Obama has us small town folk figured out (2 Viewers)

[Three Monkeys]

So people have left the Democratic Party because the Democratic Party has been painted as the party of the Gays, of the abortionists, of the anti-gun people, of the anti-Christian religion people. And that, apparently, is an appropriate, valid argument to make.

Obama points out that the climate is much more complicated than that. People get frustrated and forsake their own economic interests on the things they can more easily get angry about. So what's the problem?

Wedge issues have been used frequently to blind people over the real issues that matter.

Haven't we all been who po'd that CNN, FOX, MSNBC, NBC, ABC, CBS have found Brittany Spears to be more important than the economy, the war, healthcare, etc?

 

[DadsDream]

So people have left the Democratic Party because the Democratic Party has been painted as the party of the Gays, of the abortionists, of the anti-gun people, of the anti-Christian religion people.

I'd say the Democratic Party has gone to great lengths to proudly paint itself that way, catering to metropolitan "two coast strategy" interest groups.

The resulting backlash virtually handed the once "Solid South" to the Republicans.

What was once a grass roots, down home, populist, working-man's party morphed into a East Coast/West Coast special interest group crusading party.

This reached a culmination in the coining of the phrase "flyover country," and the Kerry campaign cutting off campain funding to states like Louisiana four months before the election.

The everyman, rural farmer and industrial worker's party had transformed itself into a party of elitism and exclusion. If you didn't live in the Northeast Corridor or on the West Coast, you didn't count.

 

[RazorOye]

Still trying to figure out what's offensive about these remarks. Is it the word "bitter"? I guess "bitter" can have a negative connotation if you associate it with your psychotic ex-lover who left a dead rabbit boiling in your kitchen pot, but based on Merriam-Webster's definition "bitter" is a valid state-of-being for sane and well-adjusted folk as well. Hell, if my property value doesn't level out soon I'm gonna have "BITTER" branded across my forehead, and no one would mistake me for a small-town unemployed white steelworker.

I am with Maestro, here. I don't see anything offensive.

It's funny how terms and appellations become offensive or not offensive on very whimsical bases.

If this had been a story about a black man who was upset over being called "bitter" because he felt the government had given him an unfair shake or had Jason Whitlock written an article about black people getting up in arms, the response would've been "THIS COUNTRY IS SO PC - I AM SO SICK OF NOT BEING ABLE TO SAY ANYTHING"

I think "nappy headed hos" is more offensive than "bitter" and the backlash against the overly sensitive nature of those basketball players was pretty pronounced by many on these boards.

From that perspective, I think people getting upset over being called "bitter" need to get over it.

As for the reality of bitterness - people are bitter. I've not been to Pennsylvania, but people in Houston are bitter. People in Lake Charles are bitter. People in Baton Rouge are bitter. I've met plenty of bitter people. Unhappy with gas prices or how the government handled Katrina or the cost of insurance or the rising prices of prescription medicine or the state of the home mortgage market or any number of reasons to be bitter.

And they are all valid.

Heck, I'm bitter for a lot of reasons.

And every day I read these forums, I see plenty of bitterness. People upset about immigration regulations or affirmative action.

If people are getting this upset over being called "bitter" I can't imagine how bad it would be if it were something truly insulting.

Oh, and in case anyone thinks this is a prObama post, think again. I'll be voting third party. Again.

 

[DadsDream]

People have guns and go to church because they like to.

Not because they're bitter.

Not because they're insecure and "cling" to something.

The remark was insulting in a backhanded way, y'alll.

 

[RazorOye]

People have guns and go to church because they like to.

Not because they're bitter.

Not because they're insecure and "cling" to something.

The remark was insulting in a backhanded way, y'alll.

And I know rural militia-'ites' who keep guns and people who organize revivals because they are embittered and dissatisfied with current and recent administrations and seek solace in Guns and/or God.

I own guns. I go to Church.

So, is it most people? I don't think so.

Regardless, at the end of the day, taking umbrage with being called "bitter" is overly sensitive, imo. As a gun-owner and churchgoer, they don't even register on my radar.

It strikes me as a reach by people looking for something to be offended about. I'm offended by it no more than I am offended by what these candidates say and stand for each day on the campaign trail.

