Why did Barack Obama choose to run now?

[Onlooker]

Although I support him, I do wonder why he chose to run now, when it could have been a historic first for women in the United States. The fact is, he is not offering anything substantially different from Clinton. He has not gone out on the limb on any issue, unlike, for instance, Edwards. Did he simply ignore the significance of a woman running, or is he simply not interested in issue of race and gender? Did he think this was the most realistic opportunity for him to win? Does he have a hidden (hopefully more liberal) agenda? Did he run because he felt Clinton couldn't win? Did he run simply because he could, because his ego was so stroked by the zealous among his followers that it's gone to his head?

[Skidmore]

1. Wow, that's some messed up post you have going there.

You got lost some where between your first sentence and the last one. Keep whacking around in those weeds. You may just be able to hit a hornet's nest and start some crap.

[blogslut]

2. You'd get a lot better answer

If you didn't call us zealots.

[TomClash]

3. Here are a few reasons

1. No incumbent
2. Comparatively young
3. Perfect time for a unifying candidate
4. New approach and new ideas
5. Hillary had high negatives

I strongly doubt gender had anything to do with it.

[cooolandrew]

4. America should be glad that he has shown up her strikingly similar characteristics to bush.

Why would more distortion be good for America. It still can be a first for women if folks realise that now is the last and only time to ask nicely for Obama to run a woman doubt it would be HRC though. It would have to be nicely though, people don't respond to aggression. That is the best option now and no, one american has entitlement to the presidency that is not democracy thepeopelswill is.

[Horse with no Name]

5. because someone told him he gave a nice speech

Probably slapped him on the back and said "you could be President some day"...and obama said "YES I CAN"...and proceeded down his path of grandiose entitlement without paying his political dues.

[Kahuna]

16. You have the nerve to say that with a John Edwards avatar???

Boy oh boy. You can't make this stuff up.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Horse with no Name]

18. You sure can't

At least JRE didn't have to pad his resume...he earned his credentials from the bottom up. They weren't stolen from others and given to him.

[Kahuna]

19. No, Edwards didn't pad his resume. So he ran WITHOUT ONE..

That's the real joke. :rofl:

[Horse with no Name]

20. I'd rather have an honest man with nothing

than a dishonest one with a padded resume.

[Kahuna]

37. ...

Nice comeback. :rofl:

[Unsane]

73. What credentials? He voted like Lieberman and ran on Feingold's record

He was a bizarre candidate. Very conservative senate record, but ran like it didn't exist. He couldn't win elected office in NC nowadays if his life depended on it. At least when Obama's ass is on the line, he VOTES with us.

[TheDebbieDee]

54. Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner here!

[fujiyama]

6. The people supposedly prepared to engage in violence are thugs

cowards and criminals.

I would not pay attention to such fools.

But as for why he decided to run, I believe there are many reasons. First of all, there was a lot encouragement and enthusiasm from many people. I think many wanted an anti Iraq war alternative to Hillary and he was it. Along with his charisma, his effective campaigning in '06 I think he came to the conclusion that he could successfully challenge her to the nomination and win. Perhaps he was also not completely convinced Hillary could win the general election either.

[BumRushDaShow]

7. Why is your post

so bitter?

Your phrasing insults the object of your query and even insults those who might legitimately answer and debate you. Thus you lose all credibility and merely relegate your post to flamebait status.

[cali]

8. I see your post as passive aggressive.

I haven't a clue as to why you support him, but perhaps you'd be better off not doing so, as your resentment and dislike are clear. There is no indication that his supporters are prepared to engage in violence. There hasn't been a history of their doing so. Furthermore, it appears to have escaped your not very keen eye, that there are just as many Hillary supporters, proportionately, that are hateful jerks. At least on DU.

[Onlooker]

21. Actually, I don't think that's true

that Clinton supporters are as hateful (perhaps because they're older and thus expect less from any politician). And the fact is I'm not even necessarily opposed if his supporters march on the convention, but their aggressive tone is a real turn off. With Obama ahead and more than likely to win, the attitude of a lot of Obama supporters seems to be kick 'em while they're down. I think Obama supporters should have more sympathy for Clinton supporters who are probably very bummed at how this race is playing out.

