Obama Allies Avoid Trying to Explain Most Controversial Part of His Remarks
April 14th, 2008 at 01:28am Matt DiBari
In the days since Senator Barack Obama’s remarks at a San Francisco fund raiser have become widely known, Senator Obama and his surrogates have been fiercely trying to spin the Leader of the New Hope’s latest example of what he considers the “politics of hope.”
Unsurprisingly, Team Hope has focussed largely on the word ‘bitter’ and tried their very best to make everyone forget about the troubling snobbishness and elitism of the full statement, one I’m sure Senator Obama never thought the general public would ever hear.
Jake Tapper at the Political Punch writes about this and the Obama Campaign’s attempt to convince us that he said something other than what he actually said.
A robo-call on behalf of the Obama campaign from Mayor John Brenner of York, Pa., says that, “Barack Obama understands us. He’s got it right, we are frustrated — frustrated with polices that enable businesses to leave our community, pensions to be stripped, health care benefits to be taken away and homes foreclosed. Unlike his opponents, who have been part of the Washington establishment that are out of touch with us, Barack Obama will change Washington. It is policies that hurt us. He will take on the special interests and fight for us.”
On Obama’s Web site, a public letter from 21 Pennsylvania “elected officials and community leaders from small towns and rural areas throughout Pennsylvania” defend him, saying, “What Sen. Obama said is that over the last 25-30 years, working class people in places like Pennsylvania have been falling behind, and that politicians in Washington haven’t been looking out for them. He also said that, as a result, many people have become frustrated, angry and even bitter about all the broken promises. He was right.”
No mention of the “cling”-ing to guns or religion.
If Barack Obama, his campaign, and his surrogates really think that they can gloss over and whitewash his comments, and expect he American public to just forget that these condescending comments, where he accuses religious voters of “clinging” to religion, he has another thing coming.
Frankly, if Obama and his campaign and The Audacity of Hope is just too good to accept these voters, I’m sure John McCain will gladly take them, warts, bitter religiousness and all.
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7 Comments
1. KMorrison | April 14th, 2008 at 8:19 am
I think that’s absolutely right. It’s much easier to explain away the ‘bitter’ part of the comment. The ‘clinging to religion and guns’ part is more insulting and much harder to explain away.
2. congressive | April 14th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
I love this thread. All political parties rail on with the most damaging argument they can make against their opponents, and this is the best you’ve got.
Rail on!
3. Matt DiBari | April 14th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
If Barack Obama could run on his record or some legislative achievement, this would likely be less of an issue.
Since Obama’s total lack of noteworthy experience has forced him to run a major national campaign on “Hope” its absolutely worth noting that the leader of this Hope Movement has a very elitist and cynical view of a large part of the general public.
4. Geoff | April 14th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
As Tom Bevan wrote today (http://www.time-blog.com/real_clear_politics/index.html?page=2):
“Part of the reason Obama’s having trouble dismissing this as a “misspeak” is because of the construct of his remarks, the underlying condescension, and the fact that he’s built a reputation for being a gifted and precise communicator.
His campaign is about the importance of words, and in this instance, his words have gotten the better of him.”
5. SD | April 15th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
what the obamabots seem unable to comprehend is that obama made that statement as an answer to WHY he is not able to win over small town voters. he was not supporting them. he was laughing them away.
6. Matt DiBari | April 15th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
That’s an excellent point SD. Obama wasn’t “praising” these people or whatever his latest excuse is. He was making fun of them.
7. Dasein Libsbane | April 16th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
I tend to disagree, I believe Obama was being compassionate in the liberal sense; as in “these poor rubes cling to mindless religious rituals and violent firearms in a desperate attempt to exhibit some modicum of control over their retched circumstances; I pity them”.