It's not the first time one of these candidates came across as elitist.

This is not news, imo. It's standard operating procedure.

I think people's collective ire would be better served as a reaction to something that is truly offensive, objectionable, and needs nationwide attention. But this doesn't qualify.

 

[varanook]

People have guns and go to church because they like to.

Not because they're bitter.

Not because they're insecure and "cling" to something.

The remark was insulting in a backhanded way, y'alll.

Absolutely. A stereotype the same as the 40 toting black male in the hood waiting for his welfare check.

But y'all keep voting D and R.

 

[Mr. Littlejeans]

People have guns and go to church because they like to.

Not because they're bitter.

Not because they're insecure and "cling" to something.

The remark was insulting in a backhanded way, y'alll.

Thanks for oversimplifying . Maybe I can introduce a little CONTEXT and NUANCE, something in short supply in political discussions nowadays.

Lots of people have guns because they like to, and their attitudes towards firearms are healthy. Lots of people go overboard with the gun issues because they've been made to feel powerless (by BOTH parties) and their guns help give them a sense of false security and power

Lots of people have a healthy relationship with God, and follow His will by living in the spirit of His word. Lots of other people pore over the Bible trying to find justification for looking down on those who are different from them. Our current administration has certainly done its part encouraging that, and it's been proven time and again economic stagnancy helps breed intolerance and xenophobia.

But hey, isn't it easier just to say, "That liberal #$%^*@ is talkin' trash 'bout us!!"

I never see this kind of uproar when Obama challenges the Black community and culture.

Here's the Obama quotes Fox News doesn't want you to hear:

"Parents if you don't parent, we can't improve our schools," he said. "You've got to parent. You've got to turn off the television set in your house once in a while, you've got to put the video game away once in a while."
(
Obama, who aspires to be the first black president, dwells a little longer on the subject with predominantly black audiences, as he did Thursday in this economically struggling city in the south shore of Lake Michigan.

"You should have a curfew in your house so your children aren't out in the streets all night. You should meet with the teacher and find out what the homework is and help that child with the homework. And if you don't know how to do the homework, don't be embarrassed, find someone to help you."

"Fathers, be fathers," he added. "Be a part of your child's life. Be a part of your child's life and try to make them proud.

"And the last thing is, if your child is misbehaving at school don't curse out the teacher. You know who you are. It's not the teacher's fault that your child is misbehaving. That's some home training."
"You know what I say is true, though. Don't blame the teachers, and the government and the schools if you're not doing your job."
"There are kids in China and India who are learning an awful lot of math and an awful lot of science with facilities that are a lot worse than the ones we have," he said.

He'll make reference to "cousin Pookie" - a fictional layabout whom he urges supporters to "get off the couch.""We're like that cousin who always comes and never seems to have a job. He's out there buying new rims on his car, but can't pay the rent."

 

[cruize]

He's a politician. He speaks to every group in front of him.

 

[varanook]

The everyman, rural farmer and industrial worker's party had transformed itself into a party of elitism and exclusion. If you didn't live in the Northeast Corridor or on the West Coast, you didn't count.

That party is missing from our government presently but no one seems to notice due to the liberal/conservative/unpatriotic/socialist/etc... labels thrown around on TV everyday.

I'll keep repeating this phrase. Keep voting D and R lol.

 

[varanook]

Thanks for oversimplifying . Maybe I can introduce a little CONTEXT and NUANCE, something in short supply in political discussions nowadays.

Lots of people have guns because they like to, and their attitudes towards firearms are healthy. Lots of people go overboard with the gun issues because they've been made to feel powerless (by BOTH parties) and their guns help give them a sense of false security and power

Lots of people have a healthy relationship with God, and follow His will by living in the spirit of His word. Lots of other people pore over the Bible trying to find justification for looking down on those who are different from them. Our current administration has certainly done its part encouraging that, and it's been proven time and again economic stagnancy helps breed intolerance and xenophobia.

But hey, isn't it easier just to say, "That liberal #$%^*@ is talkin' trash 'bout us!!"

I never see this kind of uproar when Obama challenges the Black community and culture.

