Of course people are bitter (although I would widen it to include almost all of America outside the the top couple of percent of income earners). The only thing that bugs me is the assumption that this bitterness is misplaced or the response is wrong-headed. Should you embrace a system that is going to kick you in the ass perpetually?
The Democratic race is certainly getting bitter, at least from the Clinton side. And McCain apparently wants her as the candidate because she’d be easier to beat. Obama is an unknown quantity to the established politico class, and this makes them nervous.
His comment about the working class being bitter is undeniably true. And while some see it as a blunder, it may prove to have been politically astute as well as honest and blunt.
He is being financed by some group in the establishment, it is not by the workers donations nor his own money. Without the big money backers he goes no where. So his policies will be those of his backers, follow the money and you see the philosophy behind him.
But Obama is, I think, arguably less bellicose and warlike. Maybe factions of the ruling class have decided war and militarism are bad for business.
I doubt it, there is a lot of money being made at this moment in time just because there are wars going on. Go through all the leaders we have had and then count all the years when the military were watching the gear rust? We have had smiling orators, foaming Christians and some dumb prats but we have always had a war. Historical evidence clearly shows their story. We tend to think of and remember the BIG wars, but there has been a continuous line of what I call pygamy wars. However, people still die and suffer in these “little” wars but they don’t make headline news and they don’t hurt us, so they are forgotten. The Uk has had its troops fighting in some part of the world through out my entire life, (I’m 74) and history tells me that it was going on before I arrived here. I think if you look at the history of the US you will find the same continuous line. Changing the leader has never changed the system.