Bittergate: Day Two

The headlines:

1. Obama walks back on the phrasing, if not the content, of his remarks, telling an audience in Muncie Indiana that "I didn’t say it as well as I should have because the truth is that these traditions that are passed on from generation to generation, those are important. That’s what sustains us."

2. Clinton campaign launches surrogate shock and awe; Clinton herself will bring up the comment at each of her four events today; the campaign encourages surrogates in various Midwestern states to react. Sen. Evan Bayh: "

You're on dangerous ground when you morph [anger about economy] into suggesting that peoples cultural values whether its religion or hunting and fishing or concern about trade are premised solely upon those kinds of anxieties and don't have a legitimate foundation independent of that."

3. The chairman of the Pennsylvania Republican Party characterized Obama as describing "Pennsylvanians as bitter gun-toting, racist, religious fanatics."

4. Some data for the bitter...

Comments

Hmmm, Fox News is right now doing a story about how one of Sadr's aides was assinated and how that is fueling violence in Bagdad today. CNN is on non-stop "bittergate". It raises the question of who is a more responsible news organization.

Posted by Bubba | April 12, 2008 2:12 PM

It is apparent that the party should have ended this primary a long time ago, I think it has officially jumped the shark at this point. People are not energized anymore, they are fatigued and tired of all of this crap back and forth. And of course the Clinton campaign is "bitter".

Anyone notice that Obama has not run a single attack against Clinton? He responded to her radio attack in Philly, but that is not the same. And he sent out a flier in Ohio that spoke the truth about her views on trade, for which Clinton started shouting "shame on you".

This whole process has just gone on too long and too far and I think the time that I am going to stop paying attention is now.

Posted by Bubba | April 12, 2008 2:20 PM

This process has NOT gone on for too long. The longer it carries on, the more us citizens are exposed to who these candidates really are. It's a free market of ideas out there, and cutting the campaign short, before one of the candidates actually wins the nomination, is closing down that marketplace for the sake of a party.

Posted by Assaf | April 12, 2008 2:30 PM

re: point 3 in your list:

And you just quote this without pointing out what complete and utter bs this is?

You're as bad as everyone else.

Oh yes, the chairman of the Pennsylvania Republican Party doesn't have an ax to grind in this and can be treated like a neutral observer.

Posted by MonicaWolf | April 12, 2008 2:54 PM

"Anyone notice that Obama has not run a single attack against Clinton? He responded to her radio attack in Philly, but that is not the same.

Posted by Bubba"

Yeah its the same. Hillary's radio ad was responding to just one of the countless obama attacks.

So no I haven't noticed obama not attacking. In fact that is all obama has. From the very start of obama's camapaign there was the senator punjab memos sent to reporters as 'not for attribution' to obama national co-chair jackson jr. race baiting and obama's SC HQ sending race baiting memos obama's lobbyist stuffed camapign would make any repub proud.

Posted by hadenough | April 12, 2008 2:57 PM

If Americans continue to focus on minutiae like this and not the real issue that Barack Obama was addressing, the impact of the economy in small towns and how the Bush and Clinton administrations let them fall through the cracks, then they deserve another republican president and the incompetence that entails. This whole thing is so ironic because compared to Senator Obama, Senators Cinton and McCain were the ones born with silver spoons in their mouths. They are the ones born to "well to do" families.

Posted by Cineaste | April 12, 2008 3:20 PM

wow! a FREAKING MOUNTAIN OUT OF A MOLEHILL. This is what we do to our candidates that speak the truth. ANd we are asked to essentially choose between a "congenital liar" and a guy that tells the truth and for some reason the 109 mllion dollar woman is the champion for the middle classes. No our education system needs fixing ASAP. And yes, clinton and primary fatigue has set in and it is not good. As a O supporters I do feel I am being cheated out of a once in a lifetime candidate who has run a fantastic campaign and has generated the excitement I have never before witnessed. ANd we are supposed to somehow let that all go because someone feels entitled to it. YOU KNOW MARC, i HOPE THE sd'S NOW FLOCK TO O AND LEAVE THIS WITCH IN THE LURCH.

Posted by anu | April 12, 2008 3:30 PM

Obama’s Nefarious Affiliations

Obama attracts thugs and bullies to his campaign and his personal life and is able to do so with impunity.
If Obama where Caucasian, he would have been crushed by the media long ago.

Look at Obama’s affiliations:

- Senator Meeks who openly hates whites and gays and is listed prominently on Obama’s campaign website as a major Obama supporter and backer and is one of Obama;s super-delegate. Mr. Meeks has been integral in helping Mr. Obama succeed in politics.

