Obama: Rural Iowans want to tell the world they aren't as Ingrown as they may be perceived to be

[Karmadillo]

http://www.taylormarsh.com/

<edit>

Mr. Hope channels Mr. Elite.

On "Nightline" last night, which I didn't see but was told about by friends, when talking about foreign policy and trying to beat up on Mr. Bush and his policies, Mr. Obama really stepped in it, especially for someone trying to win Iowa. Evidently, some of it didn't make the cut, but the video above offers a doorway leading to big trouble for Mr. Obama, that is if anyone decides to cover it.

"But they also, surprisingly enough, even in rural Iowa, recognize the opportunity to send a signal to the world that, you know, we are not as ingrown, as parochial as you may perceive. ... .." - Barack Obama

Even in rural Iowa... you know, because them rural voters, they aren't as "ingrown, as parochial" as the intelligent city folk believe and by golly, they're going to send a message! Ingrown? Hmmm.... Coming from Columbia, Missouri myself, you know, out beyond the big city lights, "ingrown" to me means inbred. You know, like the Ozarks, marryin' your brother 'n all.

However, dumb hicks from the sticks, even in rural Iowa, want to send a signal to the world. Country folk and Iowans are going to fight that "ingrown" and "parochial" image, by golly.

Good grief.

more...

[K Gardner]

1. Ooopsie??

[BadgerLaw2010]

9. Not as big an oopsie as it could have been.

[BeyondGeography]

2. Another would-be fatal blow to the Obama campaign

:boring:

[MethuenProgressive]

26. Whenever he goes off the cue cards this happens.

His handlers must be as inexperienced as he is.

[MadMaddie]

3. Maybe Obama is not as smart as we perceive him to be

he keeps making stupid ass mistakes...My 10 year old nephew could have phrased this better....for crying out loud.

[NMMNG]

4. Wow. He really knows how to step in it. Repeatedly.

:eyes:

[Cha]

5. Toenails are ingrown

and people are..oh never mind. Not a good idea to try and categorize people who you are trying to get votes from..some might take offense to certain words.

[polichick]

6. Well, looks like SOMEONE is a bit "ingrown" about a few things! nt

[Zueda]

7. As someone from SW Virginia...

I have to say I am not at all offended. It is true that rural Americans are falsely perceived this way. :shrug:

on edit: Also note that I see a lot of this misconstrued perception here at DU.

[durrrty libby]

8. Make it stop. I might start feeling sorry for him

:rofl:

[polichick]

10. At least nobody played that tune from Deliverance!

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esl2NNOtHQE>

[rucky]

11. Small town doesn't mean small mind.

That's what I got from it - in a awkwardly phrased sort of way.

:shrug:

Obama reminds of a Saturday Night Live skit with Rob Morrow, back in the day. He's at a table with some friends who are making rapid-fire witty remarks, and he would come in with a real zinger - only he couldn't think of it until 30-seconds later, and by then it's totally out of context. So he blurts out "Clam Chowdah!" seemingly out of the blue and everybody looks at him sideways.

Then he wishes he could go back in time, and the screen gets blurry. Soon he's delivering his "Clam Chowdah!" line again, at the perfect moment this time - causing the table to erupt with laughter.

I can totally empathize.

[jefferson_dem]

12. DEFINED: Insular; self-contained: "the small, ingrown world of lower Manhattan"

in·grown (ĭn'grōn') Pronunciation Key adj.

Grown abnormally into the flesh: an ingrown toenail.
Inbred; innate: ingrown habits.
Insular; self-contained: "the small, ingrown world of lower Manhattan" (Forbes).

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ingrown


You guys are silly. Taylor Marsh has become such a tool.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

13. You are quite right on this one.

It's an unfortunate word choice in a political context, but it's good and interesting English. It would be fine in a novel.

[jefferson_dem]

16. Now if he had said "inbred"...

Different story. Our "Get a BRAIN! Morans" buddy would be especially offended.

[BeyondGeography]

17. He said "pernicious" today and I winced

later he added "harmful," and I relaxed. He said "actuarial gap" to describe the SS financial situaion two debates ago and never circled back to put it in terms the audience would be comfortable with.

My candidates are like this. In the last race, I supported Clark, who used "tautology" on TV once to debunk a RW talking point.

[IA_Seth]

29. Lol, tautology.

I so miss Clark as a candidate.

[Adelante]

33. Remember the "Wes Clark Word of the Day?"

From WillyBrandt? God, WillyBrandt was hilarious. He used to crack me up. :rofl:

[IA_Seth]

35. Back in the good ol' days....

I am just finishing "A Time to Lead" and for such an inspirational book, it really has me pretty bummed out.

[BeyondGeography]

14. Just as some were beginning to grasp the secondary meaning of "prayerful"

you're asking them to learn another word.

Could be too much for the small, ingrown world of knee-jerk Obama opponents to handle.

