Why do you think Obama is so popular?

[kentuck]

As I recall, he did give a great speech at the Democratic Convention, at least some people thought so. But, what legislation has he initiated? What are his accomplishments? Is he popular just because he is a black Senator? What do you think qualifies him to be President? What are his greatest attributes?

[DaveinMD]

1. his charisma

his intelligence, his ability to connect with people.

[Selatius]

2. He looks presidential, in my personal opinion.

Politics is degenerating into a beauty pageant.

Noting the low level of political discourse in the US, I have said in the past that if Dennis Kucinich looked like John F. Kennedy, he'd be a contender for president. Maybe I'm just cynical and give too little credit to most Americans.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

3. In my opinion, he's had a very disappointing Senate tenure.

Quite frankly, it seems like he's spent the entire time running for President.

[RaleighNCDUer]

22. No, he's merely a freshman senator of the out-of-power party.

He's had little chance to do much, and he's been busy learning the ropes. There are very few senators that make a big splash in their first term.

It looks to me like he's showing himself to be somewhat conservative in his approach, rather than grandstanding, despite all the publicity he's been getting. His primary ties seem to be with the DLC, but as he gets surer footing that could change.

I don't see him as presidential timbre in 08, but VP, and later, who knows?

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

34. I'd mostly agree with that assessment

I will definitely agree that he's done a lot less grandstanding than other people (cough, cough Feingold), although he has done his fair share. Do a google search on "Obama Democrats need to" and you'll see what I mean. I don't like it when people put down the party to make themselves look better. I guess I'm just disappointed it seems like his entire tenure there has been merely staying out of controversy and doing as many photo ops/press events possible to set himself up for a Presidential run as opposed to getting into the fray and actually being a Senator. But you're right - he is a freshman.

I don't think the parallel to Hillary Clinton is out of order, however. He's got a certain measure of power that most freshmen don't have because he has been touted as "the future", just like Hillary, though she obvious has other built-in advantages. She has gotten into the thick of things and has done a marvelous job of serving her constituency, no matter what anyone thinks of her political views. And since she's obviously running for a higher office too, I guess I'd just like to see Obama be more like her in those regards - do the job you're in now and worry about running for office later.

[Robbien]

4. Because he is new. He is likeable. And

There really is no one else.

All the other leaders in the party have such big negatives.

[Horse with no Name]

5. He is charismatic

but he spews a lot of RW talking points that make me uncomfortable.
He gave a great speech at the Democratic Convention. He wrote a book.
However, what I see is a failure to adequately do his job as a Senator because he has been "saving" himself for the Presidency and doesn't want his Senate record to bite him in the ass.
The way I see it is, if being President was ALWAYS his goal, why didn't he run for Governor of Illinois and let a progressive who was willing to get his hands dirty be Senator?

[Odin2005]

44. What RW talking points?

[Barnaby]

6. His looks

[AtomicKitten]

7. excellent, charismatic speaker

plus he's brand spankin' new

[OregonBlue]

51. Charismatic speaker? I just don't see it. I didn't see his convention

speech but since everyone was talking about it I've made a point of catching him when I hear he's on. He seems rather ordinary to me. JFK was a GREAT and charismatic speaker, Clinton is a GREAT and charismatic speaker, Edwards is a GREAT and charismatic speaker. Obama seems rather ho-hum. Is it just me?

[MrCoffee]

57. Watch Obama's keynote address here

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/convention2004/barackobama2004dnc.htm

if you haven't seen it, you should.

[AtomicKitten]

65. thanks for the link

It's the kind of thing one has to experience for themselves to really understand. :)

[OregonBlue]

73. Thanks. Like I said, the other speeches I've seen on TV have seemed

ho-hum.

[beaconess]

60. Yes, it IS just you. :-)

Seriously - you have to see him to believe him. He has a way of speaking, very plainly but quite eloquently, that is so inspiring. And he's got charisma. Even people who think they won't be impressed go apes_it when he walks in the room. He has IT.

But he also has incredible substance. As has been pointed out, he graduated magna cum laude from Columbia and was president of the Harvard Law Review. He could have written his own ticket - I imagine that every big time law firm in the country would pay top dollar for the Harvard Law Review president. But instead, Obama became a community organizer and public servant.

I don't know if he's ready for the presidency - but I'd love to see him make the run.

[Clark2008]

83. No, it's not just him/her either

I don't see the charisma. Just like I don't see it in Edwards. I think it's all the media's making, to be honest.

[beaconess]

90. I saw him long before the media picked him up and I saw it

Just because you don't see it doesn't mean it's not there. Obviously, plenty of other people see it, so it's not a figment. But I have yet to see any charismatic individual who is universally seen that way.

[Warpy]

8. He looks good on paper and he can TALK

Face it, ANYBODY is going to be an improvement after this oaf in office.

His voting record is OK, better than Lieberman, either Nelson, Bayh or any of the other Blue Dogs.

[Dawgs]

9. I don't know, but I do know that many Republicans like him.

I've read it on free republic, and a lobbyist (a Republican) that works with my wifes company has said she likes Barack Obama.

