America's turn: How bitter are you? Vote now

For days now we've all been reading about how bitter or not bitter small-town Pennsylvanians are.

All three major remaining presidential candidates -- Sens. John McCain, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, who started this whole thing by blabbing on in some ill-expressed psychobabble at what he thought was a closed fundraiser in the smallest of small towns, San Francisco -- have been trying to use bitter to their own political advantage.

Big shock there!

Clinton and McCain have bitterly attacked Obama over his bitter remarks and he admits he could have said it bitter.

Besides the fact that, yo, even Pennsylvania's large cities are small towns, the Keystone State has had its say.

Now, it's time for the rest of us to weigh in. Vote away.

And if your ballot requires further explanation, use the Comments section below.

--Andrew Malcolm

Comments

[feds]

I am a white professional man with a good paying job, and side with Obama. Yes, I can understand the underlaying truth of what's he is saying, but Mrs. Clinton is distorting his words in all possible ways in order for her to win the nomination. Of course, people are bitter when they lost their jobs over the past15 years due to the NAFTA both Clintons supported from the begining.

[Justin]

I find it fascinating that people blame the war for our current econominc condition, when only a fraction of the national budget is assigned to the task.

I'm also shocked that so many people would prefer to leave healthcare to the government.

The government has really shown its ability to act more responsibly than private business (such as big oil) when it comes to welfare, social security, medicare, medicaid, and espeically my favorite, state run DMV's.

Hello?

You want to give them more power and more authority for a national health care system, government run gas/oil business, energy control?!?!?!? Yikes.....

Nothing like waiting at DMV for 4 hours to register a car. I can't wait until I have to sit an emergency room 3 days to get stitches, or wait in line for an hour at the gus pump to get my government fuel.

God help us all...

[Neal]

How do you know when Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton are lying, WHEN THERE MOUTH IS OPEN AND MOVING!
Hillary takes the meaning of PATHETIC to a whole new dimension. My family and myself can no longer stomach even watching Hillary on the campaign trail, she makes us all very sick to our stomach.

[Fuzzy Gnome]

I am extremely bitter, and upset there was no bitterness scale on the poll. My bitterness is a result of watching our civil liberties destroyed in the name of "security" and "our own good" for the past many years. It's time for real change, not reverting back to another Clinton. If these last eight years have taught us anything, it's that a poor college student will make a poor president. I want someone who can form his own sentences and understand what the people want as president.
Very bitter:
Bitter that I had to move away from my home to find a good job.
Bitter that I can no longer afford a house because of speculators and fancy loans to people who couldn't afford them raising prices to the stratosphere.
Bitter that the people who didn't save for a downpayment didn't read the fine print on the most expensive purchase of their lives, and won't sell their mcmansion without a profit will get MY TAX MONEY

[SCF]

Go home Obama!

[thinker]

I don't need an elitist snob looking down his nose at me, Obama is showing his colors and we should all take a second look at this guy. He doesn't connect with real people, just his fellow travelers. Vote against him, first for Hillary, and if necessary, for McCain.

[mona watterworth]

I am bitter over the last 7 years with the bush campaign..I purposely spelled bush with lower case letters as he is a lower case..We need a leader like Obama and I feel people just did not listen carefully to his words...I am still amazed that the American people put bush in the white house...or did they???

[Richie]

Look at what a mess this country as well as our world is in. Money, that seems to be the only thing anyone cares about. Those in charge are so clueless, it's beyond funny or sad. Myself, I've lost ALL hope anyone in government. All it is to them is lip-service. If they truly cared, this mess would have been fixed many years ago. Do they really expect me to believe they care, with all the lies they tell, and all the money they throwaway. And finally I feel sorry for anyone out there that thinks any of the candidates are worth voting for.

[beachisdebill]

Just the facts need to be presented to the people. We can figure out what is the truth. Opinions are "a dime a dozen" but most of them are not even worth a penny! Foolish opinions only show a resolve by the people that are giving them!

[Pete]

Who wouldn't be bitter? Economy going down the drain. Homes foreclosed. A trillion dollars being wasted on a country who doesn't want our help. And when Sen. Obama speaks the truth, some people get upset. I am bitter, disillusioned, pissed off.

[thestorm]

We americans are pretty stupid,we fall for everything our government puts in front of us,remember we voted for Bush twice,im bitter because gas is too high,the IRAQ war is costing me money,and innocent lives are being lost over oil , people Iraq had nothing to do with 911.Our tax dollars go to helping out foreigners in other lands,when we need help here,our gov.t bails out Bear Stern and NOT THE AVERAGE PERSON who is unemployed,im bitter because jobs are leaving small towns and big towns alike because of tax breaks afforded to them if they set up shop in other countries.Im bitter because Americians can't see that Barack is 99 percent truthful and Hilary is 75 percent truthful and Mccain is Bush all over.Im Bitter because the average american citizen has to work 2 jobs just to pay for housing and food.IM BITTER AS HELL

[r l robbins]

Love my country----but HATE____BITTER__about the administration & congress----rlr

[Gabriel Medrano]

Why is it offensive to say that people are irritated about a corrupt government, are we supposed to be happy about it.
What is the matter with the perception of reality in this country, people are so used to be lied to and treated as fools, that they get upset when somebody tells the truth for a change.
And the politics and anchors that always find the worst intrepretation for somebody elses words, they have no shame, why do people even care to listen to them.
Why is Hillary more preocupied with what Obama says, than what she says?
Is it because she does not have anything valuable to say?

[sarah]

Bitter, yes I am bitter. I am bitter at big business making huge profit off of the hard work of the workers and the government does nothing to stop it. I am bitter because the rich get richer and the hard worker get shafted. One person did not ruin this country and one person will not save it. We need to make all elected officials work for the people and not big businesses and rich people. It makes no difference who get elected until all those that are elected start working for the people we will continue to have the same grid lock.

