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San Francisco is the most easily caricatured liberal, elitist, tree hugging city in America. That's just true. You may resent and disagree with those who make fun of the hippies on the panhandle playing in drum circles, or professionals who load their lattes into their SUV's to drive up Mount Tamalpais to go biking. I certainly do. For me, San Francisco is a city to be proud of no matter where you live. It is an example of tolerance and social innovation that should be a model for intolerant and bigoted areas of this country and the world.
But that's not the point. Joan, your whole argument is based on some narrow, cherry picked version of realpolitik. "Obama is risky because he is easily portrayed as elitist and out of touch." By that logic he should not only have stayed away from San Francisco, he should have based his campaign around ridiculing those Rolls Royce liberals in San Francisco, LA, and New York that make thousand dollar donations to Democratic candidates - and the politicians who seek their support then claim to represent the people.
The fact is much of Blue and Purple America don't like San Francisco, don't like the values many of the people there represent and wouldn't like you and your lifestyle.
To validate the bigotry of these people in the name of realpolitik is both sad and ultimately self defeating. People must be appreciated for the better angels that live within them so that they don't have to - yes- cling to their darker angels. We all have that choice and we all go negative when we worry that our positives aren't adequately appreciated.
That is the promise of Barack Obama. He has already established that he has a greater ability to unite and inspire people to reach for their better selves than any other candidate in the race and perhaps any candidate in a generation.
I lived in San Francisco for eight years and love the city and its people. I truly do wish the whole country had its values. But my biggest disappointment over this flap is that Obama was there to receive big money donations from people with names like Mark and Susie Tompkins Buell in the first place. Surely they represent the working man and only want what's best for the hard pressed blue collar voters in Pennsylvania. Kindred souls indeed.
Obama tossed a slow fat one over the plate to conservative commentators just for being there (there was skeptical talk of his West Coast swing on the news even before his "bitter" comments became public). His greatest strength is his base of regular people making small amount donations. This is his best, most resilient, and politically most compelling base. Going hat in hand to uber-wealthy socialite types is neither necessary or wise.
So yeah, I blame San Francisco for Obama's "Bittergate".