I love him, but I also understand why others do not.

I actually would rather have him as a VP candidate in 2008-running with Gore, and then have him takeover as President in 2016.

[acmejack]

10. Soundbite society

We don't demand substance anymore. The man has been on the scene for an entire two years so we're ready to place him in charge. Half of the people so ardently supporting him can't even tell you his positions on the greatest issues facing this Country. No matter, it as some posted recently, isn't he beautiful?

[texanshatingbush]

11. He's thus far "untainted"......

I think Obama's greatest attraction is that he is "untainted" by Washington's business-as-usual, you scratch my back-I'll scratch yours approach to legislation. That's the beauty of being new to the game, but it's also the the downside--not enough experience to prepare one for the rigors of the highest office in the land.

In the recent election, I think many people were so disgusted by the ethical challenges of Washington insiders--and the stick to the party line at all costs--that they were in a "throw the bums out" mood. I strongly suspect that that mood will continue if the recently-elected Democratic majority continues the tradition of "the best government money can buy".

I firmly believe voters will not have a representative government until PACs are outlawed--ESPECIALLY PACs controlled by elected representatives like Tom DeLay. Such entities encourage elected officials to vote for the money, instead of voting for the best interests of their district, or voting to reflect the wishes of a majority of the constituents they represent.

Greed and lust for power are the root of all evil in Washington--and the world.

[no_hypocrisy]

12. B/c you can't pigeonhole him and restrict him to a group.

He's a democrat without being identified with democrats wholesale. He's an individual and independent as well as articulate. He also presents well for all citizens, not just the typical black-white, rich-poor, north-south, east/west coasts-midwest, democrat-republican split.

[xiamiam]

13. i'm not buying it....none of it...give me someone who puts their career on the line to fight

a la feingold boxer...hes popular and charismatic...but he hasnt done anything other than the speech at the democratic convention..my opinion...

[beaconess]

15. But Feingold and Boxer aren't running . . . n/t

[Skinner]

14. Obama's popularity is based 100% on the speech at the convention.

And rightly so. It was an amazing speech. Democrats have been waiting for a speech like that since, well, forever.

If there had been no speech, Obama would not be the rock star he is. It would have taken much, much longer for people to learn who he is. He certainly would not be considering a presidential run so soon without the speech.

[Norquist Nemesis]

18. It was amazing, and more importantly--inspiring

But I think his consideration of a presidential run at this time has more to do with Oprah personally (and very publicly) asking him to run when he was on her show. It sort of pushed him there much faster. JMHO.

[kentuck]

30. Why?

I thought his speech was unifying and in sharp contrast to the divisiveness we had experienced for so long. It was like a breath of fresh air at the time. People, in the final analysis, prefer to be united, rather than divided. I think this may be his greatest strength. There is somehow a synchronicity about a leader in America named Barack Hussein Obama that appears on the scene at the same time we are experiencing such a disaster in the part of the world where that name may be more common. Somewhere in that part of the world, I imagine someone reading about an American running for President named Obama and it must give him a glimmer of hope...

[KKKarl is an idiot]

29. Agreed

I also strongly believe that he being new to the scene in DC makes him attractive to the people. The people are tired of electing officials who have been in power for decades. They feel these politicians cannot be trusted. Where as a new guy on the block that can speak like a veteran becomes more & more appealing.

[GenDem]

56. I agree,

the speech hooked me. I then read the book, Dreams of my Father, and I could hear the cadence and rhythm from the speech coming through his written words. He's obviously brilliant, is gushing with charisma, has a beautiful young family, and seems politically pragmatic. He's also on the right side of the Iraq war, having spoken out against it during his senate campaign. Is he ready? Maybe....maybe not. Is the country ready? God, I hope so.

[IndianaGreen]

69. Obama's trip to Africa to visit his ancestral village was a moving

and extraordinary event. His new book, puts him on a par with Kennedy's Profiles in Courage, at least on a literary level. His upcoming speech at an evangelical conference on AIDS. His early opposition to the war in Iraq, when it was unpopular to do so. Quite frankly, his convention speech is the last thing I think about when it comes to Obama. Obama is one of those candidates with the potential to unify the party and the country in ways we haven't seen since the days of Bobby Kennedy on the aftermath of the King assassination.

Obama's short Senatorial career is an asset, not a liability.

Last, but not least, Obama is the most charismatic Democrat since Bill Clinton.

[aaronbees]

70. Thank you! Someone gets it about Obama!

Obama not only makes you think of what a better America can look like, he makes you feel it. That, to me, is the real difference between him and some other potential candidates. His ability to connect with people is extraordinary and genuine, and that is a "presidential" gift (well, it should be anyway) that can't be underestimated.

[ripple]

16. He doesn't come across as a career politician

He speaks in terms people can relate to, is highly intelligent and articulate, has a deep commitment to human rights, he's able to see the nuance in policy issues (as opposed to it's my way or the highway), he'll be able to withstand anything the rethug spin machine throws his way, etc.

