Why Is Obama Backpedeling on the Bitterness remark?

[Bullet1987]

People ARE bitter!! Only an idiot believes folks aren't...so I don't understand why Obama has said it was a bad choice of words. This is an argument he can win!!

[GarbagemanLB]

1. He regrets the wording, not the message.

[Adelante]

16. He regrets offending anyone

I was thinking it was a very Clintonesque frame and had to be purposely done.

[Kahuna]

2. To get it off the table. Next. nt

[msongs]

3. he is a wealthy author - he oughta know the meaning and use of words nt

[EFerrari]

5. Speaking and writing are entirely different.

You don't get to redraft or edit public speech.

[hexola]

8. Its the people reading them that dont seem to understand...

It might be just me - but the context and quotes make it seem like he was talking about "a lot of towns in the mid west" that are like "SOME towns in Pennsylvania"

To me - it sounds more like the topic is the mid-west and he mentioned some similarities he saw in SOME towns in PA (after all - he had just been in PA campaining)

Thats the "meaning" I took from looking at the quotes...

[dbonds]

13. Its not so much the people that don't understand, but those were were being twisted.

They had a specific meaning when he said them. It was clear, I heard what he said and was think 'damn right'. But the other side took out of context and twisted.

[EFerrari]

4. Because "bitter" sounds like a criticism more than a description

even though it isn't. He needs to tinker with the frame.

[Olney Blue]

6. I don't think it was the "bitter" term that was controversial.

It was attributing clinging to religion and guns to bitterness. This was viewed as "elitist."


I really hate the picking apart of every word and phrase in todays politics. I agree with Obama's statement, personally. However, it left him open to attack. He needs to be careful!

[GregD]

7. After nearly 8 years of this shit, preceded by

the non-stop crap over the blue dress, I reckon the entire freaking country is bitter. I certainly am. I cannot freaking wait until this 8-year nightmare is behind us and we can start digging out.

[Fredda Weinberg]

The problem wasn't "bitter" it was "cling"

I may be an atheist now, but I remember my devotion - it wasn't grounded in bitterness. No one wants to be characterized that way.

Barry was supposed to appeal to our inner nobility - in private, he revealed his true attitude.

[stillcool]

15. It wasn't the word "bitter"..

it was "cynical"..I think he used that word way too much.

Transcript of Obama’s Remarks at San Francisco Fundraiser Sunday
April 11, 2008

OBAMA: So, it depends on where you are, but I think it's fair to say that the places where we are going to have to do the most work are the places where people are most cynical about government. The people are mis-appre...they're misunderstanding why the demographics in our, in this contest have broken out as they are. Because everybody just ascribes it to 'white working-class don't wanna work -- don't wanna vote for the black guy.' That's...there were intimations of that in an article in the Sunday New York Times today - kind of implies that it's sort of a race thing.

Here's how it is: in a lot of these communities in big industrial states like Ohio and Pennsylvania, people have been beaten down so long. They feel so betrayed by government that when they hear a pitch that is premised on not being cynical about government, then a part of them just doesn't buy it. And when it's delivered by -- it's true that when it's delivered by a 46-year-old black man named Barack Obama, then that adds another layer of skepticism.

But -- so the questions you're most likely to get about me, 'Well, what is this guy going to do for me? What is the concrete thing?' What they wanna hear is so we'll give you talking points about what we're proposing -- to close tax loopholes, uh you know uh roll back the tax cuts for the top 1%, Obama's gonna give tax breaks to uh middle-class folks and we're gonna provide healthcare for every American.

But the truth is, is that, our challenge is to get people persuaded that we can make progress when there's not evidence of that in their daily lives. You go into some of 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.

Um, now these are in some communities, you know. I think what you'll find is, is that people of every background -- there are gonna be a mix of people, you can go in the toughest neighborhoods, you know working-class lunch-pail folks, you'll find Obama enthusiasts. And you can go into places where you think I'd be very strong and people will just be skeptical. The important thing is that you show up and you're doing what you're doing.

