Holy Buck, Fatman!

Bitter, Indeed.

In chapter 117 in the political mudslinging game that has become the Democratic primary, the Clinton Camp seized on a quote that they believed would lump Obama into that “Uber rich John Kerry” class. Except, well..It didn’t seem to work. Why? because Obama’s comment was, well…true.

Here is what he said: (from the Huffington Post)

But the truth is, is that, our challenge is to get people persuaded that we can make progress when there’s not evidence of that in their daily lives. You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing’s replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. So it’s not surprising then that they get bitter, 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.

Well, Let’s discuss.

All across the Midwest, jobs have slowly disappeared over the last 30 years, leaving the residents of these once thriving small towns with little options other than a job at the local Wal-Mart. What is left for these people, some who have been doing the same job for more then 20 years to do? Sure, they could go back to college, learn another trade or move to another place. That takes money, though. Rural folks in small towns kinda lack that. Anger about the loss of manufacturing “Dey tuk R Jerrrrbbbbbbbbssss!!!!!!!!!” starts to manifest, backlash against those whom they believe have taken all that they have known sets in. People become protective of their core beliefs, be it hunting or religion. Hence the “Cling on to Guns and religion” part of the quote. When times become desperate (i.e. poverty) a person may seek shelter in their bible and protection with their gun. They want to see a reflection of that same protection of their core beliefs from their leader and Viola! You have an idiot cowboy with a limited vocabulary running the country because he seems like “someone they can share a beer with” even though he doesn’t really drink. Little do these people understand is that their leaders that seemed to reflect their own feelings were actually more elitist and detached then they realized.

Reality is tough when your last unemployment check arrives and your next source of income is completely unknown. Reality is tough when you’re a small sub-contractor that was just outbid by a huge sub-contractor with the resources to hire cheaper labor and not get nailed for it. Reality sucks. Obama said that it’s easier to cling to core beliefs as a protection mechanism then to acknowledge the “Average Joe ” they elected would rather manufacturing move to China and Mexico so his corporate friends can get bigger tax breaks.

…So it’s not surprising then that they get bitter, 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.

As a way to explain their frustrations. God, Guns and Country is what I like to call this mentality. A very protectionist mentality that seems to be prevalent in places where the economies are the most depressed. This is, at best, a non issue. The Clinton Camp is making a huge mistake by vocalizing this. After all, she did actively support NAFTA which was the major catalyst for the disappearance of much of our manufacturing.

UPDATE: Speaking the truth sometimes doesn’t hurt.