Obama Defends Comments On "Bitter" Voters

Candidate Says Working-Class Voters Have Given Up On Economic Help From Washington

(AP)  In the midst of an assault from his rivals, a defensive Barack Obama said Friday that many working-class Americans are angry and bitter over economic inequalities and have lost faith in Washington - and, as a result, vote on the basis of other issues such as gun protections or gay marriage.

The Illinois senator's analysis of what motivates working-class voters came after chief rival Hillary Rodham Clinton accused him of looking down on such voters. Clinton rebuked Obama on Friday for similar remarks he made privately last Sunday to a group of donors in San Francisco.

"People don't vote on economic issues because they don't expect anybody is going to help them," Obama told a crowd at a Terre Haute, Ind., high school Friday evening. "So people end up voting on issues like guns and are they going to have the right to bear arms. They vote on issues like gay marriage. They take refuge in their faith and their community, and their family, and the things they can count on. But they don't believe they can count on Washington."

The Huffington Post Web site reported Friday that Obama, speaking of some Pennsylvanians' economic anxieties, told supporters at the San Francisco fundraiser: "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 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."

In Terre Haute, Obama said he did describe some voters as bitter when a donor asked why working-class voters in Pennsylvania were not getting behind his campaign.

"Well, that's not my experience," Clinton told a Drexel University crowd, describing the state's residents as resilient, optimistic and hardworking.

"Pennsylvanians don't need a president who looks down on them," she said. "They need a president who stands up for them."

Steve Schmidt, a spokesman for Republican candidate John McCain, described Obama's comments as "condescending" and "out of touch."

In Terre Haute, Obama chided McCain for not responding promptly to the home mortgage crisis and criticized Clinton for voting for a bankruptcy bill supported by credit card companies.

"No, I'm IN touch," he said. "I know exactly what's going on. People are fed up, they are angry, they're frustrated and they're bitter. And they want to see a change in Washington."

Clinton spokesman Phil Singer said Friday night, "Instead of apologizing for offending small-town America, Senator Obama chose to repeat and embrace the comments he made earlier this week."

Tucker Bounds, a spokesman for McCain, said Friday: "Only an elitist would say that people vote their values only out of frustration. ... You can't be more out of touch than that."

[parrot123-2009]

That is why Libya gives money to Farrakhan and why the ISM and Sabeel work with Reverend Wright whose personal interpretations of Christianity are entrenched in Obama%u2019s mind as the True Word of Christianity. Wright actually visited Mohammar Ghaddafi in Libya with Farrakhan in the past.
Posted by obama8years at 10:17 PM : Apr 13, 2008

So, you''re angry that there''s actually an American leader who''s got the ears and the respect of everyone from every spectrum, including the kind of people you''ve been raised to Hate - and you''re implying this as a negative trait ??? This just reaffirms my belief that at this time, he might be the most important American right now and the most equipped to lead this country - especially if our so called enemies are very eager to talk to him and stop all the destruction going on in the world - Then maybe and hoprefully we''ll start to live life again without fear of any Dumbya POTUS effects we''re currently experiencing ..... Believe it or not, 5 years from now - no one going to refer to these last 7years as the time Obama, Hillary or McSame were in congress but all Dumbya (who''s still a Repug). Cheers!

[aldon61]

The problem here is that truth hurts. Senator Obama stated it correctly, but not just for small town americans, everyone! Who trusts Washington to actually do something on the economy? Who trusts Washington to work out our problems on healthcare, social security & medicare, national security, etc? Our "do nothing" president and congress has been posturing for us and running for re-election since the 2006 election. When these idiots want to receive our votes, they play to our emotions like gay marraige, gun control and religion. In other words, they hit our "hot" buttons. This congress and president have been a national shame for all of us, and we blame senator Obama for telling it like it is? Wake up america!! Smell the coffee, instead of blaming the messenger for the message. Don''t let these people continue to get away with manipulating us for votes, insist on confronting these candidates on the ISSUES facing our country. Vote with your brains, not your heart. Learn from what senator Obama told you; we should all be ashamed of being used by Washington, let''s vote these bass-turds out. Let''s reclaim our country.

