Why Bittergate is completely made up

It's everywhere, of course.  Newspapers, the blogosphere, Drudge, the Sunday pundits all agree: Obama got into big trouble last week with his "San Francisco" comments.

And to an extent, they are right: the comments were stupid.  Of course, the only problem is that the news is everywhere except, it seems, on the minds of voters.

Forget the ARG poll.  They are notoriously wrong this season.  And to an extent, Pennsylvania is not the point.  Look at today's Gallup (and Rasmussen, whose statistical noise yesterday made some headlines).  Gallup has Obama matching his all-time lead: 10 points!

Look, maybe "bitter" was not the best word to use.  Maybe "frustrated" would've been better.  But, on one level, the man is right.  And Clinton, and McCain, and the entire (not just mainstream) media is underestimating how angry the people in this country are, and how silly Clinton looks trying to pretend that things in this country are simultaneously great and awful.

Maybe "bitter" was a poor choice of words.  But if I had any questions as to whether Obama was really Obambi (as MoDo says), this "controversy" has answered them.  Obama is not backing down.  He is, quite rightly, recognizing that we've got serious problems.  And the same old game just won't work anymore

I'm as ready as anybody to have this primary season over.  But if this is how you want to play, bring it on.

•  tip jar

  Bring it on!

  by Dalton Georgia on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:23:09 AM PDT

•  It helps because now he can fight

  back at the smears and expose them for what they are nonsense.

  by kanuk on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:24:27 AM PDT

  •  I Can't Believe You're CELEBRATING This?

    This is doing DAMAGE, every time it gets played, with those rural voters he's going to need to get a percentage of to carry PA, Indiana, and Kentucky...

    by IndianaDemocrat on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:29:02 AM PDT

    •  maybe its counterintuitive

      . . . and it was definiately a gaffe, but just look at his poll numbers.  They are unmoved--or, perhaps, even higher.

      by Dalton Georgia on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:31:18 AM PDT

      •  This didn't come out until FRIDAY

        It's too early to see what effect it has, yet.

        by IndianaDemocrat on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:32:43 AM PDT

        •  perhaps

          but the coverage has been intense for the last few days, and will become less intense as time wears on.  So, you're right, we will see.  But it looks to me that this whole "scandal" is completely and utterly made up.

          by Dalton Georgia on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:35:52 AM PDT

    •  Wright did damage, but then

      his response put him over 50% in the nat'l polls.

      Obama does best when he's counter-punching. Which means he's got to get hit hard to get more traction.

      And trust me, his response is giving him traction.

      by slaney black on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:38:19 AM PDT

    •  he won't carry KY

      by VelvetElvis on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:57:58 AM PDT

  •  He'll take a hit first but eventually, i think

    you're correct, this will work in his favor.  Hillary was patronizing and believe me, those struggling can smell this phony from a mile away!

    by bluecayuga on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:33:13 AM PDT

•  The man is proving why he will be the next

  president of the United States; look how well he moves on his feet!  He's a classic; he turns attacks by his opponents into attacks ON his opponents.  He is one for the ages and I am constantly amazed at how well he performs, especially under pressure.

  by PittsburghPete on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:25:24 AM PDT

•  I think this helps

  because while Hillary, McLame and the press try to make hay out of it a lot of people are watching and saying, "Wait a sec, I am pretty damn bitter about all this shit and the press isn't helping, instead they're making a big deal out of nothing!"

  by Dreggas on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:26:24 AM PDT

•  He Never Should Have Said It, AT ALL

  And this comes an OBAMA SUPPORTER, that just happens to live in that "Bitter" small Indiana town.

  It was condesceding, and the fact he said it in SAN FRANSISCO, to a bunch of rich people, that we weren't supposed to hear, makes the slap even harder to take. And it stinks of coastal arrogance.

  It isn't playing well here, folks. And denying itisn't going to help us win ANYTHING in November.

  He needs to APOLOGIZE to all of us out here in Flyover..

  by IndianaDemocrat on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:27:35 AM PDT

  •  HRC

    is already getting booed for her handling of it.  The narrative is turning.  He has already apologized for his word choice, but the reality that too many Americans vote against their self-interests is something that needs more discussion, not less.  He shouldn't run from this.

    by huckleberry on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:35:00 AM PDT

    •  Hillary's Bumbling Doesn't Change it

      It was insulting and condescending to a lot us, EVEN OBAMA SUPPORTERS..

      Saying he "Mispoke" isn't apologizing.

