Is it over?

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

Weird.

Weird.

Ain't it?

Frolicking in the tulips together hand in hand Are you guys holding hands too? Or just touchin weenies?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Touching wieners? Afraid not Marc.

But if you're still having trouble figuring out which end of your body to stick in the toilet when taking a #######, I've got a couple of pointers for you.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Weird.

Weird.

Ain't it?

Frolicking in the tulips together hand in hand Are you guys holding hands too? Or just touchin weenies?

You quite obviously perceive yourself as extremely funny. You're really not.

[SMOKE 1,426]

Is Obama's Campaign Over?

uttered these words

I don't get why what he said is so controversial.

I kinda see it as a diss alex. but maybe he meant nothing by it

Here's what he's saying. I take no offense.

Neither is this Indiana audience. Quite the opposite.

those are different speeches 5 days apart. i can see where the audio from the first speech could be offensive.

[kaydee457 13]

Well, here we go again.....The liberals in this forum are apologists for an emerging liberal bigot that's slipped up and shown everyone what he's all about.

He's an elitist, and a bigot as he thinks he knows what ails white folks in the heartland......'well, they aren't smart enough to understand such issues such as guns, gays, immigration (he doesn't use the word illegal BTW) and cling to antipathy, and religion......'

This is what ails them according to the messiah, Barack Hussein Obama.

'We, you and I San Fran liberals, can cure them of their stupidity and divert them to a more acceptable POV on these issues, that being our POV'.....

This is typical diatribe espoused by most elitist liberals as he, Obama, feeling the need in aquiring consensus and agreement from his San Fran liberal audience, believes the issues important to the country bumpkins are flawed and are symptomatic of "bitterness" and therefore they can't embrace the truth on these issues (his truth, the liberal's truth).......

'they would be more receptive to gays, gay marriage, illegal immigrants, reject guns, reject religion, and be less bigoted if they were appeased financially'(You can add in any other liberal cause celebres mostly rejected by "middle america").

If any of the forum liberals want to make an argument that he was saying something different then I want to French kiss the same toad you're kissing!.....

This guy's a Charlatan!

Edited April 14, 2008 by kaydee457

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

All we have here is an unfortunate choice of words describing a very real situation. This useless attack will come back and haunt J&H McBillary because elitist and out-of-touch are those that fail to see the very real pain in America today. An America where, for the first time in history and at the brink of the recession we now enter, the most people realize that they did not benefit from the last economic upswing even though it provided solid growth rates quarter after quarter. Most Americans are worse off now than they were 5 years ago. That hurts, it is frustrating and it makes people think long and hard about what's gone wrong with this country and what to do about it. Case in point: Coaldale, PA.

Behind the Scene: Small-town voters talk economic pain, politics

CNN Senior Producer Sasha Johnson traveled to Coaldale, Pennsylvania, to talk to voters, including some members of her extended family, about how a typical small town like Coaldale might vote in 2008 and what issues are on their minds.

COALDALE, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- Coaldale is a borough of 2,200, nestled in the anthracite-rich mountains in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania.

It's exactly the type of place Sen. Barack Obama referenced last week when he said some Pennsylvanians were "bitter" over their poor economic situation.

Obama said he regretted the word choice but continued to argue that some voters feel desperate.

After spending a day talking with Coaldale voters, it seems to me the anger Obama described in his now controversial comments might not have been too far off the mark.

"It's time for the politicians to come down to our level," said Ruth Weiss during the lunch hour at Tommy's, Coaldale's only casual eatery among a row of shuttered shops and next to a 60-year-old movie theater that has survived.

"People can't afford food. I'm paying for oil for the restaurant out of my own Social Security check."

Ruth and her husband, Tommy, describe their small pizza and sub restaurant on East Phillips Street as a "country store," a place where the regulars can gather to talk, share a meal or -- as is the case lately -- sip a cup of coffee.

"This is my business, but people can't afford it," said Ruth. She detailed the myriad of problems she and others are facing -- rising gas prices, increased taxes, out of control food and prescription costs. It is no wonder, she said, people can't afford lunch or dinner at the restaurant they've owned for 25 years.

Coaldale's history

I did not find Coaldale's quiet streets by accident. My Russian Orthodox grandmother was born here and some family still lives in and around the house on Fisher Avenue where she and her nine siblings grew up while their father worked the mines.

Coaldale, like many other small Pennsylvania communities, has seen better times. Back in the 1930s, when the surrounding hills were bustling with anthracite mining, around 7,000 people lived here.

By the 1950s, the mines were closing. In the 30 years that followed, the garment factories in and around town shut down.

Today, many of Coaldale's residents are elderly and on fixed incomes. The cost of living is low, so there is the occasional new neighbor, but the shrinking population and tough economic times could force the closure of several churches, forcing people to worship elsewhere.