This sounds weird and I don't think I can articulate it effectively, but he has a way of inspiring people to find the good within ourselves and use it to reach our common goals. He comes across as genuine in a way that, frankly, most politicians are incapable of. It's an innate talent, I think, but one that also speaks to his matter-of-fact approach to principles that all of us can understand and embrace (affordable health care, eradicating poverty, disease prevention, quality education, protecting the environment, diplomatic solutions to global conflicts, etc.).

He has a lot of the same qualities Bill Clinton has, but he is more progressive and in my view, he is capable of achieving even broader support than Clinton.

[kentuck]

21. But can Americans trust a politician with a middle name of Hussein?

:)

[ripple]

24. It's funny you say that

Last week, some guy called in to Wash. Journal on the democratic line (yeah, right :eyes: ) and said he would be concerned for our nation's security if Obama were to become president, because Obama is a Muslim and Muslims hate America or some such drvel. I about spewed my coffee! It took about five minutes for CSPAN to find the info and confirm that Obama is actually a Christian.

I wouldn't have a problem with a Muslim candidate for any office, BTW, but where do people get this stuff??

[beaconess]

58. Beautifully said!

If anyone asks me what people see in Obama, I'm gonna say, "What Ripple said."

[zulchzulu]

17. No one really knows him and he is brand new to many

Nothing new with this phenomenon...

[xiamiam]

23. well, thats a problem..and other than be an inspiring orator...i just havent

seen him stand up against the administration...of course, he's a new senator and needed to play his cards correctly but that is also a part of the problem for me...what would have happened if he would have stood with barbara boxer against accepting the confirmation of the last stolen election...well, he might have not been thinking about running for president now but he certainly would have more of my support...thats just an example of what i am looking for..politics and pandering and the way the game has been played gives me the creeps..may sound naive but i think it turns off a lot more people than me...and if there were term limits for all congress people..i think there would be more revealed and accomplished and less politics.give me gore anyday...please please please

he's been a senator for two years and all we know about him is that he is a good orator...duh!!

[beaconess]

59. The campaign hasn't started yet

Very few people outside of Arkansas knew anything about Bill Clinton in November of 1990.

Besides, of course, that horrendously painful convention speech. Obama is already way ahead of the game. :-)

[riverwalker]

19. projection

Because we don't know who he is, he is everything to everyone. Even though I know I am doing it, I am caught up in it as well and can't help it. It feels so good. We project what we want onto him, and that's what we see. (Sorta like online dating profiles ;) ) To me the real test is going to be how he reacts to the upcoming hearings on bushcos crimes.

[xiamiam]

25. i think you are right and i also think you are going to be disappointed if you expect much..nt

[Brazenly Liberal]

20. If you ever have the opportunity to see him in person, DO IT

Then you'll know. It's quite an experience, especially if you pay as much attention to the audience as to him. It reminds me of a revival meeting - by the end of his speech, the whole audience is ready to come down to the front and be saved. "Charisma" seems like an insufficient word.

Before he was much known on the national scene, Obama was a star here in Illinois. I live in an overwhelmingly Republican county and NOBODY ever drew a crowd like he did. When he was running for Senator, all the old blue-haired, blueblooded ladies would organize field trips to go see him in other parts of the state. Part of his charm, part of why people are so ready to believe is because they are convinced HE believes. When most pols say things can be better and there's reason to work hard and hope, it sounds like a campaign speech to them. When Obama says things can be better and there's reason to work hard and hope, it sounds like truth to them. And right now, times are dark and people need to believe that hard work and hope can make things better.

[ripple]

27. Excellent assessment

I saw him speak here in Kansas and I was as amazed at the audience's response to him as I was with how much Obama impressed me personally. Charisma is indeed an understatement.

[The River]

26. Because The Corporate Media Tells Us He Is!

I mean seriously, to listen to the media he's the
second coming of MLK and JFK rolled into one.
The more exposure the MSM gives to him (and Hillary)
the less I'd vote for them.

Half the posts I see on DU are bitching about how the "media"
is so pro corporation/Repug yet we buy into whoever they decide
is the Democratic "front-runner" for 08??

All this early speculation is harmful.

[ripple]

28. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then- n/t

[The River]

32. Political Resoning Via Cliche?

nt

[izzybeans]

33. You mean like this:

Because The Corporate Media Tells Us He Is!

[Kelly Rupert]

63. Blaming "corporations" always wins. It's like drawing 21.

[nickshepDEM]

31. Charismatic, well spoken, gives a sense of hope and empowerment...

Has established a fairly strong record for only being in the Senate for a little over 2 years.

[JNelson6563]

35. Well TeeVee tells me he's a rock star

And they tell me this ALL THE TIME. Who am I to argue? He's a rock star, everyone adores him and the press can't wait to set him up for a good trouncing.

It's so much easier to worship a hero (real or media created) and hope to be rescued by that hero than it is to get off our butts and get to work. That's why it's so easy for the media to create heroes. Americans are lazy and no one is easier to sell a hero to than armchair warriors/keyboard commandoes.

