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WASHINGTON : Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama was forced to defend his comments on the struggles of working class voters after being slammed for suggesting they were "bitter."
On Friday, Obama said voters in Pennsylvania had turned away from Washington after years of economic decline and cast their votes on social issues like gun rights and gay marriage instead of economic ones.
"For the last 25 years they've seen jobs shipped overseas," he told a rally. "They've seen their economies collapse. They have lost their jobs."
"And for 25, 30 years Democrats and Republicans have come before them and said 'We're going to make your community better, we're going to make it right,' and nothing ever happens. And of course they're bitter," he added.
His rival Hillary Clinton jumped on his statement as condescending.
"It's being reported that my opponent said that the people of Pennsylvania who faced hard times are bitter," she said at a campaign event.
"Well, that's not my experience. As I travel around Pennsylvania, I meet people who are resilient, who are optimistic, who are positive, who are rolling up their sleeves.
"Pennsylvanians don't need a president who looks down on them."
But Obama denied the comments showed he was "out of touch."
"No, I'm in touch. I know exactly what's going on ... People are fed-up," he said.
"They're angry and they're frustrated and they're bitter. And they want to see a change in Washington and that's why I'm running for President of the United States of America."
Pennsylvania holds the next Democratic primary vote on April 22. Clinton holds a strong lead in the polls there, largely due to support from working class voters, but Obama has narrowed her lead in recent weeks.
- AFP /ls
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