Obama seems to have walked into it with his assertion that when small-town Pennsylvanians get bitter over their economic circumstances, they "cling to guns or 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."
While he has made some progress by shifting this into a discussion of how the Repubs use these issues to take advantage of disgruntled hillbillies, it remains a problem as it plays into perceptions of elitism, aloofness, and disconnect from the average (white) Joe. And this on top of his bowling debacle! In the process of appearing to question others' religious beliefs, it also re-raises the Reverend Wright question.
The worst part of it, though, is that he said it in San Francisco.
Here's what the man has to do:
1. Explain that, like anyone else, sometimes he does not speak so well.
2. Define his "observations" on political terms, explaining that disillusionment in government and economic policy often leads people to vote on fringe issues, a fact the Republican have exploited.
3. Explain how, by exploiting those very issues, Hillary is merely mirroring the strategies of the Republicans, which plays right into their (and McCain's) hands.
4. Articulate concrete positions on how to address these economic woes.
5. Reassert his belief in the right for people to bear legal arms for hunting, clarifying that while he personally does not hunt (unlike Hillary and Mitt Romney), he defends others' rights to do so.
6. Reassert his belief in freedom of religion, (very) briefly invoking his own recent struggles, and the unseemliness of using religion to make political points.
7. Reassert what a responsible immigration policy looks like, at least as related to the economy.
8. Do this all while spot-welding in a Pittsburgh steel plant.
Well, maybe not the last one... that might look like Dukakis in the tank.
