How are people defending this???

[Cali Coug]

Originally Posted by ERCougar

Wow...Cali turning to Webster's to defend the word "cling". Close your dictionary and listen to the connotation. It reflects a lack of choice, a lack of real thought, and a sense of desperation. We can argue back and forth but if you're honest with yourself, you know exactly what it connotes. If you happen to be one of the few who doesn't sense this, it's not really worth discussing, as it's a simple fact that many HAVE been offended by it. But truly--I hope Obama (and you and the rest of his supporters) continues to brush it off; we'll see how well that works for him.

Clinging to God is a very different thing from clinging to a religion. Clinging to God (or the iron rod, etc) is a personal choice, a personal spirituality, that is to be respected and admired. Clinging to a religion reflects a lack of personal commitment and a desperation to belong to a group. So, no, I don't think Obama intended the phrase as complimentary of small-town "folk" as he later claimed. To hammer the point home, he couches it in between two other similar coping mechanisms (in his mind)--guns and xenophobia.

Or maybe he finds these qualities endearing as well. Wow...maybe he isn't just another Ted Kennedy liberal.

It is a media-hyped offense, and the fact that people HAVE taken offense doesn't mean any was intended or warranted (obviously). You can be upset about what he said all day long, but it doesn't change the fact that what he said was accurate, if poorly phrased and unpopular.

[ERCougar]

Originally Posted by Cali Coug

It is a media-hyped offense, and the fact that people HAVE taken offense doesn't mean any was intended or warranted (obviously). You can be upset about what he said all day long, but it doesn't change the fact that what he said was accurate, if poorly phrased and unpopular.

Was the offense intended? Probably not--he's trying to win an election. Is it warranted? Yes, for the multitude of reasons discussed here. Yet you continue to "cling" to your party line. (That's surely not offensive, right? I'm not certainly not implying any lack of reasoning or independent thought, right?)

So, now the question is, was it accurate? You keep pointing out that it's true in some cases. Sure. But what if I said, "Black people are stupid." Is that true in some cases? Yeah. Accurate statement? No.

The trouble with stereotypes (and the reason why they're offensive), whether race or socioeconomically based, is that they're not true in all cases. I would however go a step further and say that Obama's statement is not even true in most cases. Do you cling to religion during adverse economic times, in the same way that you cling to your guns and your xenophobia? Right...But then again, you're not like all of those uncultured brutes.

So how again is this statement not offensive, inaccurate, and elitist?

[Cali Coug]

Originally Posted by ERCougar

Was the offense intended? Probably not--he's trying to win an election. Is it warranted? Yes, for the multitude of reasons discussed here. Yet you continue to "cling" to your party line. (That's surely not offensive, right? I'm not certainly not implying any lack of reasoning or independent thought, right?)

So, now the question is, was it accurate? You keep pointing out that it's true in some cases. Sure. But what if I said, "Black people are stupid." Is that true in some cases? Yeah. Accurate statement? No.

The trouble with stereotypes (and the reason why they're offensive), whether race or socioeconomically based, is that they're not true in all cases. I would however go a step further and say that Obama's statement is not even true in most cases. Do you cling to religion during adverse economic times, in the same way that you cling to your guns and your xenophobia? Right...But then again, you're not like all of those uncultured brutes.

So how again is this statement not offensive, inaccurate, and elitist?

Again, compare for me, if you will, the percentage of people who are actively religious who are poor v the percentage who are actively religious who are rich. I am actually amazed you are going to try to argue this point. Gun owners are also typically white, middle aged, and those living in rural areas with middle-range incomes. He didn't say anything even remotely close to "black people are stupid," and surely you know that and are just hoping hyperbole carries the argument for you. It won't. What he said didn't even necessarily have a negative connotation, though you are wanting to read it that way. Ask any missionary which neighborhood they would prefer to tract in, the rich or the poor, and all of the good ones will say the poor.

You now even admit that offense wasn't intended. You just say people should have been offended. Why?

[il Padrino Ute]

Originally Posted by Cali Coug

Again, compare for me, if you will, the percentage of people who are actively religious who are poor v the percentage who are actively religious who are rich. I am actually amazed you are going to try to argue this point. Gun owners are also typically white, middle aged, and those living in rural areas with middle-range incomes. He didn't say anything even remotely close to "black people are stupid," and surely you know that and are just hoping hyperbole carries the argument for you. It won't. What he said didn't even necessarily have a negative connotation, though you are wanting to read it that way. Ask any missionary which neighborhood they would prefer to tract in, the rich or the poor, and all of the good ones will say the poor.

You now even admit that offense wasn't intended. You just say people should have been offended. Why?

Why are you and the other Obama sycophants the only people who don't see that what he said was incredibly offensive and inaccurate?

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by il Padrino Ute

Why are you and the other Obama sycophants the only people who don't see that what he said was incredibly offensive and inaccurate?

Because they have their lips so tightly attached to his anus, they can taste it.

For Cali, it's a bit like, it is for Tex, a Democrat's shiz tastes great, but a Republican's comes from Hitler, and vice versa for Tex.

It was a horrifically arrogant statement felt and articulated by the Harvard bastard elitist revealing his true character, "he's smarter than most folk, and if you give him power to change, you won't have to understand it."

He's a better actor than most, but nobody here is cynical enough to understand it.

[Cali Coug]

Originally Posted by Archaea

Because they have their lips so tightly attached to his anus, they can taste it.

For Cali, it's a bit like, it is for Tex, a Democrat's shiz tastes great, but a Republican's comes from Hitler, and vice versa for Tex.

It was a horrifically arrogant statement felt and articulated by the Harvard bastard elitist revealing his true character, "he's smarter than most folk, and if you give him power to change, you won't have to understand it."

He's a better actor than most, but nobody here is cynical enough to understand it.

I think your cynicism more than compensates.

[Cali Coug]

Originally Posted by il Padrino Ute

Why are you and the other Obama sycophants the only people who don't see that what he said was incredibly offensive and inaccurate?

Is anyone even going to attempt to address the statistics on this matter before spouting off about how "inaccurate" it was? Or are we operating under Il Pad's 2nd Revised English Dictionary again and "inaccurate" means "accurate?"

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by Cali Coug

I think your cynicism more than compensates.

You are much too trusting of government for a person of your advancing age. A little skepticism by you would be healthy about now.

[il Padrino Ute]

Originally Posted by Cali Coug

Is anyone even going to attempt to address the statistics on this matter before spouting off about how "inaccurate" it was? Or are we operating under Il Pad's 2nd Revised English Dictionary again and "inaccurate" means "accurate?"

What statistics? Can you provide a link to this?

Or is it an accurate statement because you think it's accurate?

I can provide links to proof that Obama is a condescending, arrogant, elitist asshole. This thread is about one of those instances.

[BarbaraGordon]

Originally Posted by il Padrino Ute

Why are you and the other Obama sycophants the only people who don't see that what he said was incredibly offensive and inaccurate?

What Obama fails to realize is that in two sentences he has managed to perfectly embody the liberal stereotype that conservatives find so offensive: The liberal who fancies himself so terribly educated, fancies his own thinking so painfully logical, that it's only natural that his own world view is the only possibility for other rational, intelligent, informed Americans. Obviously, if someone embraces another viewpoint (or goodness forbid another political party)they're either deluded or just plain stupid.

And the party wonders how they've managed to alienate average Americans.

The irony is that the question was why small-town Americans aren't supporting his candidacy. His answer demonstrated the reason all too accurately.