2008 Woodie Awards
Come together now.
Why a united Democratic party is crucial now more than ever.
Adam Rich
Issue date: 4/30/08 Section: Opinions
Last week, Senator Hillary Clinton won a major victory in the state of Pennsylvania. Her margin of victory was wide enough for her to remain in the race, prolonging a contest for the nomination that should have ended months ago.
Although it may seem that Clinton won by a convincing margin, few note that her lead in Pennsylvania at one point exceeded twenty points. To go from a 20 point lead to a 10 point lead in a matter of weeks suggests that Senator Barack Obama may have had an impact on the voters in Pennsylvania.
After Clinton's victory, the media has been suggesting that Obama is unable to finish off Clinton based on her major victories over the last few months. However, what most pundits fail to see is that Obama was never going to win Pennsylvania. Throughout the election, there has been one consistent pattern: that Hillary Clinton wins large delegate count states and Barack Obama wins smaller states that are not necessarily Democratic strongholds. This particular statistic is not a problem for Obama, as he is still in the delegate count lead after Pennsylvania.
Some of Obama's recent statements suggest that he is showing signs of breaking, and could lose him support in key areas to come. While many in the media have been focusing on the statements of Obama's pastor, and his own harmless use of the term "bitter," what they fail to see is both the most significant and damning statement that he has made throughout his entire campaign.
In a speech about the Pennsylvania voters, Obama stated that citizens will often "cling to religion," instead of trying to find real solutions. If there is one thing that is known about the working class, it is that they are often very religious. By suggesting that their religious beliefs are in some way a part of their current depressed economic state, he is suggesting that working class citizens are poor because they choose to be.
This, not his statement about the Pennsylvania citizens being "bitter," is the truly elitist statement, as it fails to get at the reality that the economic problems of the working class are a part of the larger picture.
Although it may seem that Clinton won by a convincing margin, few note that her lead in Pennsylvania at one point exceeded twenty points. To go from a 20 point lead to a 10 point lead in a matter of weeks suggests that Senator Barack Obama may have had an impact on the voters in Pennsylvania.
After Clinton's victory, the media has been suggesting that Obama is unable to finish off Clinton based on her major victories over the last few months. However, what most pundits fail to see is that Obama was never going to win Pennsylvania. Throughout the election, there has been one consistent pattern: that Hillary Clinton wins large delegate count states and Barack Obama wins smaller states that are not necessarily Democratic strongholds. This particular statistic is not a problem for Obama, as he is still in the delegate count lead after Pennsylvania.
Some of Obama's recent statements suggest that he is showing signs of breaking, and could lose him support in key areas to come. While many in the media have been focusing on the statements of Obama's pastor, and his own harmless use of the term "bitter," what they fail to see is both the most significant and damning statement that he has made throughout his entire campaign.
In a speech about the Pennsylvania voters, Obama stated that citizens will often "cling to religion," instead of trying to find real solutions. If there is one thing that is known about the working class, it is that they are often very religious. By suggesting that their religious beliefs are in some way a part of their current depressed economic state, he is suggesting that working class citizens are poor because they choose to be.
This, not his statement about the Pennsylvania citizens being "bitter," is the truly elitist statement, as it fails to get at the reality that the economic problems of the working class are a part of the larger picture.
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