’s just what I know about so far. Not my job to bring it here though.
Let’s just say it is a good idea to have two candidates for as long as we can.
If Obama IS to be the nominee, getting there sooner than later puts all the surprises in storage for October.
You know what? I don’t have to have multiple ID’s beber.
You won’t need one at all soon, apparently.
let’s vote dorking off the island!
you can count on my vote!
Democratic Party Politics:
Fractured
Divisive
Broken
Splintered
All the way to the convention.
“I don’t belong to an organized political party. I’m a Democrat.
Will Rogers.
“Bomb,bomb,bomb, bomb bomb Iran.”
John McCain
It doesn’t go away.
It DOES die down.
Unless there is video. If video of this comes out Obama is probably unelectable.
The other effect this has is to intensify the scrutiny on Obama.
Well except from Keith Olberman anyway.
Obama will have to speak VERY carefully from now on.
And Obama supporters? That greater scrutiny is a GOOD thing.
Like I said before, any suprises that don’t come out now come out in October.
There’s a lot of hidden dirt about Hillary that hasn’t come out yet.
I won’t be the one to post it here.
But there it is.
Hey Beber, just because I have no computer access FROM HOME doesn’t mean I won’t have it elsewhere.
NONE of Obama’s problems will go away, because everything that had hurt Obama, so far, like this “Bitter” story, are all pieces to the same puzzle:
Who is Obama?
The people will like Obama less and less, the more they get to know him.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?pageId=61616
” … a sign, the Obama ad argues, that average voters think Clinton is playing politics and are sick of it.”
DUH! Clinton is a politican. That’s what they do.
All due respect Capn,
Senator Hillary Clinton is PROBABLY the most closely scrutinized candidate in American political history.
Senators Obama and McCain are relatively unexplored.
THAT is why most of the “gotchas” are happening to Obama and McCain.
Interesting how today’s polls show Obama cutting into Hillary’s lead in Pennsylvania and increasing his lead nationwide.
Maybe it’s not up to richly-paid media pundits to tell us exactly what small-town middle-class really think.
Yeah, there are plenty of people who go to church because it’s Sunday morning and that’s what you do on Sunday morning, what you’ve done every Sunday morning since you were baptized.
But most of us know people who showed up at the mega-church after a crisis. Or they showed up at AA. Or they took a Marriage Enounter weekend…
Their problems aren’t always political (or, they don’t recognize them as such), and they tend to object to any politician intruding on their crises.
“Embrace” would have been a better word choice than “cling to,” I think.
But we see in this forum every day how some people really *cling* to the gun issue (the poster formerly known as “Max” comes to mind). The poster formerly known as “Nathan” regularly clings to his version of Christianity only to strike out at those with a different interpretation. And they sound pretty bitter when they do it.
43 posts to this particular blog = not much interest or traction on this story…move along folks, nothing to see here.
Let’s change the thread slug to “@unt-gate.” I know that Roger Ailes and his Fox folks are giving McBush a free ride but Rev. Pat Robertson and his 700 Club should be all over a United States Senator and candidate for president calling his wife a “@unt.” Speaking of Roger Ailes, what’s with Fox hiring a known perjurer, Mr. Rove? The guy’s a confessed and compulsive liar.
This is getting worse for Obama.
I saw his wife try to address this.
She came off VERY badly. Not a person I can see as first lady as she was decidedly unladylike.