Did you hear about Obama's recent statement that it is easy to understand why people who are in economically disadvantaged small towns cling to religion and guns? I haven't seen a detailed account of the statement or the context, but at first blush it sounded pretty crummy. On some investigation, Obama is arguing that he is simply saying -- and stands by -- that people are frustrated by their declining standard of living. I buy that, but I think I detect a contempt and deprecation of gun ownership in his "clinging to guns" lanuage. I don't know how otherwise to interpret that. What do you think?
Did you hear about Obama's recent statement that it is easy to understand why people who are in economically disadvantaged small towns cling to religion and guns? I haven't seen a detailed account of the statement or the context, but at first blush it sounded pretty crummy. On some investigation, Obama is arguing that he is simply saying -- and stands by -- that people are frustrated by their declining standard of living. I buy that, but I think I detect a contempt and deprecation of gun ownership in his "clinging to guns" lanuage. I don't know how otherwise to interpret that. What do you think?
I think we are in trouble if he is elected.
__________________
"Never stand and take a charge...charge them too."
There is another thread on this topic I hadn't seen before. Several others who saw Obama's remarks didn't take them as negative about guns as I did. Perhaps I'm reading into those remarks more than was meant.
Just another example of the media taking things out of context and people latching onto it, what he in effect said was people are stuggling right now with a questionable economy and other issues that are hard to fix and hard to find something to blame or key on, so they default to more black and white issues where its easy to pick sides, items like religion/faith and gun control, he also listed a few others, but those are the two hot items now, so they get all the press.
Of course Hillary jumped on it with her "I was raised xxxxx" where xxxxx is whatever the emotion of the moment is.
Just another example of the media taking things out of context and people latching onto it, what he in effect said was people are stuggling right now with a questionable economy and other issues that are hard to fix and hard to find something to blame or key on, so they default to more black and white issues where its easy to pick sides, items like religion/faith and gun control, he also listed a few others, but those are the two hot items now, so they get all the press.
Of course Hillary jumped on it with her "I was raised xxxxx" where xxxxx is whatever the emotion of the moment is.
Maybe that is what Obama thought he was saying. It isn't what I heard in the "clinging" phraseology. First, the statements were with reference to small towns. Aren't people in urban areas also experiencing tough economic times? I think I read a sub-text in those words which some are missing. What I read in the "clinging to guns, clinging to religion" statement is that the words imply a backwardness, a lack of enlightenment, a naieve atavism. There is the suggestion of superiority, of foreordained replacement of defunct values by more modern, superior values. This is the sub-text that some of us are hearing and which we are unhappy with.
With a little further thought, it seems clear that this same sub-text spills over to read on a view of the backwardness, inferiority, atavism of small town values versus urban values -- for example, San Francisco values, where the speech was delivered. There is the hint of the paternalistic andconspiratorial in Obama's remarks about understanding the foolishness and crippled mind state of small town, "fly-over," red state America. There is the whiff of trying to establish connection among "right thinking people"in Obama's remarks to that crowd -- an urbane Chicogoan educated at Harvard speaking to the urbane San Franciscoans about the benighted children of small town, red state America.
But be sure of this. These words of Obama haven't turned me away from Obama. I was already there. He, like Hillary,is aclassic liberal in every way, and I want nothing to do with liberal policies.
The residents of red states on average have lower incomes, less wealth, less education, less access to high quality medical care and generally lower standards of living than residents of blue states. Obama looks at this situation and can not understand why these red state residents will often vote against their own economic self-interests to support candidates who are pro-gun or deeply religious. He can not fathom why people will beso focused on, what is to him a peripheral issue, like gun ownership when they are facing severe economic hardship.
I was raised in and have always lived in blue states so I see where he is coming from. However, my observation is that their personal economic circumstances are not as important to red state voters as they are to blue state voters. I think red state voters are more swayed by emotion and principles and Obama can not comprehend that.
Obama statement about "clinging to guns"
