Looking at the responses from the Clinton Campaign in regard to the bitter issue:

First, let's contextualize the entire quote that she's responding to:

OBAMA: So, it depends on where you are, but I think it's fair to say
that the places where we are going to have to do the most work are the
places where people are most cynical about government. The people are
mis-appre...they're misunderstanding why the demographics in our, in
this contest have broken out as they are. Because everybody just
ascribes it to 'white working-class don't wanna work -- don't wanna
vote for the black guy.' That's...there were intimations of that in an
article in the Sunday New York Times today - kind of implies that it's
sort of a race thing.

Here's how it is: in a lot of these communities in big industrial
states like Ohio and Pennsylvania, people have been beaten down so
long. They feel so betrayed by government that when they hear a pitch
that is premised on not being cynical about government, then a part of
them just doesn't buy it. And when it's delivered by -- it's true that
when it's delivered by a 46-year-old black man named Barack Obama, then
that adds another layer of skepticism.

But -- so the questions you're most likely to get about me, 'Well, what is this guy going to do for me? What is the concrete thing?' What they wanna hear is so we'll give you talking points about what we're proposing -- to close tax loopholes, uh you know uh roll back the tax cuts for the top 1%, Obama's gonna give tax breaks to uh middle-class folks and we're gonna provide healthcare for every American.

But the truth is, is that, our challenge is to get people persuaded that we can make progress when there's not evidence of that in their daily lives. You go into some of 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. 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.

Um, now these are in some communities, you know. I think what you'll find is, is that people of every background -- there are gonna be a mix of people, you can go in the toughest neighborhoods, you know working-class lunch-pail folks, you'll find Obama enthusiasts. And you can go into places where you think I'd be very strong and people will just be skeptical. The important thing is that you show up and you're doing what you're doing.

Note: There is no mention there of the race of the voters. Yet in the media this has been quoted repeatedly that he's talking about white people. Nevermind that in many rural communities the population of POC (people of color) range from 1%-30%. Certainly on par with cities like Portland, Or. and Seattle, Washington through percentage if not actual numbers.  But I don't want to get locked in logical semantics there.


I should preface this to say that I actually looked around for full quotes on all comments she made and have been hard pressed to find any completely intact. But this was her initial response"

Clinton said she'd seen in the media that "my opponent said that the people of Pennsylvania who faced hard times are bitter."

"Well, that’s not my experience," she continued. "As I travel around Pennsylvania, I meet people who are resilient, who are optimistic, who are positive, who are rolling up their sleeves. They’re working hard every day for a better future for themseves and their children."

"Pennsylvanians don’t need a president who looks down on them. They need a president who stands up for them, who fights for them, who works hard for your futures, your jobs, and your families," she said, implicitly casting Obama as an elitist.

I am very interested in the critique of this for what it really is. Paternalism on the basis of class and a romanticizing of the of "the salt of the earth" ideal. This polarization of people as either happy/bitter, resilient/weak, and hardworking/lazy. This analysis  is completely apart from what Sen. Obama said. This is completely focused on this sentiment that has crippled America progress on discussing class.

 This is particularly the reason that people must distance themselves from the idea that America is in anyway a meritocracy. By parroting these lines there's a stark difference in the understanding of language creating a demonized class in those who are angry and do feel bitterness. The constant framing of  polarized American emotions in the discourse of 'sucking it up' and those who are 'dwelling on it.' The constant call of, 'what are you going to do it about it, whine or work?' It does not allows us to have full identities. It ignores the fact that "elitist" people donate millions of dollars not just to campaigns, but through philanthropy. So while they may be disdainful of lower classes they are also helping them. That's multidimensional. These are our American identities. While some people hate the Elites they are clawing to make their way into those social circles. That's multidimensional. We are never just either/or.

This tactic has not only historically been used with the working class, but has also been used racially before in campaigns.