[Rake Morgan]

What an idiotic survey! Who wrote that for you, Barack Obama?

There are three choices, two of them have the respondant answering "bitter." Then, for the third choice, if you are not bitter, then you must feel pretty good? Doesn't anyone there own a dictionary?

If you don't feel pretty good, perhaps you feel frustrated or angry or disappointed or. . .whatever. This charade is meant to support Obama. Shameful.

[Kurt]

This is what is bitter, all of these people putting so much faith in government. These are the same people that will keep chasing the golden ring of government and continue to be bitter. We live in the most wonderful country in the world, there is no place else you can create your own destiny like the USA. When we stop giving our freedoms away to government and our hopes in the people in government and depend on our own abilities then you will see the bitterness start going away.

[Barebones]

Bitter isn't exactly the word, furious - irate - exasperated maybe but bitter doesn't quite cover it. With the massive waste of our taxes on pork projects, illegal immigrants, foreign aid to those who would destroy us, bailouts of social parasites in New Orleans, bailouts of greedy morons with adjustable 125% mortgages, handouts to every low life misfit that's too lazy to get an education and hold a job to provide for themselves. Maybe I'm just pissed at our representatives in genersl and no matter who we vote for as president we're gonna have a DIMOCRAT!!!!

[Philly Born]

Damn right I'm bitter.

Eight years of the rampant idiocy of the Bush administration will do that to a person.

As a middle-aged, blue collar white male that hasn't had regular work for two years, I have to laugh at the mega-rich Clinton and McCain's assertions that Obama is the elitist.

Being the son and grandson of Admirals, an Annapolis
graduate, a 25 year Washington insider that married someone worth well over 100 million dollars, I really don't think McCain can claim any blue collar credibility.

...And as for being out of touch, nobody can compete with $109 mill Hill, who wouldn't know reality if it started shooting at her in Bosnia. There is a difference between recognizing and speaking unpleasant truths, and the cynical, patronizing, calculated dissemination of misinformation and lies to try and save a train wreck of a campaign.

[sharon]

Since when did stating what we can all see but nobody will say become psychobabble. He got it right - bitter, outraged, angry - call it what you will, but don't underestimate how strongly a lot of Americans feel.

[Noel A. Nehf]

When the basic needs of life . . . decent shelter; basic, edible food; affordable medicine and health care; clean water, and breathable air are out of reach for common people, are privatized (in the case of medicine and water) or artificially priced beyond reasonable expectation for common people - yes, we are bitter. When a good, basic public education in this United States is nothing more than a memory for all but the wealthy, yes, we are bitter, because we are born and raised to be ignorant. And when lies and trickery send patriotic young men and women to their deaths, or to futures changed beyond recognition because of injury to body or psyche, yes, we are bitter. And when these same lies and trickery send innocent Iraqi citizens to hell and back, yes, we are bitter. And when the fourth estate do little more than parrot what is given them by the powerful, yes, we are bitter. And when even responsible bodies of Congress lend themselves impotent in the face of a runaway, immoral, dishonest executive branch, abnegating their constitutional responsibilities, yes, we are bitter.
And when the very bedrock of this United States, the Constitution, is manipulated, ignored, and discarded for partisan purposes, YES. WE ARE BITTER!

[Micheal]

Yea, I'm pretty bitter that this is my first election I get to vote in. I'm pretty bitter that America is turning into what it is now and that I have to raise my children in this b/s just hoping that everything will work out..

[Matt]

Bitter...I'm bitter that all the things wrong with the world are blamed on Bush and Republicans. There were liberals invloved in all decisions.
I'm bitter that even with a majority of democrates in the house and senate, there is no change that was promised by Pelosi.
I'm bitter because hearing and taking crap from radical Muslims is politically correct but christians responding is politically incorrect.

[kay]

No, I am not bitter and not "clinging to religion". However, I am clinging to Jesus my Savior for He only has the answers this old sin-cursed world need. In Him I have Peace and a bright Hope for a better tomorrow. Praise his Name! The problems of America are problems of sin, not economics. The Bible says : The nations that forget God shall be turned into hell. I believe America is fast reaching this point. But the Good news is that if we will repent and turn from our wicked ways, God will have mercy and once again we could enjoy His Blessing and favor!!!!

[American GI Joe]

Obama is showing himself to be a hater. His associations for 20 years with a racist hating preacher, his bigotry toward small towns, his arrogance, elitism, and other suspect ideals are coming home to roost.

[Reuben Rajala]

Bitter...yes, very. Here in rural NH we are watching as the growth industry seems to be a new Federal prison, an ATV park, and public sector jobs which our property taxes and income taxes are paying for while job opportunities shrink. And many long time manufacturing jobs that paid well and produced value added products are being dismantled. I guess we are all supposed to tickled pink at the cheap Chinese goods at our new Wal-Mart.

Most are disgusted by the failures and lies of the Bush administration, which billed itself as fiscal conservatives (yeah right, as we now pay over $429 BILLION/yr. on the ballooning national debt), uniters not dividers (wrong again), took us into what they see as a perfectly fine, decades long war (creating ever more enemies, death, and destruction at terrific cost), has done hundreds of Presidential signing statements to undercut or endrun the Congress and the will of the people, corruption, etc. The list goes on and on.

We deserve far better. Heck, I saw him once finish a press conference and he said" Thank you for you answers" and he walked away. Even a junior high school student could get "questions" right. Disgusted and bitter. Obama has it exactly right...and anyone who reads his entire comment, rather than a line or two taken out of context and spun by Hillary (shame on her) and the GOP (not surprisingly) will agree.