Not Part Of A Redneck Agenda
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I loved this primary for the Democratic nomination while John Edwards and Dennis Kucinich were in the race. Then, I was “fired up and ready to go” for Obama. Now, Ohio and Pennsylvania have ruined the 2008 primary for me.
First, “working class whites” in Ohio gave Hillary the victory and all the pundits say they’ll give her the victory in PA as well.
Apparently, Barack Obama doesn’t appeal to these “working class” types, yet Hillary Corporate, I mean Clinton, does. Barack Obama doesn’t appeal to “regular people” (as Chris Matthews called them) but Hillary does. Barack Obama’s minister just scares those white boys so bad that they won’t vote for him and they’d rather vote for Hillary!
Obama made some comments recently that now brand him as the dreaded “liberal elitist”.
At issue are comments he made privately at a fundraiser in San Francisco last Sunday. He was trying to explain his troubles winning over some working-class voters, saying they have become frustrated with economic conditions:
“It’s not surprising, then, 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.”
Oh, as “working class white man” I must be regretting my Obama vote now right?? Whatever. I’m sick to death of this theme.
Based on my job and income, I may classify as a “working class white man”. But as the Green Day song says “I’m not part of a redneck agenda”. My income doesn’t mean I love guns, smoke cigarettes, chew tobacco, drink beer, drive a beat up pickup truck, listen to country music, have a confederate flag, fear anyone of a different race or sexuality, or any other stereotypical “working class white man” trait the media and popular culture has created. I’m not a “cultural” populist. I’m an economic populist, or a “progressive populist”. Whatever one may choose to call it. I personally just prefer “liberal”. And if that makes me an “elitist”, so be it.
This primary started out with such amazing possibilities for the future of this country. The chance to stop and reverse the damage done by the Worst President Ever. But Corporate America excluded the voices of anyone who would dare to fight corporate power and greed (Edwards and Kucinich), and now the corporate media is using these ridiculous “controversies” to ensure that either Hillary or McCain will be the next president, my hope is fading fast.
First, “working class whites” in Ohio gave Hillary the victory and all the pundits say they’ll give her the victory in PA as well.
Apparently, Barack Obama doesn’t appeal to these “working class” types, yet Hillary Corporate, I mean Clinton, does. Barack Obama doesn’t appeal to “regular people” (as Chris Matthews called them) but Hillary does. Barack Obama’s minister just scares those white boys so bad that they won’t vote for him and they’d rather vote for Hillary!
Obama made some comments recently that now brand him as the dreaded “liberal elitist”.
At issue are comments he made privately at a fundraiser in San Francisco last Sunday. He was trying to explain his troubles winning over some working-class voters, saying they have become frustrated with economic conditions:
“It’s not surprising, then, 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.”
Oh, as “working class white man” I must be regretting my Obama vote now right?? Whatever. I’m sick to death of this theme.
Based on my job and income, I may classify as a “working class white man”. But as the Green Day song says “I’m not part of a redneck agenda”. My income doesn’t mean I love guns, smoke cigarettes, chew tobacco, drink beer, drive a beat up pickup truck, listen to country music, have a confederate flag, fear anyone of a different race or sexuality, or any other stereotypical “working class white man” trait the media and popular culture has created. I’m not a “cultural” populist. I’m an economic populist, or a “progressive populist”. Whatever one may choose to call it. I personally just prefer “liberal”. And if that makes me an “elitist”, so be it.
This primary started out with such amazing possibilities for the future of this country. The chance to stop and reverse the damage done by the Worst President Ever. But Corporate America excluded the voices of anyone who would dare to fight corporate power and greed (Edwards and Kucinich), and now the corporate media is using these ridiculous “controversies” to ensure that either Hillary or McCain will be the next president, my hope is fading fast.
Quite accurately you show, and he presumeably was trying to show that the middle class has been demolished by 7 year of GW. You were much clearer than Obama.
The media from Fox, to CNN, to MSNBC, to all finance all the time, have made countless stories on the crisis of the middle class.
Obama, so far as I know, is the only one to have tied the crisis to culture and guns. Most simply stay with employment.
To me . . it's really rather simple. You listen to the stories and you accept what they say. You don't have to over think each person. They've done enough of that already. You puzzle over HRC doing well in Ohio and PA . . . but really (despite the press) she listens. She does small events. Obama does monster rallies and then allows people to touch the hem of his garment -- rather like passing royalty. It's really hard in that environment to truly say "I've been listening."
So, we're both working class white males. We will decide something . . lord only knows what that will be. But as Obama has just learned, stereotypes are never going to be as effective for a candidate as they are for the pundits.