|
||
Obama Courts Working Class Through 'Future Generations'
UPDATE LISTEN TO THE FULL OBAMA April 6. FUNDRAISER SPEECH HERE
Barack Obama's town hall meeting in Levittown, PA, yesterday was, in the sphere of political conversation, the epilogue to Michael Sokolove's fine essay in the New York Times Sunday magazine blending a reminiscence of the changes in Levittown since his childhood there with an analysis of Obama's chances with Levittown voters. At a fundraiser in San Francisco Sunday night, Obama dismissed Sokolove's conclusion that blue collar Levittown might not be quite ready to vote for a black man. "People are misunderstanding the way the demographics in this contest are broken up the way they are. Because everybody just ascribes it to white working class don't want to vote for the black guy. There were intimations of this in an article in the Sunday New York Times today--kind of implies it's sort of a race thing. That's not what it is."
If that's not what it is--then what is it? For two hours, I talked to people waiting for the doors at Levittown's Harry S. Truman High School to open for the Obama event. The conversations would seem to support both Sokolove's and Obama's realistic appraisal that Levittown is not Obama Country. Obama's analysis of his cool reception from the working class is that it stems from a feeling of having been betrayed by government and subsequent cynicism. But it's precisely this cynicism that makes men like Ed and Frank, both Vietnam Veterans and union electricians, willing to take a flyer on Obama. In their estimation, Hillary and Bill Clinton are part of the world's wealthy ruling class that "knows exactly what they're doing but not telling us." Like many people in line--and indeed Americans everywhere--Ed and Frank said that "we need somebody new."
Most of the Levittown town hall meeting crowd were older folk, and many of them were from New Jersey. It's only a 20-30 minute drive from Princeton to Levittown, so Princetoners have been working for Obama in and around Levittown and lower Bucks County. When I asked Afton, a pet shop owner in Princeton, if she thought Obama was right about Levittown and race, she replied, "he hasn't been on the canvass." Both she and her husband, who is determined to sell Obama on Rhodesian ridgebacks as the dogs of choice for his daughters, shook their heads. "A lot of white men are not voting for him here." Debbie, a former army brat and currently a worker for peacecoalition.org, concurred. "There's a lot of misinformation--Muslim, that he'll subvert the Pentagon." Debbie said that some of her neighbors had re-registered as Republicans just so they wouldn't have to vote for either Obama or Clinton.
Indeed larger Levittown itself seemed to be absent from the Levittown town hall meeting. The group that came out in force to see Obama were the local teachers, the people who hold communities like Levittown and its neighbor Bristol together. Many of these teachers were women and Clinton supporters who nevertheless wanted to hear Obama before finally making up their minds. Melissa, a teacher at Truman High, said that she was for Clinton because "men have messed up things too much." And, yes, "race and gender are not irrelevant" in Levittown, but "I hope we're not that shallow." Jo Ann, another local teacher, described herself as "an open-minded supporter of Hillary Clinton." She felt that Clinton had the most detailed plan to overhaul No Child Left Behind. When I pointed out that Clinton wants to "scrap" N.C.L.B. and that Obama wants to "overhaul" it, Jo Ann said she didn't see much difference, but that she'd be interested to hear what Obama had to say about education.
In the subsequent town hall meeting, Senator Obama did talk about education, as he always does, although for the Levittown and Bristol teachers he wasn't as detailed and specific, or as impassioned, as he can be on the need to improve education in America. He had arrived late at Truman High and was a bit rushed. This may have been one of those missed opportunities to which all campaigns, due to the rigors of the road, succumb. Having followed the Obama Campaign for almost a year, I have come to believe that education is the lodestar for the direction in which Obama wants to take us. The significant moment in Levittown yesterday was Obama's comment that we must be "willing to sacrifice on the behalf of future generations." As I've written before, the call to sacrifice has been a chord, at first muted, now louder, in Obama's speeches from the beginning. But Levittown was the first time I've heard him say anything more specific about that sacrifice--and the implications of "future generations" for a place like Levittown are many and not least in the field of education.