      We wouldn't accept that from Hillary, so why should I accept that from him?

      He's in danger of losing A LOT of support with this.

      by IndianaDemocrat on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:37:34 AM PDT

      •  Listen, you pushed this same line of tripe

        when the Rev. Wright thing happened. For an OBAMA SUPPORTER you sure have a weak consitution.

        by DWKING on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:39:42 AM PDT

        •  Amen

          by DJShay on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:41:35 AM PDT

        •  I Don't Wear Blinders About ANYBODY

          Perhaps it's a "Small-Town" thing you wouldn't understand?

          by IndianaDemocrat on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:42:51 AM PDT

          •  Of course I don't. After all there were 400

            people in my hometown.

            by DWKING on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:57:02 AM PDT

      •  It is insulting because Hillary and the media

        are telling you it is.  Remember how all Americans were suppose to be insulted by Wright?  Remember, Hillary, "He wouldn't be my Minister.", comments.  Remember the zero outrage over Clinton's dealings with Colombia.  Perhaps you would be outraged over Bill Clinton getting $800,000 to promote CAFTA, but the media hardly gave it a second look.  If they played it over and over, you would be insulted by the Clintons.

        by kanuk on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:42:43 AM PDT

        •  I AM Insulted By The Clinton's

          I'm even MORE insulted by a Democratic Leadership that continues to sell out the Party, time, after time, after time....

          by IndianaDemocrat on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:44:06 AM PDT

          •  Right, it is more insulting that

            guys like Gore, and Edwards who have been attacked by this elitist bullshit don't stand up for Obama and say enough of this crap.

            by kanuk on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:59:23 AM PDT

      •  look here, I live in Flyover country

        and I just don't get where the insult lies in this:  Where's the insult?  People ARE bitter about lost jobs, foreclosed mortgages, declining wages, etc.

        There is nothing he said that is NOT TRUE.  Nothing he said that needs to be apologized for or hushed up.

        Nothing.

        Anyone who is offended by this is likely already committed to the other side.  

        We don't need an apology, we need to fight back harder.

        by Mad Kossack on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 11:29:35 AM PDT

  •  For an Obama supporter you are fairly uninformed

    First, the fundraiser he spoke at in SF was not a bunch of rich people. As has been posted here and in depth at TPM, several attendees have come forward and have said it was a mixed crowd---definitely not an "elitist" crowd of rich people.

    Secondly, it was not condescending, at least it wasn't when Jim Webb and Bill Clinton said it. Nor when Thomas Frank wrote a book on it.

    While what was recorded (sans the question asked)may have not been the best choice of words, the sentiment was clearly understood--even FOX has interviewed people in PA who said they agreed with them.

    And just this morning, Hillary was booed by the Pa crowd at the AAM conference when she brought it up, while earlier Obama was applauded.

    Perhaps it is time we stop thinking average Americans are stupid and don't get it. Didn't you---or the media---realiize this when the Rev. Wright thing didn't bury him despite all your dire predictions?

    by DWKING on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:36:47 AM PDT

    •  $1,000 A Plate Isn't "Elitist"?

      But, that aside, I never SAID he was elitist.

      It's the 1960's Appalachia sterotype that upsets me.

      Do you know we even gets us this fancy internmets thingy, now?

      While thier may be TRUTH in what he said, it doesn't change the fact that the way he said it was condescending and insulting to many of us.
      I thought he was smarter than this.

      by IndianaDemocrat on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:40:07 AM PDT

      •  Not if you listenned to the whole thing.

        And one woman who attended held a yard sale to go. Another went representing a group of people who anted up the money.

        Sorry if you felt condescended to and insulted. The last 25 years or so of candidates blowing smoke up your skirt must have been equally hellish for you.

        The Republicans keep you scared, afraid your guns will be taken away, your money taken in taxes to pay for illegals who are stealing your jobs---and you fell for it. And while you were sitting in your room, clutching your gun,worried that gays would marry,move next door and ruin your life,  Republicans were giving your money to Big Oil, Big Pharma, and Big Energy. That, to me, is real condescension and truly insulting.

        by DWKING on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:55:20 AM PDT

        •  If You Don't Get It, I Can't Help You

          But, I DO know that Obama needs the votes of many of us rural voters to carry or cut the margins in these districts...

          And this did not help.

