‘They Cling to Guns or Religion’: Obama Explains ‘Bitter’ Frustrations of Small Towns

"And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

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April 11, 2008 at 11:16 pm - CNN
Dateline: San Francisco, CA
BILL5321   April 12th, 2008 - 1:34 am

Obama and Hillary are both dropping the ball.

Hillary cannot manage money and has wasted more than $210 million on her compaign. She not fit to be president.

Obama started strong but looks like he put his foot in his mouth again. Where Al Gore?

Tulok   April 12th, 2008 - 4:23 am

Obama’s point is simple- rust-belt voters like those in Pennsylvania have been fed a line of unfulfilled promises by republican and democratic politicians for a long time.

Instead of voting on economic issues that never get addressed, the voters of Pennsylvania have been voting on societal issues like guns, gays, and religion. But they don’t trust Washington to help make ends meet and that causes resentment.

That’s what Obama is saying. Yes people are bitter and saying so is neither condescending or elitist.

Real American   April 12th, 2008 - 4:55 am

If you listen long enough the truth will show up.
The bible says, “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks”
This is just one more thing that we know about him. It shows his real
Contempt for the people who holed on to the second amendment and people that really believe in Jesus Christ.
Hussein asserts that they don’t care for others that don’t believe like them and that they are begets.
This is the guy that wants our country.
Yes Hussein, we do holed on to the things that we believe in unlike you denying those things you’ve listen to for over twenty years.
You sir, have the patriotism of a moon rock.

wowee   April 12th, 2008 - 5:30 am

Obama’s America is one of people like his good friend Bill Ayers, you remember him the Weather Underground Terrorist that was all about blowing up police stations and government buildings, yea thats his bud! and The rev wright the racist, biggot American hater. Also The people that aligned themselfs with obama like nation of islam leader louis farrakan and the new black panther party, also liberal nut jobs like ted turner, jane fonda, albert gore, ted (I like to leave em dead) kennedy. This guy and his American hating wife are a threat to the safety of this country! They will dismantle everything that has worked to keep us safe since 9-11 with their pie in the sky liberal oh we can sit down with evil unreasonable crazies like ahmadinajad mentality. Vote GOP if you care about this country and it’s hardworking honest and giving people. Yea thats the ones that obama just insulted!

Simon   April 12th, 2008 - 6:06 am

Those comments sound EXACTLY like they were spoken by ANY resident of Berkeley California, who have the most condescending attitude of anyone in North America toward anyone who lives in a “red state” or rural area! Berkeley residents have the most incredible superiority complex for a bunch of wasters who don’t even know what they’re talking about most of the time and who can’t form any independent thoughts of their own from person to person rather than all slavishly following the “party” line on every issue. Barack’s thinly-veiled Communist agenda makes him a virtual God in Berkeley, which is saying a heck of a lot for a place that only likes to bring up the issue of a “god” when it is connected with fecal art, sheer hatred, or ridicule of other people.

Tubby   April 12th, 2008 - 7:52 am

Simon @ 6:06am. You’re post is dead on. The dirty little secret is that the american leftwing has had this attitude about small town america for decades. To the ubber left small town america is just a collection of gun nuts, racist and bible thumping queer hating cro-mags. We are so much more complex than that; we also dispise communist “community organizers” that seek to plant the heavy weight of a faceless government on our necks as a means to manufacture some sort of marxist utopia.

Tubby   April 12th, 2008 - 8:04 am

Don, thats all fine and dandy, but the insinuation in Obama’ remarks go far beyond the normal frustration that one would feel losing a job. In his remarks he implies that the “frustration” in small town america leads the people to become gun hugging racist that begin to turn bitter at their own government. Many people may be questioning certain policies of the government regrading trade or economics but that does not mean that small town america is awash in some sort of an american version of born again brown shirts just waiting to lashout at non whites or the civil authorites. Obama over stepped and insulted a lot of folks with these comments.

XGrunt   April 12th, 2008 - 8:28 am

Obama does an outstanding job at “talking” how good things will be if he is elected President. Getting the job done requires the help of the Senate and House. The Democrats in the Senate can’t even get along with themselves alone with anyone else. If this is his attude towards small town folks, then it might be a good idea to pass on electing him. Why big city folks always feel superior to small town folks is a mystery to me. I wouldn’t trade my small town in Southern Indiana for any other place and I’ve traveled from one coast to the other.

