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"But the truth is, is that, our challenge is to get people persuaded that we can make progress when there's no 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. 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 sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations." With these words, Senator Barack Obama started what the press is now referring to as "bittergate." It did not take long for Senator Hillary Clinton and the Republicans to respond. With just a few words, bittergate is born - resulting in political controversy for the Obama campaign. The media and the press are in a mad rush to assess the damage. Senator Clinton and McCain are in a mad rush to proclaim that Senator Obama is out of touch with small town values, he is an elitist. What do the voters think, and do they buy the Clinton McCain elitist label? According to the Washington Post " Ray Wrabley, an associate professor of political science at Pitt-Johnstown, said the damage to Obama’s campaign may depend on how media coverage portrays his remarks." The damage may depend on how media coverage portrays Obama’s remarks? Never mind how the voters may interpret the remarks, whether they are interpreted as insulting, elitist or true- is it really the media who determines whether Obama's words will damage his campaign? What about how the voters feel - not what is reported on how they feel, but their real feelings? The affect of Obama’s statements depend on whether voters actually feel bitter, regardless of what Obama says or how he says it. The truth is that Obama has either struck a chord or committed an error that will cost him votes. Regardless, it is the voters, not the pundits, who will determine what impact, if any, Obama’s words have on his campaign. The political pundits can spin the words anyway they want. However, no one knows what Obama meant except Obama-he has to explain his words and their meaning to the voters. It is the voters who will decide whether "bittergate" will derail Obama's campaign for President, not the pundits, not the news media. It is, however, Obama who has to shape the message to convince the voters that he meant no harm by using these words. Political pundits, Clinton and McCain are spinning bittergate into a major political mistake-it appears to be the ratings sensation of the day. However, some insiders have a different view. According to the Washington Post a " Democratic strategist, who assessed the moment candidly on the condition of anonymity, said: "Ultimately, the case that McCain and Clinton will try to make that Obama is an elitist or out of touch has to be credible to the voter, and I don't believe it is. My sense is more people believe Obama, rather than McCain or Clinton, understand their lives and the challenges they face on a daily basis." Will the voters buy the Clinton McCain attempts to label Obama an elitist, or will they think the Clinton McCain name calling is the “pot calling the kettle black?” Obama may not have used the best words to describe the bitterness he detects in America, but people know how they feel. Therefore, if there is any truth to Obama's words about this feeling of bitterness, Obama will maintain his lead and he will win the Democratic nomination for President. If his words about America's bitterness have any truth he may be the next President of the United States-regardless of how he described American’s bitterness in this one instance. Thus far, his rise to the lead is based upon a message of change. The voters are buying into the Obama message of change which may be a clear indication that America may feel bitter, that Americans are not satisfied, and that Americans want a new direction for this country. Bittergate proves one thing-the long Democratic primary is a good test of which Democrat will have the best "experience" to lead. More important, the long Democratic primary is giving the voters the opportunity to decide who will lead, taking the decision from political pundits, and the press.
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