Racists, Rednecks, or just Bitter Clingers?



FOXNews.com
Tuesday, October 21, 2008 link




Democratic Rep. John Murtha said Monday some of his constituents in western Pennsylvania are "rednecks" and the entire region just five to 10 years ago was "really redneck."


The comments come one week after he called his own constituents "racist" in an interview with his local newspaper.


"What I said, that indicted everybody, that's not what I meant at all. What I mean is there's still folks that have a problem voting for someone because they are black," Murtha said.


Murtha said the history of southwestern Pennsylvania is teeming with racism. "This whole area, years ago, was really redneck," he told WTAE-TV Pittsburgh.


Murtha, a Democrat, apologized last week for calling the area "racist," but challenger Bill Russell said it was a reckless insult to the people in his district and the "cheapest of cheap shots."


..."There is no question that western Pennsylvania is a racist area," he told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, accounting for potential Election Day poll numbers.


On Thursday, Murtha said he was sorry.


"I apologize for making the comment that 'Western Pennsylvania is a racist area,'" he said in a statement...


Read Obama's comments in April about the bitter clingers: link

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