Executive Speechwriting: Corporate, Weddings, Retirement

Monday, April 14, 2008

Barack Obama Insults Small Town People, Religious People, Clinton and Bush Supporters, Gun Supporters

Obama's "Bitter" Comment Halts His Momentum

One of two things happened: Barack Obama either himself wrote a very stupid speech, or, approved one written by someone who believes as Obama believes.

And no, it is not true, John McCain and Hillary Clinton did not team up to hack into his laptop to alter a speech that originally said, "Those hardworking men who are proud to be American." This is not American Idol, which changed a famous Christian song Shout to the Lord to be as deep as Kumbaya.

What is the Hubbub?
According to the Washington Post, Barack Obama said,
"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 going to 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."

In one tiny paragraph, he insults small town people, religious people, Clinton supporters, Bush supporters, gun supporters. He also insult these small town people directly for having voted for George W Bush because, by suggesting they fell through the cracks under George H W Bush, and Bill Clinton, plus George W Bush (first term), he says that after 16 years of falling through the cracks, they came and voted for George W in record numbers this last time.

What has happened is a grave mistake for Barack Obama, and support for John McCain. It does not make sense that most of the people he insulted would vote Democrat after this, especially for Obama.

Will this fade away? You bet. The Obama supporters need this to go away. They'll play it as no a big deal, and point out apologies.

1 comment:

Jed Carosaari said...

I completely agree with Obama's points, that he didn't use the best words, but what he said was true- Gospel true. People are bitter over the way they've been treated, and they have turned to all those things he's said. He knows this because he's in touch with the poor in the way the other candidates are not, having grown up in poverty.