Posted: 8:24 AM - Apr 15, 2008
Clinton and Obama trade barroom barbs
BY MICHAEL SAUL in New York and MICHAEL McAULIFF in Washington
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Tuesday, April 15th 2008, 4:00 AM
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All three presidential hopefuls - U.S. senators - are arguing over who has blue-collar street cred and who is an elitist snob.
How do they stack up in the beer mug vs. champagne glass rating scale?
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The Democratic campaign was awash in booze - and boos - Monday as Barack
Obama fought to get past his clumsy remarks about small-town America -
and polling suggested he was.
The battle took on the flavor of a barroom brawl as Obama and rival Hillary Clinton made pitches to a manufacturing forum in Pittsburgh. He mocked the millionaire former First Lady for pounding whisky shots and beer over the weekend
in a photo stunt.
"Around election time, the candidates can't do enough for you," Obama said. "They'll promise you anything, give you a long list of
proposals and they'll even come around, with TV crews in tow, to throw back a shot and a beer."
When Clinton fired back, she got a smattering of jeers from a crowd of union members who had endorsed John Edwards.
"I understand my opponent came this morning and he spent a lot of his time attacking me," she said over shouts of "no."
"Well, you know, I know that many of you, like me were disappointed by recent remarks that he made," she added, referring to Obama's comments
that economic have-nots "cling" to guns and religion to express their frustration. "He said some things that many people in Pennsylvania and beyond Pennsylvania have found offensive."
Her campaign counterpunched later by sending around photos of Obama bowling and posing in a saloon, hoisting a beer.
The latest national Gallup tracking poll released Monday found that Obama had crept up a point during the fourth day of the hullabaloo over his remarks, to
a 50% to 40% lead over Clinton.
A Quinnipiac University pollster whose next survey of
Keystone State voters will be out today said Obama's "cling" comments were not driving off his supporters.
"While there may be some movement triggered by his comments, I don't see a great movement by it," said Clay Richards, assistant director of the poll.
"It may be the kind of thing that solidifies Clinton's position in Pennsylvania, but I'm not sure that it alone will be the reason," he
said, explaining the people most likely to have been offended were already for Clinton, while Obama was gaining with suburbanites.
Obama managed to lump Clinton and GOP candidate
John McCain on the same side in attacking him - a link that could hurt Clinton
with Democrats.
"Sen. Clinton and Sen. McCain seem to be singing from the same hymnbook, saying I am out of touch and I am an elitist," said Obama.
McCain insisted Obama's "comments are elitist" and his campaign hit back with a taunt.
"It's hard to keep a straight face when you're accused of being out of touch by a guy who thinks the whole country is worried about the high
price of arugula or that you hunt ducks with a six-shooter," said Mark
Salter, a senior adviser to McCain.
BY MICHAEL SAUL in New York and MICHAEL McAULIFF in Washington
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Tuesday, April 15th 2008, 4:00 AM
All three presidential hopefuls - U.S. senators - are arguing over who has blue-collar street cred and who is an elitist snob.
How do they stack up in the beer mug vs. champagne glass rating scale?
The Democratic campaign was awash in booze - and boos - Monday as Barack
Obama fought to get past his clumsy remarks about small-town America -
and polling suggested he was.
The battle took on the flavor of a barroom brawl as Obama and rival Hillary Clinton made pitches to a manufacturing forum in Pittsburgh. He mocked the millionaire former First Lady for pounding whisky shots and beer over the weekend
in a photo stunt.
"Around election time, the candidates can't do enough for you," Obama said. "They'll promise you anything, give you a long list of
proposals and they'll even come around, with TV crews in tow, to throw back a shot and a beer."
When Clinton fired back, she got a smattering of jeers from a crowd of union members who had endorsed John Edwards.
"I understand my opponent came this morning and he spent a lot of his time attacking me," she said over shouts of "no."
"Well, you know, I know that many of you, like me were disappointed by recent remarks that he made," she added, referring to Obama's comments
that economic have-nots "cling" to guns and religion to express their frustration. "He said some things that many people in Pennsylvania and beyond Pennsylvania have found offensive."
Her campaign counterpunched later by sending around photos of Obama bowling and posing in a saloon, hoisting a beer.
The latest national Gallup tracking poll released Monday found that Obama had crept up a point during the fourth day of the hullabaloo over his remarks, to
a 50% to 40% lead over Clinton.
A Quinnipiac University pollster whose next survey of
Keystone State voters will be out today said Obama's "cling" comments were not driving off his supporters.
"While there may be some movement triggered by his comments, I don't see a great movement by it," said Clay Richards, assistant director of the poll.
"It may be the kind of thing that solidifies Clinton's position in Pennsylvania, but I'm not sure that it alone will be the reason," he
said, explaining the people most likely to have been offended were already for Clinton, while Obama was gaining with suburbanites.
Obama managed to lump Clinton and GOP candidate
John McCain on the same side in attacking him - a link that could hurt Clinton
with Democrats.
"Sen. Clinton and Sen. McCain seem to be singing from the same hymnbook, saying I am out of touch and I am an elitist," said Obama.
McCain insisted Obama's "comments are elitist" and his campaign hit back with a taunt.
"It's hard to keep a straight face when you're accused of being out of touch by a guy who thinks the whole country is worried about the high
price of arugula or that you hunt ducks with a six-shooter," said Mark
Salter, a senior adviser to McCain.