Far More Than "Bitter": Message from a Small Town Pennsylvanian
I am one of the "bitter" people living in a small steel town in Pennsylvania. My father passed away from the silt that he swallowed for forty years. My husband is withering away from the same cancer-causing dust he swallowed for nearly forty years too. The bills are mounting and our income decreasing. The blood, sweat and tears were not counted when they sent our small town livelihood over seas.
No one stepped in to give affordable health care to my disappearing husband. No one took the time to look at the dying towns that surround us. Hillary Clinton went to her middle class supporters and glanced, as all before her did, at the For Sale signs from foreclosures, and the growing homeless population in Pennsylvania.
I watched her do an Irish dance as she pressed the flesh of what is left of our so-called middle class, who may soon to become the new poor. Where is our Governor, who I am very disappointed in? Somewhere dancing with Hillary and looking at the subtle segregation that has quietly existed in this state -- and no one tries to bring about change.
Barack Obama sees us, he sees the poverty dressed up in lambs clothing. All around, people have downsized their lives because they don't earn a decent living wage after having made three, four or more times as much in the factories and mills that are nearly gone -- but not forgotten.
Looking out from most windows in every small town, they can see the skeletal remains of their once flourishing hometown. There are many that have stood by graves, and in unemployment lines, and watched their schools close, and fought to keep their homes -- and lost.
"Bitter" is a good word, to describe some of what I feel -- but "mad as hell" are a few better words.
On another note, I have a son that is on his way to Iraq for his third or forth tour. I am not only mad but scared. Why am I frustrated with Washington politics? That is a question that everyone that voted for Bush twice should be ashamed to answer. They have only to look into the mirror and see the cause of our frustration.
I am also saddened to watch the campaign tactics, the bashing and bruising of one another -- and the media putting their own twist on everything. Each candidate has to be dead tired and frustrated with the millions of opinions they face -- favorable and unfavorable -- everyday on this trying trail to the White House.
If you want to twist someone's words, try twisting Bush's and run a clean campaign.
I'm a wife, a mother, a grandmother, and soon to be a great grandmother who wants a positive change for America. Within the past forty-odd years I have told my children and grandchildren they can be anything they want to be. They were raised in a generation where black people were told education would help you become anything you desire. Those words were just hope with limits. The day I cast my vote for Barack Obama, that hope will be a reality with absolutely no limits. Thank God that I am alive to see Dr. King's dream come to fruition, and still young enough to appreciate and share it.
Loading comments…
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
Obama 08
Yes, We Can
Bless you, Mrs. Smithwick. Your story brought tears to my eyes, and I hope your son stays safe in Iraq. I'm so sorry for your husband's illness. I know exactly what you mean by our towns dying along with the jobs - I live in the great plains, but we have the same problem. The good jobs are few and far between and once thriving towns are withering away. It is so sad to see. There are lots of bitter and mad as hell people here, too!
It will be a proud day when Barack Obama becomes President of the United States of America and we can begin the arduous task of repairing the damage that has been done and finally end the war in Iraq.
I hope and pray Barack Obama is elected and that he's able to begin undoing the tremendous damage done by the Bush administration. I hope Americans will not vote for John McCain and more war. And I especially hope for the swift and safe return of your son.
Bless you, Mrs. Smithwick.
Thank you for taking the time to put your frustrations into words. If you have any energy left after dealing with your problems, and I don't think I would have, please knock on doors from now until Tues. and tell your story to your neighbors, who probably are in the same boat. Any votes you can change to Obama might make a huge difference to the direction and future of this country.
I know it's a lot to ask but we all need to hear your perspective.
I hope you will forgive me, Mrs. Smithwick, for I truly hope that if Obama gets the nomination and the presidency he delivers on his promises and every expectation you have of him. But I have to say that it would be a disservice to Obama if the sidetrack issues were to somehow stop. You see, Obama is at his best when he has to defend himself against flag pin wearing lunatics. He gets to say things like "manufactured distraction" and "this will not fix the rising gas prices." And in reaction, his supporters contribute more to him and commit themselves to him out of indignation. The website your post is on knows this game very well, which is why they've featured you in the first place. Because when he actually has to talk about exactly how he will mend the problems that plague you and your family, he does not do as well. He is not as smooth, he is not as inspirational. So however earnest the Nash McNabes of America are with whatever agendas they have, they all fit into the agenda to get Obama elected very well indeed. And as I have been very respectful, I hope my two cents will be allowed to be viewed as yours have been.