[AtomicKitten]

20. Who would have guessed a dictionary would be an arbiter at DU?

No worries, though. This is the daily ritual of smacking the candidates like a pinata, so a vigorous defense will be lost in the wide swing of the baseball bat. I do believe the Obama campaign will go on.

[polichick]

15. Obviously it's fun to joke about something like this (I sure had a giggle)...

But the truth is, people can usually figure out what someone's intention is ~ it's not likely that this will have a negative impact on Obama's campaign.

[rurallib]

18. Hmmm ...... rurallib lives in rural Iowa

Is I ingrowed?

[ripple]

19. Insulated from the rest of the world?

That's what he was saying. It wasn't an insult, just a comment that people often underestimate the savvy of Iowans. But of course, if you is ingrowed, that are ok, too. ;)

[IA_Seth]

28. I's don't think so...

"But they also, surprisingly enough, even in rural Iowa, recognize the opportunity to send a signal to the world that, you know, we are not as ingrown, as parochial as you may perceive or as the Bush administration seems to have communicated, that we are, in fact, embracing the world, we are listening, we are concerned, we want to be engaged"

I probably won't caucus for Obama, and I have my share of hickish-types in my Iowa family, but I really don't think Obama is saying anything insulting toward us as Iowans. He is saying that even in rural Iowa, which is fairly close-knit as you can probably atest too, even there in our close-knit communities we recognize that we all (all Americans) are not as ingrown or as parochial as Bush has portrayed us to the rest of the world. He is saying that even in rural Iowa the people acknowledge that we are players on a world stage, and not a self-contained entity.

At least that's my take!

[rurallib]

30. I agree and was in no way offended by his comment

but Obama has shown a knack for sometimes saying things that could be regarding as denigrating to a group. Surprises me because early on I thought he had a knack for pulling the right words out at the right time to defuse potential problems.

[youthere]

34. Grammar grammar! Ingrowed=past tense...

you is ingrowing.

you was ingrowed.

signed,
The Iowegian Grammar Powleece

[1corona4u]

21. Yeah, and how about this one...

"One of the great pleasures of running for president is to go to some tiny town in Iowa and you've got some guy in overalls and a seahat to say what do you think about the situation in Burma, and you're thinking that he's going to ask you about corn, and he asks you about Burma." - Barack Obama


rhut-roe.

[IA_Seth]

27. I don't think that's a bad one...

And I have a pair of overalls in the closet, so...

I didn't interpret this statement negatively at all, and if you read it right, I don't think he even says the ingrown comment about Iowans directly. He says that even in Iowa we understand that America is not as parochial as we appear.

That was my take anyway.

[lala_rawraw]

22. like toe nails?

[kurth]

23. What an ignorant remark

[provis99]

24. I never knew Iowa had that stereotype

Sure, I've heard the regional stereotypes: Kansans and Oklahomans are all religious fundies; New Yorkers are neurotic; Angelenos are vapid; even "Hoosier" has hillbilly associations (who'se yer daddy? Do you know?). But I'd always though of Iowa in the same category as Minnesota and Wisconsin. Rural, but supporters of excellent schools, and a population that is very well-read and well-traveled.

Now Mississippians, on the other hand...

[Adelante]

25. The quote answers a question about *Americans*

Obama uses Iowans as examples of Americans who want their country to be respected in the world again, welcomed as part of the world community again, and who want that message received by the rest of the world. He goes on to accord a sophisticated point of view he believes Americans, including rural Iowans, have arrived at in foreign affairs.

MORAN: Do you think Americans are challenged by voting potentially for a presidential candidate who didn't have an American boyhood?

OBAMA: Oh, well, I think that it is both a challenge and an opportunity. I think there's no doubt that the fact that my name is Barack Obama and that my father was from Kenya and that I grew up in Hawaii that there's that whole exotic aspect to me that people, I think, have to get past. But they also, surprisingly enough, even in rural Iowa, recognize the opportunity to send a signal to the world that, you know, we are not as ingrown, as parochial as you may perceive or as the Bush administration seems to have communicated, that we are, in fact, embracing the world, we are listening, we are concerned, we want to be engaged. We want to be safe. We want to be treated fairly. We want to make sure that, whether it's on trade relations or dealing with terrorism, that our national interests are dealt with. But we also recognize that we're part of the world community. And I think it was interesting, just here in Dunlap, you notice that some of the biggest applause was when I talked about wanting America to be respected again in the world. People understand this in a very significant way.

You can watch the interview:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post_group/ObamaHQ/Cx7b

You can decide if you think Obama is insulting Iowans.

Don't let Taylor Marsh decide for you.

[Czolgosz]

31. Where's Cali?

[hedgehog]

32. I wish I had time to link to all the posts lamenting that Iowa and New Hampshire

go first when it should be Florida or New York or California because everyone knows that voters living in small rural states like Iowa and New Hampshire can't possibly represent the rest of us.