If you haven't noticed, I've been laying off of the political coverage for the last few weeks. There are a few reasons for this. The first, and most important, is that I'm completely burnt out on B.O. vs H.C. Where it was once exciting and exhilarating, it's now tiresome and sort of sad. Another reason is that there's not much to talk about until the Pennsylvania primary.
Actually that's a not true. There's tons to talk about, as any casual watcher of cable news will tell you, but nothing to further the conversation or inform voters or aid in the political process. Just cattiness, innuendo, and a whole lot of talking heads trying and succeeding at making political mountains out of molehills. There have been actual segments dedicated to Barack Obama's poor bowling skills and what that means about his ability to relate to blue collar workers. Say what you really mean, guys.
The latest "news" is that Barack Obama is an elitist. He's an elitist because he said this about the working class voters that are failing to respond to him:
"They get bitter [about their poor economic conditions], 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."
McCain and Clinton are saying he's out of touch and implying that this is an inherently un-American thing to say. Meanwhile, some Pennsylvania voters, including ones that plan to vote for McCain, are like, "Hell yeah, we're bitter!" So who's out of touch, here? Look, I'm not going to pretend like that was a totally smart thing for Obama to say. At the very least, it wasn't a smart way to express. I'm not going to pretend like he doesn't say stupid things sometimes, "typical white person" being one of them. I'm not going to pretend like I don't see why either Clinton or McCain, as his opponents, would jump on and cling to these things, even if actual voters don't seem to be that offended. Politics is a desperate game. It's also a hypocritical one. Of course there are limits to how much Obama can relate to a poor working class voter in the mountains of Pennsylvania, but the same goes for Clinton and McCain. These are three very rich — Obama's a pauper in comparison to Clinton — privileged politicians who have more in common with each other than they'll ever have in common with a coal miner. And I'm sure they are all equally uninterested in hanging out at dive bars with guys from the local steelworkers union, even though it's part of their jobs.
The talking heads are really eating this up, obviously. Their favorite game to play is measuring, from their comfy chairs in their air-conditioned studios, how poorly Obama measures up when it comes to "relating" to various groups of people. First he was not black enough for blacks, then he was way too black for whites, now he's too much of a snob (because he asked for orange juice instead of coffee at a diner? Seriously?) for the working class. The fact is that whether or not he wins Pennsylvania (and he probably won't) and whether or not he wins the nomination at all, he has proven time and time again that the sorts of white people who live in Iowa seem to be able relate to him just as much as the sorts of black people who live in South Carolina, despite all of the conversations to the contrary on Fox News. And just because the people who don't like him can't really understand why, it doesn't make this accomplishment any less real or valid.
Hillary Clinton's gotten a bad rap a lot in the news, so it's not that I'm saying that the amount of flack Barack Obama is receiving seems completely out of order. But it's the content of the flack. It's all pushing in the same direction — the vague implication that Barack Obama is somehow anti the white, working-class male. Somehow anti-American. It's a ridiculous charge, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that this Obama-is-un-American propaganda doesn't worry me when it comes to the general election. Whatever it is they're picking up on in Obama is something I believe they'd pick up on in any black candidate whose words were being scrutinized as much as Obama's are, no matter how often he expresses his patriotism. I believe Barack Obama when he says that he loves America, but are there limits to his love? I can't imagine that there aren't. In a contest between the most patriotic black person in the country and the most patriotic white person in the country, I'd bet money that the white person is just a little more patriotic. There's a critical lens through which black people are forced to view the United States that white people don't have to look through. Some do voluntarily, but they don't have to. To me, there's nothing scarier than a president who blindly loves everything about America — it means he or she is cool with the status quo. It means that he or she is hopelessly out of touch. A candidate who loves the country for its good qualities but is all too aware of its negative ones — including (gasp!) that bitterness and prejudice that breeds among poor whites with few economic prospects — is the one that actually wants to make the country better.
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Preach, Lauren!
Instead of focusing on Obama bowling skills and Hillary's outfits there should be some talk of how they plan to get their bills passed once they are in office. How will they compromise if we have a president who is a democrat and a republican senate and house? Where is Bin Laden, will you put any energy into finding him? Student loans rates and making higher education more affordable. What about our currency, why is the value falling and what do you plan to do to stop it? National debt? There are many more I can ask but I will stop right now.
