McCain, Obama in 'this neck of the woods': The Swamp

Posted April 23, 2008 5:30 PM

by Mark Silva

Jack Kemp, onetime candidate for president and quarterback for the Buffalo Bills and now an adviser to Sen. John McCain's campaign, says McCain's tour through an impoverished reach of Kentucky today demonstrates something new and welcome in a Republican candidate.

And McCain, who has complained that North Carolina's Republican Party is going over the top in displaying the fiery words of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright in a TV ad about Barack Obama, was happy to have a host in Kentucky today talking about those "bitter'' words of Obama's, first uttered at a fundraiser in San Franciso.

"You have a right to expect that the people you elect to office will help and not hinder your efforts to make a better future for your communities,'' McCain said in Inez.

"I think he's doing something phenomenal for a Republican candiate,'' Kemp told MSNBC today. "Probably not since Dwight Eisenhower has a Republican candidate appealed to so many people across party lines... Going to Selma, going to Apalachia...''

In Inez today, state Sen. Brandon Smith (R-Ky.) rose at McCain's "town hall'' meeting to say: "Recently Sen. Obama directed some comments that I took personally for our region. He labeled us as being bitter and then pointed out for his case that we hide behind our guns and religion here. As someone who represents this area as a senator here I took personal offense, but I wondered how you feel about this."

McCain asked: "Do you think those comments reflect the views of your constituents?"

"I think it reflects the views of somebody who doesn't understand this neck of the woods -- is what I think it reflects," Smith said. The audience was happy. So was McCain.

Comments

Obama will never get to be President...His Rev. Wright legacy will haunt him forever....He should quit now so HRC can beat McCain in Nov. and we can finally once again have a Democrat for President.....

Posted by: kaye m. | April 23, 2008 5:45 PM

Call them rednecks if you want. Rural people - many of "Scots-Irish" heritage, have always been part of the backbone of the American military, along with other Americans of limited economic means. As Pioneers and Settlers, they passed through the Cumberland Gap in search of something better. While that brought them into conflict with Native Americans, they adopted many native customs to survive. They were sacrificed on both sides of the Civil War and every military adventure since. They have shared the pain of economic and educational disadvantages with rural Black Americans. Their experience is the experience of rural immigrants from Mexico and Latin America. Sen. Jim Webb recognized the contributions of these patriotic Americans and John Edwards tried to exploit them. His trouble was he thought Organized Labor represented workers. John McCain knows better.

Posted by: indemocrat | April 23, 2008 6:20 PM

I can't wait for Cliton to get her butt kicked in NC and Ind, so that we can finally get rid of all the (see above) toothless, white trailertrash that continues to stink up blogs like this on.....and on a thread about McCain no less..

http://www.zazzle.com/hillarysucks_shirt-235236084307925150

Posted by: Katherine | April 23, 2008 7:17 PM

What are we having here: Act III of McBush, with directorial assistance by the incomparable and incompetent J. Kemp. Let the farce begin!! Senator Obama will have them laughed off the national stage!!!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE. NOW.

Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, Chicago | April 23, 2008 7:22 PM

Obama will become president and be successful in bringing true Americans together as one nation. The rest of the people will continue to bask in the vacuum of their own ignorance and their indifference to the bigger need for this nation to put aside the divisive elements in this society. Religion is the most divisive and people do cling to their religion. Why is that so upsetting? People do cling to gun issues, and they cling to the belief that they need to give people who are different a good long look. The mind numbing fact is that the very people who have lasered in on the 1 or 2 thought provoking, perceived mistakes of Obama, are not going to be helped by the candidates they find preferable. You can count on that. Maybe America deserves the likes of Hillary Clinton or John McCain running this country, neither of whom has expressed any kind of inspiration vision of where we need to go as a nation. Maybe America has reached a point in our history when we do not deserve someone like Obama.

Posted by: GW | April 23, 2008 7:30 PM

Yep and McCain is probably going to lose just as bad as Kemp did in his Presidential bids.

Hey Indiana and North Carolina!!!

Clinton just said that you are small states that don't matter:

Clinton fails to realize that it's HER that doesn't matter anymore:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBGyuYKlxIg

Posted by: toothless feminist nazi's | April 23, 2008 8:01 PM

And how does a movement of uniters justify using words like'trailer trash;'?

Posted by: Tom | April 24, 2008 12:40 AM

The bitter, clingy people Obama talked about are generally not capable of the kind of self-analysis that would reveal the realities of their existence and the way the political world plays upon that. They are resistant both to change and to people who are not like them. Obama spoke truth, if somewhat inartfully. As far as I am concerned, I prefer truth-talking politicians to liars. I've worked in government for 25 years and I don't like lying politicians who pander to the lowest common denominator.

Posted by: K_Hussein | April 24, 2008 6:52 AM