Without a grocery store or a single stoplight, my great-uncle John Zenzel frequently jokes, "Coaldale is more boring than Mayberry."

Coaldale and the '08 election

Claire Remington, Coaldale's mayor since 2001 and lifelong resident, said her constituents are "tightlipped" about who will get their vote in the primary. On a drive through town, only a "Ron Paul for President" yard sign could be found.

Remington says the town is roughly split between Democrats and Republicans, a change from past elections.

Historically, Coaldale -- like Schuylkill County at-large -- has leaned Republican.

This election season, however, the county has mirrored trends across the state -- more voters switching to the Democratic Party and more new voters registering as Democrats.

"I'm a die-hard Republican, but I have to say this year things are going to be a little different for me," said Remington, who is part of the town's tight-knit Russian Orthodox community. "The party is going to be upset with me, but I feel that we need a change."

At this point Remington plans to cast a write-in vote for Obama in the primary. She joins her husband, Otis, in supporting Obama.

"This time around I'm dead set against voting for Hillary Clinton," said Otis, a longtime Democrat and retired Navy reservist. "As far as Barack goes, he's young, he's inexperienced, he's new, but I think given a chance he could be a good president."

Claire said she is reluctant to advertise her support for Obama in the form of a yard sign because she fears her neighbors would think she is supporting him because Otis is African-American. Claire is white.

The two conceded race is an underlying factor in voters' decisions, and both cited the state's rainbow of immigrant ethnic groups and Gov. Ed Rendell's comment that an African-American might have trouble winning statewide.

"I do think he's right," she said. "I hope he's wrong, though."

Both Otis and Claire describe a visceral reaction to Clinton. They say they can't shake the memories of Whitewater or the belief that President Bill Clinton could have done more for the military during his time in the White House.

Back down the hill at Tommy's, Ruth and Tommy Weiss will gladly cast their primary ballot for Clinton. Tommy says Obama is an unknown and believes Clinton will be a "good start, although we don't expect her to do everything."

They are both comforted by the fact that Bill Clinton would play some role in his wife's administration -- but they want her to have the final say.

"She'll hold him at bay when she needs to," said Tommy. Neither of the Weisses could say for sure they would vote for Obama if he were their party's nominee in November.

John Zenzel, a World War II Navy veteran, has been waiting "a long time" to vote for Clinton. He believes she deserves "another chance" to revamp health care, something he is banking on as his yearly health insurance costs approach $3,000.

advertisement

Zenzel, 82, still lives in the house where he was born and raised. As the April 22 primary approaches, he is not banking on any of the candidates paying a visit to his sleepy town but that doesn't diminish his excitement or hope that a new president will ease the daily hardships that he and his neighbors face.

The last time Zenzel remembers a White House aspirant coming anywhere near the borough was in 1960 when John F. Kennedy drove through nearby Hometown and Tamaqua. Zenzel remembers waiting on the street and jumping through the crowd to shake Kennedy's hand.

Source

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I watched the the live coverage of the Faith in Public Life's Compassion Forum at Messiah College yesterday. I didn't catch when Hillary had spoken earlier but listening to Obama answer questions from the audience was refreshing for me. For one, I don't spend much time watching a lot of TV, so a lot of the news I get from the digital news media. Obama spoke somberly and frankly....there was no prepared speech. Setting aside whatever differences some may have with his political positions, a lot of Americans must see what I witnessed and it's truly remarkable. We could argue all day over the 3 remaining candidates in terms of their voting record or where they stand on issues, but Obama clearly stands out in terms of public persona and charisma and really can connect with the audience. Reagan and Bill Clinton had that quality and even GW Bush to a certain degree. For anyone here who's convinced he would be the worst thing for our country needs to stop convincing themselves about it long enough to take time to actually listen to him - watch how he connects with his audience. People like that don't come around that often which is one of the biggest reasons that has convinced me he'll be our next President.

[kaydee457 13]

All we have here is an unfortunate choice of words describing a very real situation. This useless attack will come back and haunt J&H McBillary because elitist and out-of-touch are those that fail to see the very real pain in America today. An America where, for the first time in history and at the brink of the recession we now enter, the most people realize that they did not benefit from the last economic upswing even though it provided solid growth rates quarter after quarter. Most Americans are worse off now than they were 5 years ago. That hurts, it is frustrating and it makes people think long and hard about what's gone wrong with this country and what to do about it. Case in point: Coaldale, PA.

Behind the Scene: Small-town voters talk economic pain, politics

CNN Senior Producer Sasha Johnson traveled to Coaldale, Pennsylvania, to talk to voters, including some members of her extended family, about how a typical small town like Coaldale might vote in 2008 and what issues are on their minds.