[cali]

27. There is NO credible evidence that Obama supporters

intend to march on the convention, and if they march peacefully, I can't imagine why anyone would object. Beyond that, if you haven't seen the Clinton supporters nastiness as equivalent to the Obama supporter nastiness, you're averting your eyes. It is, though there are fewer Clinton supporters here. And the nonsense about how young the Obama supporters are is mostly.... nonsense. Something like 17% of his supporters are under 29, and I'd wager that most here are not young either. I'm 1 52 year old mother, myself. And there are plenty of Obama supporters just like me.

[Spider Jerusalem]

29. There was a poll here, recently, asking candidate support by age.

The majority of Obama supporters on DU, if that poll is to be believed, are 35 and older (and as old as 70).

[Olney Blue]

71. My 76-year old boss voted for Obama.

[Ezana]

9. Why did Hillary choose to run now ?

On my part, I do wonder why Hillary chose to run now, when it could have been a historic first Black President in the United States !!! Damn Hillary, dam !

[cooolandrew]

11. Exactly I agree, there is no entitelement by any american it's not a monarchy..

[susankh4]

10. I wonder it too

And I am still looking for the hidden agenda.

Not sure it's Barack's agenda... as much as a coup attempt by some of the party "elders."

If I can't find the logic, tho... I am not guaranteeing support. I'll vote Dem downticket, and likely sit this prez. race out.

[cooolandrew]

13. He simply ran in the spirit that any american can grow up to be presidnt as much as you can do so...

...If we kept the rotation of clinton and bush, it would mock the idea of any individual able to do this.

[Kahuna]

17. "a coup attempt?" A coup of what pray tell?...

:popcorn:

[cali]

28. Paranoid babble. good grief. n/t

[Mme. Defarge]

76. This fits with my theory

that there is a core of Democratic leaders who want to take away control of the party from the DLC. I pray that they succeed.

[Spider Jerusalem]

12. Your question presumes something that's not borne out by evidence.

Namely, that Hillary can win the presidency. Her ceiling of support is apparently at about 55% among Democrats; it's probably somewhat lower among the general population, considering how deeply loathed she is by the far right. Considering that she's run a horrendous and poorly organised campaign, and is losing to a relative unknown, her electability in November given her previously mentioned negatives is highly questionable at best.

I'd also argue that Obama's organisational skill, as evidenced by the campaign he's run, shows that he does offer something significantly different than Clinton; that something different would be effective leadership.

Also, it's foolish to blame the actions of a few supporters on the candidate. As it is foolish to presume that every other potential candidate should stand aside.

[Kahuna]

14. Because Washington is utterly corrupt and the Clintons had their

chance to do something about it and only played the same old game.

[paperbag_ princess]

15. ultimately it is all about ego and always has been

Every candidate has convinced themselves that they are the best person to lead the nation and hence be the leader of the world. That is some serious ego....it is a wonder we support any of them. The best president would probably be someone who would have to be forced into the position kicking and screaming.

[Window]

22. Simply because he chose to.

You sound like a true Obama supporter. NOT!

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

23. Why did Hillary Clinton choose to run now?

I do wonder why she chose to run now, when it could have been a historic first for African Americans in the United States. The fact is, she is not offering anything substantially different from Obama. She has not gone out on the limb on any issue, unlike, for instance, Edwards. Did she simply ignore the significance of an African American running, or is she simply not interested in issue of race and gender? Did she think this was the most realistic opportunity for her to win? Does she have a hidden (hopefully more liberal) agenda? Did she run because she felt Obama couldn't win? Did she run simply because she could, because her ego was so stroked by her zealous following that it's gone to her head?

[Tennessee Gal]

25. She fulfilled her promise to her constituents to complete a full term.

Obama did not. He is the one who should have waited.

