I grew up in a town of less than 5,000, out in the middle of nowhere, and I still have strong connections there.  I could not possibly fault what Obama said, because in my experience it's entirely true.  And if people are hurt by that truth, maybe they need to be.  "Bitter" may not be the most accurate word, but my hometown is certainly full of people who I can describe in no other way than fearful.  These are people in the middle of the continent who are sure that a terrorist is right around the corner, waiting to kill them.  

Many people of faith, such as myself, know that there are plenty other people who cling to religious beliefs that exclude rather than include.  By saying certain people are bad Christians and not like us, it helps them deal with their fear.  I'm sure education is a part of that, but that's a rocky line to cross.  I learned a long time ago not to use in an argument with my aunts & uncles the idea that, well, I went to college and I'm kind of smarter than you in certain ways.  As tjb mentioned, having an advanced education does make you analyze and question your own beliefs, as well as others, and to be comfortable doing that.  But I realize that being "right" is some of the only comfort that my uneducated family members have.

Rachel Maddow had an analysis on Olbermann that I thought seemed plausible.  She said that the middle/working class has for years been disappointed by politicans who say they will help with the financial worries.  We wonder why so many Americans seem to vote against their economic self-interest.  Maddow's thought was they've been taught that it doesn't help their situation.  So they fall back on "values" voting, listening to politicians who say, "I will take care of those nameless, possibly groundless fears that you didn't know you had."  And they cling to that hope because they've lost the belief that their economic status will ever be better.