The one thing everybody waiting in line to hear Senator Obama agreed on is that change is in the air. Lower Bucks County is going Democrat (despite the neighbors who have re-registered as Republicans), Central Bucks County is going Democrat--all Bucks is going Democrat. The reality is that the white working class guys who won't vote for a black guy, or a woman, are getting old and slowly passing on. With the loss of manufacturing jobs, Levittown may be dying, but new and different towns are sprouting nearby. Everybody talked about the growing African-American communities and the million-dollar homes five minutes away. Lower Bucks County is becoming a bedroom community for people with good jobs in Manhattan, a 50-minute train ride. These commuters are, in a spiritual if not a literal sense, the children and grandchildren of the aging Levittowners, a more prosperous generation who have been able to afford bigger and better homes than those in the tracts of Levittown and Bristol Township. Perhaps someday, long after Barack Obama is President but as a consequence of his policies, a well-educated work force with twenty-first century jobs will appraise the beautiful bones of Levittown and Bristol with an eye to tearing down the old tract houses and building for a newer and greener world. Nothing lasts--everything passes away--change is inexorable. In the light of this paradoxically immutable truth, Barack Obama is right to focus in the distance, beyond racism in places like Levittown, lest he get mired in the here and now.
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
When we first moved to Bucks County over 40 years ago, locals used to say that it was futile to be a Democrat, but that has evolved over the years. Folks forget that Kostemayer was our progressive congressman for many many years, followed by moderate, prochoice Republican Greenwood to Republican Fitzpatrick--the first Republican who spoke out against the Iraq war--to Blue-Dog Murphy--Obama supporter who won on an out-of-Iraq platform in the past election.
So, it is with some irony, that I find this particular reporter, dismissing the "white working class guys" who are "dying off" who had a history of voting in more progressive candidates. Interesting that it is the author herself who makes assumptions about the working folk--something she faulted Obama for--although his insights were an analysis of social dynamics--not a commentary about them dying off. And under the circumstances, it is sad that Obama's insights would be spun as something the reporter cast as "bringing down the campaign" days before the PA primary to benefit the desperate triangulating Clinton, sure to hone the "voting against their economic issues" angle for the Right. Gee, thanks.
I'll be glad when this is over, because I'm getting tired of people painting such a crummy picture of the place and people where I am. I live near "Five Points", that desolate place mentioned in the NYT Sunday mag. and yes there are two check cashing places (in brand new, brightly lit buildings) at points at the intersection along with the large fresh produce store, several gas-stations, a CVS and a Right-Aid pharmacy, the regional Postal Center, oh and a rather busy dinner called the Golden Dawn. Not a few hundred yards, depending on which direction you go you'll find the Levittown library.the new fire station, regional courthouse, large Acme supermarket, a relatively new Red Cross shelter, the new multi-million dollar Tech school and my church with its' 125 year old chaple, built long before Levitt started Levittown, PA (and yes, it's still in use).
But what really gets me is the final paragraph of this piece, with that damnable condescending tone about my home and the wonderful people who are moving in from New York and other places. . This beautiful Bucks County use to have a whole lot more open space for parkland, recreational use, farming, and now we float bond issues to try and buy up forced out farms so as to keep the land from becoming over developed and losing the beauty those transplanted New Yorkers love.
Finally, you do no good for your cause by speaking of change and then calling us all racist and mired in the "here and now". We live in the "here and now" because our concerns for our families is right here and right now, since raising kids has a tendency to do that. Also most of us her are familiar with the phrase "The more things change, the more they stay the same.", so before you would tell us to look at things a new way, look at the way you lookand describe others who you know nothing about.
edited for lenght
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/4/13/111644/425/469/494812
how do Pennsylvanians really feel?
http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2008/04/12/carl-bernstein-what-a-hillary-clinton-presidency-look-like/#comment-110266
**must read**
Carl Bernstein’s View: A Hillary Clinton presidency
Barack in one of his speeches, promoted science. I believe that this is a good and laudable stance. I think that for too many years, public education has been heavy on socialization of students, and extremely weak in scientific instruction. This is 'bad', because our competitor nations have taken a different path in their education curriculae, and global comparisons of test scores bear this out. Xanax-happy students may feel good about themselves, but if they can't read a map, or spell Big Words like 'oxidation' or understand what they mean, well, if that's the kids that are coming out of a kinder, gentler K-12, it doesn't exactly bode well for the future, there. Future generations only have a chance if we basically insist that all public education institutions have a clear focus on teaching the kind of subject matter that'll help us meet the technological challenges of this century, which to my view includes a good basic grounding in science.
mayflower you truly hate anyone who isn't someone you like. you have written often with your love for hillary showing through like a searchlight on a dark night. Then every Hillary lover jumps on and then they stab at and slice anyone who doesn't love Hillary that you or another Hillary lover lets post. I have tried posting many times on your writings and the post never appears. Me thinks you are a truly biased woman who might even dabble inracism in your hate of Barack. Sad that learned women cling together and make the rest of us look bad.