[Tennessee Gal]

24. I, too, wonder why he did not wait.

His speech before the 2004 convention was brilliant. I saw a rising star for the future, but not now. He is a young man who needs to develop his political and governmental skills more. This is not his time. What if he has blown it forever by running this year?

Edit to add: He also promised his constituents to complete a full term.

[BumRushDaShow]

30. Obama

is the same age as Bill Clinton was when Bill ran for President in 1992. Why didn't Bill Clinton wait?

The age argument is truly silly and hypocritical IMHO.

[Alamom]

31. WJC -Ark. AG, 2 term Governor......no where to go but up, nm

[BumRushDaShow]

40. Obama, 8 years as Illinois State Senator. No where to go but up.

n/t

[Tennessee Gal]

33. It has nothing to do with age.

It has to do with experience and the promise he made to his constituents.

[BumRushDaShow]

41. You don't think that

8 years as an Illinois State Senator is "experience"?

What experience does Mrs. Clinton have? No one seems to have an answer to this. She was never in any State legislature so she had to hurry up and guess about how to do parliamentary procedure and had no experience introducing bills in a legislature before she became a Senator in Congress.

The "experience" argument is silly. Trips with her husband to meet with the wives of foreign leaders abroad does not experience make.

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

32. 46 is a "young man"?

[Tennessee Gal]

36. Absolutely. It is.

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

38. Well, I guess we should only elect 70 year olds, then.

:eyes:

[Tennessee Gal]

39. No, but he made a promise to complete a full term in the Senate.

He had plenty of time to do that and then run for President.

[BumRushDaShow]

43. Wow.

Link with this "promise"?

[Tennessee Gal]

47. Link

Mr. Obama: "I will serve out my full six-year term. You know, Tim, if you get asked enough, sooner or later you get weary and you start looking for new ways of saying things. But my thinking has not changed."



Mr. Russert: "So you will not run for president or vice president in 2008? Mr. Obama: I will not."

http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080220/EDITORIAL01/752069338/1013/EDITORIAL&template=nextpage

[BumRushDaShow]

58. Washington Times?

:rofl:

Moonies!

Check this out though:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/22/AR2006102200220.html

[BlackVelvet04]

59. Which proves to me that he's a liar......

how did I WILL NOT become YES WE CAN?

[BumRushDaShow]

69. No unless you think that Mrs. Clinton is one too.

For not serving her constituents.

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0828-24.htm

But this will garner a

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0828-24.htm

[BootinUp]

50. I think your opinion is shared by many nt

[Raven]

26. You seem to be suggesting that BO should have stepped aside

for her because she is a woman. Wouldn't that work the other way too? HC could have stepped aside for a black man...either way, a historic Presidency.

I think they both had valid reasons for running.

[rug]

34. Because whoever gets the nomination this year has won the presidency.

[JTFrog]

35. Hmmm, why did Barack choose NOW to bring Hope into the lives of America:

Who cares! What we really need is Hillary to scare us NOW!


Hmmm, why would he dare stoke the fires of democracy and get people involved in the political process NOW?:
Who cares! What we really need is Hillary to stomp out the budding sprouts in the garden of hope with her free-trade-lead-filled toys NOW!



Hmmm, why would he dare go out on a limb to give an historic speech against the IWR and call the war dumb and continue to oppose it NOW?:
Who cares! What we really need is Hillary to go out on the limb and make sure we attack Iran NOW!

Hmmm, did he run simply because he felt Clinton couldn't win?:
Who cares! What we really need is Hillary to let us know she's inevitable and that she will prove it by suing the party of the people if she doesn't get her way NOW!

It's always Opposite Day in HillaryWorld!!!

[Honeycombe8]

42. Because it was the right time. Everything is timing. He offers something different from Clintons.

I disagree that he does not offer anything substantially different from the Clintons. For one thing, he offers a choice. None of the other candidates presented a real challenge to the inevitability of the Clintons' winning the nomination (altho some supporters of the others will disagree....the numbers clearly showed that they did not).

