Obama Comment Echoes Dean and Edwards

[RBInMaine]

I'll agree that Obama's "bitterness" phrasing wasn't necessarily the greatest, and anyone has to be careful about using too broad a brush because folks don't like being "labeled". However, we all speak in generalities, and Obama has certainly seen PLENTY of bitter, angry, and frustrated blue collar folks in his travels. (As well as plenty of bitter, angry, and frustrated white collar folks.)

Recall in '03 that Howard Dean said, "The guys who drive the pickups with rebel flags should be voting with us because we support their economic interests." He was obviously saying rural red staters vote against their economic interests in favor of the R-driven wedge issue of guns, god, gays, etc. He apologized for using the words, "Pickup truck driving rebel flaggers" but he stood by his larger point: that we have to find ways to persuade these folks to vote for us and their job interests again instead of allowing the R's to capture them on the divisive cultural issues in which they take refuge because of distrust of government promises.

John Edwards' entire campaign this time around was about working class anger and frustration and how we have to get them back to a Democratic Party which used to strongly be for those interests. He was out to really move the party back to those working class roots, saying that we have been out of touch, that they see us as out of touch with their anger and economic issues: an extremely populist message.

Obama was saying the SAME thing as Dean and Edwards: that we are not reaching bitter, angry, frustrated working class voters well enough because they no longer trust political promises, and what they ARE willing to trust are cultural concerns like guns, god, gays, immigration, etc. We therefore have to change Washington and convince them that we WILL act on their economic concerns. Maybe not phrased as well as it should have been, but what he was saying was clear in context and even clearer in his speech in Indiana.

If Hillary fails to acknowledge working class frustration, and if the Dem party refuses to understand how such frustration drives many of them to distrust government on economics therefore leaving them to embrace and vote on wedge issues, then we as a party will continue to lose their votes to the R's.

[OzarkDem]

1. No, he wasn't

There's a very big difference between a candidate like Edwards, Dean or Clinton identifying with voters concerns and unhappiness and outright insulting them by accusing them of loving guns, xenophobia, etc. because their towns economies are hurt.

Its painting with a broad brush, its perpetuating an ugly stereotype on people who don't deserve to be insulted in such a manner.

Its also very revealing of Obama's true character and of those who defend him.

[NYCGirl]

2. You don't even begin to understand what he said. Reducing it to

"loving guns, xenophobia, etc." doesn't help your candidate. It's about why wedge issues work and people vote against their best interests.

Like the Bushies before them, the Clintonites "don't do nuance."

[disndat]

5. A perfect follow-up to the TPM

post on DU today. Both unbelievably brilliant and momentous.

[RBInMaine]

4. No, you need to look at context and not the sound bites.

First, I say in my post that sure, he could have phrased it better. (His Indian re-cap was SPOT ON - and YES, is damn well echoing the themes of Dean and Edwards.) What he was doing in SF was answering a question: Why are we not reaching enough working class people? The answer: Too many are cynical about government promises, they're bitter and frustrated and and in economic despair. put both together and they'll seek refuge in cultural concerns exploited by the R's. These dynamics are well documented. i.e. Evangelical churches TARGET towns in economic distress for this very reason.

And what does Hillary say?: "Oh, eveything's great. Everything's peachy. Everyone's happy. Just roll up your sleeves and work even harder." And you think SHE is "in touch" ???

Please don't lecture me or Obama about "true character" because of your misunderstandings.

I'll burn it down simply for you. Hillary worked hard for WalMart, Rose Law Firm Corporate clients, SUPPORTED NAFTA, and now takes more corporate money than McCain and many other R's. Obama went to Main Street as a community organizer for displaced steel mill workers instead of to Wall Street.
He knows what it means to be on food stamps as a kid. You tell me who is really for the working class?

[Larkspur]

3. Hillary supports class warfare because she's

a corporate whore and profits off of it. Bill is making millions helping corporations screw ordinary Americans by advocating for scumbags like Uribe of Columbia.