Julie

[FrenchieCat]

41. Unfortunately, that's the part I worry about.....

THe media has never found a good man they didn't build up prior to demonizing him....in particular I find that true about Black men who are public figures, unfortunately.

That part breaks my heart....because I believe him to be a one who can and could become a great man....but the media is all in there messing with what should be a natural progression based on events as they unfold instead of manufactured adulation based on one speech he gave two 1/2 years ago.

The media has built up then and demonized quite a few of our should have been Rock Stars, and they will continue.

[fujiyama]

71. You bring up some good points

I think he would be a great candidate, but the media is ultimately in the GOP's pocket, and no politician of either party will receive the adulation and worship as St. Maverick McCain.

[Sinistrous]

36. He's photogenic, and when he speaks, his mastery

of the sound bite makes him sound as though he knows what he is talking about. Whether he does or not remains to be seen.

[leftofthedial]

37. he is articulate and charismatic and he's gotten excellent PR,

but mainly he's not one of the "same-old" Democrats who many view as more part of the problem than the solution over the last decade.

Several Democrats are viewed as losers. Several are viewed as repuke lites. Several are viewed as naked opportunists, more concerned with their own careers than with the needs of the country. Several are viewed as too narrowly focused on one or two issues.

Obama hasn't been around long enough, or done enough, to piss people off or to disappoint them. Give him time.

[wisteria]

38. Fresh face with a bank slate. n/t

[Sam Odom]

39. MSM is desirous of a well-spoken Black to do well Nationally

n/t

[applegrove]

40. His adultness. Seems to be an old soul..wise beyond his years. He had real jobs

before being elected. And when you compare him to * ... it shows.

[Leftist78]

42. charisma, presidential looking, great speaker

In the car world they call that "all show no go" :)

[beaconess]

46. While it's not everything, we certainly shouldn't downplay these talents

Charisma, eloquence and a presidential appearance are important qualities for a president to have.

As has been made clear by damage done to us in the national and international arenas by the uncharismatic, tongue-tied, inarticulate and always inappropriately affected current president.

[Leftist78]

48. Sure it matters

but it's somewhere near the bottom of the list of things that matter. I want a president who's going to get what needs to be done done. I could give a damn if he or she takes a pretty picture or looks like a leader. This is one of the products of the television age that we could honestly do without. How about we judge someone on his or her ideas for a change?

[beaconess]

50. These qualities come into play more than just on television

They can make a big difference in the ability of a president to work with other leaders, to sell his programs and policies and to properly represent the United States in many realms. It's not just show - it's an important part of leadership.

Cases in point, FDR and Teddy Roosevelt. Both came along before the television age, but their ability to command the debate, control a room, convince people they worked with to go along with what they wanted are still being studied and praised as qualities of true leadership.

I agree that these aren't by themselves enough. But they're terribly important.

[Leftist78]

68. that's fine

but the ability to command a debate is not something that can be judged by how photogenic a person is or how charismatic they are. Selling your policies is not just done by having a winning smile and knowing how to turn a phrase. If you don't have the meat then what's the point? Obama simply hasn't shown anything other than a rock star kind of "buzz" that I find quite frankly nauseating. That doesn't mean he wouldn't make a great president, but I'm not jumping on a bandwagon just because people seem drawn to him.

[lillilbigone]

43. Because he gave a good speech and people don't know where he stands on the issues.

He is a good speaker, and the less people know about a politician, the less they are aware that they disagree with that politician. We tend to give the benefit of the doubt, and many are just looking for a leader.

[erpowers]

45. Honestly Black

Honestly I think it is mainly because he is black. I think if the same guy had come along and where white he would not be as big a star. I am not a racist and I do not have any double standards. However, I contend that if people would take a step back they would see that he really has not done very much to qualify for a run for President. So far all I know he did is stand up against the Iraq War. That is about all I can say he has done. So I think he is popular because he is young, black and good looking.

[beaconess]

49. Oh, please -

If a White politician had given the speech at the 2004 convention that Obama gave, he'd be just as hot right now.

[Odin2005]

47. His youth (compared to most semators), charisma,and he isn't a "Washington insider"

He's got to be the most popular GenX politician in the country.

[beaconess]

52. Isn't he officially a "baby boomer?"

[Odin2005]

53. The definition of GenXers I've read is people born from 1961 to 1981

People born in the early 60's are part of the boom demographically but are generally Xerish in minset according to a book I've read.

[ripple]

54. Yep. I've heard him described as

the first post-baby boom presidential candidate, should he decide to run.

[liberalpragmatist]

55. HERE'S what Obama's Done in the Senate

Obama is getting the attention he is because he is smart, extremely charismatic, young, and Black (which does give him a boost). He is masterful at being able to fit into different crowds, speak in different affects depending on where he is (a slight Kansas twang to rural voters, an African-American preacher to Black audiences).

Moreover, there IS substance to him. He graduated magna cum laude from Columbia, attended Harvard Law School (where he was the first Black President of the Harvard Law Review), then later served as a community organizer and law school lecturer. He spent 7 years in the State Legislature (where his work included such bills as one mandating taped confessions in law enforcement and another dealing with the death penalty moratorium).

