Pushing Clinton: CNN's Push Poll on Obama's Remarks

There they go again.

They being mainstream media. Remember them? They're the ones who bought and then brought to you the lies that led us to war in Iraq. The ones who laughed along with Rumsfeld. The ones who followed the lead of Karl Rove in telling you that Howard Dean was screaming like a lunatic when, in fact, he was yelling enthusiastically over a loud crowd. The ones who swift boated John Kerry as surely as the Republicans who lied about the Senator's service.

Yesterday, after Sen. Obama's painfully truthful remarks about how politicians try to lead Americans to vote on the basis of fear and bigotry, and how people are sick and tired and yes "bitter" about how they've been treated, the Lou Dobbs Show on CNN ran this push poll:

"Do you believe that Senator Barack Obama's comments reveal his elitist attitude toward every hardworking American?"

It says "his elitist," not "an elitist" attitude as though his statements were proof of something that already existed, but was, perhaps doubtful. Viewers, why don't you validate that for us here in Atlanta!

In other words, Senator Obama, how long HAS it been since you've beaten your wife.

At 11:20 p.m. PDT on Friday night it stood 50-50, based on 18,453 votes. Under that total, CNN states, "This is not a scientific poll." Correct. It is a push poll.

The rest of CNN went hysterical, with lots of white faces calling Obama's remarks a "turning point." Sen. Clinton tore into the remarks ravenously, as though they were insults to working class voters. She was shameless when in fact it is the actions of "her administration" who allowed jobs to leave America and put us in the toilet in which we now find ourselves.

Her surrogates droned on about how the Republicans will jump on these remarks, something they beat the Republicans to, and were harder on Obama about.

Later on Obama was as eloquent as ever, calmly illuminating, even more sharply, what he had said before. That eloquence is elsewhere on this site but it bears repeating:

When I go around and I talk to people there is frustration and there is anger and there is bitterness. And what's worse is when people are expressing their anger then politicians try to say what are you angry about? This just happened - I want to make a point here today.

I was in San Francisco talking to a group at a fundraiser and somebody asked how're you going to get votes in Pennsylvania? What's going on there? We hear that's its hard for some working class people to get behind you're campaign. I said, "Well look, they're frustrated and for good reason. Because for the last 25 years they've seen jobs shipped overseas. They've seen their economies collapse. They have lost their jobs. They have lost their pensions. They have lost their healthcare.

And for 25, 30 years Democrats and Republicans have come before them and said we're going to make your community better. We're going to make it right and nothing ever happens. And of course they're bitter. Of course they're frustrated. You would be too. In fact many of you are. Because the same thing has happened here in Indiana. The same thing happened across the border in Decatur. The same thing has happened all across the country. Nobody is looking out for you. Nobody is thinking about you. And so people end up- they don't vote on economic issues because they don't expect anybody's going to help them. So people end up, you know, voting on issues like guns, and are they going to have the right to bear arms. They vote on issues like gay marriage. And they take refuge in their faith and their community and their families and things they can count on. But they don't believe they can count on Washington. So I made this statement-- so, here's what rich. Senator Clinton says 'No, I don't think that people are bitter in Pennsylvania. You know, I think Barack's being condescending.' John McCain says, 'Oh, how could he say that? How could he say people are bitter? You know, he's obviously out of touch with people.'

Out of touch? Out of touch? I mean, John McCain--it took him three tries to finally figure out that the home foreclosure crisis was a problem and to come up with a plan for it, and he's saying I'm out of touch? Senator Clinton voted for a credit card-sponsored bankruptcy bill that made it harder for people to get out of debt after taking money from the financial services companies, and she says I'm out of touch? No, I'm in touch. I know exactly what's going on. I know what's going on in Pennsylvania. I know what's going on in Indiana. I know what's going on in Illinois. People are fed-up.

They're angry and they're frustrated and they're bitter. And they want to see a change in Washington and that's why I'm running for President of the United States of America.

The misguided mainstream media may be right about one thing, this may be a turning point, the point at which Americans begin to listen to a politician who tells the truth and refuses to pander, to stoop as low as Senator Clinton and the rest of the Republicans.

That would be Barack Obama.

Here's video of his reply:

Comments

[1st2vote]

Soooooooooooo did I miss something? What did Sen. Obama say that was out of touch???
I am somewhat bitter, gas is almost $3.50 a gal , the price of food has hit the sky, my house is worthless and yes and I love my gun and most of all I love my GOD!!!!!!!!



" Obama 08"

[lainey]

AMEN. Senator Obama is the only candidate who not only tells the truth, but also speaks to us as the smart people we are and always have been. He does not talk down to anyone because he knows that we are intelligent and want the truth. Look, his whole candidacy is about something new, and the other two have candidacies of old...pand­er, lie, embellish, disregard reality and try to make something out of nothing. Obama is in touch. The American public is in touch. We want honest answers. We want to rise above the politics that has led us into unjust war, economic downturn and immoral behavior becoming the norm. Lou, Senator Clinton and Senator McCain have been in Washington too long and have agendas too big to let loose. Let the good Senator from Illinois continue to treat us as the high-minded people we are, and we'll keep sending the message that we like what we hear. Obama '08!!