Sad how these elitist Obama people always have to try to raise up their candidate by slandering other people. Its the elitists way of course-to try to keep people down. You Obama elitists-join the republican party with your hero Reagan and leave the good hearted democrats alone.
Yeah, note the condescending tone towards Levitowners, while setting up the controversy to cast Obama as the elitist to benefit Clinton, the newly minted redneck, downing boilmakers and packing heat. Also, in this reporting always note the highlighted interview examples--that is a deliberate strategy to subtly portray consensus of an area--and I take personal offense that the reporter and by extension, Clinton views us here in Bucks County as a bunch of happy racist gun-totin' idiots.
Mayhill Fowler, you should get kicked off the bus.
She should not be able to post her bias while pretending to be neutral. Why, if Fowler was so "concerned", as a "citizen reporter", did she wait five days to post her blog? Somthing is fishy. I would like to hear from other "citizen reporters" who were at the event. From what I have seen on posts on other sights by others that were at the event is that Fowler took what Obama said out of context, as she always does when it comes to Obama, and twisted it for the benefit of Hillary.
So the meth-and-music addicted lambs of the leftist school system-indoctrinated sheeple move even further away from the principles that made America strong enough to defend freedom from forces like China.
Well done, morons.
Torch your country.
Watch your TV, eat junk food and feel good about that.
Hillary is enjoying this - it has gotten the media off of her back about Bill's 800K from Colombia - Pennsylvania, she did the same thing in Ohio and Texas -
She is the sell-out - don't be fooled - she is the wolf in sheep's clothing you've been warned about.
She will sell her soul to win this nomination
You Obama elitists think you can hurt anyone so your guy can win-its the elitists way.
OBAMA IS GETTING SUPPORT FROM COLLEGE STUDENTS. WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG WHAT WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE.? THESE STUDENTS ARE PROTECTED FROM HARSH REALITY BY THERE PARENTS. I'M GOING TO HAVE MY DAUGHTER IN COLLEGE TELL ME HOW TO VOTE. YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING. LET THESE STUDENTS GET A TASTE OF REALITY AND BOY WILL THEY CHANGE THEIR MINDS. I READ THAT BOB CASEY SAID TO JUDGE OBAMA BY HIS RECORD. WHAT RECORD, HE DOESN'T HAVE ONE, HE DID NOTHING FOR THIS COUNTRY. HE DECIDED TWO YEARS AFTER HE BECAME A SENATOR THAT HE WANTED TO BE PRESIDENT. TRY A WHITE WOMEN OR MAN DOING THAT. HE WOULD HAVE BEEN LAUGHED OUT OF THE SENATE. SORRY, I AM A VERY STRONG DEMOCRAT, BUT CAN'T VOTE FOR THIS INEXPERIENCED MAN.
vincie, if you feel you can't vote for the man, DON'T.
Mayhill Fowler,and all you talking heads - you have become second only to Ann Coulter. You are hypocrites that claim to care about America but that is a lie - you pander for MONEY and ratings and lie to the American Public. I DARE YOU ALL to police yourselves and measure your words.
The mainstream media and wanna be journalist bloggers haven taken a concerned candidate's words and twisted them and sensationalized this story to Enquirer status.
Clinton belongs to the first administration guilty of selling out the American Workers and John McSame is a party to the repubs who continue to sell our jobs to foreign companies. They are both the rich elitists with millions of dollars and they are calling the community worker who worked for the poor and found jobs for displaced workers an elitist? That's really rich - very deflective of them. Rove tactic - accuse the opponent of that you are guilty of - they are the sellouts of the American worker and unions.
