comment #1

Rob says ...

Apples and oranges. The problem with Obama's comments wasn't that he used the word bitter, it was that he was reinforcing stereotypes of flyover types as religious gun nuts to a bunch of rich San Franciscans.

comment #2

Chicago48 says ...

Well Rob - whatever. Obama said it and if you were to eavesdrop on a lot of Senators - Congressmen,betcha they say the same things. I don't see what the big deal is with what Obama said. Working class "white" people are po'd, as are black and Hispanic, at the economy and the Govt. The consumer leading index proves it. Pessimism everywhere, all around us.

What obama said is much ado about nothing.

oh, by the way, about the Good Rev. Wright, I just received this email:

In 1961, a young African-American man, after hearing President John F. Kennedy's challenge to, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country," gave up his student deferment, left college in Virginia and voluntarily joined the Marines.
In 1963, this man, having completed his two years of service in the Marines, volunteered again to become a Navy corpsman. (They provide medical assistance to the Marines as well as to Navy personnel.)
The man did so well in corpsman school that he was the valedictorian and became a cardiopulmonary technician. Not surprisingly, he was assigned to the Navy's premier medical facility, Bethesda Naval Hospital, as a member of the commander in chief's medical team, and helped care for President Lyndon B. Johnson after his 1966 surgery.
For his service on the team, which he left in 1967, the White House awarded him three letters of commendation.
What is even more remarkable is that this man entered the Marines and Navy not many years after the two branches began to become integrated.
While this young man was serving six years on active duty, Vice President Dick Cheney, who was born the same year as the Marine/ sailor, received five deferments, four for being an undergraduate and graduate student and one for being a prospective father.
Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, both five years younger than the African-American youth, used their student deferments to stay in college until 1968. Both then avoided going on active duty through family connections.
Who is the real patriot? The young man who interrupted his studies to serve his country for six years or our three political leaders who beat the system? Are the patriots the people who actually sacrifice something or those who merely talk about their love of the country?
After leaving the service of his country, the young African-American finished his final year of college, entered the seminary, was ordained as a minister, and eventually became pastor of a large church in one of America's biggest cities.
This man is Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the retiring pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ.

comment #3

AH says ...

a) I agree with Obama's statement (as noted in another post).

b) Bill Clinton's quote is completely different because he does not mention religion and guns.

comment #4

Mgmax says ...

Jeez, Chicago48, that's really sad, but I don;t see any reason to kick Rev. Wright when he's down by reminding us what his potential was before he turned into Malcolm X. Humbard.

comment #5

D.Z. says ...

Rob: "it was that he was reinforcing stereotypes of flyover types as religious gun nuts to a bunch of rich San Franciscans"

No, he was doing the opposite. He was trying to add dimension to those stereotypes to make it easier for the San Franciscans to relate to them better.

AH: Yes, Clinton just mentions race.

comment #6

D.Z. says ...

Mgmax: That's a bad example, because Malcolm X was more three-dimensional than Anne Coulter or Jerry Falwell.

comment #7

George Prager says ...

"Mgmax: That's a bad example, because Malcolm X was more three-dimensional than Anne Coulter or Jerry Falwell."

????????????

Malcolm X was a great man, D.Z. Did you ever read his book? Have you ever read a book?

comment #8

MattyCurtis says ...

I think this post simply reveals HE's predisposition to anything pro-Obama and/or anti-Clinton. The two quotes are quite obviously different in tone and character and to try to use this as a "gotcha" is a huge reach.

comment #9

George Prager says ...

PA Man Reacts to Obama's Comments
http://youtube.com/watch?v=N4xPuDgKO04

Interview someone who didn't see the inside of a green room this morning and you get an intelligent answer.

comment #10

Rich S. says ...

There is just one other small difference: Bill Clinton isn't running for president. Kinda hard to play the guilt by association card with Rev. Wright still lurking out there.

comment #11

D.Z. says ...

George: I saw the movie, and read about him. I wasn't saying "more three-dimensional" in a negative way, though. I meant that Malcolm didn't turn into a cartoon trying to say outlandish things for the purpose of getting attention or making money. Rather, he became someone, who, in spite of his anger, tried to get out of his shell, and expand his world-view.

Rich: He's just running for President through his wife.

comment #12

Herpesdating says ...

Yes, many my friends on our dating site like him. And it was reported that he ever offered many helps to the herpes girls on our site. Is it really?

comment #13

Bob Violence says ...

This isn't "pretty much the same thing that Obama has been taking heat for," this is what Obama could've and should've said to avoid the whole problem (it probably would've helped if he'd been speaking at a different forum, too). Instead, he left out the existence elements with a personal interest in stoking these attitudes and made it seem as though small-town people have an uncontrollable, inbred instinct to run for their guns and start hating on furriners whenever the economy goes south (presumably city folk are wise and cosmopolitan enough to just take things in stride).

And yes, mentioning religion was probably a bad idea, given that Obama isn't in the best position to speak about demagogic religion and there's a widespread assumption in this country that religious belief in and of itself is a priori good, provided it isn't radical Islam.