- Mr. Ayers of the Weather Underground, a group that killed police and tried to bomb the US Capitol, served with Obama on the board of the leftist foundation called the Woods Fund.

- Mr. McPeaks is Obama’s military adviser and national campaign co-chairman who claims that American Jews are the "problem." and “Christian Zionists were driving America's policy in Iraq to benefit Israel.”

- Robert Malley a close senior adviser to Obama who advocates negotiations with Hamas and providing international assistance to the terrorist group.

- Larry Sinclair alleges in 1999 Senator Obama’s arranged to meet him in a limousine, sold Senator Obama cocaine and then gave Senator Obama oral sex. Larry then claims that he and Obama went to a hotel and preformed oral sex again. Mr. Sinclair is testifying in court under oath that these allegations are true.

- Mr. Auchi is an Iraqi billionaire and major financial sponsor and closely connected to Obama’s rise to power.
While working with Saddam Hussein, Auchi made his fortune through the selling of arms in Iraq and the funneling off of money from the Oil for Food program.

- Mr. Rezko is Iraqi and Obama’s and Auchi’s long time friend and a major mob figure. Rezko is NOT known for his civic sense of duty and does not do favors without asking something in return. Coincidently in the Chicago Times today it was reported that Rezko was negotiating to purchase rehab buildings in Obama’s district.

- Mr. Wright a racist who hates America and whites with Hitleresque triads. Mr. Wright has been Mr. Obama’s spiritual mentor for over 20 years. Before the media exposed Mr. Wright, Mr. Wright was on Obama’s campaign staff as Obama's chief religious advisor. Mr. Wright and Mr. Meeks are ideologically closer to Karl Marx and Black Nationalism, than to Christianity.

- Rashid Khalidi a fundraiser for Obama and is one of Obama’s close friends. Khalidi Khalidi claim Israel as a "catastrophe", and supports Palestinian terrorist groups.

- Michelle Obama trumpets Obama as “the second coming of the messiah,” and also states that she “has never been proud to be an AMERICAN in her adult life".

The list goes on…

How can Obama’s bad judgment to choose to affiliate with criminals and fanatics be justified?

Had Hillary Clinton had any of the above ghosts in her closet, she would have been thrown out of the election long ago.

Hey everybody - am I missing something here?

Is this what they have learned from Rev. Wright: To rationalize and call to arms a society of thugs, criminals and bullies? Are we resurrecting Mussolini?

Posted by Carlie Starling | April 12, 2008 3:39 PM

The real "elitism" problem for Obama is not the comments but how his liberal supporters are saying we should look deep into what Obama was saying because he is right.

Posted by Lou | April 12, 2008 3:39 PM

Obama promised to unite the country but all he does is divide the country. He has hate in him just like Rev. Wright.
Obama is an elitist and cannot relate to all of the American people.
He is the opposite of what America needs today.
Obama's candidacy will soon be over and Hillary will represent all of the American people as the Democraic nominee.

Posted by basil | April 12, 2008 3:44 PM

Obama promised to unite the country but all he does is divide the country. He has hate in him just like Rev. Wright.
Obama is an elitist and cannot relate to all of the American people.
He is the opposite of what America needs today.
Obama's candidacy will soon be over and Hillary will represent all of the American people as the Democraic nominee.

Posted by basil | April 12, 2008 3:44 PM

You don't need a weatherman to tell you which way this story is blowing.

Hillary Clinton taken to the woodshed for her mistakes. One wonders if the media will apply a double standard and let this story disappear.

What a remark, not just bitterness but mixing guns and religion and anti-immigration rhetoric.
Obama supporters need to take a close look at this story and see if this is the kind of change that they were promised. I see a bit of Jeremiah Wright in these remarks.

Posted by Fred C Dobbs | April 12, 2008 4:36 PM

I'd much rather have a president that says poor people in small towns are bitter about losing their jobs than a president who wants to bomb Iran, wants to occupy Iraq for 100 years if necessary, and knows next to nothing about the economy. If voters chose the next president based on minutiae instead of the broader issues of the economy, the war, the environment, etc, then expect another mediocre president. Once again, they'll be missing the forest for the trees.

Posted by Cineaste | April 12, 2008 7:32 PM

I loved circuses as a child and I still do.

Posted by Pauli | April 15, 2008 12:57 PM

And OPERATION CHAOS rages on!!!

Posted by Steve | April 15, 2008 4:51 PM