Clinton continues to twist the words to her advantage, because she is really about foreign trade as is evidenced by payoffs to her husband. She cares nothing about the workers of America. She uses people to achieve her goals, and then discards them like toilet paper. You people give her the platform to crap all over the American Public with her lies and distortions
The level of hate in the elitists Obama campaign is so strong that I hope the superdelegates take note-the average person in this country is not full of bitter hatred the way the Obama people are and they dont want to support it.
check the real comment and tell me if you don't feel the bitterness?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc9PepjyDow
ANG4ever
First...he did not say you were gun-toting-mex-hating-xenophobic-church-crutching-frustrated-bitter-hicks
He said that in the frustration Pennsylvania voters had built up through several POTUS terms doing nothing as their jobs wafted away, voters made their decisions on gun legislation, gay marriages,
and invested their time and energy in their church and family, cause they had been disappointed, DESPITE MANY PROMISES, that Washington DC never did anything for their communities...
Yes, all of us are angry out here, if you voted republican to hold down spending you've been hornswaggled... if you hoped someone would stop the flow of jobs overseas, you have been bamboozled. If you understand that this nation was lied into an unwinnable war, you are furious. A candy factory in Pennsylvania is closing and opening up in Mexico...so more jobs are going. Hillary Clinton voted to make bankruptcy almost impossible for ordinary citizens in over their heads, and John McCain believes government should do nothing for those losing their homes. The region has been known as the Rust Belt for generations.
Barack Obama wants every factory that can be rahabbed to begin manufacturing green products,
to sell to a world wide market. The same solar and geo thermal heat is available around the world
if the average home-owner can tap in for a reasonable price.
The damage is done. Spinning this will only make it worse. I beg your pardon but I understand the issues of my state and clearly I know first hand the sensitivities of my home state. We are not desperate-angry-bitter-gun totting hicks.
It must make him feel good to use that struggle to demean our sensitivities - that in my book is arrogance.
We are good people.
Hmm and you are showing your ignorance here. Tunnel vision is a sad thing.
You wouldn't have voted for him anyway if this is all it takes for you to be angry. BYE BYE
and you are a closed minded uninformed person that does not free your mind from the BS being spoon-fed to you by millionaires that don't care whether you eat or have a roof over your head
According to Clinton, Pennsylvania is the "road to the White House." She has not said jack about the people there because she could care less.
Listen to what the man is saying: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc9PepjyDow
You probably didn't ever live there, ang4ever ! Your just one of the Hillary shills that write for her. Do you think people don't pay attention to your remarks from other sites ? We know you wouldn't vote for Obama anyway, who do you think you are kidding ?
This Rove Tactic used by the Clintons will explain the "Meet me in Ohio" remarks:
One thing that is also clear, is that Rove uses almost identical tactics in every close race he is in, including and especially the current one: he manipulates the media to get free exposure for fictitious claims (Swifties), goes negative early and often attacking his opponents on their perceived strengths - showing no reluctance to assault the service of veterans (Swifties, flip-flopper, "liberal", etc.), he will cast his opponents as homosexuals (effete, French looking, Fox News quotes, etc.) and he will use surrogates to do most of the dirty work (all of the above). This takes me to the final tactic employed by Rove: he feigns an outrageous attack on his own candidate in order to paint his opponent in a negative light and/or distract the electorate from a pertinent topic in the news.
this is what certain people predicted Clinton would be stooping to - If PA repeats what happened in Ohio, then they will be revisited by ghosts of the past - Clinton cares nothing for the Blue Collar worker - they are just pawns to her in order to achieve her goals. WAKE UP everybody - do not be used.
Here's more Clinton using Rove Playbook. She has tried to turn Obama's great speaking ability, his greatest asset into a negative - He is just words" well she go that from Rove too:
Through surrogates (another trademark Rove tactic), the Bush campaign spread "fictionalized" accounts of Kerry's service in Vietnam, and then cashed in as the media provided a windfall of free coverage, without assessing the veracity of the claims (or only doing so half-heartedly). It was extremely successful. Rove effectively shut down the momentum Kerry had built up emerging from the Democratic Convention and was able to turn an issue that was a much touted Kerry strength (perhaps too much so), his decorated Vietnam service, into a negative
Clinton''s campaign - right out of Karl Rove's playbook -You will reocognize this one:
This is why Clinton began the whisper campaign that Barack was a Muslim.
"Some of Rove's darker tactics cut even closer to the bone. One constant throughout his career is the prevalence of whisper campaigns against opponents. The 2000 primary campaign, for example, featured a widely disseminated rumor that John McCain, tortured as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, had betrayed his country under interrogation and been rendered mentally unfit for office."
You must be logged in to comment. Log in or connect with