COALDALE, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- Coaldale is a borough of 2,200, nestled in the anthracite-rich mountains in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania.

It's exactly the type of place Sen. Barack Obama referenced last week when he said some Pennsylvanians were "bitter" over their poor economic situation.

Obama said he regretted the word choice but continued to argue that some voters feel desperate.

After spending a day talking with Coaldale voters, it seems to me the anger Obama described in his now controversial comments might not have been too far off the mark.

"It's time for the politicians to come down to our level," said Ruth Weiss during the lunch hour at Tommy's, Coaldale's only casual eatery among a row of shuttered shops and next to a 60-year-old movie theater that has survived.

"People can't afford food. I'm paying for oil for the restaurant out of my own Social Security check."

Ruth and her husband, Tommy, describe their small pizza and sub restaurant on East Phillips Street as a "country store," a place where the regulars can gather to talk, share a meal or -- as is the case lately -- sip a cup of coffee.

"This is my business, but people can't afford it," said Ruth. She detailed the myriad of problems she and others are facing -- rising gas prices, increased taxes, out of control food and prescription costs. It is no wonder, she said, people can't afford lunch or dinner at the restaurant they've owned for 25 years.

Coaldale's history

I did not find Coaldale's quiet streets by accident. My Russian Orthodox grandmother was born here and some family still lives in and around the house on Fisher Avenue where she and her nine siblings grew up while their father worked the mines.

Coaldale, like many other small Pennsylvania communities, has seen better times. Back in the 1930s, when the surrounding hills were bustling with anthracite mining, around 7,000 people lived here.

By the 1950s, the mines were closing. In the 30 years that followed, the garment factories in and around town shut down.

Today, many of Coaldale's residents are elderly and on fixed incomes. The cost of living is low, so there is the occasional new neighbor, but the shrinking population and tough economic times could force the closure of several churches, forcing people to worship elsewhere.

Without a grocery store or a single stoplight, my great-uncle John Zenzel frequently jokes, "Coaldale is more boring than Mayberry."

Coaldale and the '08 election

Claire Remington, Coaldale's mayor since 2001 and lifelong resident, said her constituents are "tightlipped" about who will get their vote in the primary. On a drive through town, only a "Ron Paul for President" yard sign could be found.

Remington says the town is roughly split between Democrats and Republicans, a change from past elections.

Historically, Coaldale -- like Schuylkill County at-large -- has leaned Republican.

This election season, however, the county has mirrored trends across the state -- more voters switching to the Democratic Party and more new voters registering as Democrats.

"I'm a die-hard Republican, but I have to say this year things are going to be a little different for me," said Remington, who is part of the town's tight-knit Russian Orthodox community. "The party is going to be upset with me, but I feel that we need a change."

At this point Remington plans to cast a write-in vote for Obama in the primary. She joins her husband, Otis, in supporting Obama.

"This time around I'm dead set against voting for Hillary Clinton," said Otis, a longtime Democrat and retired Navy reservist. "As far as Barack goes, he's young, he's inexperienced, he's new, but I think given a chance he could be a good president."

Claire said she is reluctant to advertise her support for Obama in the form of a yard sign because she fears her neighbors would think she is supporting him because Otis is African-American. Claire is white.

The two conceded race is an underlying factor in voters' decisions, and both cited the state's rainbow of immigrant ethnic groups and Gov. Ed Rendell's comment that an African-American might have trouble winning statewide.

"I do think he's right," she said. "I hope he's wrong, though."

Both Otis and Claire describe a visceral reaction to Clinton. They say they can't shake the memories of Whitewater or the belief that President Bill Clinton could have done more for the military during his time in the White House.

Back down the hill at Tommy's, Ruth and Tommy Weiss will gladly cast their primary ballot for Clinton. Tommy says Obama is an unknown and believes Clinton will be a "good start, although we don't expect her to do everything."

They are both comforted by the fact that Bill Clinton would play some role in his wife's administration -- but they want her to have the final say.

"She'll hold him at bay when she needs to," said Tommy. Neither of the Weisses could say for sure they would vote for Obama if he were their party's nominee in November.

John Zenzel, a World War II Navy veteran, has been waiting "a long time" to vote for Clinton. He believes she deserves "another chance" to revamp health care, something he is banking on as his yearly health insurance costs approach $3,000.

advertisement

Zenzel, 82, still lives in the house where he was born and raised. As the April 22 primary approaches, he is not banking on any of the candidates paying a visit to his sleepy town but that doesn't diminish his excitement or hope that a new president will ease the daily hardships that he and his neighbors face.

The last time Zenzel remembers a White House aspirant coming anywhere near the borough was in 1960 when John F. Kennedy drove through nearby Hometown and Tamaqua. Zenzel remembers waiting on the street and jumping through the crowd to shake Kennedy's hand.

