(CBS)
From CBS News' Maria Gavrilovic: MUNCIE, IND. -- Barack Obama last night defended the comments he made last week at a San Francisco fund-raiser, after his presidential rivals accused him of being out of touch with voters.
"I'm in touch. I know exactly what's going on, I know what's going on in Pennsylvania, I know what's going on in Indiana, I know what's going on in Illinois," Obama said at an event in Terre Haute, Ind.
"People are fed up. They're angry, and they're frustrated, and they're bitter, and they want to see a change in Washington, and that's why I'm running for President of the United States of America."
At a closed fund-raiser last Sunday, the Huffington Post reported that Obama said Pennsylvania voters are bitter.
"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."
However, last night, he defended those comments, suggesting that the current economic crisis is the cause of voter cynicism and bitterness. He accused Hillary Clinton and John McCain of contributing to the hardships that many people face.
"John McCain, it took him three tries to finally figure out that 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?"
Obama wraps up his three-day tour of Indiana today at Ball State University. He is expected to continue talking about the economy and reaching out to blue collar voters.
Obama Comments Put Him on the Defensive
/ CBS News
From CBS News' Maria Gavrilovic:
MUNCIE, IND. -- Barack Obama last night defended the comments he made last week at a San Francisco fund-raiser, after his presidential rivals accused him of being out of touch with voters.
"I'm in touch. I know exactly what's going on, I know what's going on in Pennsylvania, I know what's going on in Indiana, I know what's going on in Illinois," Obama said at an event in Terre Haute, Ind.
"People are fed up. They're angry, and they're frustrated, and they're bitter, and they want to see a change in Washington, and that's why I'm running for President of the United States of America."
At a closed fund-raiser last Sunday, the Huffington Post reported that Obama said Pennsylvania voters are bitter.
"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."
However, last night, he defended those comments, suggesting that the current economic crisis is the cause of voter cynicism and bitterness. He accused Hillary Clinton and John McCain of contributing to the hardships that many people face.
"John McCain, it took him three tries to finally figure out that 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?"
Obama wraps up his three-day tour of Indiana today at Ball State University. He is expected to continue talking about the economy and reaching out to blue collar voters.