[lafrance]

Tom, if you think that was bad you should have seen CNN today.
Suzanne Malveaux stood there and looked into the camera and lied. She said Obama did not say anything in his remarks last night about Clinton. The reason. Because while he was saying it like it was and telling the truth about Hillary, the audience was standing and applauding him.
CNN could not have people seeing that.
They needed to have viewers believe the audience was against him.
Again, The Clinton News Network

[vernonbc]

I know! It's just amazing how CNN is playing this. OBAMA SCREWS UP. CAN HE SURVIVE???? OBAMA SAYS GUN OWNERS ARE BITTER!!!! John King did his damndest to get Tom Daschle to admit that Obama made a mistake tonight. Daschle said politely that it was the press that was making the mistake, getting it all wrong, but of course King wouldn't acknowledge his comment. I can watch this garbage and get upset at how much they're skewing the story but what about all the people who don't bother to check the internet, the ones who just watch a tv program and mistakenly think they're getting the 'news'. It really is a national crime how the MSM is conducting themselves these days when Bush's torture meetings can go unreported and McCain's flipflopping is ignored and Clinton's campaign talking points become the subject of hours of discussion.

[simmern4u]

I'm bitter. I'm mad as hell. Maybe enough of us feel this way, we can change this country. That is what Obama stands for, not this fake bs Hillary and her supporters are giving us. I refuse to vote for a LIAR with a husband a convicted LIAR, who takes millions of dollars from foreign governments for kick backs to be delivered upon Hillary's Cornation. United States is phucked up right now, and if you vote for the Clintons to get back into the White House it will stay phucked up.

[plages]

If the Mcclintons don't get what President Obama stated, (which they do, while hurling political stones) then they really don't understand we the people who are very much upset at most things in this country!

[mickeyrat]

don't you think it's a little dumb to call him "President Obama"? Nothing against the guy, but that's a pretty slavish thing to say.

[Argoth]

I saw that push poll and the first thing I thought was "McCarthy". It was on Lou Dobbs section which should speak for itself.

[mimsnpips]

Lou Dobbs is the O'Reilly of CNN. He is so angry and bitter himself that he's going to kick the bucket on the air if he doesn't calm down. I know, it was Kitty Pilgrim sitting in Friday night. She is his clone.

Everyone who is honest with themselves knows Obama's remarks were right on the money.

[SCG]

Tom,
That's the nature of most those Lou Dobbs polls are. He asks such an obvious question which his viewers would clearly respond. Most polling results are 98% to 2% it's a rare occasion when you have a spilt result as this "poll" was. It was a number of weeks ago Lou did yet another Obama poll in regards to his rally remarks mentioning Lou Dobbs on immigration in passing, and this poll was another negatively framed question which I don't recall at the moment. Lou was surprised when the results came in and wasn't clear smack down.....T­he viewers were split, with a modest majority in Obama's favor....P­oor Lou had the wind cut from his sails.

Most of CNN has a anti-Obama / pro- Hillary bias, except for perhaps Jack Caffery who I enjoy. During the debates, Wolf would subtly interrupt Barack's answers...­.trying to move him along or reframing the question to his liking....­.Hillary he'd let ramble for days, no clearing of the throat from Wolf or ...low murmurs to slide in and start the next question. Watch the tapes. He's only impatient with Obama and the other minor candidates, not Hillary. Or their Ballot bowl coverage when they give Hillary 10 -12 minutes uninterrupted time, Barack gets five minutes as the same with McCain.

Conclusion? That this recent poll is so split, shows the sizable support Barack has among Lou's audience.

[mix2007]

CNN is indeed the Clinton News Network.
But what the hell is up with Huffington Post?

HuffPo is the originator of this garbage smear campaign, specifically the troll named Mayhill Fowler.

What is up with HP, the last few weeks, all sorts of sensational, out of context garbage, with misleading headlines.

You've turned into a scandal rag.

HuffPo: Stop the cheap shots, and get rid of the Obama-bashing troll Fowler!

[AZDemocrat500]

Is it not ironic when the shoe is on the other foot. The Huffington Post has been bashing Hillary for months and when a negative article shows up about Obama you are beside yourself. For every 1 Obama negative story there are at least 10 Hillary's on this site.

[Demsneed2win]

"For every 1 Obama negative story there are at least 10 Hillary's on this site"

Make that 30

[pennyfortheguy]

First time you've questioned polling? How do I reach these keeds!