Source

None of the above is relevant to Obama's assertions. What he said is that it's symptomatic of a digruntled middle america to "cling" to issues such as 'guns', anti-immigration (boils my blood when they omit ILLEGAL), antipathy, anti-gay rights, etc.........

You can spin it anyway you please, but these issues are not problems that Obama can to engineer a solution for, because they're not a "problem" at all.....These are simply issues that middle america cares about.

Liberals see cultural issues as "problems" when the prevailing POV goes against their own narrow beliefs.

At that time they start to analyze, cherry pick issues, and then try to find the "it" that's the cause of contention with their POV, because clearly something's wrong with middle america if they don't have the prevailing liberal POV.

It's hard to argue that he didn't mean exactly what he said, because what he said is so obvious.

Edited April 14, 2008 by kaydee457

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

All we have here is an unfortunate choice of words describing a very real situation. This useless attack will come back and haunt J&H McBillary because elitist and out-of-touch are those that fail to see the very real pain in America today. An America where, for the first time in history and at the brink of the recession we now enter, the most people realize that they did not benefit from the last economic upswing even though it provided solid growth rates quarter after quarter. Most Americans are worse off now than they were 5 years ago. That hurts, it is frustrating and it makes people think long and hard about what's gone wrong with this country and what to do about it. Case in point: Coaldale, PA.

Behind the Scene: Small-town voters talk economic pain, politics

CNN Senior Producer Sasha Johnson traveled to Coaldale, Pennsylvania, to talk to voters, including some members of her extended family, about how a typical small town like Coaldale might vote in 2008 and what issues are on their minds.

COALDALE, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- Coaldale is a borough of 2,200, nestled in the anthracite-rich mountains in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania.

It's exactly the type of place Sen. Barack Obama referenced last week when he said some Pennsylvanians were "bitter" over their poor economic situation.

Obama said he regretted the word choice but continued to argue that some voters feel desperate.

After spending a day talking with Coaldale voters, it seems to me the anger Obama described in his now controversial comments might not have been too far off the mark.

"It's time for the politicians to come down to our level," said Ruth Weiss during the lunch hour at Tommy's, Coaldale's only casual eatery among a row of shuttered shops and next to a 60-year-old movie theater that has survived.

"People can't afford food. I'm paying for oil for the restaurant out of my own Social Security check."

Ruth and her husband, Tommy, describe their small pizza and sub restaurant on East Phillips Street as a "country store," a place where the regulars can gather to talk, share a meal or -- as is the case lately -- sip a cup of coffee.

"This is my business, but people can't afford it," said Ruth. She detailed the myriad of problems she and others are facing -- rising gas prices, increased taxes, out of control food and prescription costs. It is no wonder, she said, people can't afford lunch or dinner at the restaurant they've owned for 25 years.

Coaldale's history

I did not find Coaldale's quiet streets by accident. My Russian Orthodox grandmother was born here and some family still lives in and around the house on Fisher Avenue where she and her nine siblings grew up while their father worked the mines.

Coaldale, like many other small Pennsylvania communities, has seen better times. Back in the 1930s, when the surrounding hills were bustling with anthracite mining, around 7,000 people lived here.

By the 1950s, the mines were closing. In the 30 years that followed, the garment factories in and around town shut down.

Today, many of Coaldale's residents are elderly and on fixed incomes. The cost of living is low, so there is the occasional new neighbor, but the shrinking population and tough economic times could force the closure of several churches, forcing people to worship elsewhere.

Without a grocery store or a single stoplight, my great-uncle John Zenzel frequently jokes, "Coaldale is more boring than Mayberry."

Coaldale and the '08 election

Claire Remington, Coaldale's mayor since 2001 and lifelong resident, said her constituents are "tightlipped" about who will get their vote in the primary. On a drive through town, only a "Ron Paul for President" yard sign could be found.

Remington says the town is roughly split between Democrats and Republicans, a change from past elections.

Historically, Coaldale -- like Schuylkill County at-large -- has leaned Republican.

This election season, however, the county has mirrored trends across the state -- more voters switching to the Democratic Party and more new voters registering as Democrats.

"I'm a die-hard Republican, but I have to say this year things are going to be a little different for me," said Remington, who is part of the town's tight-knit Russian Orthodox community. "The party is going to be upset with me, but I feel that we need a change."

At this point Remington plans to cast a write-in vote for Obama in the primary. She joins her husband, Otis, in supporting Obama.

"This time around I'm dead set against voting for Hillary Clinton," said Otis, a longtime Democrat and retired Navy reservist. "As far as Barack goes, he's young, he's inexperienced, he's new, but I think given a chance he could be a good president."

Claire said she is reluctant to advertise her support for Obama in the form of a yard sign because she fears her neighbors would think she is supporting him because Otis is African-American. Claire is white.