SKayum writes: "So however earnest the Nash McNabes (sic) of America are with whatever agendas they have, they all fit into the agenda to get Obama elected very well indeed."
Please forgive me for not quite understanding what your point is suppose to be in that sentence. Are you suggesting that ABC found this poor woman in order to advance Obama's race to the Presidency?
Are you suggesting that Nash McCabe is a walking poster child for exactly what Obama was talking about in San Francisco (unfortunately inarticulately)?
As much as I may feel sorry for people like Nash McCabe my anger (even 'bitterness') gets the better of me! She is a perfect example of the kind of mentality that gave us the disaster of the last two terms of George W. Bush (and unfortunately has the potential to give us a third Bush term with Senator McCain.
So I'll save my true compassion for people like Mrs. Smithwick. She at least seems to know which way the wind is blowing in our country (and she didn't even need a weatherman to figure it out).
"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter."
-Winston Churchill
I don't mean to suggest either. I simply meant to conclude the main point of my post, which is that Obama is at his best when in defense of his character.
Thank you very much for sharing your story. My heart goes out to you & your family.
I hope there is some way we can reverse all the damage done by the 20% of our country who controls 71% of the wealth.
Obama will be a good start, I think.
Having corporations that paid taxes and a middle class was good.
We are becoming the Mexico that Mexicans are fleeing...
The feelings of "bitter" are not confined to a state, a county nor a city nor town. We have been ignored for many years before Bush. When there were good times we had it better but not as well as we remember the good old days. If they exist. My dad used to say these are the good old days for our kids as they will remember the love and oride we feel for them. I don't know if I ever believed that but the good old days have seemed to travel between years in the past where we have the good memories. The middle class has become the working poor. When Bush vetoed the SCHIP for those of us in the working poor class he did it without a thought to where our economy has gone. It still sticks in his mouth to agree we are in a recession. And it's bad all over. The gas prices are driving up the prices for everything. Insurance never pays the bills just a small piece of them. I want to see better days before I die and leave family and friends not the ways I see it now. Our military is so broken the soldiers are killing themselves in record numbers and we all need help. Barack has at least raised my eyes to see hope.
I don't think we've been totally ignored by the Bush administration. It's just that we don''t matter. What was Cheney's response when he was reminded that over 2/3 of Americans think the Iraq war isn't worth fighting?
"So?"
I think that pretty much sums up the current administration's concern for the average American's plight.
Thank you much for your eloquent, poetic, and heartfelt post. Please disregard the comments from the nay-sayers... Obama will indeed triumph, set us on the right path, and hopefully inspire greatness, in both our country and ourselves.
All sounds believable. Except the part where a mother doesn't know whether her son is going to Iraq for the third or forth time.
No matter. Congress needs to do something for the people who are hurting. I can't believe that neither Hillary nor Barack had done anything for these people!!
I'm with you, Marlee. Bless you.
My dear,
You do not know me and I do not know you but my heart goes out to you...I am in my 50's and my husband just retired and we do not know how we will fare as we always had a pay check .......I am praying each and every day that we get out of iraq and the economy turns around soon for folks to be ble to live a comfortable life style...not too much to ask for in USA where we have the some of the wealthiest people on the planet!!!!! People are bitter and angry... we are....the housing market devastated wall st which impactead the s main st and we are suffering like a lot of Americans...
When the media and campaign spin this stufff like we are stupid it infuritates me.....and to think that a person who recklessly voted for a war that did not read the briefs will get us out is another story!!! Myprayers to you and your family and please help Obama to win so we can shut this Primary and move on to the election and defeat the wealthy that has destroyed this country!!!!! God bless and we will say a special prayer for you!!!!
Thank you Marylee! My younger brother is in Iraq right now. I am terrified for his life. Thank you for telling it like it really is!
god bless you.
i ve never teared up while reading a post...
and i have never had an election on my mind as often as this one seems to be.
i cannot, at this point, even imagine another leader other than obama, it is all i can do
to believe in my future, my daughters future...
the only campaign i have ever even considered donating to, or have...
after all we have been through with bush as "president" (and the nominees we have to choose from), he is the only choice we have.
Thank you for a thoughtful post.
my name is kelly
my middle name is hussein
i am not bitter
i am not elitist
i love my children
i love my country
i love my planet
You must be logged in to comment. Log in or connect with
