Barack Obama: underdog or 'establishment' guy?

Just like Puff the Magic Dragon he's everything to everyone. I guess you can do that when you have no real record to run on.

BALTIMORE FOR CLINTON

While an aide to Sen. Barack Obama, who spoke at a town-hall meeting yesterday in Los Angeles, tried to explain away the altered policy changes, analysts excused him, noting the passage of time and less-liberal competition.Barack Obama, senatorial candidate 04, is very different from presidential candidate of 08.Videotapes of debates and speeches obtained by Washington Times shows Obama took positions during his Senate campaign on nearly a half-dozen issues ranging from the Cuba embargo to health care for illegal aliens that conflict with statements during his run for the White House. For example, in MSNBC's Oct. 30 presidential debate, Mr. Obama hesitantly raised his hand and joined with most of his Democratic rivals to declare he opposed decriminalizing marijuana But as a U.S. Senate candidate, Mr. Obama told ILL college students January he supported eliminating criminal penalties for marijuana use or possession. When confronted with the statements on the video, Obama's campaign offered two explanations said the candidate had "always" supported decriminalizing marijuana, suggesting that his 2004 statement was correct. Then after The Times posted copies of the video on its Web site, www.washingtontimes.com, yesterday, his campaign reversed course and declared he does not support eliminating criminal penalties for marijuana possession and use. What is
Senator Obama going to say to republicans when asked why he favors granting drivers' licenses to illegal immigrants as Obama has admitted twice in debates? About Obama's present position that undocumented workers will not be covered in his healthcare proposal, yet when he was running for the Senate he said that children of undocumented workers should get the same healthcare benefits that citizens get? when they begin to ask him about negotiating in unstructured summits with the leaders of Iran, North Korea and Cuba without preconditions? What will Senator Obama say when Senator McCain asks him why he said in 2004 that he did not know how he would have voted on the Iraq war authorization and that his view of the Iraq war was not different from President Bush's? What will Senator Obama say when Senator McCain compares Obama's votes to fully fund the Iraq War in the Senate to Obama's rhetorical opposition to that war? What is Senator Obama going to say when Senator McCain questions Obama's claim to be "the most qualified person in America to conduct the foreign policy of the United States"? What is Senator Obama going to say when Senator McCain says that Obama is not one of the most qualified members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to lead this country in today's dangerous world but instead one of the most absent? Senator Obama has not conducted a single policy hearing as chairman of the subcommittee on European Affairs of the Foreign Relations Committee?

Just like magic "poof", Jeff's comments shows he hasnt done his homework. Abracadabra is in the white house!

OMG - that is the funniest thing I have seen - Obama is the establishment candidate? No - he put together a grass roots campaign funded by the people that is they said could not be done and he is whipping their tooties with his fund raising capability. They just thought he would be toast by now and they are running out of money. Does Hillary have the energy or money to keep fighting this hard or this long? Obama has a lot of stamina.

He's like a freight train a gathering speed down the line and he was anything but the establishment candidate - he has earned all of his endorsements.

He's got plenty of record, Jeff - just not much of it in Washington. His record as the editor of the Harvard Law Review who left law school with a bunch of big money law office offers on the table, but decided to organize poor Chicago neighborhoods for $12,000 a year, for instance.

Not to mention his record of not taking any lobbyist money in this campaign, while Clinton is dripping in it.

He's got the same amount of experience in Washington that Abe Lincoln had when he ran.

We don't just need another person who works the Washington system well, we need someone to change the system. Obama has shown himself to be willing to work outside of 'politics as usual' by turning down all of the lobbyist and PAC money. Clinton is owned by all the folks she owes favors to, including Rupert Murdoch and Wal-Mart. Barack is owned by the people. He's out fundraising her with twice as many donors making small donations. His allegiance will be to us.

If we blow the opportunity to have this kind of integrity in the White House, we will have blown it indeed. It looks to me like we'll elect him, though, and that would truly restore my faith in democracy.

Hillary is the default establishment candidate in my state, Oklahoma. The local Democratic office was pretty Hillary-centric. We organized ourselves and they were kind, but not particularly helpful. A year ago, no one in our state had even heard of Barack Obama, and still most folks believe that slimy false email calling him a closet Muslim sent here to take over the U.S. (a smear that a Hillary campaign employee in Iowa was fired for forwarding, by the way)
I get a kick out of the spin from Hillary's campaign. Do you guys get hourly memos from them?

Let me explain Obama's appeal. He and Clinton are substantively very similar candidates, but, and this is a big, big, but - Obama is neither a Clinton nor a Bush. A Clinton win has the potential to extend the dynastic streak in the white house to 36 uninterrupted years. Since 1981, there has always been a Bush or a Clinton in the White House. What's next, is Jeb Bush going to run in 2012 or 2016? And by then Chelsea Clinton will be 35 - maybe she should run. Let's go for a solid 52 years while we're at it!