The two conceded race is an underlying factor in voters' decisions, and both cited the state's rainbow of immigrant ethnic groups and Gov. Ed Rendell's comment that an African-American might have trouble winning statewide.

"I do think he's right," she said. "I hope he's wrong, though."

Both Otis and Claire describe a visceral reaction to Clinton. They say they can't shake the memories of Whitewater or the belief that President Bill Clinton could have done more for the military during his time in the White House.

Back down the hill at Tommy's, Ruth and Tommy Weiss will gladly cast their primary ballot for Clinton. Tommy says Obama is an unknown and believes Clinton will be a "good start, although we don't expect her to do everything."

They are both comforted by the fact that Bill Clinton would play some role in his wife's administration -- but they want her to have the final say.

"She'll hold him at bay when she needs to," said Tommy. Neither of the Weisses could say for sure they would vote for Obama if he were their party's nominee in November.

John Zenzel, a World War II Navy veteran, has been waiting "a long time" to vote for Clinton. He believes she deserves "another chance" to revamp health care, something he is banking on as his yearly health insurance costs approach $3,000.

advertisement

Zenzel, 82, still lives in the house where he was born and raised. As the April 22 primary approaches, he is not banking on any of the candidates paying a visit to his sleepy town but that doesn't diminish his excitement or hope that a new president will ease the daily hardships that he and his neighbors face.

The last time Zenzel remembers a White House aspirant coming anywhere near the borough was in 1960 when John F. Kennedy drove through nearby Hometown and Tamaqua. Zenzel remembers waiting on the street and jumping through the crowd to shake Kennedy's hand.

Source

None of the above is relevant to Obama's assertions. What he said is that it's symptomatic of a digruntled middle america to "cling" to issues such as 'guns', anti-immigration (boils my blood when they omit ILLEGAL), antipathy, anti-gay rights, etc.........

So you like to cling to an unfortunate choice of words that leaves him open for this tyope of nonsensical attack and interpretation because you don't understand what he actually talks about? Or do you just want to get additional hate mileage out of this? Either way, the man said what he was looking to address - a very real frustration that exists about a very real unfairness in America. How you feel about it doesn't exactly matter since you'd not ever consider voting anything but Republican anyways.

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

All we have here is an unfortunate choice of words describing a very real situation. This useless attack will come back and haunt J&H McBillary because elitist and out-of-touch are those that fail to see the very real pain in America today. An America where, for the first time in history and at the brink of the recession we now enter, the most people realize that they did not benefit from the last economic upswing even though it provided solid growth rates quarter after quarter. Most Americans are worse off now than they were 5 years ago. That hurts, it is frustrating and it makes people think long and hard about what's gone wrong with this country and what to do about it. Case in point: Coaldale, PA.

Behind the Scene: Small-town voters talk economic pain, politics

CNN Senior Producer Sasha Johnson traveled to Coaldale, Pennsylvania, to talk to voters, including some members of her extended family, about how a typical small town like Coaldale might vote in 2008 and what issues are on their minds.

COALDALE, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- Coaldale is a borough of 2,200, nestled in the anthracite-rich mountains in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania.

It's exactly the type of place Sen. Barack Obama referenced last week when he said some Pennsylvanians were "bitter" over their poor economic situation.

Obama said he regretted the word choice but continued to argue that some voters feel desperate.

After spending a day talking with Coaldale voters, it seems to me the anger Obama described in his now controversial comments might not have been too far off the mark.

"It's time for the politicians to come down to our level," said Ruth Weiss during the lunch hour at Tommy's, Coaldale's only casual eatery among a row of shuttered shops and next to a 60-year-old movie theater that has survived.

"People can't afford food. I'm paying for oil for the restaurant out of my own Social Security check."

Ruth and her husband, Tommy, describe their small pizza and sub restaurant on East Phillips Street as a "country store," a place where the regulars can gather to talk, share a meal or -- as is the case lately -- sip a cup of coffee.

"This is my business, but people can't afford it," said Ruth. She detailed the myriad of problems she and others are facing -- rising gas prices, increased taxes, out of control food and prescription costs. It is no wonder, she said, people can't afford lunch or dinner at the restaurant they've owned for 25 years.

Coaldale's history

I did not find Coaldale's quiet streets by accident. My Russian Orthodox grandmother was born here and some family still lives in and around the house on Fisher Avenue where she and her nine siblings grew up while their father worked the mines.

Coaldale, like many other small Pennsylvania communities, has seen better times. Back in the 1930s, when the surrounding hills were bustling with anthracite mining, around 7,000 people lived here.

By the 1950s, the mines were closing. In the 30 years that followed, the garment factories in and around town shut down.

