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  • From: Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>
  • To: Homestead <homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Homestead] Native-born Pennsylvanian on Obama's "bitter" remarks
  • Date: Mon, 14 Apr 2008 18:40:05 -0500

Seems to me this guy has far more moral authority to judge Obama's "bitter" remarks than the rest of us:



Take John Baer's column in the Philadelphia Daily News this morning, entitled, "Decades of working-class neglect--now that's insulting."

As a native-born, small-town Pennsylvanian, a son of native-born, small-town Pennsylvania parents - one from the coal region, one from Lancaster County - let me assure you that the so-called offensive, condescending things Barack Obama said about the people I come from are basically right on target.

"Bitter" perhaps best describes my late mother, an angry Irish Catholic who absolutely clung to her religion.
Dad, also a journalist, wasn't really bitter as far as I know, but he sure liked to hunt.
So, despite carping from Hillary Clinton and annoying yapping from her surrogates (really, it's like turning on the lights at night in a puppy farm), I take no offense.
What's offensive to me is suggesting that small-town, working-class, gun-toting and/or religious Pennsylvanians are somehow injured by a politician's words.
Are you kidding me?
They're injured all right, but the injury is long-term and from lots more than "just words."
They've been injured from decades of neglect by political cultures in Washington and Harrisburg driven by special interests.
They're injured by a system of isolated, insulated political leadership that protects itself and the status quo above all else.
They've been harmed by a lack of political guts to fix a health-care system that works against the poor and forces middle-class families to pay more for less, while at the same time giving politicians the best coverage taxpayer money can buy.
They've been taken for granted by political parties and candidates who stay in power by - and this was the apparent gist of Obama's remarks - forcing attention and debate on issues tied to guns, religion and race (precisely because such issues resonate) rather than real problems such as health care and the economy.
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/campaignmatters?bid=45&pid=310029
From erthnsky AT bellsouth.net Mon Apr 14 19:40:51 2008
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Subject: Re: [Homestead] Obama fans, what say ye?
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Marie McHarry wrote:


For this election, barring an act of God, were are stuck with McCain
and either Clinton or Obama. Which of those other two is the true
leader you're looking for?


Speaking for myself, I don't think I'll be voting for any of them. IMO, no true leaders there....
But I wonder...
It's pretty obvious to me that Obama has united a lot of loose ends-both Republicans and Democrats have fallen under his spell as for many he seems to be the lesser of three evils. I'm not sure of the voter base for McCain or Clinton, but I ponder this what if...
If BHO continues to put his foot in his mouth and begins to lose voters, who do you think they will vote for, McCain or Hillary? Do people hate Hillary enough to vote for McCain? Will McCain find those lost Reagan Democrats who have been wandering in the desert for the last 30 years?<g> Or.... are the people so fed up with the Republican mindset that they are willing to vote for Hillary?

Bev




--
BevanRon of EarthNSky Farm NW Georgia USDA Zone 7
34.498N 85.076W Bev is Earth, Ron is Sky





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