I am begging to see why some folks believe in conspiracy theories
Lauren this was an excellent write up by the way.
"including (gasp!) that bitterness and prejudice that breeds among poor whites with few economic prospects "
So many people are in the dark and in denial about this.
"In a contest between the most patriotic black person in the country and the most patriotic white person in the country, I’d bet money that the white person is just a little more patriotic."
I agree
Very good analysis Miss Lauren!
I'd like to comment though, that the problem with the statement is not that white folks are bitter, it's the "cling to religion and guns" part. He was talking about the white working class' lack of support for his candidacy.
He's talking about rednecks. What he did was call the people of Pennsylvania's white working class as "rednecks." "Rednecks" don't necessarily constitutes the entire white working class in the US.
What about black folks that cling to religion, as "church" is a very important part of African-Americian culture? Is it only because we are bitter too, or is it that we believe in God?
This is the problem I have and will continue to have with Obama. We see a little more and more of his non-populist, very un-Democrat mindset and once it's exposed, there is always a barrage of supporters covering up with a "What Obama Really Meant Was…"
Only somebody who talks before they think is always doing a "what I really meant was…" AND Obama is a lawyer? Coulda fooled me.
Obama is too smart to be this country's president.
Great analysis, Lauren, as usual. I'm tired of this crap too, and try to avoid any conversations regarding it.
He just built his own swift boat with those comments.
It IS elitist and it is also right. People don't like to be told that they're po' gun-toting bigots, no matter how accurate that assessment is (and of what I've seen of the Erie area, it's quite accurate) but my guess is that the people he just pissed off weren't going to vote for him.
This is something I think John Edwards could actually benefit from saying because unlike 95% of people in Senate, the Supreme Court and the Presidents in the past 20 years, he didn't go to Harvard/Yale Law/Business School. Also, coming from a white male whose platform was basically to be these people's savior, it's something they can let slide. I really don't think Bill or Dubya could get away with that though both have the folksy accents and the former comes from a humble background. B.O. needs to be permanently aware of the fact that other than being male, he's an outsider to these people.
He may have stepped on some of his supporters' toes because I'm sure some of them take their 2nd Amendment rights and certainly their religious ideology very seriously. There's far too much focus on the "bitter" part.
Mama,
Like Hillary hasn't put her foot in her mouth a time or 2 THOUSAND!??? Good grief, she just rarely bothers to tell the truth so I suppose it is hard to catch her speaking b/f she thinks in the first place!!!!!!!!!
Anon, we are not talking about Hillary, we're talking about Obama.
THEY ARE POLITICIANS, they say things to get certain people to give them money.
Obama is implying that race is a factor for "rural" types not voting for him becuase they are "bitter." For the sake of arguement then why did rural Iowa vote for him? They mostly all white & rural folks that love God & guns too.
People seem to forget that Obama is a politician trying to get money & votes, just like Hillary Clinton & John McCain, not the savior who shalt not be challenged on his messanaic words.
^^People don't forget. They just don't want to know. Something that all of us HRC supporters need to come to terms with is that Barack's shit doesn't stink. Wait, has anyone checked to see that he indeed does take shits? He may be too good to even do that, Mama.
This is why I love you Miss BMD! You shady!
@Mama rice and beans- I don't agree. He is talking to "those folks" because they usually vote Republican. Obama,Clinton or even Edwards could not count on those votes. How do you think Bush was able to win* the second election.
This is not a blk/yt issue.
Just to let you know, there are plenty of black folks who voted according to their relgions beliefs in the last presidental election also. Remember the large number of black folks in Ohio who voted for Bush because of gay rights.
@Chic Noir: good point. the girl who "do my hair" said that she really would like to have a smart, black male as president, but Obama (gasp!) is friendly with gays. and her strict belief in the Bible (she must have really meant Pentateuch, because Christ doesn't say much on the issue) forbids her from putting someone in the white house who would advocate the gay lifestyle.
i tried to tell her that gays have been around since before democracy was invented but someone's kitchen was burning.
LOL Souldecirce- and she will be the first to cry when she can't pay her bills because half of her clients can't afford to come to the salon anymore since their jobs are were outsourced.