Friday, April 11, 2008

Obama trashes small-town America

Jaw-droppingly stupid:
“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 nothing’s replaced them,” Obama said. “And they fell through the Clinton Administration, and the Bush Administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. 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.”
He said this at a fundraiser in Pennsylvania, according to the Huffington Post. Michelle Malkin says:
Instead of hard-working, patriotic, faithful Americans, he sees “bitter,” “frustrated,” resentful scary people whom he’ll diss while sipping Chardonay in Baghdad by the Bay.
If you haven't studied Marxism, you may not understand that what Obama was doing was viewing Pennsylvania politics through the lens of "historical materialism." His opinions very much reflect the analysis of Theodor Adorno and the Frankfurt School.

Who was it that said that Obama's Marxist background was irrelevant?

UPDATE: Let's get into the Marxist angle on this thing, because I think it's important to understand, especially for readers too young to remember the Evil Empire, the Cold War, etc.

OK, when I say that Obama was viewing the situation in small-town Pennsylvania through the lens of historical materialism, I refer to the fundamental doctrine of Marxism, which can be summed up thus:

  • (a) there is no God nor any other supernatural cause in human affairs; therefore
  • (b) material causes -- especially including economics and technological changes -- are the only causes for historical, social and political developments; therefore
  • (c) when we see some development (e.g., religious warfare) that appears to be rooted in non-material causes, we should look for the underlying material reality -- the economic or technological factors that are the real causes.
This is where the old communist propaganda phrase "false consciousness" comes from: The oppressed poor fail to have true (class) consciousness because they are blinded by religion, national identity, etc. To the Marxist, these are "prejudices" or "sentimental myths," promoted by the ruling classes in order to justify or defend their own rule.

As Obama applies the doctrine of historical materialism to small-town Pennsylvanians, they have succumbed to the "false consciousness" of Second Amendment rights, religious belief, etc., as an escape from the reality of their own economic oppression.

UPDATE II: Welcome Malkin readers. Unable to remember who had been scoffing at the relevance of Obama's Marxist background, I Googled and ... oops, it was Allahpundit.

Greg Ransom had noted that Obama's father was a socialist scholar, and Allah suggested this was a guilt-by-association trip, a witchhunt against "congenital bolshevism." I joined the facetious mockery.

But then Ace of Spades called our attention to the fact that Obama's mentor, Frank Marshall Davis, was a genuine CPUSA member. Hmmmm.

And now, Obama gets up in front of a friendly audience of San Francisco leftists and sounds like Lenin at the Finland Station. Hmmmm.

Ace got this poster from Slublog:


The Russian slogan is, "Yes, we can!" Perhaps someone needs to come up with a new Obama slogan:

Democrats of the world unite!

You have nothing to lose . . .

but the election!

Speaking of elections -- the "false consciousness" of politics? -- John McCain's campaign has jumped on this Obama gaffe:

Asked to respond, McCain adviser Steve Schmidt called it a "remarkable statement and extremely revealing." "It shows an elitism and condescension towards hardworking Americans that is nothing short of breathtaking," Schmidt said. "It is hard to imagine someone running for president who is more out of touch with average Americans."

Team Hillary also jumped in:

"Pennsylvania doesn't need a president who looks down on them," she said at a rally in Philadelphia. "They need a president who stands up for them, who fights for them, who works hard for your futures, your jobs, your families."

BTW, what was up with Obama and that "anti-trade" remark? Both Obama and Hillary have been using protectionist rhetoric for weeks.

MORE BLOG REACTION HERE.

10 comments:

  1. If you say so... I guess. Color this small town guy NOT OFFENDED. I just don't feel it. And my gun doesn't either. :)

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  2. Both my guns sleep through the whole thing. I've read Senator Obama's remarks in full and in context. Are you saying that many Americans do not have fears about the economy and unfair trade. Are you saying that Conservative groups like the Minutemen are not afraid of illegal aliens.Are you saying that religion isn't something that people cling to for comfort, to help them deal with their fears.

    transcript is here
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com
    /mayhill-fowler/
    obama-no-surprise-that-ha_b_96188.html
    ?view=print

    ReplyDelete
  3. Previous commenter, and whomever else:

    Way to miss the point. And weasel out of the facts. Sigh. You're as out of touch as barak.

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  4. That is why you vett candidates! Obama is just a slick up Marxist who can spin a good yarn. He is a politican who will use anyone & anything to get ahead. It is funny he is using character & change in his campaign. I doubt he is anything but where is the wind blowing and how can it help me. He's good, but the middle is not that stupid to buy a big pile of Karl Marx.

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  5. It never ceases to amaze me how those who agree with the far left (Obama supporters, all) completely miss the significance of the condescending attitude of their leaders. They didn't drink the Kool-
    Aid, they MADE the Kool-Aid. The attitudes pre-existed Obama's campaign by decades.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous Fri Apr 11, 09:15:00 PM,

    People like him got the point.

    The one from the moonbat Obama worshipper standpoint.

    The point for them is that their messiah just uttered a campaign killing statement. They also understand it will kill any chances of him bamboozling all us "gun totin', bible thumpin', banjo playin', sister marryin', doublewide trailer livin' idiots" out here in "Jesusland" into voting for him if he gets the nomination.

    The point for them is that with just one stupid statement he bared his neck to Hillary. She will rip his throat out. There is no way she will quit and she will take the fight right to the convention floor. Obama just gave the nomination to Hillary.

    And the most important point is that the LLL moonbats know their days as "power brokers" in the Democratic party are coming to an end.

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  7. Nahanni, you nailed it. Only people who share Obama's moonbat perspective fail to see what a gaffe this was.

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  8. Just wanted to point out that the comment Obama made was at an invite-only fundraiser in the home of the ultra-elite -- San Francisco (not in PA).

    Pictures of his visit:

    http://www.zombietime.com/obama_visits_billionaires_row/

    ReplyDelete
  9. To the previous poster, I would say "who cares that he was speaking in California?"

    Talking trash about the citizens of one state while speaking to the citizens of another does not seem like the acts of a "uniter," now does it?

    Obama is nothing but a slick-talking snake-oil salesman. He has no solutions, only rethoric.

    ReplyDelete
  10. "The one from the moonbat Obama worshipper standpoint.

    The point for them is that their messiah just uttered a campaign killing statement."

    Oh really, Nahanni? And what's your take on this today?

    Really, the peurility of some people is amazing.

    ReplyDelete