[blackspirit3]

Timothy McVeigh bombs Oklahoma - Bitter
Floyd Looker - attempted to bomb three federal installations. - Bitter
Donald Beauregard - serving five years for attempting to blow up power stations. - Bitter
Randall, co-founder of an Alabama militia group and the man who embarrassed federal agents by exposing a racist event that they attended. %u2013 FBI HANGING WITH KKK- BITTER
Branch Davidians in Waco - Bitter towards Americanism
White Supremacist Randy Weaver - Bitter towards Americanism
Virginia Tech Campus - Leaves at Least 33 Dead - BITTER
Columbine High School massacre - killing 12 students and a teacher, as well as wounding 23 others - BITTER

http://www.unitedstatesaction.com/anti-govt-patriot-groups.htm

Its a whole nation of bitter folks that hate America and they are Mostly White nationalist supremist. They are Bitter about racial mixing, they are Bitter about blacks advanceing, they are Bitter about Jewish Americans and what they perceive as them having control over this Government.

Obama was correct.

[lordmi]

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2008/04/12/carl-bernstein-what-a-hillary-clinton-presidency-look-like/

[gypsy0126]

READ SAVAGE POLITICS article and see photos regarding the secret, closed to the press fund raiser where Obama spoke his words, and showed once again his true colors. He is like the Greek God with two faces. He has once again exposed his other face; the face he doesn''t want us to see, but so many of us do.

[blackspirit3]

Timothy McVeigh bombs Oklahoma - Bitter
Floyd Looker - attempted to bomb three federal installations.
Donald Beauregard - serving five years for attempting to blow up power stations.
Jeff Randall, co-founder of an Alabama militia group and the man who embarrassed federal agents by exposing a racist event they%u2019d attended.
Branch Davidians in Waco - bitter towards Americanism
white supremacist Randy Weaver - bitter towards Americanism
Virginia Tech Campus - Leaves at Least 33 Dead
Columbine High School massacre - killing 12 students and a teacher, as well as wounding 23 others

http://www.unitedstatesaction.com/anti-govt-patriot-groups.htm

Its a whole nation of bitter folks that hate America and they are Mostly White nationalist supremist. They are Bitter about racial mixing, they are Bitter about blacks advanceing, they are Bitter about Jewish Americans and what they perceive as them having control over this Government.

Obama was correct.

[blackspirit3]

Timothy McVeigh bombs Oklahoma - Bitter
Floyd Looker - attempted to bomb three federal installations.
Donald Beauregard - serving five years for attempting to blow up power stations.
Jeff Randall, co-founder of an Alabama militia group and the man who embarrassed federal agents by exposing a racist event they%u2019d attended.
Branch Davidians in Waco - bitter towards Americanism
white supremacist Randy Weaver - bitter towards Americanism
http://www.unitedstatesaction.com/anti

-govt-patriot-groups.htm
its a whole nation of biiier folks that hate America and they are Mostly White. They are Bitter about racial; mixing, they are Bitter about blacks advancement, they are Bitter about Jewish Americans and what they pervieve as them having control over this Government. Obama was correct.

[omaar-101]

Go Ahead then, Get on your Knees and give Thanks To the Bush (Sr. & Jr.) & the Clinton Administrations for what theyve done for You and this Great Country.. then Vote for Hillary Or McCain, for More of the Same !!

1. 4009 Killed in Action US Men & Women

2. Thousands of US Soldiers that have legs and arms Dis-Membered or Amputated in the Iraq War !!

3. The over 100,000 innocent Iraqi Citizens killed under False Pretenses (WOMD)

4. Over 12 Billion Dollars per month to fund this Occupation !!

5. The Very Devalued Dollar Bill !!

6. The High Unemployment Rate.

7. All Time High Il-Legal Immigration !

8. All Time High Forecloures !!

9. High A!! Gas Prices !!

10. Canada, and Still Communist China & Viet Nam , Socialist India and Mexico getting Americans jobs.

Obama is Lying Huh

Then Dont Complain Then...

Dont Worry be Happy !!

PS: Get on your knees and thank George (NAFTA/NAU) Bush & Bill (NAFTA/COMM.CHINESE CONNECTION) Clinton, for all the Good Times, Both Presidents have Brought America.

