Commenteria: What REAL Americans say about Obama's "bitter" remarks...

Comments made by readers taken from articles in the Washington Post, Gather.com, and USA Today:

"Obama does not have to answer a thing. All he has to do is get out and remind everyone he was raised by a single mother, they were on FOOD STAMPS for some time, and the elite schools, he went there on a merit scholarship, and he took loans for Grad School. Forget the statements, just talk about the elitist tag and turn it against them. Make it about Clinton and McCain not YOU."


"I've never seen such a widespread attempt to mischaracterize, misinterpret and exploit a non-issue. If any of you don't believe, for one minute, that there aren't people that choose one or two social issues that drive their political choice, thus allowing them to be easily exploited by the Republican party.....come to my next family reunion and I'll introduce you to some people. Or just take at look at the travesty that is the re-election of George W. Bush. He was just as incompetent in 2004... Barack Obama's comments were truthful. A large segment of this country is woefully uniformed when it comes to the real issues that our government can impact. Sheesh.


Obama has a major problem in extemporaneous speaking. He stammers, stumbles, uses "you know" repeatedly as a verbal crutch, and all too often says the wrong thing. His reputation as a super-sharp speaker is startlingly amiss when he does not have a written speech in front of him. He really has to avoid racial references which get him into difficulty with white voters, such as his mention of people in small towns who have problems with individuals "who do not look like them" or his referral to his grandmother as a "typical white person." He'd better stick to the script."


"I am a little put off by comments flying around from some of Clintons's supporters. Even though I am a pretty conservative, white, West Point graduate, having voted Republican in every election I have taken part in, I am likely going to vote for Obama in the general election because in my opinion, he is what this country needs right now...not another deceptive Clinton...and not a "hawkish" McCain. However, I definitely did not come to my conclusion because Obama is a black man according to BET founder Bob Johnson...yeah, and this is probably not another ploy by the Clinton camp to make it look like Obama is out of touch, even with fellow black people. I truly am disgusted by the politics being played this year. Hopefully Obama with his charisma, tact, and cooperative outlook on the American people and government will make it to the presidency. I would hate to see Clinton or McCain pull the wool over everyone's eyes."


"For Hillary Clinton -- whose ex-president husband Bill has championed and continues to champion free-trade agreements that cost working-class Americans hundreds of thousands of jobs -- to call Barack Obama an "elitist" over his comments on working-class Americans is a crock oh hypocritical B.S. What does a multimillionaire -- The Clintons have a personal fortune of $100 million -- know about working-class Americans?"


"Well I'm bitter. I'm damn bitter. These Fat Cat SOB's have been hijacking our economy for the last 25 years while the politician's have been getting their pockets lined by them. Both Clinton and Obama want to talk about job losses but they don't even make the slightest mention of anything specific that they propose to do about it. McCain doesn't even acknowledge it. Both Democrats AND Republicans are crooks. We need a third party that represents people who have to work for a living, because neither of the existing parties do."