SoCal Patriot   April 12th, 2008 - 10:09 am

Obama is done for.

The press and his cult members believe in this story still but, I think the ship has sailed this time around.

Obama is way out of his league “fixing CEO pay” gimme a break.

libsukbad   April 12th, 2008 - 11:18 am

Obama once again shows his true “color”, that comment was aimed squarely at small town white America, not the little Louisiana “tribal jungle enclaves” or big ghetto areas which may have their own little resentment issues. Perhaps he can have alicia keys sing a campaign song for him, you know, the black bigot beeotch who recently said she has read many black panther biographies, wears an ak-47 pendant on her neck that in her own words signifies “strength, power and kill ‘em dead”, those words are aimed at you, whitey. Any white that buys her crap or votes for obama are traitors and might as well join the black panthers, weather underground, trinity united, nation of islam themselves. Go to hell both of you, and all those who think like you and support you.

Dave M   April 12th, 2008 - 11:34 am

Obama Hussein , there’s an ole saying down here in Texas. as you once again insert foot in mouth.

“Turn Out The Light’s …The Party’s Over”

Don   April 12th, 2008 - 3:34 pm

“When I go around and I talk to people there is frustration and there is anger and there is bitterness,” Obama told a rally in Terre Haute. “They’re frustrated and for good reason. … They’ve seen their economies collapse. They have lost their jobs. They have lost their pensions.

His initial comments sure make more sense when you don’t take them out of context. Small town folks are frustrated, jobs are sent to China or Russia killing American towns. I watched mine after mine close growing up, simply because it was cheaper to import the ore. You could have 20 years experience and suddenly find yourself without a job… I’d sure be bitter.

It’s about time an American president began helping Americans.

PaleRyder   April 12th, 2008 - 5:13 pm

Small town America is what built this country,gave it its values, and work ethic.That fact has been long gone from the left for quite sometime.I have spent the last 20 years stuck in the cities and would give it up and go back to small town,where I grew up, in a heartbeat if I could.It’s not just the looking down thier nose attitude from these people,because they really do believe they are better than the rest of us,its also the attitude that they want the right to take what I worked so hard to earn and give it to who they think deserves it more.The same thing exposed in his CEO pay speech.He will gladly CONDEMN CEO pay but not a race-baiting, America-hating bigot,who just happens to be his spiritual guru.It almost seems like a contest between the dem party leaders and the media as to who can bash this country more or better every day.The Hate-America first crowd has definetly taken control of this party.If you want your jobs to remain here and your economy sound then start paying attention to who the hell your voting for.Heres a thought,try voting by what would be good for the country,not what would be good for a political party.If think wev’e had enough of that **it already.

Karen   April 13th, 2008 - 12:33 am

People may be bitter, but the problem with his comments is his condescending, elitist and dismissive generalizations. He has used terms like typical white person, and now dispagages small town America. He says they cling to religion and guns because they hate outsiders. He says they are anti-trade because they are bitter – who has been the most anti-trade candidate? Hasn’t Obama used anti-trade speeches to go after Bill Clinton? He went to millionaires in San Francisco, and should have used that opportunity to lecture them how out of touch they are with middle class America. That banning military recruiters angers most of America. That having parades with transvestites dressed as nuns simulating sex makes Americans bitter. Telling illegal aliens it is okay to violate federal law and they are welcome to rub it in our faces makes Americans bitter. Obama should have lectured the millionaires, and saved his snobbishness for his wife.

tom abrahams   April 13th, 2008 - 1:34 am

obama is not the only one with a verbal gaffe this week:

http://thevote.abc13.com/2008/04/seen-and-not-he.html

Bob Clanton   April 13th, 2008 - 2:44 am

Obama’s statements are just an expression of his 20 years of sitting in a church that preaches the same bigotry and white stereotyping. That fact is, you can’t listen to that propaganda week after week without absorbing it.

MuckFexico II   April 13th, 2008 - 6:14 am

Now the true colors come out !!!!…….No pun intended !!
See ya later Obama…………..

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