Obama's Not Running For Sociologist-In-Chief
Barack Obama clearly wishes he hadn't said what he did about the feelings of small town Pennsylvanians -- at least the way he explained it at that fundraiser in San Francisco. (Note to the candidate: there is no such thing as a "closed" event; there's always someone with an electronic device ready to blog on The Huffington Post).
Obama's not running for Sociologist-in-Chief. But there is a powerful element of truth in his comments. Starting in the elder Bob Casey's 1986 campaign for Governor, and again and again since, both James Carville and I have heard or read -- from focus groups or polling reports -- the frustration, anger, and yes, sometimes bitterness of people in depressed towns in the Keystone State who've had politicians promise them help that too seldom comes. Even in the Clinton years, when Pennsylvania gained jobs, the hollowed out economies of once-thriving blue collar communities were largely bypassed.
The political question here, of course, is whether the Clinton and McCain campaigns can exploit Obama's remarks to tag him as an "elitist" -- a label, their focus groups probably tell them, that can really hurt. Ironically, Obama's the one raised by a single mother. He's the one who only recently finished paying off his student loans. He doesn't know what it's like to have $100 million. The opponents who are attacking him are the ones who inhabit that financial neighborhood.
Hillary Clinton has seized happily on Obama's words as a way to distract attention from the latest flight of one of her husband's misguided missiles. Just as the video that irrefutably confounded her tale about sniper fire at the Tuzla Airport was being returned to the network vaults, President Clinton's ill-timed and inaccurate account of the episode rewound and replayed the tapes. Then Obama's talk gave her the chance to push the pause button. But now she has to be careful not to push the "elitism" attack too hard. The Clintons haven't lived in the real world for at least twenty-five years; they've been in a bubble surrounded by aides moving from one mansion to another. This doesn't mean they don't care or can't empathize. But it does make it awkward to damn the guy who was a community organizer helping laid-off steelworkers as someone who is out of touch.
The truth is that Obama didn't "demean" -- Senator Clinton's word -- the aggrieved residents of the forgotten Pennsylvania. Remarkably, he did demean not just the Bush, but the Clinton administration for letting them down. And by citing guns, religion, and opposition to immigration as things small town Pennsylvanians "cling to," he confused the comfort of the familiar with fear of "the other." Of course, faith and culture are refuges in distress -- and they should be. Obama knows and says that.
So his sociology wasn't clearly or ideally stated, but it was fundamentally right. The impact will be determined as Obama returns to Pennsylvania and then critically in the back and forth of the debate on Wednesday night. What he said in San Francisco was very different from Gary Hart's gaffe in 1984, when he lost the New Jersey Primary and the Democratic nomination by apparently comparing that state to a toxic waste dump -- at a fundraiser in, of all places, California. Will Pennsylvanians instead decide that Obama wasn't condescending to them, but empathizing with them -- and that their plight would be his mission as president?
No one gets to the nomination without going through the valley. Hillary Clinton and John McCain have learned that this year, and so has Barack Obama. Now he has to do it a second time, on another controversy. It's a test for him, for Clinton, and for the voters.
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So some people are upset that an ol' pol like Bob Shrum has pointed out the obvious. The people who defend Clinton and/or McCain are like those folks who defend the Microsoft corporation: you know, have you ever heard the expression, slaves embrace your chains? Obama is certainly not the second coming, but considering his opponents whose lying and venal interests are all over he place, if you support that, you do indeed embrace your chains.
Obama only misspeaks, while everyone else outright lies?
We need to stop this hating drama. The bar is set to high for minorities to achieve under the scrutiny of white gloves.When Obama speaks every word is analyzed by Hil JMcC, the news reporters, et al. This is hating that folks of color have come too far to turn around. Folks are smarter for having gottened an early start in educational institutions, beginning at home. We should not be penalized for achieving. We should not have to have a red flag wave when we say words that some folks dont understand. Hil used the word elite,elitist, out of context in referring to Obama and his speech at a fundraiser . She wanted to sound smart and hip but she played into an old yesterdays hit parade song. She forgot. Weve grown accustom to her ways..lies, name calling, demeaning, and negative bashing of Obama. Her MO has slipped slided away. Looks like delegates are slowly going too. Therefore, she sees handwriting on the wall and she's into drinking. No we don't need her as Pres. Vote Obama a patriot in 08
obama says what he thinks will get him elected. the trouble is, the west coast and east coast think they are better than the rest of us. and he put down ordinary people to the elites.
it is a judgement call whether obama is too damaged to be electable in november. same for hillary.
