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April 25, 2008

Obama: "I Was Raised With Far Fewer Advantages" Than HRC & JM

INDIANAPOLIS -- The question Barack Obama must answer as he campaigns in Indiana, and to a lesser extent North Carolina where he is the favorite, is how he can overcome his weakness with working class and non-college educated voters. He addressed the issue today in a press conference about gas prices.

The campaign also held a conference call to highlight its national voter registration drive, set to launch May 10th, and to set the bar for Hillary Clinton's campaign in NC, a race Obama's team believes is a must-win for her.

When pressed about the challenge he faces with blue collar voters, the Illinois senator said he believes voters in states like Ohio and Pennsylvania may have preferred Clinton in the primary but would be more than likely" to vote for him in the general election against John McCain.

"I don't think that there's a huge difference between black working class, white working class, suburban, urban, rural, I think people want to see the country make progress, and so what I'm going to continue to do is to present those issues that effect people's bottom lines, the issues they're talking about around the kitchen table," he told reporters outside Joe's Junction gas station. "I think that when they see what our plans are particularly in a general election compared to the approach that Sen McCain is taking, I'm confident that Americans are gonna want to move forward instead of having 4 more years of the same politics that got us into trouble in the first place."

He joked that he had on a ''pretty standard suit" when asked how he could fight the perception being put forth by his opponents that he was a "GQ"-style elitist, adding that he had four pairs of shoes and that he had just one suit when he met his wife. He acknowledged he would need to focus in the next several weeks on educating voters about his background.

"I was raised with far fewer advantages than either of my two remaining opponents," he said.

Obama also spoke about his work as a community organizer and noted that he and his wife financed their educations through student loans.

"I was raised in a setting with my grandparents who grew up in small town Kansas where, you know, the dinner table would have been very familiar to anybody here in Indiana - a lot of pot roast and potatoes and Jell-O molds," he said. "And, you know, so on the one hand I don't want to go out of my way to sort of prove my street cred as a down to earth guy. I'm gonna be fighting as hard as I can to make sure that you know, people understand why I got into this race in the first place, how I got to where I am today, and when they understand that, I think they'll recognize themselves and that my struggles are theirs and together we can change the country."

The press conference also touched on topics in the news today: an interview his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright had with Bill Moyers that airs tonight on PBS; news that North Korea helped Syria build a nuclear reactor, which Israel destroyed in an airstrike last year;.and the verdict in the Sean Bell shooting in New York.

Obama said he was "deeply disturbed" about the evidence that North Korea may have helped Syria build a nuclear weapon.

"Keep in mind that a lot of this activity happened during a period of time when the Bush administration was not engaged in North Korea, was not engaging in direct talks with North Korea, and that's why I have consistently said it is better for us to speak directly not just to our friends but to our enemies," he said, adding that the six-party talks must insist on a full accounting of North Korea's proliferation and enriched uranium activities and not just their plutonium.

Wright, Bill Clinton

Obama said he had "commented extensively" on Wright and that the pastor was free to express his own opinions.

"He is obviously free to express his opinions on these issues. I've expressed mine very clearly. I think that what he said in several instances were objectionable and I understand why the American people took offense and, you know, and as I indicated before, I took offense.

He said he did not agree with South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn's remarks that Bill Clinton may have irreparably damaged his relationship with the black community because of various statements he has made that have offended many blacks.

"You know I never believe in irreparable breaches - I'm a big believer in reconciliation and redemption," he said. "So, look, this has been a fierce contest - I am confident, I've said repeatedly that come August, there are gonna be a whole bunch of people standing on the stage with a lot of balloons and stuff, confetti raining down on the head of the Democratic nominee and people will be excited about taking on John McCain in November."

Sean Bell verdict

The acquittal of the three police officers involved in the Bell shooting in New York has stirred some concern about protests in the city. Obama said there was need for violence to erupt as a result of the verdict.

Obama joked about the pick up basketball game planned for tonight and about his bowling skills – allowing that while there was no excuse for his gutter balls, the press had been unfair in reporting his score of 37 as if he's bowled an entire game when he had not. The 3-on-3 basketball game, planned for after a town hall in Kokomo, will include two volunteers and WNBA player Alison Bales.