Today, many of Coaldale's residents are elderly and on fixed incomes. The cost of living is low, so there is the occasional new neighbor, but the shrinking population and tough economic times could force the closure of several churches, forcing people to worship elsewhere.

Without a grocery store or a single stoplight, my great-uncle John Zenzel frequently jokes, "Coaldale is more boring than Mayberry."

Coaldale and the '08 election

Claire Remington, Coaldale's mayor since 2001 and lifelong resident, said her constituents are "tightlipped" about who will get their vote in the primary. On a drive through town, only a "Ron Paul for President" yard sign could be found.

Remington says the town is roughly split between Democrats and Republicans, a change from past elections.

Historically, Coaldale -- like Schuylkill County at-large -- has leaned Republican.

This election season, however, the county has mirrored trends across the state -- more voters switching to the Democratic Party and more new voters registering as Democrats.

"I'm a die-hard Republican, but I have to say this year things are going to be a little different for me," said Remington, who is part of the town's tight-knit Russian Orthodox community. "The party is going to be upset with me, but I feel that we need a change."

At this point Remington plans to cast a write-in vote for Obama in the primary. She joins her husband, Otis, in supporting Obama.

"This time around I'm dead set against voting for Hillary Clinton," said Otis, a longtime Democrat and retired Navy reservist. "As far as Barack goes, he's young, he's inexperienced, he's new, but I think given a chance he could be a good president."

Claire said she is reluctant to advertise her support for Obama in the form of a yard sign because she fears her neighbors would think she is supporting him because Otis is African-American. Claire is white.

The two conceded race is an underlying factor in voters' decisions, and both cited the state's rainbow of immigrant ethnic groups and Gov. Ed Rendell's comment that an African-American might have trouble winning statewide.

"I do think he's right," she said. "I hope he's wrong, though."

Both Otis and Claire describe a visceral reaction to Clinton. They say they can't shake the memories of Whitewater or the belief that President Bill Clinton could have done more for the military during his time in the White House.

Back down the hill at Tommy's, Ruth and Tommy Weiss will gladly cast their primary ballot for Clinton. Tommy says Obama is an unknown and believes Clinton will be a "good start, although we don't expect her to do everything."

They are both comforted by the fact that Bill Clinton would play some role in his wife's administration -- but they want her to have the final say.

"She'll hold him at bay when she needs to," said Tommy. Neither of the Weisses could say for sure they would vote for Obama if he were their party's nominee in November.

John Zenzel, a World War II Navy veteran, has been waiting "a long time" to vote for Clinton. He believes she deserves "another chance" to revamp health care, something he is banking on as his yearly health insurance costs approach $3,000.

advertisement

Zenzel, 82, still lives in the house where he was born and raised. As the April 22 primary approaches, he is not banking on any of the candidates paying a visit to his sleepy town but that doesn't diminish his excitement or hope that a new president will ease the daily hardships that he and his neighbors face.

The last time Zenzel remembers a White House aspirant coming anywhere near the borough was in 1960 when John F. Kennedy drove through nearby Hometown and Tamaqua. Zenzel remembers waiting on the street and jumping through the crowd to shake Kennedy's hand.

Source

None of the above is relevant to Obama's assertions. What he said is that it's symptomatic of a digruntled middle america to "cling" to issues such as 'guns', anti-immigration (boils my blood when they omit ILLEGAL), antipathy, anti-gay rights, etc.........

So you like to cling to an unfortunate choice of words that leaves him open for this tyope of nonsensical attack and interpretation because you don't understand what he actually talks about? Or do you just want to get additional hate mileage out of this? Either way, the man said what he was looking to address - a very real frustration that exists about a very real unfairness in America. How you feel about it doesn't exactly matter since you'd not ever consider voting anything but Republican anyways.

Unfortunate choice of words? Youve turned into a blathering apoligist, blinded by denial! Reinhard you have got to be kidding. Your hate o meter for Bush has rolled over I dont know how many times. Condemning others for hate speech,All the while being the master of hateful remarks towards Bush.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Unfortunate choice of words? Youve turned into a blathering apoligist, blinded by denial! Reinhard you have got to be kidding. Your hate o meter for Bush has rolled over I dont know how many times. Condemning others for hate speech,All the while being the master of hateful remarks towards Bush.

I have criticized and will continue to criticize Bush for his lies and his failed policies. I have and will continue to criticize him for his disregard of international law and order and for his illegally waged war against Iraq. I will criticize him for the tens of thousands of lives that his illegal attack upon Iraq has managed to snuff out and destroy. I don't like war mongers. And Bush most certainly is one.

Talking about an unfortunate choice of words, Bush has had many of those type episodes - seeing that giving good speeches isn't his bag - and not once has anyone uselessly and hatefully harped on about it as is the case here. Not once.

