Cross posted on wiseass.org
In the recent imbroglio over Barack Obama's comments at a fundraiser in San Francisco on Friday, where he had the audacity to point out the truth, that people in the rustbelt are bitter, and after decades of given political platitudes as jibs are sipped out of the country, education has crumbled for their kids, and affordable healthcare has become a mirage, don't you think it is a good idea to step back a moment as ask what the real ugliness of condescension is here?
(the real ugly condescension below the fold)
So Barack Obama had the nerve to tell it like it is when asked what is going on with people in midwestern states like Pennsylvania and said:
"I was in San Francisco talking to a group at a fundraiser and somebody asked how're you going to get votes in Pennsylvania, what's going on there? We hear that it's hard for some working class people to get behind your campaign.' I said, 'Well look, they're frustrated and for good reason. Because for the last 25 years they've seen jobs shipped overseas. They've seen their economies collapse. They have lost their jobs. They have lost their pensions. They have lost their health care."
For this, GOP candidate John McCain and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton have pounced on this to share talking points about how this shows that Obama expressing "an elitism and condescension towards hardworking Americans that is nothing short of breathtaking." and "Instead of apologizing for offending small town America, Senator Obama chose to repeat and embrace the comments he made earlier this week,".
Aside from Obama being absolutely correct on the merits as he does here...
...speaking the plain truth, which even the talking heads in the corporate traditional media get despite the best attempts by Wolf Blitzer to carry McCain and Clinton's water...
...but let's look at the real condescension. Let's look at the real and ULGY form of condescension by surrogates for the Clinton campaign:
"You've got conservative whites here, and I think there are some whites who are probably not ready to vote for an African-American candidate,"
Who said that?
That was Gov. Ed Rendell who is a Clinton surrogate a and whose machine is trying to turn out the vote in Pennsylvania for CLinton.
Think about that, this is the Clinton backer and Gov. who is saying that many in his state are too racist and too backwards to vote for (gasp) a black man. Where is the outrage over that Hillary? Where are the stern condemnation and calls of apologizing for offending small town America by calling them ignorant racists who refuse to vote for a black man?
That is what real condescension sounds like. That is the type of "elitism and condescension towards hardworking Americans" which truly is "nothing short of breathtaking."
Maybe it' just me, maybe I am the one so out-of-touch where I not only agree with the words that Barack Obama said, which is the truth, but am stunned at the shear arrogance of the McCain campaign and the Clinton camping, who have their main support in the state of Pennsylvania getting all high-dungeon about Obama pointing out the truth that voters in the midwest are bitter, and with reason to be bitter, yet have disgusting, perverse, and truly shocking "elitism" in the form of Ed Rendell saying that his state won't vote for Obama because they are racists. "Shame on you Mr. Obama" for accurately pointing out how you Mrs. Clinton were misleading the voters of Ohio about your past support for NAFTA, and now arrogating yourself to call Senator Obama 's words offensive?
No Mrs. Clinton... shame on you and the truly offensive things you and Gov. Rendell say about Pennsylvanian's and small town people.