Reference Bill & Hillarys Norman Hsu China Connection.

[omaar-101]

http://www.nytimes.com/pages/politics/in


dex.html

Democratic Delegates ; Delegates won:

Mar. 11 Total 2,025 needed

Barack Obama (19) 1,631.5

Hillary Rodham Clinton (14) 1,474.5


CALL ME WHEN HILLARY CLINTON EVENS WITH OBAMAS NUMBERS ABOVE AND WHEN HILLARY CLINTON SURPASSES OBAMAS NUMBERS ABOVE...PLEASE

UNTIL THEN, YOU''''''''RE SOUNDING OFF ON A MEANINGLESS PLATFORM !!

A MAN THAT JUST PAID OFF HE AND HIS WIFES STUDENT LOANS, PAYS PRIVATE SCHOOL, FOR 2 GIRLS, PAYS A MORTGAGE, CAR NOTE, VARIOUS INSURANCES, TRAVELS AND LIVES LIKE A DAILY CITIZEN ?

OR


A (72 YR. OLD) GRANDPA WHOSE MARRIED TO A MULTI-MILLIONAIRE BEER HEIRESS, WHO WANTS TO PRESERVE LOWER TAXES FOR THE RICH AND WHO SAYS HE WANTS THE U.S. TROOPS TO STAY IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN ?

OR

A WOMAN (HILLARY CLINTON) WHOSE MADE 109 MILLION DOLLARS (ELITIST)WHO HAS AN OFFSHORE CAYMAN ISLAND ACCOUNT, WHOSE HUSBAND (BILL CLINTON) HAS A DUBAI PORTS DEAL AND RECIEVES MILLIONS FROM ARAB NATIONS AND REPUBLICS, WHO HAS SAUDI ARABIANS CHAIRING HIS LIBRARY, WITH AMASSED MONIES, TOTALING (500 MILLION) DOLLARS ?

GIVE ME THE GUY WHO HAS WENT THROUGH STRUGGLES AND JUST RECENTLY PAID OFF HE AND HIS WIFES STUDENT LOANS, WHO KNOWS WHAT STRUGGLES ARE !!

[kate1149]

Why is the news media giving Clinton so much coverage on this? Obama is right about why people the working poor vote agaisnt their own economic self interest to vote for a Republican based on gun rights or some other social issue. People are bitter and angry about their economic situation, the loss of jobs to overseas factories, and the huge corporate profits that companies make by shipping jobs to China. Clinton is trying tos distract people from the fact that she lied repeatedly about her bosnia trip (to bolster her tough guy immage) that she faces huge conflict of interest issues with Mark Penn and Bill Clinton both of whom are making money supporting issues she "claims" to be against in public, and the disaster that would be a Clinton co-presidency. Clinton is trying to gain the vote of blue collar men is going to lose the support of women. By attacking her fellow Democrat, Obama, as elitist she is being more vicious, divisive and ruthless than Rush Limbaugh and Karl Rove put together. Women are being turned off by her negative campaign and by her whiskey slamming, gun toting, phoney baloney act. Worst of all, Hillary and the media claiming that Obama is elitist smacks of racism. After all we all know how uppity those educated black men can be - better keep the books out of the slave quarters and make it against the law for blacks to read - oh wait, we already tried that.

[davthewav1]

The Bush supporters should be the ones with the most "pride" in the country considering that they have their war started on lies, the watering down of the constitution, the tax breaks for the wealthy, the economic recession, the fact that China is buying up the US, the deficit, the out-sourcing of jobs overseas, the education crisis, and so on. It is understandable that Michell Obama''s pride may have been some what diminished by the Bush administration. So maybe she has a hard time being blindly proud of a country that is governed by president,(dictator), appointed by the Supreme Court and who has run this country so far into the ground that it will take decades to undo the damage. Blind faith in bad leaders is NOT patriotism. Being proud about the way things are is not the way to improve the situation. Some people will undoubtedly attack anyone who is not a conformist.

[obama8years]

Could Radical Muslims Be sewing the seed of Hate in Black Churches for there own agenda?

