Obama Has His Howard Dean Moment

Barack Obama had his Howard Dean moment when he told Democrats in Marin County, California last Sunday, "You go into 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 it's not surprising they get bitter, they cling to guns and 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." Obama has since ceded that the use of the word bitter was not why but otherwise he is standing by his comments. The Democratic Party doesn't get it. This is exactly like when Howard Dean said, "Sooner or later, voters in place like that (the South) are going to grow tired of voting on guns, God and gays and start voting on education, health care and jobs." Now Dean said this in July 2004, months after he left the Democratic race. Obama is saying this scarcely a fortnight before the Pennsylvania Primary. Talk about being out of touch with people. Even if he wins the Democratic nomination, talk like that will sink him against McCain in November.