Second, he offers a unifying force in a divided country, when the Clintons offer more of the same divisiveness that has been ruling our policies for the last 15 years.

Third, it is true that his specific programs are not that different from the Clintons'. That is because they both adhere to the Party Platform. But it wouldn't matter even if the programs were vastly different, since politicians rarely pass the exact programs they campaigned on. But he does offer some difference in choice of programs, like healthcare and energy (for example, the Clintons include "clean coal" in their energy plan).

[Honeycombe8]

45. Fourth...a candidate to choose from who did not vote for the War.

Fifth, a change of faces and an infusion of fresh blood to the tired, haggard same ol' faces of Washington D.C. New ideas and new direction can only come from new people.

Sixth, someone younger than a senior citizen, while still being an adult and somewhat seasoned. Some of us think it's time to pass the baton to a younger generation. Although Obama IS a boomer, he is closer in age to the younger generation and has more of a feel about where they want the country to go.

[BumRushDaShow]

46. I agree.

This is a very very very unique time with an interesting set of circumstances that are allowing an Obama to succeed as he has. The economy under the repukes is destroyed, the country is bogged down in multiple un-winnable civil wars, people are tired of the "terra terra terra" mantra and just want to get on with their lives without fear of losing their homes, their jobs, and their free will, and they want the American dream to be rekindled. They want change.

[Honeycombe8]

44. Why did Hillary Clinton choose to run now, when this is the first time an Af. American has a good

has a good chance of becoming President? Why is she choosing to stay in, despite losing state after state? Why is she choosing to force our candidates to spend unGodly amounts of money and walk thru fire to get votes that are there already for the winner?

Why did she not campaign for Kerry in 2004?

Why did she vote for the Iraq War?

Why did she vote for the Iran Resolution last year?

Why did she vote for the Patriot Act?

These are interesting questions. The answers tell us something about the candidate...that all is political expediency, and nothing seems to be based on what is good for the country.

You will have to ask HER why she is placing her own goals above the good of the country.

[DrFunkenstein]

48. Because America Isn't a Dynastic Monarchy

No one "owes" Clinton the nomination. Those of us who supported her before 9-11 have come to be deeply disappointed in her militarism and penchant for secrecy. And Obama had no "zealous" supporters when he decided to run. He earned them by presenting a bipartisan vision that is a deeply different response to 9-11. Many, if not most Americans, yearned to take that moment of national unity and maintain it for our common struggles. Clinton wants to stoke the fires of partisanship, perhaps at of necessity because of her high negatives.

[Tennessee Gal]

49. He broke his promise.

Mr. Obama: "I will serve out my full six-year term. You know, Tim, if you get asked enough, sooner or later you get weary and you start looking for new ways of saying things. But my thinking has not changed."



Mr. Russert: "So you will not run for president or vice president in 2008? Mr. Obama: I will not."



http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080220/EDITORIAL01/752069338/1013/EDITORIAL&template=nextpage

[THUNDER HANDS]

51. probably because thousands of people asked him when he was going to run

and somewhat because he saw the disaster-in-waiting that would come with a Hillary campaign.

[JVS]

52. Just to piss you off!

[earthlover]

53. It is not Hillary's inherent right as a woman to be nominated....

Obama was not the only Democrat who decided to run for President besides Hillary. They all had their reasons. She had hers. I don't think Hillary's reasons for running are any stronger than Obama's or vice versa, although it HAS been her personal ambition for quite some time now.

I think you can see a person's reasons for running in what they say and do. Obama's message is much more uplifting, he talks about change, he talks about our nation getting better, defending the Constitution, giving the people more say and power, decreasing the lobbyiests' influence. There are a lot of themes in why he is running.

In contrast, what Hillary has said as to why SHE is running is "I am in it to win". I think that said it all. It is for her. She had the opportunity when she announced to give us some inkling as to why she is running. She didn't tell us lofty ideals about bettering the country. She said she was in it to win.