Here's the Obama quotes Fox News doesn't want you to hear:

"Parents if you don't parent, we can't improve our schools," he said. "You've got to parent. You've got to turn off the television set in your house once in a while, you've got to put the video game away once in a while."
(
Obama, who aspires to be the first black president, dwells a little longer on the subject with predominantly black audiences, as he did Thursday in this economically struggling city in the south shore of Lake Michigan.

"You should have a curfew in your house so your children aren't out in the streets all night. You should meet with the teacher and find out what the homework is and help that child with the homework. And if you don't know how to do the homework, don't be embarrassed, find someone to help you."

"Fathers, be fathers," he added. "Be a part of your child's life. Be a part of your child's life and try to make them proud.

"And the last thing is, if your child is misbehaving at school don't curse out the teacher. You know who you are. It's not the teacher's fault that your child is misbehaving. That's some home training."
"You know what I say is true, though. Don't blame the teachers, and the government and the schools if you're not doing your job."
"There are kids in China and India who are learning an awful lot of math and an awful lot of science with facilities that are a lot worse than the ones we have," he said.

He'll make reference to "cousin Pookie" - a fictional layabout whom he urges supporters to "get off the couch.""We're like that cousin who always comes and never seems to have a job. He's out there buying new rims on his car, but can't pay the rent."

He can say all of that sort of stuff all he pleases but he is still more of the the same to me. And anyone who makes a political elitest misstep like that, hangs with Jeremiah Wright and slaps that D label on himself is not for me. Couple that with the amount of government spending he proposes and you have a unrealistic candidate who is a great public speaker but really has no plans that can be implemented in any day to day manner.

I once thought he may have been different or even a step in the right direction but truthfully he has turned out to be more of the same. Tax and spend. No real idea of what everyday life is, no plans beyond pie in the sky ideas. He lacks substance altogether when it would come to my vote.

 

[Mr. Littlejeans]

Varanook-
Though I disagree with you about whether Obama is "more of the same," you at least seem to be focused on real issues. My beef is with folks who are just looking for an excuse to be righteously outraged, painting anyone who dares inject a little truth and healthy criticism as either an unpatriotic America-hater (read:liberal)or Nazi racist(read: conservative.)

 

[SoonerJim]

When speech codes collide with identity politics, you get a campaign centered on factional victimization. One cannot criticize a fellow candidate without a race/class/sex angle. Have I left anyone out?

A WSJ editorial today quotes Madison's Federalist paper #9, warning against the very problem we have today.

If we have an elitist (Obama) running against a liar (Clinton), vote for the liar. Liars do shortterm damage. Elitist do long term damage.

 

[RazorOye]

He can say all of that sort of stuff all he pleases but he is still more of the the same to me. And anyone who makes a political elitest misstep like that, hangs with Jeremiah Wright and slaps that D label on himself is not for me. Couple that with the amount of government spending he proposes and you have a unrealistic candidate who is a great public speaker but really has no plans that can be implemented in any day to day manner.

I once thought he may have been different or even a step in the right direction but truthfully he has turned out to be more of the same. Tax and spend. No real idea of what everyday life is, no plans beyond pie in the sky ideas. He lacks substance altogether when it would come to my vote.

although I would heartily disagree with the point made that calling people bitter and saying people are welfare check-waiting, 40-drinking blacks in the hood are basically the same, your prior comment, - I don't think the two are even close to comparable - I have to say that this is very close to my own feelings on the issue.

The comment was elitist, but not newsworthy because candidates daily exhibit how out of touch they are despite their rhetoric to the contrary.

I, too, held out some hope for Obama in the beginning, but with the Wright issues and some of the other things that have happened - I admit the shine has started to wear off. Which is disappointing.

 

[RazorOye]

If we have an elitist (Obama) running against a liar (Clinton), vote for the liar. Liars do shortterm damage. Elitist do long term damage.

So the terms are mutually exclusive?

Clinton can't be both liar and elitist?

She's just as out of touch and an elitist as Obama is. She is abrasively condescending without even seeming to know it.

 

[SoonerJim]

So the terms are mutually exclusive?

Clinton can't be both liar and elitist?

She's just as out of touch and an elitist as Obama is. She is abrasively condescending without even seeming to know it.

Every politiician has elements of both, but these are their overriding traits.