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Wednesday April 16, 2008
“Bitter-gate” or “Cling-gate”?
As anyone interested in the American electoral process knows that on April 6 at a supposedly private fundraiser of extremely affluent, latte-sipping, cheese-tasting, wine-quaffing, limousine liberals at the ground zero of elitism—San Francisco—Sen. Barack Obama uttered these now infamous words:
“And 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 or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”
What makes these 36 words so witheringly controversial? The Obama campaign and his defenders are focusing desperately on the “bitterness,” defending the assertion that the blue-collar working class voters in small-town Pennsylvania are bitter over the economic dislocations they have experienced over the past two decades.
However, the problem is not “bitterness” but the verb “cling.” Essentially, Obama sounded like a condescending elitist engaging in socio-economic analysis of these strange inhabitants of fly-over country.
Senator Clinton pounced on her opponent’s faux paus with whippet-like speed. Hillary’s retort: “The people of faith I know don’t cling to religion because they’re bitter. In fact, they embrace their faith because it gives them so much in return.”
Most Americans of faith (and that’s a significant majority of us) do embrace their faith because it brings meaning and purpose to their lives, regardless of economic circumstances.
Obama’s statement indicates that he believes working-class Americans “cling” to guns because they’re economically frustrated and they find comfort in toting around firearms. In other words, religion and guns are emotional security blankets in tough times. Such sentiments reveal egregious ignorance of the role firearms have always played in large swaths of our culture, which has nothing to do with economic status. Then Obama makes things worse by accusing working-class folk of being xenophobic and of scape-goating “people who aren’t like them.”
It’s pretty hard to get people to vote for you when you make it clear you not only don’t like or understand them, but you disdain them.
As Maureen Dowd put it, Obama sounds less like a candidate and more like an “anthropologist . . . observing the odd habits of the colorful locals.” When Maureen Dowd starts making those observations, you know the episode is serious and may have a long shelf life.
I was getting very sleepy as I drove across middle Tennessee the other day, so I stopped to get some coffee at a Waffle House in a rural area.
As I sipped my coffee, I eavesdropped on a conversation among some male blue-collar workers who were raising their cholesterol levels while solving the world’s problems. Sen. Obama’s clinging comments came up and one middle-aged man in bib overalls and work boots said, “I hate to say it, but he sounds like just another limousine liberal to me!” Does this “cling-gate” story have a shelf life—Yep!
Filed Under: casting stones, Clinton, Obama, Richard Land
posted by Dr. Richard Land @ 5:30pm Permalink 
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About Casting Stones
Diana Butler Bass is a religion scholar and author of Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church is Transforming the Faith. She blogs at God’s Politics.
Tony Campolo is Professor Emeritus at Eastern University and author of The God of Intimacy and Action: Reconnecting Ancient Spiritual Practices, Evangelism, and Justice, with Mary Darling. He blogs at God’s Politics.
Rod Dreher is a columnist for The Dallas Morning News and author of Crunchy Cons: The New Conservative Counterculture and Its Return to Roots. He blogs at Crunchy Con.
Bruce Feiler is the author of seven books, including Walking the Bible: A Journey by Land Through the Five Books of Moses. He blogs at Feiler Faster.
Dan Gilgoff is Politics Editor at Beliefnet and author of The Jesus Machine: How James Dobson, Focus on the Family, and Evangelical America are Winning the Culture War. He blogs at God-o-Meter.
David Kuo served as a special assistant to President George W. Bush and is the author of Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction. He blogs at J-Walking.
Dr. Richard Land is president of The Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and author of The Divided States of America? What Liberals AND Conservatives are missing in the God-and-country shouting match!
Michele McGinty is a mom and a student at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. She blogs at Reformed Chicks Blabbing.
Brian McLaren is a pastor, musician, and author of Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope. He blogs at God’s Politics.
Steven Waldman is co-founder, CEO, and Editor-in-Chief of Beliefnet. His book Founding Faith will be published in March, and he can be reached through the Beliefnet community.
Jim Wallis is executive director of Sojourners/Call to Renewal and author of God’s Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn’t Get It. He blogs at God’s Politics.
Comments
"Does this “cling-gate” story have a shelf life—Yep!"
Only for fear-mongers and smearers from the "right", Mr. Land. Need a mirror?
Posted by: recovering ex-Pentecostal | April 17, 2008 12:13 PM
I find it utterly revealing that a blog called "Casting Stones" is populated almost entirely by people who could accurately be described as (right-wing) Christians. Didn't Christ Himself tell us that only the one among us who is without sin should cast them???
Don't see much reflection of that dictum in any of the columns. What a sad commentary on the state of Christianity in America today.
something about a speck and a log and an eye ...
Posted by: recovering ex-Pentecostal | April 17, 2008 12:22 PM
Probably to late for this to be read but it made me sad to read. I know how bad the comment sounded but I always check things out.
The problem is if Obama can't get the truth out the truth almost doesn't matter, it's the perception.
Obama said he'd worded it clumsily and had said it more as he meant it before in small towns, on TV.
Thought I'd check that first. I found a few interviews but this is the shortest clip, just the minutes when he was talking about the guns and religion in hard times...but with great respect for what the rich traditions
this one from 2004 http://youtube.com/watch?v=xkrL0G9wonE
Also he wasn't just gossiping. A post from someone who was there
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-coleman/i-was-there-what-obama-re_b_96553.html
"In context and in person, Senator Obama's remarks about Pennsylvania voters left an impression diametrically opposed to that being trumpeted by his competitor's campaigns.
At the end of Obama's remarks standing between two rooms of guests -- the fourth appearance in California after traveling earlier in the day from Montana -- a questioner asked, "some of us are going to Pennsylvania to campaign for you. What should we be telling the voters we encounter?"
He talks about his authenticity in his answer, beyond the policy plans or talking point, wanting to bring them to a deeper understanding of what people faced there. He was so touched by Obama's answer and shocked and saddened that such a real and thoughtful, caring answer caused this reaction.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-coleman/i-was-there-what-obama-re_b_96553.html
Another person there was seeing what her parents had been through as he spoke. She is dismayed by the press coverage and says
Don't talk about what Obama said or didn't say because you weren't there. You didn't see the sadness in his eyes"
"http://momocrats.typepad.com/momocrats/2008/04/obamas-remarks.html#more
I don't know if people all know the lines were taken from a much longer answer where he talked about how government and politicians had been letting them down for so long and it was hard for them to believe what they heard from yet another politician, a stranger with a funny name at that. He said they needed to hear more then policies and plans but specific things he could do that would really help them.
Here is the text from Time
http://thepage.time.com/transcript-of-obamas-remarks-at-san-francisco-fundraiser-sunday/
When I hear things that are very good or bad I always look for other sources, context and learn a lot that way. None are perfect but the Obama smears are sad to me because though he may be too liberal the more you find going back 20 years, the more you look for what is really there, the better this guy looks. I haven't seen such a genuine, thoughtful person in my decades of voting. He is new to the national scene but local papers covered him closely and he's been under media scrutiny for 20 years. He got extra scrutiny because he came back there after being President of Law review (1st black), given a contract to write a book) and people were amazed he came back as promised since they assumed he'd get a big shot job.
I'm not trying to sell anyone I just wish he was being rejected for things that were true, not made believe scandals or connections. I am such a fan if honesty and integrity and I hate seeing a good man treated this way.
Posted by: Joyn | April 29, 2008 2:48 AM
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