I like what I see from Obama a hell of a lot better.

[ecstatic]

55. Why did Edwards run? Or Kucinich, etc.?

:shrug: Come on now!

[Thrill]

56. Because if there was ever a chance for him to win? ITS NOW.

Against the pathetic field of Repukes. And after a terrible Repuke President

[MadBadger]

57. Because of what Dr. King called "The Fierce Urgency of Now"...Havent you ever seen his stump speech?

[Strelnikov_]

60. "Although I support him" - "his ego was so stroked by the zealous among his followers"

Um, right.

So you think Clinton, because she is a woman, is 'owed' the nomination? Unbelievable.

And to answer your question, it is because, unlike the Final Four, there is only a shot every four years, with each of these four year cycles being unequal.

Dem wins in 2008, next opportunity would be in 2016, an election where the Dem would have difficulty due to the dynamics.

This year is his best shot. To me, it shows what a capable politician he is.

[RestoreGore]

61. Yes, why didn't he just run in 2004 instead of for the Senate since experience doesn't count?

Afterall, his charisma is so overhwhelming... surely he could have stopped Bush from getting a second term and set about ending this war since he cares so much for this country.

[jgraz]

62. Maybe he didn't want to first woman president to be a Repug-fluffing, DLC crapweasel.

Just a guess...

[kikiek]

63. The last line explains it all. The ego will no doubt explode one day.

[Unbowed]

64. This is just my opinion, but I think he decided to run because he saw things he didn't like in DC.

From his campaign, he has shown a lot of passion about Washington, DC being "the place where good ideas come to die."

I think he was simply fed up and decided that it was time for a change in the status quo. The Obama campaign has been a coalition of people dedicated to changing what is wrong with the very way politics is done.

The safe road for him to have taken would be to wait and run at a later date but this isn't about a career move for Obama. He sincerely wants to help our country out of a mess.

Clinton would be the first woman, but aside from hat, she offers nothing new. She doesn't offer the kind of change that Barack Obama believes is needed in Washington. He wants our country to start with a clean slate.

My feelings are that he doesn't believe that we as a county can wait any longer.

[sniffa]

65. "he is not offering anything substantially different from Clinton"

For an Obama supporter, you sure have that HRC talking point down.

Oh, and to answer your question - he ran now because he's a sexist pig, and wanted to deny America their first female President. That fits in nicely with the rest of your post.

[OnionPatch]

66. There's a bit of ego in every politician

if you ask me. Why else would any sane person go through what they go through? Either we change the election process dramatically, or we accept that all politicians are working at least partially from their egos. That aside, your questioning Obama's run but not Hillary's makes it sound like you think Hillary is some sort of rightful heir to the throne or something. Obviously a whole bunch of Americans don't see it that way. I'm eternally grateful that we have a viable candidate that is NOT Hillary. Hillary more closely represents the status quo, in my opinion, and I'm ready for change. Sorry.

[PetraPooh]

67. Perhaps to save us from the evils of dynastic presidencies; who cares really?

[BlackVelvet04]

68. Why? The same greed that wouldn't allow

him to wait until he could afford a house without Rezko's help.

[yourguide]

70. I would ask the same of HRC

lest ye forget that Obama has 10 years of service under his belt as an elected official while HRC only has 7 years.

[Moochy]

72. Because he hates women

Easy next question.

[BenDavid]

74. We had this race won, and Obama stepped in "to unite us."

Who was it that got us to stop fighting the Bush bastards so we could fight each other? Who gained power by splitting the party and getting Democrats to fight Democrats? If you answered Obama to both then you are truly a well informed person and easily duped by the obama postings in this forum.

Obama and the campaign and its supporters, were well-prepared to play the "race-baiter card" before the primaries began, launched it with a vengeance when Obama ran into dire straits after his losses in New Hampshire and Nevada--and thereby created a campaign myth that has turned into an incontrovertible truth among political pundits, reporters, and various Obama supporters. This development is the latest sad commentary on the malign power of the press, hyping its own favorites and tearing down those it dislikes, to create pseudo-scandals of the sort that hounded Al Gore during the 2000 campaign. It is also a commentary on how race can make American politics go haywire.

