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Politics : GOPwinger Lies/Distortions/Omissions/Perversions of Truth -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Land Shark who wrote (120506)	4/13/2008 6:50:23 PM
From: tonto	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 173976

You guys are confused over what he says in public (politicans always lie) to the decisions he has made before his national candidacy.

To: Land Shark who wrote (120506)	4/13/2008 10:52:33 PM
From: Hope Praytochange	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 173976

Last month Sen. Obama survived another political test when video clips of racially divisive remarks from his longtime pastor surfaced, forcing the first viable African-American candidate to give a nuanced and widely praised speech on race relations. But rival campaigns were less willing to exploit the incident out of fear of generating a backlash over race. Sen. Obama has encountered other more minor problems in trying to connect to rural whites. At a campaign stop in Adel, Iowa, he drew cringes when he asked a crowd of poor farmers: "Anybody gone into a Whole Foods lately and seen what they charge for arugula?" The upscale organic-supermarket chain doesn't have a single store in Iowa. Sen. Obama went on to win the state. This disconnect could come back to haunt the Democrats in a general election. Republicans have in recent elections portrayed Democratic presidential candidates as out of touch with the sweeping white working-class demographic, a traditional Democratic stronghold that has gravitated to the Republican Party in recent years. Senior McCain adviser Steve Schmidt said Sen. Obama's comment "shows an elitism and condescension towards hardworking Americans that is nothing short of breathtaking." Sen. Obama initially dug in to defend his comments, which risked undermining his uplifting message by reminding voters of their anger. "Of course they're bitter, of course they're frustrated," Sen. Obama said on Saturday in Terre Haute, Ind., with his voice growing louder. "You would be too. In fact many of you are." Sen. Obama has recently fought back against criticism that his academic and cool style renders him unelectable among skeptical blue-collar voters. Last week, the candidate completed a six-day bus tour through small-town Pennsylvania during which he made scheduled but unannounced stops at bars, bowling alleys and fudge shops. But the recent remarks could undercut such efforts. Strategists say that while seemingly minor, the remarks are particularly damaging because they fit with a broader narrative that the Clinton aides have pushed throughout the campaign. "This may well have the effect of stopping him cold in Pennsylvania," said Rich Galen, a Republican strategist. "It lets the Clinton campaign say, 'Here's another reason why he's never going to be elected.'" The Clinton campaign quickly recruited top surrogates to denounce the comments and depict Sen. Obama as not understanding small-town values. Chief Clinton campaign strategist Geoff Garin said the comments would be "fair play" in coming campaign ads, and that the campaign is sure to raise the issue among the superdelegates who are likely to decide the party's nomination. Campaigning in Indiana on Saturday, Sen. Clinton accused Sen. Obama of delegitimizing rural voters who genuinely value guns and religion. "I grew up in a church-going family, a family that believed in the importance of living out and expressing our faith," Sen. Clinton said at a rally in Indianapolis. "The people of faith I know don't 'cling to' religion because they're bitter. People embrace faith not because they are materially poor, but because they are spiritually rich." Sen. Clinton later told stories about how her father taught her how to shoot a gun as a young girl. "Americans who believe in the Second Amendment believe it's a constitutional right," she said. The Obama campaign says that the response illustrates how Sen. Clinton, who supported gun-control measures during the 1990s, is willing to say anything in order to win the nomination. Sen. Obama's gaffe rescued the Clinton campaign from a series of embarrassing miscues of its own, including former President Bill Clinton's inaccurate defense of his wife's characterization of her 1996 Bosnia trip, and the demotion of top Clinton strategist Mark Penn, who had met with Colombian officials to lobby for a free-trade deal that Sen. Clinton opposes. The Clinton's campaign's all-out push could backfire among voters who similarly see the Clintons, who recently released tax returns that showed income of $109 million over the past seven years, as equally out of touch. "Maybe they were in touch at one time, but once you've lived the way they have for so long, you do lose touch," said Jennifer Bucy, 36, an Obama supporter who went to hear President Clinton speak in Clinton, Ind., last week. She noted that President Clinton was wearing expensive snakeskin boots. "They weren't working boots," she said. Write to Amy Chozick at amy.chozick@wsj.com and Nick Timiraos at nick.timiraos@wsj.com online.wsj.com