OBAMA TRIES TO RECAST INSULT TO PA VOTERS IN EDITORIAL BOARD MTG

***BREAKING NEWS***APR 14 PM

[Philadelphia Daily News Blog Atytood, via AlterNet.org]

"Barack Obama came to speak to editorial writers and reporters from the Philadelphia Daily News and Inquirer this evening, and he essentially tried a do-over on his controversial remarks about "bitter" small-town Pennsylvanians, admitting that he'd "mangled" what he was trying to say at a San Francisco fundraiser 10 days ago, but that he agreed with a backer who told him that "you misspoke that you didn't lie,""the Philadelphia Daily News Blog Atytood reports.

According to Attytood, Obama's remarks were his most detailed effort, to date, to re-write what he said on the West Coast, when he said that the ailing economy in the Midwest caused "small town" people to "get bitter" and that as a result, "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." Tonight, he sought to explain that he never meant to imply that either religion or the use of guns for hunting -- a huge pasttime in Pennsylvania -- was a bad thing.

No, the candidate obviously meant that Pennsylvanians—and other Midwesterners—“cling” to their views on just about everything from their religious beliefs, to guns, to (and we quote Obama’s exact words at the SF mansion of billionaire Gordon Getty) “antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment” out of “bitterness” and “frustration” BUT THAT IS NOT NECESSARILY BAD….

Good lord, just who does Barack Obama take us for, a nation of idiots? Apparently, Obama’s giant Ivy League education (Harvard Law, Editor Harvard Law Review) has spawned a giant EGO as well. Apparently, he does believe that he is a genius and the rest of us non-Ivy Leaguers stupid.

The generally Obama friendly political Blog The Politico had different take on April 14, published before Obama tried to reinvent the career ending history he made at the SF billionaire fundraising event:

“Sen. Barack Obama’s instantly infamous remarks on how small-town Americans “cling” to their faith, their guns, and their xenophobia began drawing attention around 3:30 p.m. Friday.

“Obama’s aides went into radio silence, rebuffing requests to explain or respond while his rivals attacked him. At 6:30 p.m., is campaign put out a statement that, instead of explaining his words, threw the criticism back at his rivals. Then, just before 9 that evening, the candidate himself responded during a speech in Terre Haute, Ind., with an attack of his own, expressing incredulity that his rivals had called him
“out of touch.”

““Out of touch? Out of touch? I mean, John McCain — it took him three tries to finally figure out that the home foreclosure crisis was a problem,” he said, while also criticizing Hillary Rodham Clinton for her vote on to make declaring personal bankruptcy harder.
“
“She says I’m out of touch?”

“The response was signature Obama: Attack first, sort out the details later, if at all. No apology, no immediate regret, just a sharp counterattack. For a candidate sometimes mocked for being too soft to win a political fistfight, he has shown an uncanny ability to take a punch and then rear back and deliver one in return.”

There can be little doubt that Senator Obama is now taking the unusual step of explaining himself, only because the story of his unfortunate remarks has gained (as they say) “legs”, the first Pennsylvania poll issued after the remarks shows Clinton now leads by 20 points in Pennsylvania, and major Pennsylvania news outlets are reporting that Obama has sustained major damage.

In sharp contrast to Obama’s most recent attempt to spin the fiasco—if not strike the his offensive remarks from his rather short political history—the Philadelphia Inquirer had this to say in its on-line version posted one hour ago (April 14, at 10:14 PM), in a story entitled “Obama's responses to controversy may be hurting him”:

“Over the past four days, the Illinois senator's words -- this time, about "bitter" small-town Americans -- have moved to center stage. Rather than address this controversy in a single speech, Obama has so far chosen to give evolving explanations of his remarks since Friday, and his campaign insists no such speech is in the offing.

“Obama also tried to change the story line -- away from charges that he's an elitist to whether rival Hillary Rodham Clinton is a political opportunist, blasting her Saturday shot-and-a-beer photo op as an example of old say-anything-to-win politics.

“But amid signs that the controversy is hurting Obama in Pennsylvania -- one poll out yesterday showed Clinton opening up a double-digit lead again -- some analysts are questioning whether all of Obama's talking now is only helping to keep the story alive.”

Obama initially—and through most of Monday—went on the attack against Clinton and McCain—stating in the national sound bite of the day that “they will say anything to win your vote” and asserting that Mrs. Clinton will even “show up at your neighborhood pub with a television crew and throw back a shot and a beer”. But he has never apologized for or adequately explained his offensive, political career ending remarks. He has even resorted to ridicule.

As with the Reverend Jeremiah Wright scandal, Obama did not attempt to explain until his back was up against the wall. The difference here is that 1. Obama cannot hold up the shield of racism and 2. This is not an example of “guilt by association”—these are the candidates words.

Moreover, the Race Speech may have worked (temporarily) to diffuse the Wright issue, but as the saying goes: “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”
.
Exclusive: Obama says he 'misspoke but didn't lie' about smalltown Pa. (Attytood)