Obama camp tries to sweeten 'bitter' gaffe

WASHINGTON, April 14 (UPI) -- Barack Obama's campaign is using fundraising to try to make lemonade out of a lemon -- the flap over his description of voters as "bitter," an official said.

David Plouffe, the campaign manager for presidential hopeful Barack Obama, sent a fundraising e-mail to supporters Monday, accusing Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., of being the candidates who are out of touch with the voters, The Hill reported.

Obama, during a fundraiser in San Francisco, said some small-town voters are bitter because of the slumping economy and holding onto religion, guns and anti-immigrant views as a result. McCain and Clinton jumped on the remark, criticizing Obama, the senator from Illinois, as elitist.

In response to the criticism, Plouffe said campaign is making a fundraising push with a goal of lining up 1.5 million donors by May 6.