Here's what Laurence Tribe said about Obama:

Harvard law professor Laurence Tribe, one of the nation’s leading constitutional scholars, calls Obama “one of the two most talented students I’ve had in 37 years in teaching. ... When I look at my kids and grandkids and ask what makes me hopeful about the future — one thing is Barack Obama.”

What's Obama been up to since he got to the Senate? Hilzoy (a blogger) did some research on exactly what Sen. Obama has been up to the past few years. And she's dug up a pretty impressive list for a first-term senator in the minority party.

http://obsidianwings.blogs.com/obsidian_wings/2006/10/barack_obama.html

... I do follow legislation, at least on some issues, and I have been surprised by how often Senator Obama turns up, sponsoring or co-sponsoring really good legislation on some topic that isn't wildly sexy, but does matter. His bills tend to have the following features: they are good and thoughtful bills that try to solve real problems; they are in general not terribly flashy; and they tend to focus on achieving solutions acceptable to all concerned, not by compromising on principle, but by genuinely trying to craft a solution that everyone can get behind.

His legislation is often proposed with Republican co-sponsorship, which brings me to another point: he is bipartisan in a good way. According to me, bad bipartisanship is the kind practiced by Joe Lieberman. Bad bipartisans are so eager to establish credentials for moderation and reasonableness that they go out of their way to criticize their (supposed) ideological allies and praise their (supposed) opponents. They also compromise on principle, and when their opponents don't reciprocate, they compromise some more, until over time their positions become indistinguishable from those on the other side.

This isn't what Obama does. Obama tries to find people, both Democrats and Republicans, who actually care about a particular issue enough to try to get the policy right, and then he works with them. This does not involve compromising on principle. It does, however, involve preferring getting legislation passed to having a spectacular battle. (This is especially true when one is in the minority party, especially in this Senate: the chances that Obama's bills will actually become law increase dramatically when he has Republican co-sponsors.)

So my little data point is: while Obama has not proposed his Cosmic Plan for World Peace, he has proposed a lot of interesting legislation on important but undercovered topics. I can't remember another freshman Senator who so routinely pops up when I'm doing research on some non-sexy but important topic, and pops up because he has proposed something genuinely good. Since I think that American politics doesn't do nearly enough to reward people who take a patient, craftsmanlike attitude towards legislation, caring as much about fixing the parts that no one will notice until they go wrong as about the flashy parts, I wanted to say this. Specifics below the fold.

For example, here's what Obama's done on Nuclear Proliferation:

Nonproliferation: the poster child for issues that people ought to care about, but don't. Here Obama has teamed up with Richard Lugar (R-IN). How did this happen? Here's the Washington Monthly:

"By most accounts, Obama and Lugar's working relationship began with nukes. On the campaign trail in 2004, Obama spoke passionately about the dangers of loose nukes and the legacy of the Nunn-Lugar nonproliferation program, a framework created by a 1991 law to provide the former Soviet republics assistance in securing and deactivating nuclear weapons. Lugar took note, as “nonproliferation” is about as common a campaign sound-bite for aspiring senators as “exchange-rate policy” or “export-import bank oversight.”"

The way to a wonk's heart: campaign on securing Russian loose nukes. -- In any case, in addition to working on nuclear non-proliferation, Obama and Lugar co-sponsored legislation expanding the Nunn-Lugar framework (which basically allows the US to fund the destruction or securing of nuclear weapons in other countries) to deal with conventional arms. From an op-ed Obama and Lugar wrote on their legislation:

"These vast numbers of unused conventional weapons, particularly shoulder-fired antiaircraft missiles that can hit civilian airliners, pose a major security risk to America and democracies everywhere. That's why we have introduced legislation to seek out and destroy surplus and unguarded stocks of conventional arms in Asia, Europe, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East.

Our bill would launch a major nonproliferation initiative by addressing the growing threat from unsecured conventional weapons and by bolstering a key line of defense against weapons of mass destruction. Modeled after the successful Nunn-Lugar program to dismantle former Soviet nuclear weapons, the Lugar-Obama bill would seek to build cooperative relationships with willing countries.

One part of our initiative would strengthen and energize the U.S. program against unsecured lightweight antiaircraft missiles and other conventional weapons, a program that has for years been woefully underfunded. There may be as many as 750,000 missiles, known formally as man-portable air defense systems, in arsenals worldwide. The State Department estimates that more than 40 civilian aircraft have been hit by such weapons since the 1970s. Three years ago terrorists fired missiles at -- and missed -- a jetliner full of Israeli tourists taking off from Mombasa, Kenya. In 2003 a civilian cargo plane taking off from Baghdad was struck but landed safely.

Loose stocks of small arms and other weapons also help fuel civil wars in Africa and elsewhere and, as we have seen repeatedly, provide ammunition for those who attack peacekeepers and aid workers seeking to stabilize and rebuild war-torn societies. The Lugar-Obama measure would also seek to get rid of artillery shells like those used in the improvised roadside bombs that have proved so deadly to U.S. forces in Iraq.