          Spin it any way you like, but I prefer to go through life without the blinders.

          by IndianaDemocrat on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:59:36 AM PDT

          •  You may not have on blinders, but

            you need to take the cotton out of your ears. I grew up in a town of 400 people. I have since lived all over the US in big cities and small towns,  and even spent time living in the UK. I have now semi-retired to a small NC city in a county that encompasses a lot of rural areas and is the heart of Nascar country. I se and hear the bitterness everyday that people feel here. The mills have closed, the largest employer in the area just closed. Restaurants and shops are closing because people have no money for the "extras". And believe me, you do not want to be a Republican in this red state anymore. The Obamas were recently here separately campaigning and they drew the largest crowds ever seen in the state for political events. And Obama is now up about 20% in the polls here against Hillary. And even Republican friends of mine who are politicians say they expect he will win the state in Nov.

            This land of "values" voters has finally figured out that they've been getting screwed by voting against their economic interests and falling for the "family values" crowd in Washington. They get it here in NC. And I bet they get it in Indiana, too.

            by DWKING on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 11:17:09 AM PDT

            •  Where in NC are you located?

              I'm in Charlotte. Gastonia, Concord, Kannapolis etc, have all been hit really hard with the closing of the textile mills.

              by DJShay on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 11:23:37 AM PDT

              •  Concord. I lived in Charlotte for a few

                years then settled here. The textile mills clsoing was bad, but the closing of Phillip Morris also crushed people here.

                One of the restaurant owners here told me he's lost some regulars because they are forgoing eating out so they don't have to give up their race tickets. For a Nascar fan, that is dire straits.

                by DWKING on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 11:41:22 AM PDT

                •  Yeah, that was a HUGE blow.

                  But they are bringing that research facility to the area that could create a few hundred jobs. But it's nothing compared to what it used to be. I used to live in a little town called Lilesville, NC right next to Wadesboro. I often wonder how those areas are faring now with most of the manufacturing gone. Entire generations of families worked in mills. Grandparents, parents, and children. It's sad that that's all gone now.

                  by DJShay on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 11:47:41 AM PDT

                  •  There is re-training going on for

                    some to work at the research facility, however we have the added situation here of many healthvcare workers losing their jobs due to the recent hospital consolidations here. Rowan Regional was bought out by Novant(Presbyterian) and Northeast Medical by Carolina. With these moves a lot of lab staff especially are anticipating that the hospitals will be cutting them out in favor of independent labs or shipping the work to their other facilities in Charlotte. So I suspect job opportunities at the research facility will be eaten up quickly by displaced hospital personnel who will require less training than say a former millworker.

                    I don't have to tell you then that when business at Concord Mills is way down, things are tough in this neck of the woods.

                    by DWKING on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 12:58:04 PM PDT

  •  Ok. We get it. But you know what?

    It was the truth. He chose his words poorly but he spoke the truth. Heck, Bill Clinton has even said the same thing. But you know what "stinks of coastal arrogance" even more? Hillary Clinton stating she's against trade deals when she supporting them. Then lying about it. Hiring Mark Penn as her top strategist. This guy freakin' lobbies for the Colombian Goverment on these trade deals. Her HUSBAND taking $800,000 in speaking fees to push the trade agreement. She thinks voters are stupid and won't make the connection that while she's telling the voters she's against trade deals, her husband and campaign strategists are pushing to get agreements passed on the very thing she says she's against.  

    by DJShay on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:39:27 AM PDT

  •  It's not the "bitter" part that was condescending

    it was the rest of the statement - that people "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." And I find it very telling that his defenders have chosen to focus on the "bitterness" portion - which is easily defendable - rather than the rest of what he said - which isn't.

    First off, equating religion with bigotry and anti-immigrant sentiment as an outlet for economic frustration? Not cool to people for whom religious faith is central to their lives. Secondly, while he may be entirely correct in his analysis,  it's very dismissive of the intelligence of these voters to imply that they cling to their beliefs out of bitterness and frustration (as opposed to, say, understanding the issues and voting accordingly).

    And, yes, I read the whole thing, not just the quoted portions, and I understand the context. I also happen to agree with much of what he said. Was it elitist? Not necessarily. But it was condescending as hell.

    I'm sure I'll be flamed into oblivion for this post, but I really wish people would address the substance of the rest of his comments rather than fly into a knee-jerk defense of the "bitter" remark.

    by SingularExistence on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:45:39 AM PDT

    •  I am a seminarian

      and I have posted on this forum about my plans for entering full-time ministry.  I understand religion.  And if you read Obama's comments for what they are, he is not equating religion with bigotry, or saying that people are religious only because they are bitter.  He is saying that people are getting a bum deal, and that all they have left is religion, maybe, or guns, or whatever they give their allegiance to.

