Obama Shoots Back At Clinton Criticism

Rhetoric Grows Increasingly Heated As Democratic Presidential Candidates Trade Barbs

(CBS/AP)  Democrat Barack Obama lashed out Sunday at rival Hillary Rodham Clinton, mocking her vocal support for gun rights and saying her record in the Senate and as first lady belied her stated commitment to working class voters and their concerns.

"She knows better. Shame on her. Shame on her," Obama told an audience at a union hall here.

The Illinois senator has spent three days on the defensive after comments he made at a San Francisco fundraiser were disclosed that suggested working class people are bitter about their economic circumstances and "cling to guns and religion" as a result.

Obama reiterated his regret for his choice of words at the fundraiser but suggested they had been twisted and mischaracterized. He said he'd expected blowback from GOP nominee-in-waiting John McCain, but had been "a little disappointed" to be criticized by Clinton.

Then, laughing along with the union audience, Obama noted that Clinton seemed much more interested in guns since he made his comments than she had in the past.

"She is running around talking about how this is an insult to sportsmen, how she values the Second Amendment. She's talking like she's Annie Oakley," Obama said, invoking the famed female sharpshooter immortalized in the musical "Annie Get Your Gun."

He continued: "Hillary Clinton is out there like she's on the duck blind every Sunday. She's packing a six-shooter. Come on, she knows better. That's some politics being played by Hillary Clinton."

Clinton has told campaign audiences that she supports the rights of hunters. Saturday, she reminisced about learning to shoot on family vacations in Scranton, where her father grew up. She's also said she once shot a duck in Arkansas, where she served as first lady.

Clinton, who is trailing Obama in the popular vote and pledged delegates, has pounded Obama since Friday, when audio from his San Francisco appearance was posted on The Huffington Post Web site. She hoped the comments might give her a new opening to court working-class Democrats less than 10 days before the Pennsylvania primary on April 22, which she needs win to keep her campaign going.

At the San Francisco fundraiser, Obama tried to explain his troubles in winning over some working-class voters, saying they have become frustrated with economic conditions: "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."

Campaigning in Scranton on Sunday, Clinton denounced those remarks yet again as "elitist and divisive" and suggested they would alienate voters in Pennsylvania and other states holding primaries in the coming weeks.

"Senator Obama has not owned up to what he said and taken accountability for it," she told reporters during an informal news conference outside a home. "What people are looking for is an explanation. What does he really believe? How does he see people here in this neighborhood, throughout Pennsylvania, Indiana, North Carolina, other places in our country? And I think that's what people are looking for, some explanation, and he has simply not provided one."

Indiana and North Carolina vote on May 6.

"You don't have to think back too far to remember that good men running for president were viewed as being elitist and out of touch with the values and the lives of millions of Americans," Clinton added, referring to John Kerry, the defeated 2004 Democratic nominee.

"I think it's very critical that the Democrats really focus in on this and make it clear that we are not (elitist). We are going to stand up and fight for all Americans," Clinton said.

Fighting back, Obama said Clinton's history proved she was not as sensitive to the concerns of blue collar voters as she tried to project.

"I just have to remind people of the track record," Obama said, noting Clinton accepted campaign contributions from PACs and drug and insurance industry lobbyists, which he does not.

"This is the same person who took money from financial folks on Wall Street and then voted for bankruptcy bill that makes it harder for folks right here in Pennsylvania to get a fair shake. Who do you think is out of touch?" Obama said.

"This is the same person who spent a decade with her husband campaigning for NAFTA, and now goes around saying she's opposed to NAFTA," Obama said, referring to the North American Free Trade Agreement that is widely unpopular in blue collar communities.

The Clinton campaign issued a quick retort to Obama's comments.

"For months, Barack Obama and his campaign have relentlessly attacked Hillary Clinton's character and integrity by using Republican talking points from the 1990s," said spokesman Phil Singer. "The shame is his. Senator Clinton does know better — she knows better than to condescend and talk down to voters like Senator Obama did."