"I'm a little concerned because apparently there are at least two high school guys who are Division One prospects, so um, my goal will be to pass...as much as possible," he said.

(NBC/NJ's ATHENA JONES)

Posted at 02:39 PM

Comments

"Obama said there was NEED for violence"???

I THINK you miss printed that!

Sam | 04.25.08 05:55 PM

OBAMA AIDE: "WORKING-CLASS VOTERS NOT KEY FOR DEMOCRATS" :-0

MY FELLOW "BITTER", STUPID, WORKING CLASS PEOPLE :-)

If you think like Barack Obama, that WORKING CLASS PEOPLE are just a bunch of "BITTER"!, STUPID, PEASANTS, Cash COWS!, and CANNON FODDER. :-(

You Might Be An Idiot! :-)

If you think Barack Obama with little or no experience would be better than Hillary Clinton with 35 years experience.

You Might Be An Idiot! :-)

If you think that Obama with no experience can fix an economy on the verge of collapse better than Hillary Clinton. Whose ;-) husband (Bill Clinton) led the greatest economic expansion, and prosperity in American history.

You Might Be An Idiot! :-)

If you think that Obama with no experience fighting for universal health care can get it for you better than Hillary Clinton. Who anticipated this current health care crisis back in 1993, and fought a pitched battle against overwhelming odds to get universal health care for all the American people.

You Might Be An Idiot! :-)

If you think that Obama with no experience can manage, and get us out of two wars better than Hillary Clinton. Whose ;-) husband (Bill Clinton) went to war only when he was convinced that he absolutely had to. Then completed the mission in record time against a nuclear power. AND DID NOT LOSE THE LIFE OF A SINGLE AMERICAN SOLDIER. NOT ONE!

You Might Be An Idiot! :-)

If you think that Obama with no experience saving the environment is better than Hillary Clinton. Whose ;-) husband (Bill Clinton) left office with the greatest amount of environmental cleanup, and protections in American history.

You Might Be An Idiot! :-)

If you think that Obama with little or no education experience is better than Hillary Clinton. Whose ;-) husband (Bill Clinton) made higher education affordable for every American. And created higher job demand and starting salary’s than they had ever been before or since.

You Might Be An Idiot! :-)

If you think that Obama with no experience will be better than Hillary Clinton who spent 8 years at the right hand of President Bill Clinton. Who is already on record as one of the greatest Presidents in American history.

You Might Be An Idiot! :-)

If you think that you can change the way Washington works with pretty speeches from Obama, rather than with the experience, and political expertise of two master politicians ON YOUR SIDE like Hillary and Bill Clinton..

You Might Be An Idiot! :-)

If you think all those Republicans voting for Obama in the Democratic primaries, and caucuses are doing so because they think he is a stronger Democratic candidate than Hillary Clinton. :-)

Best regards

jacksmith... Working Class :-)

p.s. You Might Be An Idiot! :-)

If you don't know that the huge amounts of money funding the Obama campaign to try and defeat Hillary Clinton is coming in from the insurance, and medical industry, that has been ripping you off, and killing you and your children. And denying you, and your loved ones the life saving medical care you needed. All just so they can make more huge immoral profits for them-selves off of your suffering...

You see, back in 1993 Hillary Clinton had the audacity, and nerve to try and get quality, affordable universal health care for everyone to prevent the suffering and needless deaths of hundreds of thousands of you each year. :-)

Approx. 100,000 of you die each year from medical accidents from a rush to profit by the insurance, and medical industry. Another 120,000 of you die each year from treatable illness that people in other developed countries don’t die from. And I could go on, and on...

jacksmith | 04.25.08 09:07 PM

Yeah morons he said there was no need for violence, and that we are a nation of laws, you really need to correct that mistake.

Also jacksmith you are an idiot

axt113 | 04.26.08 01:18 AM

I am waiting for Hillary to start crowing about a third cousin from Scottsburg, IN or Seymour, IN any day now.

To jacksmith, HRC did a fine job ushering in that health care reform package in 1994. Let's give her another chance. It only cost us the House and Senate.

Have to go now because I am working two jobs to cover my health care premium.

RiverRed | 04.26.08 06:47 AM

I think you made a typo when you say that Obama said there was a need for violence in the Sean Bell case. Please fix.

Alison | 04.26.08 10:23 AM