Barack Obama is neither an elitist nor unpatriotic. But a growing number of voters seems to believe he is, so the Democratic candidate has a big problem to fix if he's going to be president next January.
The discourse about class and race and patriotism surrounding the Obama candidacy has been disheartening. Surprisingly, and disappointingly, Obama has been unable to do much to raise the level of discussion - an ability he touts as a reason for his candidacy.
It's time for Obama to display that talent. If he can't, he may not be the Democratic Party's nominee in August, let alone the next president.
Obama's comments at a San Francisco fund raiser - that small-town Pennsylvania residents suffering economic hard times are "bitter" and clinging to guns or religion, or anti-immigrant or anti-trade sentiment - have hurt him dearly, and unnecessarily. Obama admitted his choice of words was poor, and they were. But his message was spot on - that a growing number of Americans are, indeed, bitter about how the government has treated its citizens the past few decades. It is those who believe otherwise, not Obama, who is out of touch with small-town America. Hillary Rodham Clinton and John McCain are pandering to Americans' unwillingness to hear hard truths when they say that Americans aren't bitter, but "resilient." Many are both, actually.
But Clinton's pandering played better with Pennsylvania voters, and McCain has gained significant ground on Obama in national polling. So the "bitter" comment, initially botched by the candidate and then twisted and spun many times over by his opponents, is a problem for Obama.
So, too, is his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
Wright has made public appearances each of the past two days. No unbiased person who listened to either speech would call them offensive or hurtful to Obama's campaign. But sound bites without context and opponents' spin will make them so. That process began minutes after Wright's speech in Detroit ended Sunday night.
Obama's opponents paint Wright as unpatriotic, making the candidate guilty of the same by association. Few people mention that Wright served in the military, first as a Marine and then in the Navy. And even fewer have taken the time to listen to his speeches in full, to determine the context of the 30-second sound bites that have been broadcast over and over.
But exit polling in Pennsylvania suggests that the Rev. Wright's comments also hurt Obama with voters there. And it's going to be difficult for Obama to reconcile the sound bites Indiana and North Carolina voters are sure to see repeatedly between now and next Tuesday.
Is Obama being unfairly attacked? To a great extent, yes. Are those attacks "politics as usual?" Of course.
But Obama's campaign surged a couple of months ago on the promise he'd be the candidate who could bring the country out of "politics as usual" and raise the level of debate on difficult issues. If Obama becomes president, he is certain to face constant criticism and attacks - many of them unfair and "politics as usual" - just like his predecessors.
The tribulations he faces now as a candidate are an indicator of how he will handle similar adversity as president. If Obama is the candidate of change he says he is, he will rise above this fray and lead the discussions to a better place.
The discourse about class and race and patriotism surrounding the Obama candidacy has been disheartening. Surprisingly, and disappointingly, Obama has been unable to do much to raise the level of discussion - an ability he touts as a reason for his candidacy.
It's time for Obama to display that talent. If he can't, he may not be the Democratic Party's nominee in August, let alone the next president.
Obama's comments at a San Francisco fund raiser - that small-town Pennsylvania residents suffering economic hard times are "bitter" and clinging to guns or religion, or anti-immigrant or anti-trade sentiment - have hurt him dearly, and unnecessarily. Obama admitted his choice of words was poor, and they were. But his message was spot on - that a growing number of Americans are, indeed, bitter about how the government has treated its citizens the past few decades. It is those who believe otherwise, not Obama, who is out of touch with small-town America. Hillary Rodham Clinton and John McCain are pandering to Americans' unwillingness to hear hard truths when they say that Americans aren't bitter, but "resilient." Many are both, actually.
But Clinton's pandering played better with Pennsylvania voters, and McCain has gained significant ground on Obama in national polling. So the "bitter" comment, initially botched by the candidate and then twisted and spun many times over by his opponents, is a problem for Obama.
So, too, is his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
Wright has made public appearances each of the past two days. No unbiased person who listened to either speech would call them offensive or hurtful to Obama's campaign. But sound bites without context and opponents' spin will make them so. That process began minutes after Wright's speech in Detroit ended Sunday night.
Obama's opponents paint Wright as unpatriotic, making the candidate guilty of the same by association. Few people mention that Wright served in the military, first as a Marine and then in the Navy. And even fewer have taken the time to listen to his speeches in full, to determine the context of the 30-second sound bites that have been broadcast over and over.
But exit polling in Pennsylvania suggests that the Rev. Wright's comments also hurt Obama with voters there. And it's going to be difficult for Obama to reconcile the sound bites Indiana and North Carolina voters are sure to see repeatedly between now and next Tuesday.
Is Obama being unfairly attacked? To a great extent, yes. Are those attacks "politics as usual?" Of course.
But Obama's campaign surged a couple of months ago on the promise he'd be the candidate who could bring the country out of "politics as usual" and raise the level of debate on difficult issues. If Obama becomes president, he is certain to face constant criticism and attacks - many of them unfair and "politics as usual" - just like his predecessors.
The tribulations he faces now as a candidate are an indicator of how he will handle similar adversity as president. If Obama is the candidate of change he says he is, he will rise above this fray and lead the discussions to a better place.