[cct1984]

Pushing Clinton?! How about just plain old fashioned reporting of the news. Obaman is running for the highest office in the land is he not? One should then expect to be scrutinized, especially when ones words belie ones managed public persona. This is no different than the treatment Hillary and McCain receive; if Obama can’t take the scrutiny he should consider a different profession. But that is beside the point, lets cut to the chase. It may very well be true that some workers in this country are bitter because of the loss of jobs, or for whatever reason; however, to say this is what causes them to "cling" to religion, guns, and antipathy towards immigrants is fallacious and insulting. Obama's words indirectly state that people only believe in religion, gun ownership, or border control when times are hard, implying that if times were good they would be what--free-roaming, gun-control atheists? He might as well have called Pennsylvania voters a bunch of hypocrites.

Faith and the right to bear arms are deeply held beliefs in this country; they have nothing to do with the state of the economy. A person who calls himself a devout Christian should know that. This is Obama's second Freudian slip which, along with the "typical white person" remark, reveals his true beliefs about America. Rather than making excuses for him you should be asking him to explain what he meant lest the public define it for him.

[Demsneed2win]

Bravo.

Well said.

But they won't listen.

[mickeyrat]

no, you didn't understand what he said. He didn't say that they would abandon those principles if times were good. What he said is that because no one feels that anybody really cares about the economic circumstances of those Obama was speaking of, THEN THEY DO NOT VOTE THEIR ECONOMIC INTERESTS, THEY VOTE THEIR OTHER INTERESTS.

I don't get what Obama said that was wrong. As Democrats, we have been making this exact same point for a generation now when it comes to Southerners: that they have been voting against their own self interest economically and enabling the same anti-union anti worker attitudes that have kept them down so long.

What Obama has had the courage to do is to point out that ultimately it isn't only the Republicans who are responsible for this states of affairs, but Democrats as well.

I think in the long run this is going to help Obama. To my mind, it's the first real sign of leadership he's shown, breaking the mold of "oh, we Dems always try to help the little guy" and making Dems wake up to the reality that that party has been willing to screw the "little guy" every bit as much as the GOP.

The real test of leadership will be whether he backs down. I see he said he "regrets" his remarks, this is sad. He should say, "The truth hurts, get over it."

[Sue60]

Do you even understand the point to this article? Do you not what a "push poll" is? Lou Dobbs put out a question which led to the answer he was looking for. He defined Obama as "elitist", regardless of how you answered the question.

[LBKN]

He's absolutely right... bitterness runs rampant and deep.

... in fact, people are so bitter, if a person converses with too many words with three or more syllables.­.. the white-hot poker comes out and they are branded "Elitist".

I am bitter... that having an education has become a liability when politicing around backward-ass conservative throwback types in either political party.

... what we need is political speechery so easy a caveman can do it.

[VoiceHeard]

Obama was simply stating something is that is factually accurate=the truth!
What's wrong with that? I don't understand how people can interpret it any other way?? to say that he is an Elitist and out-of-touch, is simply mind boggling.
Am I missing something? Are we all reading the same remarks? I'm really trying to see where the so called insult to blue collar voters is?

[Patrick McCabe]

I was wondering what was going on yesterday at CNN's Lou Dobbs' pundit's sequence that caused such angry remarks from three professionals. Kitty Pilgrims was sitting-in on Friday. I turned it off quickly when I heard the three giving Barack Obama a troubling rebuke.

Huffington Post was my source to check out what the stir was all about. When I read and checked out why they were so upset ... it was hard to believe that they were reading the same transcript about Obama's small town America depiction.

Ed Rollins was one of them...the other two were Senator Clinton supporters. Their rationalization and negative responses of what Senator Obama had said about small town America after investigation became a joke. Are they serious!?

Apparently it was a Rorschach test for all three of them. They saw what they wanted to see to spin it for their own agendas. Period. Politics does make strange bedfellows.

While jobs have been outsourced, lives have diminished and it is time for families to fight back against the Washington establishment.

The discourse on why small town Americans have been duped for the last three decades has been opened by Senator Obama.

While on CNN on Friday it was another berating of Senator Barack's audacity to hope.

It was 'pinata' time.

Where was Chris Wallace when you needed him? Oh. Of course. He was at Fox News. ' What a revolting development !', quipped Riley.

[marysandra]

As someone with generations of ties to the Rust Belt, I know that Senator Obama is speaking the plain, and painful, truth. I know that the residents of those areas are not just bitter, they are cynical. In fact, it is the newly registered voters, in great numbers, who are showing they still have hope. Maybe against all reason, but let us pray they prevail. It is childish in the extreme to bait voters with gay bashing and gun laws. I think the people of Pennsylvania may just surprise us and show they have woken up, and are tired of being talked down to. Let's hope so.

[thewritingguy]

Thanks Tom. It's nice to hear another voice which sees truth instead of the MSM garbage. I appreciate your viewpoint.