Obama's Blank Screen
By California Yankee Posted in 2008 — Comments (14) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Writing for the Associated Press, Jim Kuhnhenn has an interesting article about the appeal of Illinois freshman Democratic Senator Barack Obama.
Three years ago Obama was a state senator with an interesting family history. Now he is Democrats' preferred alternative to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.
Read on.
It has only been two years since Obama gave the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention. What has Obama accomplish to justify all the presidential campaign hype?
Won election to the U.S. Senate
Taken a high-profile trip to Africa
Campaigned for Democratic congressional candidates
Published a second, best-selling book
Acknowledged that he is considering running for the White House
Obviously, those accomplishments don't explain the hype. Kuhnhenn notes that Barack Hussein Obama Jr. is the son of a Kenyan father and a white mother, who offers himself as a cross-generational politician. Obama seeks to break the conventional left and right, liberal-conservative pigeonholes of American politics:
"Both the '60s revolution and the subsequent backlash ended up locking us into an either or debate on almost every issues," he said. "Either you were pro-military or anti-military. You were pro-traditional family or somehow you were against traditional family. The American people living their lives have a much more complex view of these issues."
In his book, "The Audacity of Hope," Obama states:
I am new enough on the national political scene that I serve as a blank screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views.
Obama's blank screen is his inexperience. In the U.S. Senate less than two years, Obama has not had as much opportunity to disappoint groups of voters as have the other 12 Senators and former Senators who are potential 2008 candidates.
A new Pew Research Center poll suggests the public is looking for fresh political faces:
The lists of potential presidential nominees for both parties mostly consist of veteran politicians, but the public wants more people from different walks of life to compete for high political office. About six-in-ten Americans (57%) say they would like to see more non-politicians run for high office, compared with 33% who think it is important to have experienced politicians running for office. Comparable percentages of independents (59%), Democrats (59%) and Republicans (56%) say it would be good for political outsiders to run for high office.
Obama's appeal as an inexperienced newcomer plays to the public's boredom with the same old politicians.
As Obama becomes more popular and suffers the scrutiny always received by ambitious politicians, he will become more tarnished.
Earlier this month, Obama admitted the appearance of impropriety in connection with a series of financial arrangements he made with indicted political fundraiser, Antoin "Tony" Rezko, to improve their adjoining properties.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Rezko has pleaded not guilty to charges he plotted to squeeze millions of dollars in kickbacks out of investment firms seeking business with the state of Illinois, allegations that put him at the center of a growing scandal surrounding Governor Rod Blagojevich's administration. Rezko has also has pleaded not guilty to allegations he obtained a $10.5 million business loan through fraud and swindled a group of investors.
Rezko and his companies donated at least $19,500 to Obama's state Senate campaigns and federal fund. Rezko also held a 2003 fundraiser for Obama's U.S. Senate campaign.
It just takes a little scrutiny for the blank screen to be filled with lasting images.
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Obama's Blank Screen 14 Comments (0 topical, 14 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
"As long as you are a slick talker (note their obsession w/ Clinton ability and Bush lack of speaking ability) you can smooth things over and not get nailed down on any position."
You're right. It worked for Hitler. Not that I'm equating Obama with Hitler, but the there seems to be a political advantage in one's ability to charm the masses.
keeping in mind that other Senator from Illinois. If our troops are a bunch of Nazis, and Obama was to become their commander in chief....
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Bipartisanship = give + take. Republicans give. Democrats take.
isn't that qualification enough for the leader of the free world? Everyone knows why Obama is the darling of the left, but no one dares say so.
Actually I'd like to see the Democrats nominate him, it will prove to me once and for all that the Democrats are the Party Of The Superfical©. Unfortunately, the people of this country are becoming sufficiently superficial that we would probably elect him, primarily based on Oprah's recommendation.
God, I hope gamecock is right.
John
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Democratic civilization is the first in history to blame itself because another power is trying to destroy it.
... Jean-François Revel
www.race42008.com
"One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson
http://gamecock.townhall.com
John
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Democratic civilization is the first in history to blame itself because another power is trying to destroy it.
... Jean-François Revel
should be enough to disqualify him. egads. perhaps its less offensive in that, compared to other Dems, his deceit may be unintentional, but he's certainly not doing anything to disabuse the public of their (mis-) conceptions, either.
However, his recommendation that the US Government should take over the pensions for the big 3 in leiu of them investing more in alternative fuels was a horrible idea.
Has anyone who has delivered a keynote speech at a convention ever gone on to become a Presidential candidate? I have certainly heard it said than none has done so.
Quentin Langley
Editor of http://www.quentinlangley.net
The comeback kid's was widely called a stinker, too.
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It is much more important to kill bad bills than to
pass good ones. -- Calvin Coolidge
Clinton gave the opening speech at the 1988 Convention. Ann Richards gave the keynote and coined the 'silver foot' phrase. Revenge is sweet.
Quentin Langley
Editor of http://www.quentinlangley.net
Apparently, his time as a civil rights attorney and in Illinois state legislature gives a good glimpse of his attitude and passion for liberalism. Check out this article:
"In 2001, Obama was one of just nine senators to vote against a bill that toughened penalties for violent crimes committed during gang activity. Obama said the law did not clearly define a gang member and he questioned why lawmakers were targeting Hispanics and blacks for stiffer sentences.
Two years earlier, after the Columbine High School shootings in Colorado, Obama voted "present" on a bill requiring juveniles to be prosecuted as adults for firing a firearm on or near school property.
Obama also voted against a bill permitting gun owners to claim self-defense when using a gun in their homes if the local community bans the use of handguns. Obama said municipalities should control local gun regulations, not the state....He sponsored an ambitious act that called for the state to study ways to provide universal health care to all residents....Sen. Kirk Dillard (R-Hinsdale). "Even though I have sponsored major legislation with Barack and I like him personally, clearly he is soft on crime and borderline socialist on health care."
Dems put speaking ability #1.
It doesn't matter what you really believe in or if you have accomplished anything in your career. As long as you are a slick talker (note their obsession w/ clinton ability and Bush lack of speaking ability) you can smooth things over and not get nailed down on any position.
What has Obama really accomplished to deserve a "rock star" label in the dem party? He is a good speaker and considered a good looking young man.
In another post I compared Obama and Paris Hilton. Paris is famous for being famous and then has cashed in from there.
unwillingness to act when action would be simple and effective, lack of clear thinking, confusion of counsel until the emergency comes, until self-preservation strikes its jarring gong...constitute the endless repetition of history.
-Churchill