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Controversial remarks correct, Lackawanna County Commissioner Washo says

SCRANTON – Illinois Sen. Barack Obama supporters came out Sunday saying New York Sen. Hillary Clinton is out of touch with small-town residents.
Lackawanna County Democratic Majority Commissioners Corey O’Brien and Mike Washo said people have a right to be angry regarding how past presidential administrations have treated them. They spoke at a press conference Sunday afternoon at the Obama office in Scranton after Clinton’s appearance in the city.
Washo said he agreed with what Obama said last week.
“Here’s the little secret about what Sen. Obama said — he’s right. Many of us are angry and frustrated. People in the towns and communities we live in have seen their jobs shipped overseas. We’ve seen our pensions disappear. We’ve seen our health-care costs skyrocket. We’ve seen everything from the cost of gasoline to a gallon of milk go through the roof,” Washo said.
Earlier this month, Clinton released her and her husband’s 2000-07 tax returns, which showed during that time frame the couple earned $109,175,175. Just under half of that amount was from President Bill Clinton’s speaking engagements.
O’Brien emphasized there is no way Clinton can understand the hardships that average, hard-working people experience as they try to make their paychecks stretch.
“Those Americans making $109 million face challenges, but they do not face our challenges as middle-class Americans. We must keep track of our checking-account balances so that we can buy gas … She has not faced these struggles for many years,” O’Brien said.
Also on Sunday, three members of Obama’s Pennsylvania Sportsmen and Sportswomen for Obama Steering Committee issued a release saying Clinton is painting herself as a supporter of the Second Amendment, which is a ploy to win the Democratic nomination. Those members are state Rep. Dan Surra, D-Elk County, Perry County Commissioner Steve Naylor and Braddock Mayor John Fetterman.
They pointed out that Obama supported gun owners rights in July 2006 by voting yes to prohibit government from taking a firearm away from a resident during an emergency or major disaster if the weapon is not illegal. Sen. Clinton voted against the same law.
A check on the U.S. Senate on-line Roll Call Vote Web site confirmed the two candidates’ votes.
“Sen. Clinton has never been an ally to sportsmen and she hasn’t been making the effort to reach out to us here in Pennsylvania. Her disingenuous show of interest in hunting and the Second Amendment now that it’s politically convenient is condescending and out of touch …,” said Surra, a member of the state’s Games and Fisheries Committee.