If history is any lesson, having this loser Shrum on your team, or even defending you, could be a bad sign for your campaign.
Note: Shrum has NEVER won a presidential campaign for any candidate, and yet he’s on all the political shows giving us his stupid opinion. So shows like Meet The Press can provide their meaningless spin.
Dognati: Of course you don't see anything Obama says as being bad... But I can guarantee anything the Clintons said you saw bad... It's funny how the Obama people think it's alright to talk against the whites & this country... but don't talk bad about Obama right???
Just stick to the truth. Then WE will make progress.
Well why don't YOU?
Obama talks the way He thinks of the Whites & this Country... When He see thats it is being used against him... then he says thats not how he ment it... It's funny anything the Cklintons says is used against them... But what Obama says isn't... This Media is suppose to be reporting the Election... Not making their candidate win because of them... It's so that they want Mccain to win not the Democrats...
So you support the Cklintons?
Larry Kegel
I have a transcript of the response he gave in Cali and there's no mention of race or ethnicity in it? Why are you and others insinuating he meant white people only?. Are you telling me that blacks, hispanics, latinos don't live in small towns and they are not suffering the same as the white folks?
They are not embittered, angry, frustrated, pissed off too? Are you also saying that the Gov. of both Bush and Clinton have not ignored these small towns during their presidency. Are you saying that politicians don't go around these small towns during elections and make empty, meaningless promises that they know they won't/can't fulfill, for political gain? Are you saying people who find themselves without an anchor during these times don't become more religious, don't vote for values issues like the right to carry guns, abortion, gay, anti- immigration, trade laws?
What do you think the Republicans did in 2000/04 elections, but prey on these people with above issues inorder to win the WH? Are you so scared of looking around to see the damage that has been perpretrated on these folks in small towns by lying politicians like Bush, Clinton and others?.
Come on, admit they have the right to be bitter, angry, frustrated and pissed. Senator Obama was only pointing out the truth. Why demonize him for it. Would you rather the usual bs?
Elitism??? Try Hillary Clinton's record during her six years on the corporate board of Wal-Mart. She did zip zilch nada during her tenure there for the rights of workers to organize. She did nothing to improve their health care or working conditions. She did nothing about, and likely couldn't even be bothered to look into, the rampant gender discrimination at Wal-Mart. Clinton served on Wal-Mart's board during a period when the company expanded into small-town America, putting thousands of mom&pop's out of business. She has absolutely no room to talk about the plight of small-town America.
mheister, if you know anyone in PA, Ind, etc/, can u pass along above to the folks. I think most people have forgotten her past history of her middle class background and living off the tax payers for the past 25 years in Arkansas and WH. She has indeed been living in a bubble. She has no idea what the average working poor and middle class Americans are going through no matter how hard she tries to compare herself with them. John McCain, ditto. Those two are the elitists. Obama is an elite politicain. Quite a differenct from being an elitist.
Hopefully, her bubble will burst in Novemeber or sooner.
You need to read her history, read her speeches, see the passed legislation for education, human rights, and health care. I'm sick of reading the Hillary-hater lies. I dare you to read her public service record and then talk trash about Hillary,
She has every right to talk about small time America because SHE HAS SERVED SMALL TIME AMERICA ALL OF HER LIFE. She's also served Human Rights around the world. Here, give your opinions an upgrade and just read this speech:
Hillary Rodham Clinton defying the U.S. State Department and the Chinese Government at the 1995 UN World Conference on Women in Beijing. Here's the full, stunning speech:
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/hillaryclintonbeijingspeech.htm
I wonder if even one of the hundreds of venomous media attacks on Hillary,
were it delivered against Barack, would cause any furor. No one stood up much when it was against Hillary. COWARDS!!!
Chris Matthews teased segment by asking whether Clinton is a "She Devil"
http://mediamatters.org/items/200711190004
What if Tweety or Keith had asked "whether or not Barack is a "He Devil" or slandered him the way they have Hillary every damned night they broadcast. Hillary is amazing to withstand this incredible creepy effort to destroy her. I think she is truly an American Hero in the face of the ruthless brutality of NeoFascism's attempt to bring her down.
Name three bills in the last two Congresses that she sponsored and/or co-sponsored that made it into law and actually helped a majority of working people in this country. Hell, name one bill. You can look her record up here: http://thomas.loc.gov.
You can't find any because she hasn't done anything in more than seven years other than name a couple of public buildings for dead people who did something or other at sometime. Hillary is all talk an no action, let alone truth.
Next...
Spin, Shrum, spin.
