Senator Obama & Columnist Kane VS Reality

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Eugene Kane, in his April 15th column ("Campaign promises more 'gotcha' games"; Please see below) provides clear evidence that he, like Senator and professional elitist Obama, is very much out of contact with small town Wisconsin (Or Iowa or Pennsylvania). Mr. Kane seems to have forgotten the numbers of small town citizens who voted for Senator
Obama before he revealed his big city, big money and big-nose (For looking down at us) positions.

Mr. Kane's (And Senator Obama's) Information, rational small town and big city citizens:
1. Do not love guns as much as the liberty and freedoms they represent, along with free speech and a free press, AND as the means to enforce all such freedoms (Including the "free exercise of religion") upon would be tyrants and elitists;
2. Do not hate gay marriage as much as they realize that, in spite of the failures of so many traditional marriages, that the time-immemorial one-man with one-women marriage and family unit is the best and soundest base for any civilization;
3. Do not "scapegoat illegal immigration" but more realize that beginning a life in the USA upon the shaky basis of disobeying our democratically based laws is not good AND that such illegal immigrants cost much more to the economic and social well being of our land than they give to it; And,
4. Have little concern about promoting a segregated way of life beyond a desire to have their families raised in safety away from gang-bangers, pimps, street-corner drug dealers and such like thugs.



Campaign promises more 'gotcha' games
Posted: April 14, 2008


Eugene Kane


Lucky for him, it's been months since Barack Obama won the Democratic primary in Wisconsin.
Considering his recent comments about small-town voters being "bitter" folks who turn to guns, religion and bashing illegal immigration out of frustration, he might not be as popular today.
Frankly, if it weren't for the kind of people in small towns in Wisconsin who love guns, hate gay marriage, scapegoat illegal immigrants and promote a segregated way of life, there are plenty of politicians who would never get elected around these parts.
Since Obama won in February, it's been one public relations fiasco after another, including his incendiary black Baptist preacher and a clumsy attempt to lump his grandmother into a group with "typical" white people because of her racial attitudes.
This week, Obama must address yet another gaffe that could resonate for people still deciding between him and Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination.
During an appearance at a fund-raiser in San Francisco, Obama was overheard telling supporters that middle-class Americans in small cities and towns in the Midwest and other places were bitter about the current state of the country and often expressed that bitterness in specific ways.
"You go into 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 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," Obama said.
Obama's words became instant fodder for both his Democratic and Republican opponents.
Clinton accused him of expressing an "elitist" mentality that looked down on the kind of working-class folks who go hunting and resist gay marriage. John McCain also chimed in that Obama's words were "condescending" and "out of touch."
Later, Obama clarified (he's getting good at clarifying his remarks) without totally backing away from the substance of his statements.
In Wisconsin, state politicians have gotten good at using issues like gun control, gay marriage and illegal immigrants as scare tactics for voters looking to lay blame for society's ills. (I would add talking about the threat of "activist judges" ruining our way of life to that list.)
Wisconsin is known as a progressive state, but there's a move afoot to change things, including reinstituting the death penalty and allowing the carrying of concealed weapons.
With Pennsylvania - another state filled with small towns - next in line for a major primary, it's almost certain the discussion will focus on Obama's true feelings about small-town voters instead of an out-of-control murder rate in a major city such as Philadelphia. It's also clear that the rest of the 2008 Democratic campaign will include more games of "Gotcha!" between Obama and Clinton as each waits for the other to trip over their tongue.
There are bitter voters in small towns and villages across America, including Wisconsin, but it's likely nobody will get their votes by talking down to them. That's just common sense, which is something Wisconsinites are known more for than their bitterness.
Contact Eugene Kane at (414) 223-5521 or ekane@journalsentinel.com