As one who is not put off by the idea that the President of the United States of America, the most powerful office in the history of the human race, should be just a cut above the rest of us, I guess I'm buying into the "elitist" view. The recent flap over Barack Obama's comment that Pennsylvanians are "bitter", however, to me, illustrates the danger posed by a shallow news media.
Perhaps Obama used a poor choice of words which may have rubbed people the wrong way when he said these bitter voters "cling" to religion. "Rallied to defend" may have worked better in reference to Ohio voters, who in 2004 came out in droves to protect that state against gay marriage because it offended God's plan of marriage. Whatever word you choose, fundamentalist voters were exhorted to come to the polls to vote down the amendment and since they were in a voting booth anyhow, they might as well go ahead and vote for president; two birds one stone.
That linkage of deeply held religious views and craven political motive was taken from the playbook of Carl Rove,incidentally, the son of a gay man. Is it possible that our nation has to be split like a Spanish dubloon to help exorcise his inner turmoil? Or, is it simply Machiavellian S.O.P.?
Whatever the reason, recent political history has shown that many people vote against their secular interests in defense against perceived attacks of their cultural or religious beliefs. That was the essence of Thomas Frank's 2005 book, "What's the Matter With Kansas?"
Our nation was founded on the notion that an ideal is more valuable than "our lives, our fortunes our sacred honor". When speaking philosophically, is it really a stretch to say that people "cling" to their religion or their right to own guns? Is such a construction truly an example of elitism or is it, rather, a display of desperation by a candidate who's on the ropes and a news media trying to fill a page or a 24 hour news cycle?
Below are lyrics from Bruce Sprinsteen's 2001 ballad "Youngstown". I think they express the sense of alienation and betrayal felt by many of our fellow Americans. Some might call it bitterness.
Here in north east Ohio
Back in eighteen-o-three
James and Danny Heaton
Found the ore that was linin' yellow creek
They built a blast furnace
Here along the shore
And they made the cannon balls
That helped the union win the war
Here in Youngstown
Here in Youngstown
My sweet Jenny, I'm sinkin' down
Here darlin' in Youngstown
Well my daddy worked the furnaces
Kept 'em hotter than hell
I come home from 'Nam worked my way to scarfer
A job that'd suit the devil as well
Taconite, coke and limestone
Fed my children and made my pay
Then smokestacks reachin' like the arms of god
Into a beautiful sky of soot and clay
Here in Youngstown
Here in Youngstown
My sweet Jenny, I'm sinkin' down
Here darlin' in Youngstown
Well my daddy come on the 0hio works
When he come home from world war two
Now the yards just scrap and rubble
He said, "Them big boys did what Hitler couldn't do
"These mills they built the tanks and bombs
That won this country's wars
We sent our sons to Korea and Vietnam
Now we're wondering what they were dyin' for
Here in Youngstown
Here in Youngstown
My sweet Jenny, I'm sinkin' down
Here darlin' in Youngstown
From the Monongaleh valley
To the Mesabi iron range
To the coal mines of Appalacchia
The story's always the same
Seven-hundred tons of metal a day
Now sir you tell me the world's changed
Once I made you rich enough
Rich enough to forget my name
In Youngstown
In Youngstown
My sweet Jenny, I'm sinkin' down
Here darlin' in Youngstown
When I die I don't want no part of heaven
I would not do heavens work well
I pray the devil comes and takes me
To stand in the fiery furnaces of hell
Copyright © Bruce Springsteen (ASCAP)
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6 comments:
My reaction was: Of course he's right, I live in one of those towns filled with bitterness. After living in Massachusetts, which is progressive and not bitter and much like the idealogy Obama espouses, allows for many competing points of view...! Hello Indiana. Hello Midwest...the great manufacturing era is over, like 40 years ago, but it seems the several generations who were the beneficiaries of that time, the white working class for instance, instead of adapting and changing, are, in fact CLINGING to bygone things...like fundamentalist religion, frontier notions of liberty stored in gun racks all over suburbia, bad food,homophobia...what was I saying?
When I think of Dan Coffey, I think bitter. When I think of my council rep Steve Price, clinging does come to mind.
It hurts to hear the truth, but people here are sort of bitter and all that, compared to other places I've lived.
you are as out of touch as Obama and wouldnt be any kind of political figure without the family connection you have, you are 1 term bud, i will drink a shot of whiskey and beer to that one but my choice of beer might be a belgian ale
Love those courageous anonymous posters, whether Duvel or City.
Say, John, what's up with this approaching ordinances about food service inspections? I'm not again it, but am curious as to what we aren't already being regulated about.
You may respond privately or publicly.
Roger:
The ordinance is intended to increase the fee charged for follow up inspections for, my charcaterization here, serial violators.
If a violation is found on a routine inspection and is corrected prior to the follow-up inspection, no additional fee is charged. If the same infraction is found on the follow-up, it will be treated as a new inspection and ,therefore, incur a new inspection fee.
The ordinance also proposes a fee for inpections at Bed and Breakfast establishments, which,according to my source, do not currently pay an inspection fee.
I hope that accurately portrays the proposal.
Thanks. It does.
The Floyd County Health Department is responsible for restaurant inspections, so why is an ordinance necessary when they are required by Indiana statute to provide this service?
I would suggest a conversation with Reed Streigel to determine if in fact the health department is doing their job and duty.
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