It is the stupid media "STUPID", they think they have enough of the Democratic candidates and they want to see one way or another either Barak or Hillary drop from the race. Guarantee you that most Americans have no idea what an elitist is but I am sure they agree that we for the most part are bitter with the darn government, high prices, lousy education, lost of prestige and pride of what we were and missing what we no longer have.
I agree that there are people who are frustrated and angry in this country. And in certain parts of the country this sentiment stems from politicians promising the people help that comes too slowly-or not at all.
The irony here is that Obama is just like all the politicians that he is referring to in his campaign stomping who promise people help "that too seldom comes". No, I stand corrected�he is even worse than these polticians because Sen Obama tells people that he is helping them when in reality he is sabatoging efforts in Congress to help middle and working class families in this country. It is only recently that Sen Obama"s legislative record has been analysed . I was astounded to learn extent of his deception to the public. How ignorant does he think the voters are?
http://www.beyondchron.org/articles/The_Obama_Craze_Count_Me_Out_5413.html
Beyondchron.org, The Obama Craze: Count Me out " by Matt Gonzalez 2/27/08
Excellent analysis of several major pieces of legislation that Sen Obama was involved with in Congress.
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080211/fraser
The Nation, "Subprime Obama" by Max Fraser 1/24/08 Post 2/11/08 issue
http://www.motherjones.com/commentary/columns/2008/03/i-am-barack-obama.html
Mother Jones, " I am Barack Obama" by Mark Winston Griffith 3/17/08
Obama represents "Change" in Washington DC? I don't think so.
Because the junior senator from a medium-sized mid-western state is going to completely fix Congress in three years that took decades to break. Get real. You are setting the bar pathetically low for anyone but Barack.
As are all those articles you linked to. Biased, at least, and terribly naive about the way things get done in DC at worst. They obviously have no idea just how badly things are screwed up here. Don't worry, though, when Barack and his supporters actually fix this country, we'll bring all the DINOsaurs and neocons along for the ride.
Why should I listen to Shrum who is nothing but a well paid professional
election loser.
Oh, enough already with the $100 million. Last time I checked, becoming wealthy was one of the key aspects of the American Dream--or perhaps the Obama bunch believes this is just some other out-of-date value that people are clinging to?
Fact: In 1992, Bill and Hillary Clinton filed a tax return that showed $244,356 in combined income for the previous year. At that point, the Clintons still had never owned a home. Here we are in 2008, and Barack Obama files a return that shows him and Michelle earning $991,296 in 2006--and of course, they own that $1.65 million property / home that adjoined the Rezko lot.
You think Senator Obama isn't going to ride this campaign--win or lose the nomination--to big time speaking fees? (I can hear the chorus in the background...ooooooooooooo, noooooooooo...he'll donate it all to charity....) And you know what? More power to him. If I deny even one person the right to earn as much money as they possibly can--as long as it's within the boundaries of our legal system--I'm denying myself that same opportunity. And I'm not ready to do that. Are you?
There are plenty of issues to take your positions on. Enough with the income.
If the following doesn't take you to the souce re: the Clinton's tax returns, enter "Clintons' returns 1991" into the NYTimes search engine.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE7DA103DF93BA25757C0A964958260&scp=2&sq=Clintons%27+Tax+Return+&st=nyt
I don't think it is a problem what Obama said. There is a problem in that he has his insider people that he talks to about the outsider people. All when his message is that we have transcended this insider and outsider thing. To say "we have transcended race" is really to say "anybody who mentions it after me is making race an issue unless they say what I say". Do you want a clever used car salesman or an honest one. It is not the words Obama selected, it is that he is selecting words just for you and you may just be buying a fish story hook line and sinker because it is what you want to hear. There are no red states and no blue states, I want every voice heard, every vote counted sounds good as a stump speech statement. Is "Don't count Michigan and Florida" his real mission statement. It is not the first time for disenfranchisement as a political tactic out of Obama. In 1996 he knocked all primary candidates off the ballot including the incumbant State Senator Alice Palmer. His justification is the same. That time he said "To my mind, we were just abiding by the rules that had been set up." Sounds alot like what he said about Florida amd Michigan. Really, it's deja vu isn't it. Look it up. Google Alice Palmer, Obama 1996 State Senate race.
I'm am sick and tired of racists.
I agree that there are people who are frustrated and angry in this country. And in certain parts of the country this sentiment stems from politicians promising the people help that comes too slowly-or not at all.