Obama planned to further address the question of which candidate was most in touch with middle-class voters in a speech Monday to The Associated Press annual meeting in Washington.

[bgwinnett]

Hillary is one nasty lady, but not in way Bill likes.

[obamasgranny]

Obama please denounce and reject yourself for the sake of this fine country!!

NOBAMA 08

[tracy1morgan]

Baracks nickname as a child was "spud" because his head lookes like a potato.

LOL

[jeepmanjr]

The Democratic presidential campaign is like a skit gone bad from the Benny Hill show. Say what you will, but these two numbnuts (Obama/Clinton) are only ensuring that we will have a Republican president come election day. McCain ain''t da bomb either. God help us!

[truth-hurts]

If Obama becomes president, what will he do about the millions of people who will refuse to accept him as their president??

[sgtrds]

To call Obama''s remarks elitist in any manner is ludicrous and laughable. Barack was right one the money with those comments in the first place and he should have to defend himself from a fellow Democrat who twists them into another meaning just like a right wing talk show host would. Obama is right, shame on you Hillary Clinton! Shame on you!

[flajoe1]

If Obama becomes president, what will he do about the millions of people who will refuse to accept him as their president??
---

Posted by truth-hurts

The same thing Bush did???

[sgtrds]

Barack was right in the first place, the voters are angry and are bitter and for good reason. However instead of agreeing we have Hillary Clinton who seems determined to be the republican in this race and uses the same wedge tactics as they do. If she''s elected how will she be different then Bush and his cronies when she''s shown she''ll sink to the same levels of lies and filth as they do just to get her way?

[truth-hurts]

IF OBAMA BECOMES PRESIDENT, WHAT WILL

HE DO ABOUT THE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE

WHO WILL REFUSE TO ACCEPT HIM AS PRESIDENT?

[georgew1956]

daffy duck could run for the demo- ticket and id vote for daffy NO more pubs. i refer to live with no recession and bushcheany has failed the test.

[hp32970c]

Hillary is in touch with the people. After all when she was a child her summer house had no heat. Not quite the same as not being able to afford heat in the middle of the winter, but hey, come on, no heat in August. They made do. She''s in touch. Bet she couldn''t find a summer job out there in country where their summer house was either. But who had time for a summer job anyway what with duck hunting and all. She''s in touch.

[Hybdiesel]

Better be carefull young man, how you go around shooting off. I have been known, to get myself into a mess doing that.

[sgtrds]

Hillary Clinton is conducting a scorched earth policy in this campaign with her rhetoric and her twisting of the truth. She seems to be determined that if she''s not going to get the nomination that she''ll make sure Obama doesn''t get the White House, out of pure spite and revenge. She''s conducting a campaign that says "Either I get the nomination or I''ll make sure McCain gets elected so I can run again the next time and to hell with what''s good for the American people or the Democratic Party!" her arrogance and ego are out of control. She''s thinking only of herself and doesn''t seem to care at all about the Democratic Party at all.

[obama8years]

IF OBAMA BECOMES PRESIDENT, WHAT WILL

HE DO ABOUT THE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE

WHO WILL REFUSE TO ACCEPT HIM AS PRESIDENT?

----------------------------------------------
He would probalby get Hamas to come over and take care of the people who did not bow down to Obama.
He does have an in with Hamas, so it is possible. Probable, Not, but possible.

[truth-hurts]

NOBAMA!

[Hybdiesel]

Hey truth-hurts just how many millions do not accept bushit? Do you really think someone else can do worse?

[obama8years]

Obama comments were not ment to be made public. He ment every word and was making fun of small town folks in front of his rich Liberal Pals. Obama only has eyes for the ultra rich liberals or Blacks. He has no use for Typical White People. Obama will not be a good president.

[truth-hurts]

I''M SURE oBAMA HAS PLANS FOR ALL THE GUN TOTEN PEOPLE PAST THE CITY LIMITS SIGN!