Some foreign governments have already sought U.S. help in eliminating their stocks of lightweight antiaircraft missiles and millions of tons of excess weapons and ammunition. But low budgets and insufficient leadership have hampered destruction. Our legislation would require the administration to develop a response commensurate with the threat, consolidating scattered programs at the State Department into a single Office of Conventional Weapons Threat Reduction. It also calls for a fivefold increase in spending in this area, to $25 million -- a relatively modest sum that would offer large benefits to U.S. security.

The other part of the legislation would strengthen the ability of America's friends and allies to detect and intercept illegal shipments of weapons of mass destruction or material that could be used in a nuclear, chemical or biological weapon. Stopping weapons of mass destruction in transit is an important complement to our first line of defense, the Nunn-Lugar program, which aims to eliminate weapons of mass destruction at their source."

Dealing with unsecured stocks of shoulder-fired missiles and other kinds of conventional weapons, stocks that might fall into anyone's hands, be sold on the black market, and end up being used against our troops or our citizens, or fueling civil wars that tear countries apart -- it seems to me that this is an excellent thing to spend one's time on.

I'd encourage you to read her whole post. She goes on to detail Obama's legislation on avian flu preparedness, genetic testing, medical malpractice, raising CAFE standards, aid to Katrina victims, lobbying reform and many others.

In short, Obama is NOT merely hype. There's real substance behind him.

[Bombtrack]

61. The main reason is how inspiring and uplifting he is

he's the best of a recent streak of politicians like John Edwards and Deval Patrick.

Nothing indicates he's in this game for anything but the right reasons.

[Kelly Rupert]

62. He's gorgeous and talks well. n/t

[ToeBot]

64. He hasn't been around long enough to do anything to piss anyone off (yet) nt

[mtnsnake]

66. Obama gives lots of us hope. He wants to bring the country back together

Up there in his head, he knows what's right and he knows how to express it perfectly. He's inspiring, to say the least. He's also about healing this country that Bush has made so sick. Bush, Rove, and Co. have divided this country almost to the point of no return, and Obama seems like the kind of leader who can help restore the dignity the USA once had.

[Heewack]

67. He has "IT"!

And "IT" can't be had just by saying the right things. He has the ability to make people feel like he is talking with them not to them. He gives hope that a straightalking man can lead this country back to greatness.

[fujiyama]

72. I could list the usual

Charisma, inspiring, intelligent, and unifying...and it's absolutely true. I'm also impressed by the path he took after Law School. As Harvard Law Review Pres. he had a chance of any top corporate law firm in the country. He could have racked up a fortune, making partner, leading a very different life. Instead he chose to be a community organizer, then went into politics. It shows a sense of sincerity I haven't seen in many politicians.

The only two problems I see isn't that he's young, or inexperienced. It's that 1) he hasn't been battle tested and faced strong opposition (after all, he faced Allan Keyes) and 2) He hasn't risked much political capital on much. I would prefer him to speak out more against torture, illegal wiretapping, etc. I know he's on the right side of the issues and he's been a junior senator in the minority party, but a little more outspokenness on these issues (with less lecturing on liberals' supposed unwillingness to express faith) would have been appreciated.

He may be better suited as a VP candidate at this point, maybe to someone like Al Gore, who has more than enough experience, the right judgment on the issues, and of course he faced a terribly hostile media and won once in spite of that.

Either way, Obama certainly better than the anointed queen of a front runner, Hillary.

[lillilbigone]

74. The Ridiculousness & Danger That Is Obama '08

from Daily Kos:

Sometimes, you really just have to sit back and laugh at the ridiculousness of the celebrity-obsessed political culture we now live in. Take this Chicago Sun-Times article by Lynn Sweet in which she predicts Illinois Sen. Barack Obama (D) will run for president. She goes through what he has to do to prepare for his run, and this is the one that just makes you chuckle:

"Develop signature legislative initiatives: Once the Democrats control Congress come January, there's a chance to pass legislation. Watch for Obama to focus on alternative energy measures, health care and ethics reform legislation that stalled earlier this year."

Think about it. The national media is swooning over Obama, begging him to run for president. Yet, at the same time, they are implicitly acknowledging that he has actually not "developed significant legislative initiatives." In other words, we are to simply accept that the the Obama for President wave has absolutely nothing to do with anything that the man HAS DONE and further, that whenever he does decide to use his enormous political capital to do something, it is all in pursuit of the White House - not any actual sense of DOING SOMETHING for the people who elected him to the Senate.

I don't blame Obama for not having accomplished much - he's been in the Senate for two years. As I wrote in the Nation, the main concern about him is that he doesn't actually seem to ASPIRE to anything outside of the Washington power structure (other than maybe running for another higher office), and doesn't seem to be interested in challenging the status quo in any fundamental way. Using his senate career as a guide, it suggests that any presidential run by him is about him, his speaking ability and his fawned over talent for "connecting" (whatever the hell that means).

