Leader of Nonprofit Group Urges Moving Beyond Obama's 'Bitter' Comment

April 14, 2008

Leader of Nonprofit Group Urges Moving Beyond Obama's 'Bitter' Comment

Sen. Barack Obama, under fire for telling a gathering in Marin County, Calif., that people in small towns are “bitter” about federal neglect of their communities, got in trouble because people hate to be on the receiving end of stereotypes, says Dee Davis, president of the Center for Rural Strategies.

“Who wants to be labeled?” he writes on the center’s online news journal, the Daily Yonder. “Even in the context of sharing polling data that correlates professed values with recurring disappointments, who wants to be summed up and explained away for the benefit of Marin County donors?”

But, he adds, the country’s challenge is to get beyond the controversy over the “bitter” comment and follow up on the Democratic presidential candidate’s point that “rural life is threatened by economic policy that perpetually fails rural communities.”

“There are 60 million of us in rural America,” Mr. Davis writes. “The poverty rates are substantially higher, as are rates of unemployment, substance abuse, diagnosed clinical depression, and deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

Presidential candidates tend to deal with those problems by showing up every four years for the Iowa primary election to “take a stand on ethanol subsidies,” he adds. “As if it matters.”

The Center for Rural Strategies is a nonprofit group in Whitesburg, Ky., that seeks to promote better public understanding about rural issues. “Sadly, what is missing from the political debate are speeches about how robust rural economies lift national prospects, fill the coffers, expand opportunities,” Mr. Davis writes.

What do you think about Senator Obama’s remarks? Let us know by clicking on the comments link below this article.

— Suzanne Perry

Comments

Senator Obama did not LIE. Sometime the truth reaaly hurt and prople are bitter do to job losses, homes taken away and depression does sit in. Hillary doesn’t care about the rural areas, but she wants your vote to do nothing but make us sink even more. She’s just another BUSH-BUSH-CLINTON-CLINTON!!

— Ruby Apr 14, 12:17 PM #
I think Hillary is desperate, and is bringing the democratic party down by what she is doing to Obama. The guy stated the obvious. Folks are bitter, and that inlcudes myself

— Siam Apr 14, 12:53 PM #
I am a city person, but reading and hearing about the problems faced by those living in rural and small town America makes me feel that if I were one of them, I would definitely be angry and maybe even bitter that I had been consistently ignored by Washington.

— Susan Apr 14, 01:52 PM #
I live in a small town. And I am not bitter. I am pissed. Political strategies that go for the “big” vote states disenfrancise us. Having to drive up to four hours to access health care. Putting our kids on school busses one way. A complet lack of mental health services or substance abuse services and police protection.

Yeah, pissed

— Roger Apr 14, 02:08 PM #
I live in small town America, by choice. I do not want government in our small towns. Protect our borders and improve infrastructure in our country; but leave our communities alone.Government was not formed except in a socialistic and communistic form to run peoples lives. Our forefathers fought for our freedom, Government needs to get back to governing and let citizens of the United States live their lives.

— Sam Apr 15, 11:48 AM #
I am bitter about the media that is covering this kind of thing over and above the substance of policy issues. I feel “bitter” about the constant personal character attacks which are annoying at best and destructive at worst, that we small town Americans are being subjected to day after day after day.

— TLC Apr 16, 02:00 PM #
The reaction was not simply to Sen. Obama saying people in small towns were “bitter,” but also that they were “clinging to guns and church.” As a small-towner, that just smacks of city-guy contempt. That said, if he wins the Democratic nomination, I can back him for president with no problem.

Sen. Clinton has been a great representative for rural NY. Folks at home didn’t expect that to be true, when she was first running—they expected that she’d only represent city concerns. She has done such a great job that, in a Republican part of the state, she has strong campaign support.

— Camille Apr 23, 01:26 PM #

Commenting is closed for this article.

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