Here's the fuller context:
"You go into some of 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," Obama said. "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."
How does "religion" explain the frustrations of someone in a small mid-western town that has gone down the tubes? Or "guns"? Or "antipathy toward people who aren't like them"?
Now, it would make more sense if he'd something like, "they blame the state of their local economy on immigrants, or people who aren't like them, or global trade issues, etc."
It would also make sense if he'd said something like, "because of their frustration, they cling to religion".
I think maybe what he meant, and I'm putting words in his mouth here, is that because of these peoples' frustrations, they focus unduly on certain issues, such as gun control, perceived religions persecution, illegal immigration, etc.
But that's just a guess. The entire quote would also make more sense if you just replaced "explain" with "assuage" or "soothe".
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/04/2008 02:09PM by Isildur.