[kaydee457 13]

All we have here is an unfortunate choice of words describing a very real situation. This useless attack will come back and haunt J&H McBillary because elitist and out-of-touch are those that fail to see the very real pain in America today. An America where, for the first time in history and at the brink of the recession we now enter, the most people realize that they did not benefit from the last economic upswing even though it provided solid growth rates quarter after quarter. Most Americans are worse off now than they were 5 years ago. That hurts, it is frustrating and it makes people think long and hard about what's gone wrong with this country and what to do about it. Case in point: Coaldale, PA.

Behind the Scene: Small-town voters talk economic pain, politics

CNN Senior Producer Sasha Johnson traveled to Coaldale, Pennsylvania, to talk to voters, including some members of her extended family, about how a typical small town like Coaldale might vote in 2008 and what issues are on their minds.

COALDALE, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- Coaldale is a borough of 2,200, nestled in the anthracite-rich mountains in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania.

It's exactly the type of place Sen. Barack Obama referenced last week when he said some Pennsylvanians were "bitter" over their poor economic situation.

Obama said he regretted the word choice but continued to argue that some voters feel desperate.

After spending a day talking with Coaldale voters, it seems to me the anger Obama described in his now controversial comments might not have been too far off the mark.

"It's time for the politicians to come down to our level," said Ruth Weiss during the lunch hour at Tommy's, Coaldale's only casual eatery among a row of shuttered shops and next to a 60-year-old movie theater that has survived.

"People can't afford food. I'm paying for oil for the restaurant out of my own Social Security check."

Ruth and her husband, Tommy, describe their small pizza and sub restaurant on East Phillips Street as a "country store," a place where the regulars can gather to talk, share a meal or -- as is the case lately -- sip a cup of coffee.

"This is my business, but people can't afford it," said Ruth. She detailed the myriad of problems she and others are facing -- rising gas prices, increased taxes, out of control food and prescription costs. It is no wonder, she said, people can't afford lunch or dinner at the restaurant they've owned for 25 years.

Coaldale's history

I did not find Coaldale's quiet streets by accident. My Russian Orthodox grandmother was born here and some family still lives in and around the house on Fisher Avenue where she and her nine siblings grew up while their father worked the mines.

Coaldale, like many other small Pennsylvania communities, has seen better times. Back in the 1930s, when the surrounding hills were bustling with anthracite mining, around 7,000 people lived here.

By the 1950s, the mines were closing. In the 30 years that followed, the garment factories in and around town shut down.

Today, many of Coaldale's residents are elderly and on fixed incomes. The cost of living is low, so there is the occasional new neighbor, but the shrinking population and tough economic times could force the closure of several churches, forcing people to worship elsewhere.

Without a grocery store or a single stoplight, my great-uncle John Zenzel frequently jokes, "Coaldale is more boring than Mayberry."

Coaldale and the '08 election

Claire Remington, Coaldale's mayor since 2001 and lifelong resident, said her constituents are "tightlipped" about who will get their vote in the primary. On a drive through town, only a "Ron Paul for President" yard sign could be found.

Remington says the town is roughly split between Democrats and Republicans, a change from past elections.

Historically, Coaldale -- like Schuylkill County at-large -- has leaned Republican.

This election season, however, the county has mirrored trends across the state -- more voters switching to the Democratic Party and more new voters registering as Democrats.

"I'm a die-hard Republican, but I have to say this year things are going to be a little different for me," said Remington, who is part of the town's tight-knit Russian Orthodox community. "The party is going to be upset with me, but I feel that we need a change."

At this point Remington plans to cast a write-in vote for Obama in the primary. She joins her husband, Otis, in supporting Obama.

"This time around I'm dead set against voting for Hillary Clinton," said Otis, a longtime Democrat and retired Navy reservist. "As far as Barack goes, he's young, he's inexperienced, he's new, but I think given a chance he could be a good president."

Claire said she is reluctant to advertise her support for Obama in the form of a yard sign because she fears her neighbors would think she is supporting him because Otis is African-American. Claire is white.

The two conceded race is an underlying factor in voters' decisions, and both cited the state's rainbow of immigrant ethnic groups and Gov. Ed Rendell's comment that an African-American might have trouble winning statewide.

"I do think he's right," she said. "I hope he's wrong, though."

Both Otis and Claire describe a visceral reaction to Clinton. They say they can't shake the memories of Whitewater or the belief that President Bill Clinton could have done more for the military during his time in the White House.

Back down the hill at Tommy's, Ruth and Tommy Weiss will gladly cast their primary ballot for Clinton. Tommy says Obama is an unknown and believes Clinton will be a "good start, although we don't expect her to do everything."

They are both comforted by the fact that Bill Clinton would play some role in his wife's administration -- but they want her to have the final say.

