It's funny. I understood Barack Obama's words when he said, "...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." Obama was referring to the small-town voters in Pennsylvania.Obama is getting all kinds of flack for what he said. It has been perceived as an elitist attitude. But just think back to the 2004 presidential election. Wasn't it Ohio that pushed George W. over to win another term? Ohio, a place where a wealthy Bush could do nothing for them at all. Bush's promises of keeping everyone safe in the wake of 9-11, and his Christian right cohorts convinced Ohio, a middle class state with alot of unemployment, to support him. Obama is right when he said people who get bitter cling to guns or religion.
People need to stop worrying about words and look at what's meant by those words. What did Obama really mean as opposed to what he actually said!
2 comments:
Telling the unvarnished truth is a big no-no, especially when one is running for office!
Obama said, what a lot of us have thought for years ... though we (or at least myself) would have said with out the eloquence.
History shows that he telling like it is. Visit any place that is economically wrecked and one finds; churches, guns, fear of strangers (as well as alcohol and drug use)... it's not that I blame these people, they did nothing wrong to get into that situation. However, when one is abandoned by a society, what else do you have to embrace?
My experience in Manila showed me how people cling to religion. The people have nothing, but the churches are packed with people hoping for something. I guess when you're that poor and desperate, the Church becomes the thing you grab onto. I couldn't help but ask myself what is God doing for you? NOTHING!
Post a Comment