For progressives, this situation is perilous indeed. Obama is a candidate who has kept his record deliberately thin, who has risked almost nothing for the bigger movement, and in fact who has sometimes gone out of his way to reinforce dishonest stereotypes about the left. This is a man who has helped launch the Hamilton Project designed to undermine Democrats pushing for fairer trade deals. This is a man who belittled Paul Wellstone as merely a "gadfly." This is a man who refused to lift a finger for Ned Lamont. Flocking to a candidate like that without demanding that he change only reinforces the damaging concept that our movement is a Seinfeld Movement about nothing.

I couldn't agree more.

[ripple]

75. And if he had been all pomp and flash

as a junior senator in the minority party, he would have been accused of stepping on toes and grandstanding for media attention. He just can't win with some people, I guess.

Post #55 provides some good information of what he has done, BTW.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

77. those are safe issues he's worked on

Sirota points out that he hasn't stuck his neck out on anything since coming to the Senate.

"... if he was willing to push such a strong agenda in his previous job (state senate), why has he been unwilling to do the same now? Why has he changed? It is that change that we should all worry about"

[ripple]

80. If he had tried to push a bunch of measures

that didn't stand a chance of passing, he would have been accused of political grandstanding. A senior senator can get away with something like that, but a junior senator can't. Or, he or she CAN, but they're credibility is pretty much shot all to hell.

For that matter, what major legislation did any dem senators get through in the last two years? We were shut out.

It's interesting that the people who accuse Obama's supporters of being overly hyped about him apparently have a pretty inflated sense of him, too. Otherwise, they wouldn't be expecting him to walk on water.

[lillilbigone]

81. We're talking about reality, not what-ifs

[ripple]

85. I couldn't agree more

The reality is that Obama is a freshman senator and for the past two years he has been a member of the minority party in a bitterly divided senate. That's reality.

It's not reality to think he should have somehow been able to sweep past the majority party and written and passed several pieces of marvelously progressive legislation. That is not reality.

[lillilbigone]

87. Speaking again of reality NO ONE EVER SAID

"he should have somehow been able to sweep past the majority party and written and passed several pieces of marvelously progressive legislation"

so you and your strawman can just go off in the corner and have fun with each other. :eyes:

[ripple]

89. Perhaps if you would state

exactly what in the hell you think Obama should have accomplished during the past two years as a freshman member of the minority party in a senate where the minority party was essentially shut out by the majority, I wouldn't be left to draw my own assumptions about your meaning.
:banghead:

[lillilbigone]

91. Again, don't put words in my mouth, please.

Perhaps if you would state exactly what in the hell you think Obama should have accomplished during the past two years

I never said Obama should have accomplished anything. All I did was post a link and a snippet to a David Sirota piece on Obama, in which he also does not say that Obama should have accomplished anything. If you bother to read it, you will find out that he did say:

I don't blame Obama for not having accomplished much - he's been in the Senate for two years. As I wrote in the Nation, the main concern about him is that he doesn't actually seem to ASPIRE to anything outside of the Washington power structure (other than maybe running for another higher office), and doesn't seem to be interested in challenging the status quo in any fundamental way. Using his senate career as a guide, it suggests that any presidential run by him is about him, his speaking ability and his fawned over talent for "connecting" (whatever the hell that means).

-snip-

there are ways Obama could have proved himself. "He could, say, make universal healthcare coverage his public obsession or demand an end to the war in Iraq" he says. "He could fight for full public financing of all campaigns, or seek a national living wage." He hasn't done that, and not doing it has nothing to do with Obama's canned answer that he's "just a junior senator" who supposedly can't do anything. He's got the biggest microphone in American politics and he's in the third year of a six-year Senate term representing a solidly blue state, meaning there should be no political dangers for this man to aggressively push the progressive agenda he himself says he supports and which public opinion polls show the country is ready for. And still, he has DECIDED not to yet try to do anything that pushes the envelope (though I have long been optimistic that at some point he may lead the fight for public financing of elections, which would be fantastic).
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/12/1/104639/219

[ripple]

95. Fair enough

You didn't actually state the Obama should have accomplished anything. I apologize for attributing that sentiment to you, although it might be worth pointing out that I am pretty much debating Sirota's assertions with you by proxy. Still, I did put words in your mouth and I apologize for that.

And yes, I DID read the article. The first sentence is in direct contradiction to what Sirota complains about. If it wouldn't have accomplished anything for Obama to come shooting out of the gate screaming about the issues Sirota appears to have chosen for him to prioritize, what is the point of his criticism?

The article shows an almost absurd naiveté about the legislative hierarchy and what happens to politicians who step on toes before they've even gotten their own feet wet. Obama has been talking about most of the issues Sirota mentioned since before he was elected to the US Senate- and he hasn't stopped. Hell, he’s even written a book that addresses some of them.

Since you appear to be a stickler for literal interpretation (nothing wrong with that, BTW), I would think you might take issue with Sirota’s presumptive and misleading dialogue:

'He hasn't done that, and not doing it has nothing to do with Obama's canned answer that he's "just a junior senator" who supposedly can't do anything.'