[charleschap]

Sen. Obama has explicitly said that he would be the candidate to bring the country together. This %u201Cbringing together%u201D was a central part of his political logic and of his candidacy. But talking to San Francisco group of affluent liberal supporters of his in a closed-door fundraising event, Sen. Obama was damning rural America and the working class. This was a %u201Ccheep short%u201D at America%u2019s heartland. Sen. Obama did not hurt anyone but his own chances of winning the nomination. How can he propose to bring the country together with such hubris and with such divisive tone of condemnation of the %u201Cother Americans%u201D who were not there to give him money? To nominate Sen. Barack Obama as the Democratic candidate would be a huge mistake. Winning the White House for the democrats is still with Sen. Hillary Clinton!

[sgtrds]

If Obama becomes president, what will he do about the millions of people who will refuse to accept him as their president??
---

Posted by truth-hurts

The same thing Bush did???

Posted by Flajoe1 at 09:41 PM : Apr 13, 2008

How about the millions of people who refused to accept Bush as the president. He''s not my president and never has been. He is the opposite of a president and an American. I have zero loyalty to him or what he says and no obligation to follow him at all.

[truth-hurts]

OBAMA CAN DO A LOT WORSE THAN BUSH. He''ll make Bush look like one of the greatest presidents of your generation.

[nwalien2]

Didn''t youb people understand, that Hill will do everything, to smear Obama??? He didn''t express his thought the way, he intended to, but it needs to be totally dumb to feel, like Hill wants you to feel with his remarks? Did she THAT brainwash you ?
He was ABSOLUTELY RIGHT with his remarks and Hill just acts like big company''s rotten manager, who blames everybody around for the consequences of his wrong doings!

[obama8years]

Not only does Obama have disdain for middle america but there is evidence that points to him and his church supporting ISM. ISM is a Front for the destruction of Isreal.
At the same time, a foothold already existed to a small degree in the American black religious community such as is led by Louis Farrakhan.

The mainstream ISM leadership is made up of Palestinian Christian Arabs who are also communists/anarchists and pan-Arab nationalists first, that hold to the philosophy of the Popular Front for The Liberation of Palestine, the second largest faction of the PLO. Using communist revolutionary practices of %u201Csolidarity,%u201D it has been these Palestinian Arab Christian %u201Crevolutionaries,%u201D aligned with Jewish- American communists and anarchists, that have been working so well on the campuses in the US and the UK.

[sgtrds]

But talking to San Francisco group of affluent liberal supporters of his in a closed-door fundraising event, Sen. Obama was damning rural America and the working class.

Posted by charleschap at 09:50 PM : Apr 13, 2008

Then you heard a whole different set of comments then I did, or perhaps you heard them the way you wanted to hear them. Obama did not da*mn anyone and certainly not rural folks or small town people. He simply stated the truth. The problem is that some elitist Democrats and republicans who oppose him do not want the people to hear the truth. Obama''s comments were 100% correct and have been twisted by his opponents.

[obama8years]

Obamas Church had many Muslim Members.
I found that odd, our christian church only accepts members if there christians, they will welcome all, but to become members you have to be christian.

Now, it has become the ISM%u2019s time to deconstruct religious dogma of Israel belonging to the Jews as is preached in US churches and to increase the number of black churches in America that are working in %u201Csolidarity%u201D with this program. Jeremiah Wright%u2019s church is one of them. Even though the national synod of the United Church for Christ rescinded a boycott and divestment plan against Israel, a wing of the UCC church keeps trying to get it reinstated. That wing includes Reverend Wright%u2019s Trinity UCC Church in Chicago. Few people know also, that there are many Muslim members of Reverend Wright%u2019s %u201CChristian%u201D church, a close ally of Sabeel.

[truth-hurts]

Charleschap hit the nail on the head. You''re the one who has it wrong Sarge.

[obama8years]

Obama and Wrights Association with pro-palestine ISM.

In short, Obama saw no problem being lobbied in the past by someone who openly promotes terrorism and discrimination against Jewish-Americans.