%u201CI can no more disown him than I can disown the black community,%u201D said Obama. So then it is clear that Obama believes that Wright%u2019s ideas represent the black community and black experience in America when they represent only the radicalized fringe of black America that wants to aid America%u2019s enemies abroad. It is doubtful many black Americans who served proudly in the US military feel the same as Wright on this issue.
%u2028What is more, militant Islamists see a potential to sow internal problems and promote their fascist goals in the US by trying to divide the American black community against the US government. Whereas blacks have been exploited in the past, this is now seen as a way to achieve the goals of expanding the Muslim ummah inside the US from in the Middle East. That is why Libya gives money to Farrakhan and why the ISM and Sabeel work with Reverend Wright whose personal interpretations of Christianity are entrenched in Obama%u2019s mind as the True Word of Christianity. Wright actually visited Mohammar Ghaddafi in Libya with Farrakhan in the past.

[obama8years]

DO WE WANT A GUY IN THE WHITE HOUSE WHO REGULARY GIVES HIS EAR TO PEOPLE LIKE WRIGHT and Sabeels Theology.

The question is if we want a man in the White House who will regularly give his ear to the likes of a Reverend Wright, his and Sabeel%u2019s replacement theologies, and pro-terrorist propagandists like Ali Abunimah on a regular basis? In one sense, Obama could be considered the ISM%u2019s Manchurian candidate given his wide connections to ISM activists and campaign movements such as the Wheels of Justice Tour, Joseph Carr a.k.a. Joseph Smith, Hannah Mermelstein, Anna Baltzer and others.

canadafreepress.com/index.php/ article/2462

[obamasgranny]

I am so bitter, I went to the store today and bought a gun and now I''m headed to church!!
Wake up people!!

NOBAMA 08

[obamasgranny]

Overheard at an Obama rally:
Kool-Aid!! Get your Kool-Aid here!! Ice cold Kool-Aid!! Get your Kool-Aaiiidd!!

[moblou]

Of course he defends his comments. But, you cannot deny the fact that we finally se how he really feels about "US". Wake up mainstream America and the MSM before it is too late!!! We face the most serious of all issues in the next Presidency and we need Hillary to guide "US" through those challenging years to come.

[moonshadow22]

Obama is is catching it from all sides for the poor phrasing of his comment about "bitter people". Clinton is on a soapbox screaming bloody murder and McSame is doing the "Republican 2-step" from the sidelines. What they are missing is that Obama is right. THE TRUTH HURTS!!! Face it: Many Americans are angry, unduly frightened, and now are going broke. They watch the corruption on TV and think "What can I do....nothing" Those that speak out are silenced. That is what has bred the voters'' apathy (bitterness) for so many years...When Obama mentioned the problem, he hit the nail on the head. Obama wants to reach out to those disenchanted with the status quo and tell them "Hey, YOU CAN make a difference". That IS a hard sell today.

[obama8years]

Obama is friends with Jimmy Carter, Correct?

Jimmy Carter is going overseas to speak with HAMAS.

REV WRIGHT supports Hamas and put them in a bulletin.

Could Obama really be giving the jews lip service and secretly supporting Hamas.
Research it , youll be surprised what you find.

google key word : Wright and ISM and Hamas

[relee42]

It really doesn''t get any more elitist than McCain bragging every chance he gets that both his father and grandfather were four-star admirals then having a subordinate respond to the "Bitter" comment with an accusation of elitism.
Telling the truth is anything but elitist, people are bitter at the elitism of this administration.

[willie01956]

Our founding documents are collecting dust.
I am a Obama Supporter but what I am writing about is not about whom we all choose to support, these issues are bigger than I don''t like Obama, I don%u2019t like Clinton Or I don''t like McCain.
What I am writing about is the fact the dollar is on the verge of becoming worthless and our once powerful military is being destroyed by power hungry foolish men whom have no regard for the American people%u2019s safety and our brave soldiers well being, while serving our country with their precious blood or upon returning home and in need of support/rehabilitation help from our government. Now that%u2019s truly unpatriotic behavior. Our fore fathers said this country was founded for the people and by the people but if we cannot, or will not stand together those profound words are useless. We have to bring the principals our fore fathers wrote about to life, we have to put or differences aside and stand together if %u201CWe the American People Will Prevail Against Our Enemies Foreign and Domestic.