      I am not defending Obama's choice of words--it can be construed as elitist, though its hard to make that charge stick, I think.  But as for the substance, the man is right.  He's a believer.  He can speak to these things.

      by Dalton Georgia on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:52:31 AM PDT

      •  Okay

        No offense, but I'm really fed up with people telling me I am not reading his comments properly. I read them. I read them several times. I read the rest of the statement in which they appeared. I understand the context. I understand what he was trying to say. I GET IT.

        There's an old saying: Never say behind someone's back what you wouldn't say to his face.  And the simple fact is he would never - NEVER - have made those same comments in front of the voters about whom he was speaking. He would never tell them "You cling to your guns, your religion, your antipathy to people who aren't like you, your anti-immigrant and anti-trade sentiments as a way to explain your frustrations."

        He wouldn't say it because it's dismissive and insulting. Period.

        He screwed up. It happens. But it was a thoughtless remark and he deserved to be called on it.  

        by SingularExistence on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 11:23:00 AM PDT

    •  It's Hard To Walk Against The Herd On KOS

      Was it elitist? Not necessarily. But it was condescending as hell.

      I'm sure I'll be flamed into oblivion for this post, but I really wish people would address the substance of the rest of his comments rather than fly into a knee-jerk defense of the "bitter" remark.

      Just a few short months ago, if you DARED to say anything negative about HRC, you'd have been buried in a blizzard of HR's.

      Maybe my "Rural Bitternes" allows me to see beyond spin?

      by IndianaDemocrat on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:52:53 AM PDT

•  The whole thing was manufactured

  by the Clinton camp. They had a Clinton operative record Obama at an event a WEEK AGO, then throughout the following week, honed their strategy. Heck, they even had stickers printed for this "grassroots" effort. The Clinton camp wouldn't know grassroots if it bit them in the arse.

  by DJShay on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:29:13 AM PDT

  •  Evidence?

    I keep seeing periodic reference that the person who recorded the remarks is a Clinton person, but all evidence available says otherwise.

    by Catte Nappe on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 11:07:36 AM PDT

    •  Read her posts on

      Huffpo.

      http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...

      by DJShay on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 11:27:01 AM PDT

    •  All her writings on Huffpo

      contain snarky backhanded comments about Obama. The writer may not be "officially" with the Clinton campaign, but it pretty obvious the 2 were in contact before the story was released and Clinton got all faux outraged over the remarks. The thing was planned. You don't just get thousands of stickers printed up and shipped in 12 to 18 hours. Heck, she can't even pay for that stuff now. Unless she decided to stiff another company.

      by DJShay on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 11:31:00 AM PDT

•  The Arc

  of this story will tell us a lot.  Imagine the Clinton staffer first reading the Huffpo transcript a few days ago... "THIS is the one.  We got him now.  Always works."

  Then the inevitable weaving into HRC, McCain, and press narratives, and the oversell.

  Now, maybe, the story is turning.  The fact that the core ideas Obama communicates are longheld by him (he spoke about voting against self-interests years ago) means that even when his word choice is poor, if things really get heated, he's got his whole philosophy to call on in the debate.  

  By Wednesday's debate we'll know a lot.  Will Clinton back down in the debate?  I think so.  She won't call him an elitist to his face.  If she does, the boomerang will be so swift that she'll be lucky to make it out of the building without catcalls.  He will be poised, and he will have the whole architecture of his thinking on the issue to rely on, cause it isn't new for him.

  It feels like we're right at the turning point in the arc.  It could end up just as you predict.

  by huckleberry on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:32:54 AM PDT

  •  This feels right

    good points.

    by MiddleCity2000 on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:51:02 AM PDT

•  BitterGate is God's gift to Obama

  Blue collar worker: all this junk about hope 'n change. I'm pissed off. Whadda's this have to do with me.

  All of a sudden he's got a reason to engage that.

  And as usual he's going at it like a lion.

  I didn't think we could win PA before. Now it just might happen.

  by slaney black on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:36:30 AM PDT

•  I am so sick of MSNBC.

  Its 9pm where I am, and I have avoided watching all day.
  But I swear every time I have passed a TV, with out looking at the screen I'd know its MSNBC because I hear the word bitter. They have been playing nothing else all frelling day!

  Is there no other news??????@#!#%#$^@&

  by notquitedelilah on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:36:34 AM PDT

•  You bet your ass I'm Bitter!

