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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
This is a perfect example of the media taking a position, that Obama's comments were elitist, and creating a problem for him where none should exist. The truth of the matter is more people know the names of the contestants on American Idol than they do the names of their Senators. George Will, of all people, had the gall to write an editorial about Obama being on a high horse. Sheesh. Obama needs to keep trudging along and avoid strategizing to the point he loses himself and his message. He is right. He needn't apologize.
For a near perfect example of the difference between reporting and pulling something out of your ass.
the myth that conservative, white voters are the key constituency in national elections? This constituency is exactly as large as it is, and it is hardly a swing constituency.
Or...let me put it another way. Gore ignored rural, conservative white voters and focused on winning a higher percentage of Latino voters, esp. in Florida. And, depending on who you believe about the recount, this was in fact a winning strategy.
The idea that "NASCAR dads" or "Focus on the Family" voters somehow control the nation is a myth created entirely by the people who expect to win this constituency in the election. This is pure intellectual laziness on the part of pollsters like Mark Penn and Karl Rove. Demographic analysis by stereotype is not particularly impressive.
Joan must not have seen this one, because it doesn't have the requisite amount of passive-aggressive anti-Obama pillorying, baseless pro-Hillary positioning, or general snark meant to promote the Clinton campaign.
Nice to know you, Madden. Wonder if you'll be back, after this, since you apparently haven't drunk the required Salon-sized bucketful of Clinton Koolaid aid yet...
as of 10:18 p.m. Eastern, here's what the headline and description reads.
Bitter as hell in PennsylvaniaFolks agree with Barack Obama in at least one Pennsylvania trailer park. But will angry voters help or hurt Democrats in swing states this fall?
Wanna bet when Joan's gotten her mitts on it, at least the headline, descriptor and picture change to something denigrating to Obama?
Just watch...
It is too bad the talking heads and the Clintons would rather create another diversion then deal with the real issue that Obama tried to raise in a 15 second badly worded sound bite. The fact of the matter is that rural America IS hurting real bad. Rising gas prices, a broken health care system, free trade policies that hurt the middle class, and farm subsidies that predominantly go to the multi-million dollar corporate farms.
Of course rural America is bitter. Who wouldn't be under the current conditions. Obama attempted to start a dialogue to address this because for too long politicians on both sides have tried to distract rural American with wedge issues like Religion, immigrants, guns, and gays instead of addressing the ACTUAL problems.
No one is trying to discount these other side issues but the fact is NONE of these issues will do anything to alleviate the frustrations that rural America is feeling right now.
Hey folks...it's one of Salon's own "5 Things" just posted...
Clinton Losing Lead
http://www.salon.com/5things/2008/04/15/clinton_losing_lead/index.html
Did you go undercover for these interviews? Did you put on some acid washed jeans, a mullet wig, no shirt, Molly Hatchet on the car stereo, and a front seat full of Dollar Store bags full of Hot Pockets and Old English Malt Liquor?
Did you pull up in a fenderless Trans Am, remove your Ray Ban sunglasses and, while rubbing the spider web tattoo on your neck, ask for directions to the auto plant?
Damn I wish I was there.
And I'm betting that the same people who think a Dem who lost by a full 17 percentage points in California and New Jersey, who demonstratably can't win New York, Florida or Ohio (and Pennsylvania without a lot of help from rightwingers who deliberately voted in the Democratic primary) are the same people who think the anecdotal evidence from some alleged Obama loving "trailer park" dude scientifically points to a sure-fire win across Red America -besides the fact that near every kid in the Ohio Valley now is talking about Obama's "terrorist ties" they "heard about".
Obama liberals don't give a s. about science though - just all drivel, vitriol and emotion. The days when Liberals were the educated party are clearly as far in the past as the days the Republicans were high class.
It was the media that was so sure the people in Pennsylvania wouldn't take Obama's comments in context, not the rest of us.
All of these people aren't even for him, but they at least recognize the truth in what he's saying. I'd love to see either of the other two candidates tell the truth on anything.
You're missing the central point. Obama made his comments in the context of "why can't you get those (under-educated, ignorant, white) blue collar voters to vote for you" and his answer was because they don't like "people that don't look like them".
In other words, if you don't vote for me, you're a bigot.
Couldn't possible me any other reason, could there?
It's not the first time this has been implied or outright stated in this campaign. Kondracke on Fox: "I don't see any other reason Democratic voters wouldn't vote for Obama.", and the NYT Magazine article that in nice, polite, academic terms complete with compound circular graphs said that the reason white people in some geographic regions voted agasint Obama was that he was black and the proof was that they didn't vote for him! Perfect circular logic!
It's the obverse of Catch 22.
Holy crap, the meanieheads will be out in droves again tonight, huh?
2008: The Year The Election Became the Equivalent of Harry/Ginny vs. Harry/Hermione 'shippers, or, how we learned to stop thinking and love a good old fashioned flame war.....
Kids! Seperate corners! Shut the hell up for a hot second before you start the daily pissing contest. At this rate you'll all be dead of heart attacks and strokes by the time the election comes around. Breathe in, breathe out. Pet your dog, kiss your spouse, watch some internet porn, whatever it takes to stop all this nonsense and have an adult conversation, for the love of Betsy Ross.
I've always liked Salon because the conversation was always intelligent, spirited and respectful. Lots of views, lots of interesting and unique voices - isn't that what we're supposed to be about on the left? C'mon, some of us need to know that the entire country has not lost it's mind and that the internet still contains people who can talk instead of scream at each other.
Salon, you were my last hope. I still have faith in you. We're supposed to be the nice ones.
Much of the initial coverage about Fort Hood turned out to be wrong. Is there anything wrong with that?
The accountability imposed by another country for the CIA's kidnapping and torture reveals much about our own.
Fox News' morning show plays to type, talking about whether Muslims in the Army should face "special debriefings"
The survivor and author is upset about comparisons some on the right are making to genocide
Once seen as a lunatic fringe, reactionary anti-women groups are courting respectability
Salon headlines in your mailbox
