Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama tried to mend fences with working-class voters today, telling his audience at a campaign rally in Indiana, "The voters are fine - I'm the one who's bitter."
Sen. Obama's use of the word "bitter" to describe himself raised eyebrows among many on the campaign trail, since it is a word that has gotten him into trouble in the past.
But at the rally in Indianapolis, Mr. Obama made it clear that he, and not the voters, have something to be bitter about.
"You want to talk bitter?" Obama said to his audience. "How about losing the Pennsylvania primary after you were supposed to have this nomination locked up - that'll make you bitter, for damn sure."
Sen. Obama said that after Rev. Wright controversy, the ABC News debate, the flag lapel criticism, and the "red phone" ads, "You can bet your ass I know a thing or two about who's bitter."
In a revealing comment, the Illinois senator said that when he becomes bitter, he looks "for something to cling to."
"Bitter people need to cling to something," he said. "Right now, I'm clinging to my delegate lead."
Despite his "bitter" comments, Mr. Obama's rally ended on a rousing note, with the candidate leading the crowd in his new campaign slogan, "Yes, we're pissed."
Andy Borowitz is a comedian and writer whose work appears in The New Yorker and The New York Times, and at his award-winning humor site, BorowitzReport.com. He is the host of "Countdown to '08" at the 92nd Street Y on Tuesday, May 13 at 8 PM with his special guests Calvin Trillin (The New Yorker), Susie Essman (HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm) and Jonathan Alter (Newsweek, MSNBC). For tickets, go to 92y.org.