******Above all, it is a commentary on the cutthroat, fraudulent politics that lie at the foundation of Obama's supposedly uplifting campaign.*******

[Splinter Cell]

78. Get a life

Hillary would drag this country through more tabloid crap. All the baggage comes with her. We need to move away from this crap.

Obama actually offers a positive vision for the future. Hillary wants to keep on the same path we've been on.

She doesn't give a damn about the country or the party, only her resume and agenda.

[candice]

75. Senate...not stimulating enough for his "star power"

Read the article on the front page of today (Sunday, March 9) New York Times: "Obama in Senate: Star Power, Minor Role."

1996. Obama got his start in politics by hiring Harvard election expert Thomas Johnson to challenge the nomination papers of his opponents, including the popular incumbent Alice Palmer, a community activist (Palmer is a black woman Ph.D. who founded and presided over Chicago youth groups). Knocking them all off, he ran unopposed.

December 27 1996 to Feb. 3, 1997 Rezko (Rezmar Co.) tenants had no heat for 5 weeks until the City of Chicago sued. Rezmar settled for $100.

January 14, 1997. Rezmar donated $1000 to area's newly elected state senator Barack Obama.

1999. Obama ran for U.S. Congress, but his opponent, the veteran incumbent Bobby Rush, Illinois Black Panther co-founder, cut the largely unknown freshman State Senator down (portrayed Obama as too elitist).

2002. Back in the Illinois State House. When the Dems took over the senate in 2002 after 26 years of Republican rule, Obama got the glory. The new black Senate Majority leader who had been subject to racial slights for decades decided he was going to make himself a "U.S. Senator" out of Obama. Obama's career was made in one year. He was thrown all of the bills that his fellow Dems had been working on, which many hardworking behind the scenes Senators did not like. (Just human nature.)

2003. Announced bid for U.S. Senate. Obama's Dem contender and Republican contender self-destructed. By the time the Republicans came up with the kooky Allan Keyes ("Even Jesus wouldn't vote for Obama"), Obama was a shoo-in.

2004. On to the U.S. Senate where the "glacial" pace wasn't to his liking, although he knew how to curry favor. Even the immigration bill that Teddy Kennedy said was the reason he was supporting Obama is questionable since Obama didn't stick with the compromise.

From the New York Times article:

"He joined a bipartisan group, which included Senator John McCain of Arizona, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, and Mr. Kennedy, that agreed to stick to a final compromise bill even though it was sure to face challenges from interest groups on both sides. Yet when the measure reached the floor, Mr. Obama distanced himself from the compromise, advocating changes sought by labor groups. The bill collapsed.

To some in the bipartisan coalition, Mr. Obama’s move showed an unwillingness to take a tough stand.

“He folded like a cheap suit,” said Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, a close ally of Mr. McCain. “What it showed me is you are not an agent of change. Because to really change things in this place you have to get beat up now and then."

2007. Announced bid for White House. As he said in the last debate in Austin, Texas: "I am better.""

[Splinter Cell]

77. He chose to run...

Because Americans wanted him to, and because he wants to make things a little better. Hillary represents the same garbage we've had for years. She has proven herself a poor choice for the White House, historic run or not.

[ctaylors6]

79. Has Obama ever answered this question in an interview?

I'd be very interested to hear in his words why he thought 2008 was a good year for him to run for President. I'm assuming no incumbent (Pres or VP) on either side would be part of it, but I'd still like to know his thinking process. Not critical at all, truly just curious (I'm really not a big supporter of his or the Clintons).

[Hieronymus]

80. He differs a lot from Hillary where Iraq is concerned, and he's more honest.

[RBInMaine]

81. Time for MAJOR transformational change. HE OFFERS IT !

[mzmolly]

82. Could the same not be said of Clinton and the "historic first" for a President of color?

eom