Obama Bitter Comments

Obama spoke to a crowd of more than 2,500 in Indiana on Saturday defending bitter remarks he made earlier Friday that has erupted into controversy.

By: Jennifer Hong
Apr 12, 2008, 6:59 PM EDT

The controversy began earlier Friday when an Internet political site, The Huffington Post, posted Obama's San Francisco remarks in which he said that it's not surprising that people "they cling to their guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

"I said something that everybody knows is true," Obama told the Indiana crowd. "There are a whole bunch of folks in small towns in Pennsylvania and towns right here in Indiana and my hometown in Illinois who are bitter, angry. They feel like they've been left behind. They feel like nobody's paying attention to what they're going through. So I said, 'Well you know, when you're bitter, you turn to what you can count on.' So people, they vote about guns or they take comfort from their faith and their families and their communities. And they get mad about illegal immigrants who are coming over to this country. Or they get frustrated about how things have changed."

Democratic presidential rival, Senator Hillary Clinton, blasted Obama for his comments as well as the Republican nominee, Senator John McCain. Both candidates have addressed Obama's remarks as elitist, demeaning and condescending.

Barack Obama first addressed the controversy Friday night where he fired back at Clinton and McCain, saying it was "rich" that two Washington insiders were calling him out of touch.

Several Indiana supporters said they had heard news accounts of the remarks, but it didn't change their support for Illinois Senator.

Obama and Clinton are both campaigning in Indiana with stops in Indianapolis, Mishawaka and Valporaiso. They are competing for the 72 pledged delegates at stake in Indiana's May 6 primary election, seen as crucial to gathering the 2,025 delegates needed to clinch the nomination. Recent polls show Clinton is leading in Pennsylvania, where it will host its primary on April 22.