"She'll hold him at bay when she needs to," said Tommy. Neither of the Weisses could say for sure they would vote for Obama if he were their party's nominee in November.

John Zenzel, a World War II Navy veteran, has been waiting "a long time" to vote for Clinton. He believes she deserves "another chance" to revamp health care, something he is banking on as his yearly health insurance costs approach $3,000.

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Zenzel, 82, still lives in the house where he was born and raised. As the April 22 primary approaches, he is not banking on any of the candidates paying a visit to his sleepy town but that doesn't diminish his excitement or hope that a new president will ease the daily hardships that he and his neighbors face.

The last time Zenzel remembers a White House aspirant coming anywhere near the borough was in 1960 when John F. Kennedy drove through nearby Hometown and Tamaqua. Zenzel remembers waiting on the street and jumping through the crowd to shake Kennedy's hand.

Source

None of the above is relevant to Obama's assertions. What he said is that it's symptomatic of a digruntled middle america to "cling" to issues such as 'guns', anti-immigration (boils my blood when they omit ILLEGAL), antipathy, anti-gay rights, etc.........

So you like to cling to an unfortunate choice of words that leaves him open for this tyope of nonsensical attack and interpretation because you don't understand what he actually talks about? Or do you just want to get additional hate mileage out of this? Either way, the man said what he was looking to address - a very real frustration that exists about a very real unfairness in America. How you feel about it doesn't exactly matter since you'd not ever consider voting anything but Republican anyways.

Au contriare.....I know exactly what he said, and that's the point! It's he, Obama, after the fact trying to divert what he said to the symptomatic issues he believes that make middle america "bitter", and misguided bumpkins they are, go against what he perceives as important..........

There's no ambiguity in what he said, or how he said it, and no mistake who his immediate audience was.....

[kaydee457 13]

Unfortunate choice of words? Youve turned into a blathering apoligist, blinded by denial! Reinhard you have got to be kidding. Your hate o meter for Bush has rolled over I dont know how many times. Condemning others for hate speech,All the while being the master of hateful remarks towards Bush.

I have criticized and will continue to criticize Bush for his lies and his failed policies. I have and will continue to criticize him for his disregard of international law and order and for his illegally waged war against Iraq. I will criticize him for the tens of thousands of lives that his illegal attack upon Iraq has managed to snuff out and destroy. I don't like war mongers. And Bush most certainly is one.

Talking about an unfortunate choice of words, Bush has had many of those type episodes - seeing that giving good speeches isn't his bag - and not once has anyone uselessly and hatefully harped on about it as is the case here. Not once.

Please reference a single instance whereby Bush condescendingly talked down to an entire group of people based on what he perceives as the symptomatic cause of their percieved ignorance and apparent rejection of the cause celebre of the moment.

You, as well as I know that to be untrue as he would have been crucified in the media.........

Edited April 14, 2008 by kaydee457

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

Unfortunate choice of words? Youve turned into a blathering apoligist, blinded by denial! Reinhard you have got to be kidding. Your hate o meter for Bush has rolled over I dont know how many times. Condemning others for hate speech,All the while being the master of hateful remarks towards Bush.

I have criticized and will continue to criticize Bush for his lies and his failed policies. I have and will continue to criticize him for his disregard of international law and order and for his illegally waged war against Iraq. I will criticize him for the tens of thousands of lives that his illegal attack upon Iraq has managed to snuff out and destroy. I don't like war mongers. And Bush most certainly is one.

Talking about an unfortunate choice of words, Bush has had many of those type episodes - seeing that giving good speeches isn't his bag - and not once has anyone uselessly and hatefully harped on about it as is the case here. Not once.

Hated is more like it. Nice how you lighten-up on the words about Bush. Barack lies and its "unfortunate"

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Unfortunate choice of words? Youve turned into a blathering apoligist, blinded by denial! Reinhard you have got to be kidding. Your hate o meter for Bush has rolled over I dont know how many times. Condemning others for hate speech,All the while being the master of hateful remarks towards Bush.

I have criticized and will continue to criticize Bush for his lies and his failed policies. I have and will continue to criticize him for his disregard of international law and order and for his illegally waged war against Iraq. I will criticize him for the tens of thousands of lives that his illegal attack upon Iraq has managed to snuff out and destroy. I don't like war mongers. And Bush most certainly is one.

Talking about an unfortunate choice of words, Bush has had many of those type episodes - seeing that giving good speeches isn't his bag - and not once has anyone uselessly and hatefully harped on about it as is the case here. Not once.

Please reference a single instance whereby Bush condescendingly talked down to an entire group of people based on what he perceives as the symptomatic cause of their percieved ignorance and apparent rejection of the cause celebre of the moment.

You can run around your little cirle all you want. I won't join you, though.