Al Awda is commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Nakba (catastrophe of the creation of Israel) this coming May thanks to the willingness of the management of Hilton Hotels to overlook anti-Semitism in its facilities to make a buck. A new petition is in the works to get Hilton to stop this. Al Awda%u2019s scheduled guest of honor will be a PFLP terrorist member named Khalida Jarrar, and their website recently gave an homage to the late PFLP founder George Habash. Al Awda wants convicted Islamic Jihad financier/terrorist Sami al Arian released, a murderer of over 100 people abroad, some of them Americans, from terrorist attacks.


If Barack Obama didn%u2019t know about Abunimah%u2019s writings (and Abunimah says he did), the same as his claims of being unaware of Reverend Wright%u2019s remarks after 20 years, then Obama is not competent to be our President. Abunimah likes to lie and claim Al Awda has nothing to do with the ISM or Electronic Intifada, though plenty of evidence exists on the website the homepage at www.StoptheISM.com showing the contrary.

[nwalien2]

Posted by obama8years at 09:54 PM : Apr 13, 2008

How that is related to OBAMA?
He is NOT EQUAL to Rev. Wrong!

[sgtrds]

I would expect a bottom feeder right wing talk show host to twist Obama''s words and meaning to score cheap points, but by Hillary doing it she had shown that she''ll sink to their level too to get the nomination, no matter what damage it does to the Democratic party. She''s putting her own ambition and ego ahead of the people of the Democratic party and she should be ashamed of herself.

[truth-hurts]

NOBAMA!!

[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

[hp32970c]

our liberty will both be gone forever.

I can accept a president I did not vote for. We''''ve always accepted our presidents whether we personally voted for them or not because we trusted that the majority of ''''We the People'''' did.

Did you know that the majority of "we the people" did not elect GWB either time? Guess not. As far as your liberty, no one has done more to take away and/or limit your liberties than GWB.

[dnsallday]

I see the Hillary plants are busy spreading their slime on this blog too. Does she pay you to do it?

[sgtrds]

"She knows better. Shame on her. Shame on her," Obama told an audience at a union hall here.

Absolutely! She DOES know better, but she doesn''t care. She''s setting up the party to where it''s either her on the ticket or she''ll scr*ew the rest of the party over so badly they might not win in November. It''s the action of a spoiled child. She''s saying "Either I get to win or I''ll knock the game board over!" It''s something worthy of George W. Bush, not a Democrat. Obama is right, she should be ashamed!

[truth-hurts]

Obama has never had a hard day in his life. No way can he relate to the working middle class.

[popstom1]

Yeah like Obama an''t snakein

[tawpdawg11]

Truth-hurts wrote : IF OBAMA BECOMES PRESIDENT, WHAT WILL

HE DO ABOUT THE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE

WHO WILL REFUSE TO ACCEPT HIM AS PRESIDENT?

Posted by truth-hurts at 09:43 PM : Apr 13, 2008

He will give them a double dose of TRUTH. And not only will it NOT hurt, it will get them well. It will feel like sitting in a steam room or sauna and sweating out the nasty poison that has built up for 50 years or so. Get on board or get out the way ! OBAMA ''08

[sgtrds]

said spokesman Phil Singer. "The shame is his. Senator Clinton does know better - she knows better than to condescend and talk down to voters like Senator Obama did."

The above is an out and out lie and a complete fabrication. Not a single thing Barack said was condescending or "taking down" to the voters and the Clinton campaign saying it was doesn''t make it so. Hillary should be ashamed of herself!

[truth-hurts]

I bet Obama has never been outside the City Limits by himself LOL!!!

[paris1969]

NObama makes a mistake ... and then shifts the blame to others ... he was a member of a racist church for 20+ years ... gives a speech and says everyone else is racist .. especially typical white people. He talks down to grass roots people ... and then shifts the blame to Clinton ...
NO-SHAME-NO-BAMA

[rushlimpdrug]

" mocking her sudden vocal support for gun rights"

kinda something like obama quickly distanced
himself from wright after they told him
what the man was saying in church all
those years he was attending?

good going there obama

you show''em you''re the consistent candidate.

consistently changing.

