Southern Democrat, former Edwards adviser Mudcat Saunders: Obama's 'got a bunch of explaining to do'

[DeepModem Mom]

CNN: April 12, 2008
Southern Democrat: Obama's 'got a bunch of explaining to do'

MISHAWAKA, Indiana (CNN) — Dave ‘Mudcat’ Saunders, the Virginia-based Democratic strategist credited with helping big-name politicians appeal to rural voters, said Saturday Barack Obama has “got a bunch of explaining to do” over his claims that economically-frustrated Americans “cling to guns or religion” when they get “bitter.”

“I’m a southern boy myself,” Saunders told CNN by phone. “I don’t have a gun because I’m bitter, it’s because I’ve always had one. I don’t pray to God because I’m bitter. I pray to God because it makes my life better.”

Saunders was an adviser to former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, and he wrote on The Huffington Post in January that Edwards was the only Democrat with the potential to defeat McCain in a general election match-up. The consultant is also credited with helping former Virginia governor Mark Warner win election in 2001 by moving socially-conservative voters into the Democratic fold. Warner sponsored a vehicle in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series during that campaign, a move attributed to Saunders.

Obama’s advisers, including the state’s current Gov. Tim Kaine, see Virginia as a state Obama can win this fall. Although Obama won the state’s primary on Feb. 12 overwhelmingly, he lost the 9th congressional district in rural southwestern Virginia to Hillary Clinton.

Saunders said “rural America will be crucial in this election.”

“The one thing that I preached during this whole deal is we can’t be stereotyping anybody,” he said. “Well, Barack Obama just stereotyped my people out in rural America.”

“Here’s a guy who says he shouldn’t be stereotyped, but yet he stereotyped us.”

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/04/12/southern-democrat-obamas-got-a-bunch-of-explaining-to-do/#more-6392

[gateley]

1. “The one thing that I preached during this whole deal is we can’t be stereotyping anybody,”

...said the self-proclaimed southern boy.

:eyes:

[tularetom]

2. I've seen this guy - he needs to just can the Jeff Foxworthy act

Gimme a break - in 2008 who the fuck goes around callin himself "mudcat" and expects tp be taken seriously?

[Tuesday Afternoon]

4. How about this guy???

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php

[MADem]

3. Team Obama refuses to see this as an issue, so if you suggest it is, they'll

pound you down for even mentioning it.

Rural America will be critical, and they aren't going to vote for anyone who looks down at them and calls them "gun clingers" or bitter Jesus freaks.

[TomInTib]

5. I don't think your average rural American is even aware of this issue.

Heck, I had no idea what all this "bitter" business was about until today.

And I still cannot understand what all the excitement is about.

[MADem]

6. Why? Because those "yokels" don't have satellite dishes, and radios, and tee-vees?

:eyes:

They're aware of it.

[TomInTib]

7. I don't think they care.

Hell, I grew up in as rural a setting as you can imagine.

I just don't see what the big deal is.

[MADem]

8. No gun owner-church goer likes to be painted as a fundy gun nut.

And that's what was happening in SF at a private fundraiser on "Billionaire's Row."

[Bonn1997]

10. Not yet...but

they will be when the Republicans play this clip daily in every swing state. I was an Obama supporter but I think this quote, and more importantly his reaction to the quote, ruined his chances of winning a national election.

[tularetom]

9. What he really means is "My friends were lookin for an excuse not to vote

for this colored boy and praise jeebus he gave us one".

[brentspeak]

11. Sounds like you a whole deck of race cards