Bitter as hell in Pennsylvania

[kskiska]

Folks agree with Barack Obama in at least one Pennsylvania trailer park. But will angry voters help or hurt Democrats in swing states this fall?

By Mike Madden

April 16, 2008 | EXETER, Penn. -- Shawn Erfman lives in a trailer park, listens to Rush Limbaugh and voted for George W. Bush -- twice. Over the weekend, he heard all about what Barack Obama had to say about "bitter" Pennsylvanians like himself. And he's mad as hell.

Not at the guy you might expect, though. "It's fucking true," he said Monday night. "Everybody's bitter for one reason or another. So they're crucifying him because he spoke the truth? Cause he's not saying something that's going to suck up to people and kiss ass? Because, what, he slipped and accidentally spoke the truth, instead of kissing butt?"

A 37-year-old mechanic for a construction company, Erfman won't be voting Republican this time around. While he isn't a registered Democrat and can't vote in next week's primary, he'd be happy to go for Obama in November. (Or Hillary Clinton, for that matter.) "I do like him, I think that he would be a change," Erfman said. "Believe it or not, I voted for Bush. See where that got me?" But when you get right down to it, Erfman -- like many of his neighbors -- doesn't see much chance of any politician really doing a lot to help the dwindling middle class in northeastern Pennsylvania. "It doesn't make a difference who I go vote for, whoever gets in is going to see fit to try to make it go their way," Erfman said. His wife, Heidi, felt the same way. "Can I vote for Mickey Mouse?" she asked.

(snip)

"Bush gave Republicans a bad name," said Sciandra, 46, the repairman. A veteran of six years in the Marines, he voted for Bush in 2000 but supports Clinton this time. If McCain can't win him over, it might be a bad sign. Sciandra said he understood what Obama meant, and wasn't offended by the idea that he "clings" to guns. "I hunt, I fish, I love the outdoors," he said. "Me, I tell you, I'm not worried about anybody taking my guns ... I think it just came out the wrong way." As for Erfman, he's more worried about healthcare than his job. His 60-year-old mother-in-law, Iona White, just moved in with his family so she could get onto their health insurance. A lifelong Democrat, White says she'll vote for Obama next week. "It's a bad time in the world," she said. "People are bitter."

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http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/04/16/bitter/

[FlyingSquirrel]

1. .

Good article

[aquart]

2. Oh, he so got away with it.

"I think it just came out the wrong way." No, it didn't. By using the word "bitter," he both got to insult the voters and get them to defend him. That's practically genius.

When presidential and congressional approval are in the 20s, "bitter" might well be the safest word a candidate could use.

It wasn't the "bitter" that was untruthful, it was what he linked it to. Anyone in this nation would defend the "bitter." All the rest got swept away.

I'm completely impressed.

[Syntheto]

3. So true! Imagine the reaction if a White candidate had said....

...City dwellers are bitter; you can tell by their music - they're xenophobic about those who don't look like them and they find solace and comfort in their crack pipes, 40 ouncers and basketball"

Then, to underscore your point, and to save your ass from the nuclear fall out in the media, you find some guy, living in the hood, smoking crack, listening to music that talks about 'slappin' bitches round, pimp-style" saying "Oh, hell, yes, I'm bitter."

That would clear everything up then, right? People would rush to your defense and fall over themselves to explain what you really meant, cutting and pasting articles about job loss and other bullshit like the broken families, yada, yada.

Not once has any defender of Obama addressed the real issue: that he came across as insulting White Blue Collar people.

This guy stuck his foot so far in his mouth that he's going to eventually snag his drawers with his big toe.

[cyclezealot]

4. Just Pennsylvanians' ? ; all Americans should be bitter.

as the saying goes, if you are not angry, you are not informed.

[knitter4democracy]

5. Michiganders are bitter, too.

Obama was right. People are pissed off but working so hard to survive that there's not much time left for a revolution. So, they turn to religion and such and just keep on going. I wish Obama would come up here to give that speech.