Here are his remarks as reported by the media:
"You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton Administration, and the Bush Administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna' regenerate and they have not.
"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."
Television political pundits have placed a lot of importance on these statements. Some are saying this is very damaging to Obama's presidential bid. For sure, a lot of people consider this issue significant.
Hillary Clinton denounced Obama's remarks, calling them "out of touch" and "elitist," further adding "The people of faith I know don't 'cling' to religion because they're bitter. People embrace faith not because they are materially poor, but because they are spiritually rich.
"I also disagree with Sen. Obama's assertion that people in this country 'cling to guns' and have certain attitudes about immigration or trade simply out of frustration."
That is probably well-played by her.
John McCain attacked Obama too, also alleging elitism.
I personally do not support Barack Obama in this presidential campaign. I would rather see Clinton or McCain in the White House in large part because they have paid their dues in life and to America. McCain, the race's Vietnam POW, probably deserves the presidency more than anyone.
Since I lean moderate though and have grown up knowing Hillary Clinton as a public figure in Arkansas and later as First Lady, I throw my support behind her. Furthermore, a Clinton win could mean another presidential library in Little Rock and other benefits like federal financial support to the entire state. Such a windfall cannot be underestimated. The likely benefits for Arkansas are a big deal if you are an Arkansan like me. If I lived in Illinois, I might vote for Obama simply because of the perks he would likely funnel to his home state.
Bill Clinton's presidential library has been such a positive addition to Little Rock. It draws celebrities, politicians and other influential people from all walks of life. That kind of attraction did not exist before.
That success could multiply for Arkansas if Hillary Clinton wins this presidential race. So, despite the dues John McCain has paid, there is too much at stake for Arkansas for me to support him.
As for Obama and his remarks, I understand his point of view. Maybe I missed something, but his remarks didn't stand out to me as a problem. He expressed a viewpoint in a respectful manner. Was the sentiment condescending? I could see how it could be read that way. Does condescension matter? I don't think so. Besides, Obama wasn't trying to be condescending, and he probably deserves a pass on this matter for that simple fact that he apparently had no idea that he might have sounded condescending at the time he made his remarks. Intent matters, folks.
Why in the world would he go out and deliberately insult Pennsylvanians? He wouldn't, and I think he should be judged on his intent. He's elitist, his opponents say. He's out of touch. I support Clinton, but why should I care about whether or not Barack Obama is elitist and out of touch with small-town Americans?
I'll have to defend Obama on this one. He meant no harm. It's irrelevant to me if he sounds elitist and condescending to rural Americans. If offended, rural Americans should get over it and themselves. Vote your conscience. I hope Hillary beats Obama in Pennsylvania's primary, and I hope his remarks sway the race in her favor, but at the same time, I want to stick up for what he said. There was nothing wrong with it.
So he's elitist. Shouldn't he be? He's condescending, which means he's arrogant. Shouldn't a president be arrogant? All of them are anyway. And they're elitist too, they just express it well.
Obama's remarks are much ado about nothing to me, but they might sway the race dramatically. Time will tell.
I still think Clinton deserves to beat Obama for the same reasons I have cited in the past. Clinton is a seasoned, hardened, brick-and-mortar doer while Obama is an overly-impressionable, utopic idiologue, prone to naivete. I don't think Clinton should win because of comments construed as elitist and condescending. If she happens to win that way though, I'll certainly accept it.
