Barack Obama's just too honest to be a modern politician. Most people love him for it. Others buy into the media's bias characterization of a "presidential persona" and criticize him mercilessly for it.

The remarks he made about small town, downtrodden middle America "clinging to religion, guns and antipathy towards others" - in a closed meeting he believed was off the record - was condescending and did sound a little elitist. It was not good politics. It was not what people in Pennsylvania wanted to hear. But it's what they all know.

It doesn't show he is out of touch. In fact, the weekend news cycle proved how out of touch the mainstream media is with small town, downtrodden middle America. No one gave Pennsylvanians credit for being the tough people they are. The MSM just glossed over the real issues of despair and economic loss and decided: "people are going to be offended by this!"

The people of PA should be more offended that elite, rich, Washing D.C. pundits saw fit to speak for them. The rural towns that sustained PA citizens for over a century have been wiped out. Can you blame them for being bitter? No, and Obama didn't.

The candid remarks were actually surprisingly tame for a closed-door, confidential gathering. PA voters are smart enough to imagine the real attitude Hillary has about their Main St. businesses, especially since she directly helped wipe them out as a corporate lawyer on the board of Wal-Mart.

Obama's background and campaign platform still make him the best candidate for PA. His stated goals of rebuilding the country's infrastructure will put good paying jobs there. So will his initiative to lead the way in green energy manufacturing.

Midwesterners realized a long time ago that their choice in the general election would be simple: send more kids to war or see them travel out of state for good jobs OR invest efforts into revitalizing an out-of-date economy with innovative ideas and fresh faces. 

The Midwest was the backbone of the American Century, time has come for them to un-cling from their old ways and envision the future, and they know it.

Here's a link to a clip of Hillary being booed, er rebuffed, when she tries to slam Obama's remarks: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/14/need-headline_n_96578.html