It is this sort of dichotomy that has not allowed us to attack our own classism within either party, within our society. It is especially toxic when coming from people who could rightfully be described from the class of the haves and has never struggled with the reality of real poverty on it's face. That's why when Bill Clinton made such remarks, people were peepless (figuring he would understand given his background), but that background is not one that can be passed on through "relating stories" it is a lived experience.

This is really a very active trope in the defense of "the other". And in this case the other for Sen. Clinton is rural America (and even her painting it that way is monolithic). The media and Sen. Clinton are being allowed to create a middle class monolith comprised of rural white people who should be offended, so that they can romanticize the reality of "the working man" and "the salt of the earth."

Even though the Original quote wasn't only about these people (and in fact relieved the pressure on these people to vote for Obama with him explaining that he doesn't think he's entitled to it and he's going to have to work hard for them), her trumpet to the defense when no attack was launched is precisely what is wrong with reactionary paternalism.

How many times have we seen it? The tactic is this:

1. Humanize and endear the "offended" to "mainstream America" (who itself holds ideas about the offended, giving them an exit from their own feelings of discord with the supposed offended.. in order to take up the offended's cause)

2. They must create the ultimate victims (hone in on the bitterness and the faux offense by the upper class of "clinging to" remarks),

3. Then they become the ultimate mascots (resilient and hardworking).

It is this type of framing of arguments that have kept talks about race and class talk impossible from progressing.

 "Look at all the struggle, they've been through and look at how they're persevering." It's incredibly easy to make that pronouncement when you've never lived it. There is nothing romantic about poverty, loss of jobs, lack of opportunity. And the answer to the anger and resentment that present themselves in these feelings isn't telling people that they have moxie and are gritty and they'll roll up their sleeves and work harder.

The hearts, minds, and backs of many American people have been broken as they stoop a little lower to create opportunities for themselves and their children. When these opportunities don't come, the answer isn't work a little harder. The answer is to look at why they have to work so hard and still are not economic and social gains.

 Once we start to look at that we might be able to fix the problems that plague those from rural America and from inner cities. The outrage is a smokescreen. The false empathy shown here is precisely that of an upper class person out of touch, but in love with the idea of glamourized  version of an ennobled working poor and working class in middle-America.

It has been a pretty effective campaign tactic throughout history.

Classism that is ingrained in American culture "as what we just know" (we use it as a common navigator) and it is what causes even those from poor areas to internalize that hatred for themselves as they try to move away from this. It is what allows us to point the finger at our fellow Americans and say that they just aren't working hard enough and they don't want to succeed.

It's what has people who live below the poverty level claiming to be middle class and upper class and upper middle class Americans claiming to be middle class. It is because there is a slippery slope of class that all of us must navigate and for many the idea is that the middle is the best place to be.

I want a true connection. I want to talk about not one quote taken out of context, but a reality that is there. That when we are denied economic opportunities, we depend on what we have been able to depend on.

I want to talk about how, it's ironic that people are so outraged over these remarks when I have seen at comments from "feminists" in this forum (and others) talk about how Bill Clinton is a "hillbilly" and how Senator Clinton  is too good for him. And no doubt these people are on various comments defending Senator Clinton's paternalism.

Why is one "hillbilly" different from another? Why is one "redneck" more desirable than another? The democratic party cannot continue to allow itself to use people as victims or mascots to score cheap political points, while at the same time practicing the exact same arguments to denigrate the rural, poor, and working classes when they go against the victim trope.

We have already seen that some people from that area agree with Obama and some people do not. We've already agree that some agree with Clinton and some do not. But what we haven't seen is any of the people who are currently offended talk about how this offense is quickly used as a weapon. The underclass of this country is not like a helpless pet that you must speak up for. They have their own voices.  No one wins when someone makes you a victim, and then a mascot, and then a political issue.

As a radical black feminist who is still living in the shadow of what "allies" have said to make me seem more human I can tell you that being a "strong black woman" is no more awesome than compassionate pleas to look at "how hard I have it".

We must recognize these realities, not co-opt them and take on their righteous outrage as our own. It will always sound disingenuous when we do that, and that's why Senator Clinton is sounding pretty unbelievable right now.