  I pay $900 a month for high deductible health insurance. When Bush 'I' was in office, my family got hammered so bad it tore us apart and ended in divorce. (How's that for Republican family values).

  Fuck The Republican's and fuck anybody that is from the "old School" of Politics ... Mrs. Clinton!

  You bet your ass I'm bitter. And I'm going to express it by supporting Obama. He actually "Gets It"!

  by TekBoss on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:37:15 AM PDT

  •  Yeah

    but I bet you don't express your bitterness through bigotry and immigrant-bashing.

    by SingularExistence on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 12:01:57 PM PDT

•  It wasn't the "Bitter" word that set this

  all off.  It was the reference to religion and guns, and that people turn to these when they get angry.  The whole thought if wrong.  People don't turn to religion because of anger or poverty.

  by Owllwoman on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:38:02 AM PDT

  •  I think "bitter" set it off

    but it was the rest of the comment that was particularly dumb.  I think he's done a good job of explaining what he meant, and--to be honest--the fact that the media is focusing on "bitter" and not on his religion and guns statements--tells me that this man understands the media.

    by Dalton Georgia on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:40:22 AM PDT

•  It astounds me ...

  that the so-called pundits in the MSM are jumping on the word bitter -- it seems like the word clings should have been where they drew the rhetorical line. I must admit, as an over-the-top Obama supporter, I cringed at that ... But anyone who thinks that blue-collar working-class Americans aren't bitter has been in a coma for the last 25 years. I mean, how else to explain Faux News and AM Radio? Talk about tone-deaf.

  by DavidFosterWallace on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:41:41 AM PDT

  •  Yes, they are jumping now, but they are also

    hitting dead air on the issue. So slowly,especially after hearing her being booed, the tide is turning. The media is slow. But when they get the idea it isn't playing, just like with Rev. Wright, they drop it and go on to the next thing.

    by DWKING on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:44:19 AM PDT

    •  lol reverend wright is not "dropped"

      you can't flog it 24/7 from here till november, things come and go.  but if you think reverend wright is a fizzle you are a dreamer.

      by bobisbob on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 03:04:14 PM PDT

  •  I agree

    I actually think the word CLINGS was the whole problem.  "Cling" is such an accusatory word.  When somebody tells you you're clinging to something, it's usually not a positive reference... Unless it's something like "Somebody help that cute kitty clinging to the tree branch!"

    by MiddleCity2000 on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:53:25 AM PDT

•  It will help, and here's why

  People are tired of politicians who say everything's OK. Politicians aren't supposed to talk about voter's frustrations.

  But I think people will appreciate someone acknowledging that they've been promised change before.

  by droogie6655321 on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:45:08 AM PDT

•  Stupidity aside, by hanging on until the last

  primary, doesn't she help grow the party? As long as she suspends her campaign gracefully at that point, of course.

  by iconoclastic cat on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 10:59:47 AM PDT

•  I am bitter...

  It was a statement of truth and fact.

  I see it resonating with all of us workers who were shit on by the organized beatdown of labor that has gone on in our country.

  by cookseytalbott on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 11:03:45 AM PDT

•  Wow this site...

  has become such an echo chamber. This is leaving a mark. His comments have allowed mcCain to respond in a graceful, above the fray and (gulp) presidential manner. Add it all up and it equals hard-hitting. All of a sudden Hillary's past stupidity has disappeared and she's tagging him hard with the elitist line, which somehow is always effective against Dems. This by no means sinks his campaign, but it does end it in Pa. How much it reappears in the future remains to be seen. The MSM likes mcCain and they have that infamous way of bringing up old news to stop someone's momentum. No matter how out of place, off topic and completely out of context, they know it puts a person on the defensive and off his message. I don't like how the press has pounced on this like rabid dogs. Made up or not it's happening and it needs to end NOW! Whatever Barack has to do, he needs to do it.... fast.

  by riverdan1900 on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 11:36:40 AM PDT

  •  Go Over To MyDLC If You Want An "Echo Chamber"

    Here's the link:

    http://www.mydd.com

    This is DailyKos - the most popular "scoop" blog on the web, and a  source for many journalists.

    by bincbom on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 11:47:42 AM PDT

    •  No, I like this site...

      Drudge is the most popular "scoop" site. Just because my take is different and IMO correct doesn't disallow me from this site. By the way, your reply just proves my point!

      by riverdan1900 on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 11:56:03 AM PDT

•  bitter wasn't the poor choice

  though that was inartful, it was everything after it thats the real problem.

  by bobisbob on Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 02:59:33 PM PDT