[sgtrds]

paris1969

Yada yada yada lie lie lie bs bs bs. Same old tired lies.

[flajoe1]

Guess not. As far as your liberty, no one has done more to take away and/or limit your liberties than GWB.
----
Posted by hp32970c at 10:00 PM

Careful he maybe listening. Heck...I know he''s listening. NO WARRANTS NEEDED!!

[truth-hurts]

Just what was Obama implying people in small town rural America do with those guns when they''re
bitter???

[sgtrds]

Guess not. As far as your liberty, no one has done more to take away and/or limit your liberties than GWB.
----
Posted by hp32970c at 10:00 PM

Careful he maybe listening. Heck...I know he''''s listening. NO WARRANTS NEEDED!!

Posted by Flajoe1 at 10:06 PM : Apr 13, 2008

I hope he''s listening! Hey Georgie boy, kiss my as*s!!!

[truth-hurts]

Obama has RURAL-PHOBIA

[demslie]

I would expect a bottom feeder right wing talk show host to twist Obama''''s words and meaning to score cheap points, but by Hillary doing it she had shown that she''''ll sink to their level too to get the nomination, no matter what damage it does to the Democratic party.

Posted by SgtRDS

Naturally, a Democrat would change the subject of this story from the Slimme and Dirt the Democrats are doing to the Bad old Republicans. When Bill Clinton committed perjury in front of a Federal Grand Jury, it was perfectly ok according to Democrats. There was not a Democrat alive that wanted him prosecuted. But they call Bush a liar. That''s the world famous Democrat Situational Ethics. What ethics can you expect from Atheist Democrats that Hate Christianity as much as any Muslim Terrorist. And this Idiot SgtRDS talks about Democrats and morals in the same sentence. Right.

[dnsallday]

At the end of this small event Obama took four questions, one of which was from a couple of supporters going to Pennsylvania to work for the campaign. They wanted to know what kinds of questions they could expect to get from people in Pennsylvania. Obama began to answer their question by talking about the cultural and geographic diversity in Pennsylvania. He then proceeded to talk about what kind of attitudes and obstacles they might run into in the parts of the state that had been economically devastated by job loss. He talked about the fact that they would run into great cynicism about Washington or any promise of political change. He talked about the frustration and yes, bitterness, in some of these areas, where people had lost industry and jobs twenty five years before, jobs that never came back. He talked about the culture in these communities and what people had done to cope with economic hardship. This was an attempt both to tell these supporters what they might run up against and what were the challenges for the campaign in the industrial Midwest as a whole. Obama was both giving a speech to the supporters present at the event and a heart-to-heart to this couple that was ready to go door-to-door in Pennsylvania.

[rowdytexan2]

Too late! Obama the Scammer...

Suck up to the wealthy when you think nobody''s looking! Believe that rural folks don''t have enough sense to address a real issue...kiss my a/s/s!

[dnsallday]

I guess Ms. Fowler thought that, unlike herself, the other attendees had never gone outside the large house in Pacific Heights where the event was held. I grew up working class in Texas. I thought it ironic that Ms Fowler, was attempting to paint Obama as a condescending elitist, while at the same time she was stereotyping everybody at the event with her omniscient insight. In any case, her agenda was clear. Despite Ms. Fowler talking about the people at the fundraiser being middle class in an earlier post, the "rich man poor man" theme fit better with the "Obama as a judgmental elite, talking to judgmental elites" spin. This also seemed to fit with some of her earlier articles where she had described Obama as cocky, arrogant, and even "flirty". What a coincidence that she now writes an article putting another twist on Obama''s personality. All she had to do was a sneak a recorder in an small event for Obama supporters and do a little bit of crafty writing and out of context editing. Now Fox News and Lou Dobbs are having a field day.

It was great seeing Obama in a relaxed setting, talking both in detail and inspiring prose, in what was essentially a large living room.

Too bad there were roaches under the sofa.