[MethuenProgressive]

9. He did polling to see where he should stand.

As usual.

[Pirate Smile]

10. I don't think he is backpedaling on the bitterness remark. I think he wishes

he phrased the clinging to guns and religion part differently.

"They (senior aides) described Obama as frustrated with himself for word choices such as "cling" and references to hot-button issues including religion and guns, but also stunned at the uproar over what to him seemed a fundamental fact of American life."


The Charlie Rose video shows what he meant but I think he realizes it wasn't as clear as he would like which left it open to being twisted and misinterpreted. http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x117931

I think two different issues got conflated which is what is causing all the problems. Based on his earlier statements, like from the video above, it seems clear that he thinks that:

1. During times of economic distress, people turn to the things that comfort them and that they can count on - their faith, their families, their traditions - such as hunting with friends/family and the camaraderie it brings when everything else seems bleak, and

2. Government has let people down for so long that the promises of politicians of both parties on economic issues are seen with skepticism and cynicism so people don't vote based on those economic issues which has led to the rise of the wedge issue voting that Republicans use so well - guns, gays and God.

[sniffa]

11. Um, he's not

He stands behind it, but offers that he probably should have used a different descriptor.

[stray cat]

12. The problem wasn't the bitterness - but it came across as belittling tradition

Its clear what he meant from other speeches but it came across poorly.

[Saturday]

14. Read what he said and you'll understand it wasn't about bitter.

It was a little deeper than that.

[bridgit]

17. BHO's just reminding us that it takes a bitter person to know a bitter person...

For get the pot. Kettle? Look in the mirror...now call kettle black :thumbsup: "Only an idiot believes folks aren't (bitter)" Really? Just flat like that? Then you need to get out more, or consider schilling a weee bit less for BHO. Cause he thinks you're bitter :(

[2rth2pwr]

18. He regrets getting busted dissing these dumb hicks when he thought he was speaking in private.

[cooolandrew]

19. I think he can rephrase it to disappointed which is more sublte and correct.

[JoFerret]

20. Because he misstepped and is too tepid

...to bluff it out.
We all know what he meant but politically it was a mistake. Backpedalling required.

[JimGinPA]

21. "We all know what he meant but politically it was a mistake"

Phraseology. Possibly a bad choice of words because those words can be twisted by a disingenuous opponent to make the actual message seem like it meant something different. The only mistake politically I think he's made is to not allow his surrogates to go after her harder on her gaffes and lies.

[JoFerret]

25. No. It was a misstep plain and simple

He made a mistake.

He gave his opponents a political gift.

[BenDavid]

22. SNOB:It's an ELITIST thing. You wouldn't understand

Obama is trying to put a spin on his own recent words and make it look like he is a victim. He is trying to get the media to report that he only said the people in PA are bitter and they have a right to be. Sorry Obama, it is not going to work.
You said:

“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.”

These are YOUR words, not guilt by association like Rezko, Ayers, Wright and the others, this is YOUR view, words out of YOUR mouth. Obama, did you say you were sorry? Nope, you tried to act like it is Hillary’s fault then tried to blame it on McCain. You stood by what you said and acted arrogantly about it. There is NO SPIN on this, Obama, you said it, you meant it and you should apologize for it, not try and blame other people for it. This one is on YOU Obama! Stop trying to spin it like you actually care for the people, like you are a victim as these words say something totally different. These are NOT “just words.’

[Moderate-Democrate]

23. He was caught

[PurityOfEssence]

24. Because it was a huge, idiotic mistake

Can it be any more obvious?

[ruggerson]

27. You do cut to the heart of it

[TexanDem]

26. he's NOT backpedding -- only rewording same thought

His viewpoint was better expressed in '04 when he said the same thing on the Charlie Rose show. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oGF3cyHE7M