PA CLINTON SUPPORTERS TEAR INTO OBAMA OVER WEST COAST REMARKS

PA CLINTON SUPPORTERS TEAR INTO OBAMA OVER WEST COAST REMARKS

By Peter Glasser
The Weekly Recorder
April 14, 2008

Senator Hillary Clinton’s campaign held another Saturday press conference on April 12th. Unlike the previous weekend conference, this one was not dominated by campaign staff and officials from outside the state. Except for former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, all the speakers were current mayors of Pennsylvania municipalities- Mayors Dougherty of Scranton, Lucas of Sharon, Callahan of Bethlehem, Leyton of Wilkes Barre and Reid of Harrisburg.

The topic was Barack Obama’s comments at a fund raiser in San Francisco that many Pennsylvania voters are bitter about economic matters, and, as a result of this bitterness, cling to religion, guns, and anti immigration views.

One after another, the Pennsylvania mayors at the press conference labeled Obama’s comments “hurtful, divisive and condescending” and “showed a lack of judgment and understanding of the people of Pennsylvania who live in smaller cities, towns and rural areas”. Several commented that words such as these will “make great ammunition” for use by the Republican Party if Senator Obama obtains the Democratic Party’s nomination for President.

But beyond the mayors’ statements themselves, which was to be expected given that it was a Clinton news conference containing Clinton supporters, there was a tone of anger in many of the comments.

Mayor Reid of Harrisburg seemed to sum up what many in the group were feeling. He said, “What is most telling is that Senator Obama’s comments were made thousands of miles away from us, in a very upscale environment, when he didn’t think any of us ordinary Pennsylvanians were listening.”