By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent
SCRANTON, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - Democratic presidentialhopeful Hillary Clinton toured a working-class neighbourhood onSunday and kept up the attack on rival Barack Obama's remarksabout small-town voters.
With the Pennsylvania primary nine days away, Clintonwalked through a section of Scranton, where she spent some timeas a child and near where her father is buried, to convey thatshe's in touch with the middle class.
Obama's week-old comments saying economic problems ledfrustrated voters in small towns to cling to their guns andreligion were central to Clinton's message and the Sundaypolitical talk shows.
"Senator Obama has not owned up to what he said and takenaccountability for it," said Clinton, who has called theremarks elitist and divisive. "What people are looking for isan explanation."
It was difficult to gauge whether Obama's comments wouldthreaten his chances in Pennsylvania, which votes on April 22to help pick a Democratic candidate to run against RepublicanJohn McCain in November's presidential election. In nearly twoyears of a topsy-turvy campaign, the candidates have made anumber of missteps and none has proved fatal.
A spot check in the small town of Mechanicsburg showed nobig outcry from voters about Obama's comments.
"I'm not upset about it," said Richard Morrison, 61, alawyer who said he was leaning Democratic. "I heard what he wastrying to say. It is an unfair way to broadly characterize astate. But there is a sense of bitterness out there."
Clinton said Obama's comments would fuel Republican attackson the eventual Democratic nominee.
"This is about how people look at the Democratic Party andthe Democratic Party leadership," she said. "We have beenworking very hard to make it clear we have millions ofDemocrats who are church-going and gun-owning, and we are tiredof having Republicans, or frankly our own Democrats, give anyammunition to Republicans.
"What happens then is that Republicans take advantage ofthe situation," said the New York senator, who has campaignedas the most electable Democrat in November.
SCRANTON PAPER ENDORSES OBAMA
McCain, the Arizona senator and Republican presidentialnominee, was off the political trail on Sunday.
Clinton and Obama were scheduled to appear at a forum onfaith and values near Harrisburg on Sunday and the recentcomments were certain to be mentioned.
Obama, the Illinois senator who would be the first blackU.S. president, had been closing the gap in the polls and wascutting into the large lead that Clinton once held in thestate.
He leads her in pledged delegates won in state contests,but neither is likely to reach the 2,024 needed for nominationwithout support of the nearly 800 superdelegates.
Obama said on Saturday that he was sorry if his remarksoffended anyone and his supporters said he would weather theflap.
Democratic Sen. Bob Casey said on CNN's "Late Edition" thatObama would still win the state because the voters would not"judge him by one statement."
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, a Clinton backer, wouldnot predict a win for her, but said Obama's comments weredamaging to his campaign.
"I'm certainly saddened to hear those kinds of comments,"he said on "Fox News Sunday." "I've lived in Philadelphia and,of course, Pennsylvania for almost 51 years. They don'trepresent the thoughts of people throughout this greatcommonwealth."
As Clinton campaigned door-to-door in Scranton, severalhundred people lined the street and jammed porches to see theformer first lady.
A man who said he was a Republican and a fan ofconservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh told Clinton hesupported her because he needed health insurance and thoughtshe could get universal coverage approved.
"I'll do my best for you," Clinton told the man, who wouldnot give his name to reporters. became public on Friday.
While Clinton stressed her concern for working-classfamilies, the Scranton Times-Tribune newspaper endorsed Obamaas the best candidate able to lead the nation.
The editorial board noted Clinton's "deep Scranton roots,"but called her "a political lightning rod" and said Obama hadthe ability to build consensus.
(Additional reporting by Caren Bohan and Ed Stoddard;Writing by David Wiessler; Editing by Bill Trott)
(To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visitReuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online athttp:blogs.reuters.com/trail08/)