Obama has never once implied that he "can't do anything". What he has said is that (paraphrasing here) he realizes he's a freshment senator with a lot to learn and despite the media hype, he doesn't have an overinflated idea of his role in the senate. It's called humility.

[warrens]

76. I spent several days with him, doing a story

One of his greatest attributes is that he really listens, and he has a photographic memory. Sounds a bit like Clinton, eh?

He's also a great speaker who doesn't talk down to his audience. Within a couple minutes in every speech I saw, you saw heads start nodding. Often Republican heads. He just makes sense. He's not going to spend 15 minutes making some convuluted and stupid argument about how cutting taxes on the rich really helps EVERYONE.

[PurityOfEssence]

78. Fad, coupled with true value

Remember all the posts lauding Mary Landrieu after her '02 win? Have you noticed all the Claire McCaskill lovefests of late?

Part of the genius of the constitutional framers was to have one house of the legislature voted on every other year (so the voice of change was represented) and the other house appointed by the states for six years on a staggered basis. The frenzy of the moment often gets out of control, and the balance is provided by a bit of solidity.

This guy's really got something. He's got heart, he's articulate, he could be a very important new face to show the world (since he's not just a white-boy) and he's got the sense of diplomacy. Lest we forget, he's got political experience, too.

What's missing here is that his voting record is a bit spotty. I HATE the Clintonian drift to the right that's expressed as a necessity to hold the middle. He's been a part of this, but there simply isn't enough information out there to say. This works both ways: is he a crusader or an appeaser? Methinks he's the true article, but how the hell do I know? What does give me some hope here is that I feel that if given the mandate, he'd follow his heart regardless of what others think.

Still, the answer to your question is basically that people are fickle and capricious, and he's the current fad. He may be the best thing ever, but the focus given him amid his election during the ugly idiocy of the '04 campaign gave him great attention.

Think show business: he's statistically special and he has charisma.

[AZBlue]

79. I think what he said on Oprah sums it up for me:

The whole interview with him and his wife showed how real and genuine and down to earth they both are.

But there was one quote that really moved me - I have to paraphrase it unfortunately, but basically he said that every Senator and Congressman should always ask themselves how they would feel if they couldn't afford to send their children to college, how they would feel if they couldn't afford medication that would help themselves or a loved one, how they would feel if they had trouble putting food on the table. How would that make them feel? Because if they think about that, then they'll do the right thing.

One of the things I look for most in a politician and a leader is someone who doesn't forget what the rest of us are going through, someone who works to make the every day lives of regular Americans just a little better, step by step. And, this seemed like such a simple but effective way for a politician to remain connected with and focused on the right things.

[Clark2008]

82. The media. eom

[Bullet1987]

84. To lillilbigone:

...DailyKos is very much anti-Obama for whatever reason. Which is suprising since it's supposed to be a progressive/liberal website. I know someone started a thread a while back about this message Obama sent to them. So the two have locked horns and I guess Daily Kos has no love for him at all. I'm suprised though by the suspicioon and dislike of many so-called Democrats towards Obama. I mean, why would Daily Kos care that the media is hyping Obama up? They're not Free Republic, or any other conservative website...it's baffling to say the least.

[lillilbigone]

88. Try reading David Sirota's piece and addressing its content

instead of just attacking the forum on which it was posted.

Daily Kos is just like DU; people post their own thoughts... .there is no monolithic 'DailyKos' that is either pro or anti anything.

[BrokenBeyondRepair]

86. because msm says so...

[onecent]

92. When he speaks...you get the feeling he is above reproach. You get the

feeling what he believes is truth. He comes across as being honest, very caring, sincere,...and he frankly doesn't give a hoot if you don't really feel that way about him. He's just doing what comes naturally.

He's not pushy, like some politicians...

I believe this man can truly MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

I don't believe he is handsome in the Robert Kennedy handsome, but he's real...what you see is what you get...my only fear is since he is black I'm afraid someone will hurt him.

What they did to the people who became too powerful
JFK
RFD
MLK

Is insane...

Stay Safe Obama....

[Doctor_J]

93. He's smart, telegenic, eloquent, charismatic, forthright,

self-made, accomplished, proud (witness today's smackdown of Whiteback), and has enormous crossover appeal. He a Dem who can talk openly about his faith and is impervious to the slings and arrows of partisan hacks like Falwell and Dobson.

[leesa]

94. Media salesmanship. Americans are suckers for a good sales pitch.

[Bullet1987]

96. It seems...

...Every other post is like this,

Because he's real,
The media,
Because he's inspiring,
The media...

I think it's probably a little bit of both. I mean, being on the cover of TIME magazine...having a new bestseller out...and drawing hundreds whenever you go somewhere is gonna attract media attention whether he wants it or not. It doesn't seem like it's going to his head, which is good. But people want something to believe in, something different and unique. Obama speaks with emotion, and it also doesn't hurt that he's very open. Politicians actually need to be more like him.