Administration Quote by Barack Obama
“You got into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton Administration, and the Bush Administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. And it's not surprising then they get bitter, 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.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Remarks on Rural America, 2010
Economic decline in small towns fuels frustration, leading some to adopt extremist attitudes as coping mechanisms.
In simple terms: Job loss leads to bitterness and scapegoating.
Key Takeaway
Address root economic causes.
Themes
economics
politics
social cohesion
Mood
concerned
hopeful
Type
political
social
When to use this quote
- policy making
- community development
- education reform
- media analysis
Key Concepts
decline
resentment
identity politics
Questions to Reflect On
- What policies could truly help these towns?
- How can communities rebuild trust?
A Different Perspective
Economic revitalization is complex and may clash with political agendas.
![“That is another theme in the book [Dreams from My Father]. How do we exercise more empathy in our public discourse? How do we get the black to see through the eyes of the white? Or the citizen to see through the eyes of the immigrant? Or the straight to see through the eyes of the gay? That has…” quote by Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/00d/barack-obama-17_black_that-is-another-theme-in-the-book-dreams_10185.jpg)
