Democratic presidential hopeful ,Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., tosses back a shot of Crown Royal with Bronko’s owner Nick Tarailo, second from right, and Ed Hall, right as she stops at the bar during a campaign stop at Bronko’s restaurant in Crown Point, Ind., on Saturday, April 12, 2008. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
Obama mocks Clinton’s beer-shot
Chicago Tribune
PITTSBURGH
Barack Obama ridiculed rival Hillary Clinton for a shot-and-a-beer photo op over the weekend in Indiana as he sought to counter the controversy over remarks he made about “bitter” feelings in small-town America.
Clinton downed a shot of Crown Royal whiskey, hoisted a beer and ate a slice of pepperoni pizza Saturday night at a restaurant in Crown Point, Ind., after spending the day branding Obama’s remarks “elitist.”
But in a speech to a forum on manufacturing issues, at which Clinton is scheduled to appear later this morning, Obama blasted support during her husband’s administration for free trade deals, suggesting her connection with working-class voters was political theater.
“Around election time, the candidates can’t do enough. They’ll promise you anything, give you a long list of proposals and even come around, with TV crews in tow, to throw back a shot and a beer,” Obama said, stirring laughter from an audience of steelworkers and steel industry executives.
“But if those same candidates are taking millions of dollars in contributions from the PACs and the lobbyists, ask yourself, who are they going to be toasting once the election is over?” he continued.
The Clinton campaign responded with a statement e-mailed to reporters.
“With all due respect, this is the same politician who spent six days posing for clichéd camera shots that included bowling gutterballs, walking around a sports bar, feeding a baby cow, and buying a ham at the Philly market (albeit one that cost $99.99 a pound). Sen. Obama’s speeches won’t hide his condescending views of Americans living in small towns,” Clinton spokesman Phil Singer said in the statement.
Wild Thing’s comment…….
LOL It’s good to see these candidates spending their time discussing the serious issues affecting America’s future in an adult fashion.
Democrat campaign = racists, put downs of working people, and beer -shots.
The fact of the matter is that there is no difference in Socialist philosophy between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. That is why discussing the serious issues with or about them is meaningless in the primaries. That leaves the personality and character (or lack thereof) down in the mud fight between them.
It all comes down to who is willing to throw more mud to bury their opponent. Watching Dems fight amongst themselves is great entertainment and a legal blood sport.
This is a pantomime of working-class sympathies. Neither Clinton nor Obama is saying what they’ll do for the rubes, instead of treating them like expectant children, but it still works.
I spend time around machine shops; a lot of their employees respond to this coal-in-your-stocking talk because they want more and think they’ve earned it. It’s the old industrial Northeast union mentality, still here a generation after the industries that supported it are gone.
The problem for these people is their life choices, (not the indifference of government) and their inability to cope with a future that probably won’t need them. Still, these guys (males, usually) carry economic grievances that originate in their own lack of education and narrow ambition. These are their realities,and it takes guts to face it. Most of them won’t.
None of them, however, turn to guns or religion or ethnic frictions to project their worries. They turn to the empty promises of government generation after generation – as a replacement for the unions – to fulfill their needs. This time around is no different.
Also, these small shops are eager to rid their budgets of health insurance costs, so the owners and their professional organizations are in favor of nationalized health care. Short-sighted, but true.
Lots of changes are coming.
PS:
What I wanted to say, but didn’t, is that Obama’s big, elitist mouth might not get him into trouble with folks who blame free traders and rich Republicans for their difficulties.
Les, yes, I have just been watching Fox News and it has gone from one story to the next of these two going at each other. hahahaha
Rhod you are so right.
Nick’s brother is a full blown socialist it breaks Nick’s heart and they debate this stuff all the time on the phone. His brother lives in New York and hates rich people. It consumes him like I have never seen in my life.
Nick always tells him no one works for a person on welfare a poor person. He doesn’t admit it and say yes your’re right nope, he just gets a long face and gets madder.
He was going to vote for Edwards then he got out of the race, then he said Hillary, now he says Hillary cannot win so he is voting for Obama and he hates blacks with a passion. So Nick asked him about his hate for blacks which is wrong and then he asked him why if you hate blacks are you voting for Obama? His brother said….. get this… ” I would vote for Satan himself if he was running opposite a Republican.”
We almost fell out of off our chairs with shock because he meant it and was not kidding.
He thinks Bill Clinton was the best President this country ever had. ( YUK )
I just stay out of it and when he asks me why I never discuss politics I just say…….
“Oh I have a blog and I do my thing there among friends. But just so you know Nick speaks for me when he tells you things and that is good enough for me.” hahahha
Beershots? oh puhleeze!
Get real, Hitlery and stop acting like a boob–oh sorry, you don’t have any boobs–you’ve got two fat thighs, though.
At this point there seems to be 3 types of democrats, the undecided, the Obama group and the Hillary group. This has gotten so bitter between the two principles that I don’t see a reconciliation any time soon. The Snobama’s are convinced that obama is one of them, more snake oil treatment, these rubes( these are alot from big cities who are smitten with obama) will believe anything, that is the obama voter, no substance just empty rhetoric, then there is the Hillary voters, I think a lot of them are there just for the sake of loyalty and alot probably not even sure.
After Obama’s elitist remarks to the J.Paul Getty crowd in San Fran-sicko, the undecided’s are clearly going to go back to Hillary, the polls show she has a 20 point lead again.
So this thing is not over for awhile and the convention should be a real hoot, watching the demos come unglued , riots and fights, we couldn’t write a better ending for this charade of an election primary.
Lynn, LMAO that was funny how you said that.
Mark, well said and I agree with you. I want her to stay in right up to being at their Convention. They have slandered the right, called Bush and all of us names and Reagan too years ago.
They have talked down to anyone on the right as though we are stupid and so many things. Let them have a brawl and we can watch and eat popcorn and laugh at their erruptions.
Our squadron patch was similar to the Crown Royal logo with “SAFE SWIFT SURE” under it! “TO THE CROWN!” and not to her thighness… the queen!
– KING of CLUBS 2008
Darth, three cheers for you and your Squadron, that sounds like a neat patch.
PS: Reminds me of the intergalactic bar scene in STAR WARS…. freaks, hippies, Uranusians, Hollyweirdos, blue state skanks and CNN anchors?
Darth oh yes it does. haha
PS WT: “In the second photo… try to find the pervert that flashes stray cats in the North Filthadelphia alleys?” Yes… Frau Vader is digging through my attic duffle bags for some EXTRA PATCHES! You’re worth it, eh Nick?
Answer to the perv question: Second clown on the right? It’s Mister ME OW Marty??