The irony here is that Obama is just like all the politicians that he is referring to in his campaign stomping who promise people help “that too seldom comes”. No, I stand corrected…he is even worse than these polticians because Sen Obama tells people that he is helping them when in reality he is sabatoging efforts in Congress to help middle and working class families in this country. It is only recently that Sen Obama’s legislative record has been analysed . I was astounded to learn extent of his deception to the public. How ignorant does he think the voters are?
http://www.beyondchron.org/articles/The_Obama_Craze_Count_Me_Out_5413.html
Beyondchron.org, The Obama Craze: Count Me out “ by Matt Gonzalez 2/27/08
Excellent analysis of several major pieces of legislation that Sen Obama was involved with in Congress.
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080211/fraser
The Nation, “Subprime Obama” by Max Fraser 1/24/08 Post 2/11/08 issue
http://www.motherjones.com/commentary/columns/2008/03/i-am-barack-obama.html
Mother Jones, “ I am Barack Obama” by Mark Winston Griffith 3/17/08
Obama represents “Change” in Washington DC? I don't think so.
KINDLY LIST HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS ??
Busted! Again! The true nature of the radicals who are trying to take over the Democratic Party is being exposed. I do beieive it is shoot yourself in the foot time again. Should we start thinking about 2012 before or after President McCain is sworn in?
dumb and dumber
He said what he said. It's over. Time to face reality.
This whole Democratic primary is beyond description. Pulling words out of context for political gain is getting old. Nobody's buying anymore rhetoric from "The Clintons" and they shouldn't be out selling it. The Clintons, are the epitame of a Democrat elitist,s and have been for for many years. Who do they think they are kidding???
Their message changes everyday and Bill Clinton has REALLY lost it. What happened to the bright, well spoken Democrat of the people that loyal Democrats like me used to admire?
He is embarrassing himself. It's sad really.
The Clintons should go quitely into the night before the entire party abandons them for good.
Like Karl Rove said, (whom Bill Clinton openly admires) "Hillary is a fatally flawede candidate and when it gets right down to it in Novemeber in teh voting booth, Independents will hesitate about putting the The Clintons back in charge for a continuation of the divisive Bush Presidency.
I am sooooo tired of these primaries. So sick of Clinton.
We are a nit-picky,stupid country. All anyone does is tear other people down.
Everything was ok until Hillary decided to go ugly. Now its like being in hell.
The idea of 4 years that fat ass and shrieky voice would be more that I could bear.And has anyone noticed that Bill's REALLY bad genes are showing more and more?
I might kill myself
I've felt kind of the way you do. I think you're taking it all too hard. I basically pay heed to her about as much as I pay heed to Dubya, and it's not that difficult to tune her, and him, out. I've written her off and so far she hasn't done anything to cause me to feel otherwise. We have to expect that sometimes the first isn't always the best. It's even in the Bible (Esau and Isaac; Saul and David; Cain and Abel). We can only hope that whoever the woman is who becomes the first U.S. woman president will be a much better candidate than the one most likely to be it now.
This is a fine example of the need for term limits. Just as the President can't run for a third term, neither should Congress. A rotation of reps would cut down on the corruption as lobbyists would not be able to leverage enough momentum in that short amount of time. Maybe then the candidates would actually listen to their constituents..
But, the biggest change has got to be that we light a match under all our butts to get up and revolt this illegal and misguided system. It is quite evident that talking won't change it. There has to be an upheaval by the people or the status quo will prevail. I support Obama but I don't feel he is the Messiah. His voting record is suspiciously centrist despite his liberal rhetoric. Setting aside Obama for a moment. How did we get to the point where HRC and McCain have become the respective candidates? The world must think we bigger fools still. What an embarrassing choice the people have selected (should HRC win). How has this happened when there is so much outrage for Bush. Term limits everybody. Time to dismantle the hideous good ole' boys network and get some fresh faces and views to take a crack at Washington. We need to copy some of these countries who fight for change. We have been lulled into a very dangerous complacency and I wonder how much farther in debt and despair we will go.
Who do you think the candidates rely on for donations to get into Congress? If term limits were instituted, I am sure the lobbyists will simply find and fund the candidates that are already in their pocket.
Obama is suppossed to be the canddate of change. He talks about having an open administration, and be up front with the American people. In this case, he thought he was behind closed doors, when he made his condenscending remarks. He didn't know someone would have a tape recorder. He said exactly what he meant, and his apology is a lie. The real Obama has just stood up.
"he thought he was behind closed doors" ???
Oh really? You are a mind reader?
Anyway his remarks were NOT "condenscending" (as you say).
His remarks were empathetic and truthful.
And I'm more impressed with the "real Obama" than I was with the surreal one.
You lash out
appalled to hear
my words of truth
I have no allegiance
to these words
The important point is
not the map
but the unrelenting landscape
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