Comedian Jeff Foxworthy made the term “redneck” a household word, but Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barak Obama may turn the redneck nation into a political power.

The Illinois senator stepped into a steaming pile of redneck quicksand in April when he questioned rural America’s bitterness.

“ … It’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion … as a way to explain their frustrations.”

Perhaps it was a slip of the tongue or perhaps it’s what the man really believes.

Hearing the man who seeks to be the leader of our nation making blanket statements questioning rural Americans’ motivations for having guns or “clinging” to religion is just down right scary.

The fact that Obama is in the hunt for the presidency is great. It speaks volumes about how far our country has come in terms of racial equality and religious tolerance.

It wasn’t too many years ago that considering a black man with a foreign-sounding name as a serious candidate would be unthinkable.

Call me a redneck, but my issues with Obama aren’t tied to the man’s race or even his name. He didn’t have control over either of those things.

God made his skin a bit darker than mine. Big deal. That doesn’t matter.

His parents gave him his name. Again, out of his control.

But Obama alone is in control of his thoughts, words and actions.

Last week, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling invalidated a Washington, D.C., gun ban, again, Obama’s anti-gun response was troubling and pointed to the theory that his original statement about rural Americans wasn’t just a slip, but the way he felt.

Interestingly, Obama sought to straddle the fence on the Supreme Court’s ruling by trying appeal to both sides.

“I have always believed that the Second Amendment protects the right of individuals to bear arms, but I also identify with the need for crime-ravaged communities to save their children from the violence that plagues our streets through commonsense, effective safety measures,” Obama said in a statement.

That may sound good to some people, but let’s consider some facts.

Firearms are just machines. There’s absolutely nothing inherently dangerous or evil about them. A loaded firearm could sit on a shelf for 50 years and never cause a problem.

It’s only when a person grabs a firearm that bad things occur.

And, generally, it’s criminals who do bad things with guns.

Criminals, by their very nature, don’t abide by laws — even gun control laws.

So gun bans like that of Washington, D.C.’s only restrict law-abiding citizens of their right to bear arms.

When Obama makes a statement that implies that gun control can help save children from violence that plagues our streets, intelligent people must chuckle a little bit.

Illicit drugs are illegal in this country. They’ve been banned for years, but in almost every single city in America, a person can buy marijuana, cocaine or crystal meth without too much work.

We see how well government-mandated bans work.

Perhaps all rednecks — regardless of background — would be wise to remember that as the presidential campaign draws to a close.

Maybe we can take a page from Foxworthy’s routine and apply it on Election Day.

If you’ve ever voted for a man who questions your right to bear arms, you might be an Obama-neck.

If you’ve ever thought clinging to religion is bad, you might be an Obama-neck.

Kevin Cooper is publisher of The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached at 601-445-3539 or kevin.cooper@natchezdemocrat.com.