BellaOnline Forums News and Politics Republican Party Obama and Pennsylvania Comment

Apparently this is old news but I just heard it today on Patriot. Obama actually said this when he thought the microphone was off:



I know what I think when I read this but I'm curious what others think?

[b][/b]Sounds to me like he doesn't really know anything about small towns, just lumps them all together in patronizing politico-speak. I live in a small town with no decent jobs and I know we resent this slightly superior attitude; big words, no real substance. And yes, we love our guns, always have and always will, has nothing to do with the job situation.

that is so old it's definatley yesterdays news. That was like from the early primaries.

Yes, Obama stuck his foot in his mouth when he said it. It might be old news, but it is yet another good example of his attitude towards the common people of America and shows his elitist attitude. And after seeing his treatment of Joe the Plumber, it won't be surprising at all to see that the working middle class is hit the hardest when he becomes President. Someone is going to pay the price and suffer. It won't be the rich because they will still have enough money to live off of and survive. They'll move stuff around and lay people off and take business elsewhere. It won't be the poor because they are already on government handouts. It's going to be the working middle class who are already struggling... the in between folks who make "too much" to get any type of government assistance but who live pay check to pay check and have to choose between fuel/energy and food when things in the economy happen. The middle working class who will be suffering when the layoffs start happening. I bet anything that you will see more working middle class fall to poverty and government dependence under Obama due to his tax increases than you will see living the American dream, building businesses, and paying off debts. The cards are stacked against us under an Obama plan. I think there are going to be a lot of middle class people in major shock when the blinders fall from their eyes. I hope I am wrong. I PRAY I am wrong. I'll be praying for whoever wins, regardless. People are so desperate for "change" they apparently don't care what kind of change it is going to be. Recession, depression... either way, Obama has no plan to help us get out of it. His only plan is to dig us even deeper into it.

When someone makes a comment and you feel addressed by it, it is hard to see objectively.
Let's try:
Is it true that there are many small towns jobs have been scarce for a long time? I guess we all agree on that even Jenasee agrees to it (and then claims that whoever said this knows nothing about small towns )
Is it true that when peope find themselves in a difficult economic situation they get desperate and begin to yield for violance (guns) and searching for scapegoats and consequently turn to hatred? It has been proven again and again in human history. This is just human nature.
Look at the history of the 1930s in Germany. Most of the Germans were not Nazis. They were "Joe the Plumer" desperate for they livelyhood, and all it needed to make it exploda into a worldwide tragedy was bad leadership that instead of choosing the hard road to recovery ( as we did in the late 20s) chose the easy road of hatred and arms with the interest of a small group (political and corporate elite) in sight.
When someone sees how deep sh.. we are in and expresses it we should not be offended. We should be happy cause at least soomeone sees it, knows it, understands it. Will he be willing and able to resolve it? I don't know. But this comment does not mean that he is evil or good. It only means he knows what's going on.
And seeing clearly, to me is a good platform to start from.

[b][/b]When I made the statement about small towns, perhaps I should have qualified it better; the dynamics of an area depend on much more than just the population and availability or dearth of jobs. Most small towns have a very stable population, most persons know each other or are acquainted to some degree. Quiet country living is what keeps these places on the maps.
you say:
peope find themselves in a difficult economic situation they get desperate and begin to yield for violance (guns) and searching for scapegoats and consequently turn to hatred? It has been proven again and again in human history.

These statements are just untrue. I've lived in small towns most of my life and have never seen "peope begin to yield to violance (guns) and ........" You should also read some world history circa the 1930's before making statements so inaccurate. I'm not sure I understand your references to "Joe the Plumer" and the Nazis, but I do agree that our country is in the deep stuff and we need a lot of help to get out.

Obama made the statement when the economy was not an issue. Waaay before the mortgage crisis. He made the statement while the media (as well as Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid) were declaring that the war was lost. That was the focus at the time.

-whoisjohngalt

This is very true.

When I think of small towns, I think of little areas down here where everybody knows their neighbor. Where every holiday is celebrated not just with your spouse and children - but with great-granparents and all your 2nd cousins because you all still live within 15 minutes of each other. Guns are owned, yes - but that's because the guys go deer hunting.

The people I see that turn to violence, drugs, guns, etc. the most because their way of life is a scramble are the ones that are in inner Atlanta.

I'm not saying we don't have crime out in the rural areas - we have drugs and violence out here, too. But it has gotten worse as the city has grown in on us. (We are kind of sandwiched between Atlanta and Gainesville, GA - another large city).

Well Jenasee if you want to argue my point it would be a good idea to bring up some arguments.
Lacking those I can just assume that if my satements are inaccurate then you mean that people in difficult economic situation are getting more relaxed and happy and peaceful.
I would love to read about documented examples for that.
I never said small town people yield for violance. I said people in difficult economic situation do. ( and of course it doesn't mean that every single person it means a general trend) It also doesn't mean that they are all murderers or drug dealers, or they are all using their weapons (some might be just collectors ) but as you said they love their guns (which are designed to cause harm = violance)and that shows at least affinity to violence (which by the way doesn not necessarily mean only drugs and/or guns).
My reference to Joe is pretty clear. Joe the Plumber is a name for the average, hard working middle class guy. The guys who begin to worry about their families income and well being when the economy goes south. (who can blame them?) They are not bad people and still bad leadership (e.g. Nazi leadership in pre-war Germany) can turn things worse than it is, as it was proven in history (not just in pre-war Germany, it was just the most obvious example.)
I would love to see some references that proves me wrong about my references of history.
You did not respond to the original point which was that this comment can not prove Obama being either a bad or a good leader and if you think this statment of mine is false, then please explain.
whoisjohngalt, the economy was a big issue years before this mortgage crisis. The mortgage cisis is a direct symptom of the bad economic policies not the cause itself. Or you argue the point that in many rural areas many jobs has been gone and not replaced for twenty years?
And finally guns, hatred and going to church are not going to get us out of the situation we are in, that's for sure, so in my opinion, any leadership (democrat or republican,) that claims or implies these trends to be solutions is populist at best, and a dangerously bad one at worst.

I agree. I have lived in quite a few small towns during my lifetime and everyone I have known (including myself) who found themselves facing financial difficulties would sit down and create a strategic long-term and short-term plan to solve the financial problem. A second job? A third job? Cut expenses?

Unfortunately, one only has to watch the news to see that there are some people that resort to violence as a 'natural' response to any crisis but those people have bigger issues than the state of the economy and this behaviour is not inherent to small towns.