Seyi, so if Bush was massively unqualified then what's that say for Obama? You really want to go down that road twice? It's your funeral, I guess.

Barrack Obama gives the people what they wanted to hear to get nominated. A seasoned politician Barrack Obama is playing the American public by claiming he will talk to Iran president to secure peace in Iraq.

Pragmatic Americans are not that naive in politics. If Barrack Obama, heaven forbids get nominated, we will switch to republican party to support McCain.

My prediction. Republicans have the time now to unite for November. Democrats are terribly fractured. If Hillary wins, blacks will sit home in November. If BO wins, white voters will support Michael Bloomberg should he run as an independent. If not, white voters will support John McCain, Vietnam hero, who is a moderate with views white voters will support. I am a democrat and this is how I will vote in November. Thus far, I have dealt with blacks and whites. I believe Asian Americans will support Bloomberg or McCain. Latinos, I fear, will feel disenfranchised by a Hillary loss and disinterested in the November election.

Contrary to what Obama would have you believe, he is very much tied to Washington insiders. His chief political advisor is Sen. Tom Daschle - the former head of the Democratic Senate - and Tom Daschle voted FOR the war. The Obama candidacy is all smoke and mirrors - and a great deal of hypocrisy. Vote Clinton!

Let's see. BO arm chair quarterbacked Iraq. He wasn't in the position to cast a 'real' vote; he was 'present' in Illinois pushing the wrong buttons declaring himself a 'bonehead'. No paper trail.
BO has gotten sucked in by his ego. If anyone wants to question Hillary on her war vote they just need to play the video clip of Powell at the UN.
Powell is a man of integrity but was lead astray by HIS OWN LEADER… BUT we are to punish Hillary? Get real. A man of military might and experience was duped but forget him….go after the woman. The one running for President.
Let's bring Powell into the discussion. He was who I listened to during the run up to war. I trusted him and see where it got us all. Based on Powell's spiel at the UN I would have voted to give W the right IF NEEDED. It was Bush that betrayed all Americans, not those that voted for what Powell justified.
BO will Change Washington?? I haven't heard him say he will completely do away with ALL lobbying. Period. You want change in Washington. That is what it will take. Matter of fact I have not heard ANYTHING concrete on BO's plan to change Washington.
Is BO going to make all Republicans like him?? Even a majority of them? No. I haven't seen any endorsements from them for him. Change Washington? Ya gotta change BOTH parties.
Change? Where were all these new voters in 2006 when real change meant voting to solidify a LARGE Democrat MAJORITY in Congress? Oh yea….there wasn't a rock star running in each Republican District.
It is exciting to see all the new voters. Now if they were informed on the issues. I wish they would share with me the clearly defined plans he has to make this earth shattering Change.

@David "Barack is owned by the people...His allegiance will be to us."

You are living in a fairy tale if you think any politician's allegiance is only to the people.

Just goes to show the power of Obama's rhetoric, I guess.

I laugh when I hear people compare George Bush's lack of qualifications to Barack Obama's. That is just small-minded thinking of people who haven't done their homework, or looked deeper into each individual. If they had, they would see that Senator Obama is head and shoulders over George Bush.

you are right about the establishment from da streets and hittlary from the dc

Obama has a big fight ahead of him. The Clintons have dug five million dollars out their own pockets because they are afraid of the Big Obama Mo'.

The debates Hillary wants are designed to feature her wonk power. Obama needs to spend his time pressing palms and introducing these other states to the Obama magic. Give her one debate before Texas and Ohio.

Here are the places where the Clintons are weakest: They represent a time when Democrats moderated and were not progressive. They have a reputation for being politically ruthless. They have policies that do not inspire.

Obama better be ready for the fight.

Let me see about this Clinton dynasty thing. Bill Clinton who has neither a father, brother, sister or mother who ever held a political office becomes the first DEMOCRAT to win two presidential elections since FDR and now after eight years of the most horrible presidency in American history, his wife is running who has never had a mother, father, sister, or brother run for or hold a political office.

I didn't see or read about the Bush dynasty when Baby Bush was running in 2000. We didn't talk about how the Bush family has been in American politics since the early 20th century. We don't talk about the Kennedy dynasty as being something negative. Obama the outsider gladly took all the rapture from the Kennedys and their adulation of him.

But Bill and Hillary Clinton the ultimate Washington outsiders (no one in the Dem establishment liked him or her when they arrived in '92 - something like the Carters -) but they are a dynasty.

Somedays I pray Obama gets the nomination just so I can sit back and watch the press and the Republicans eat him alive. It serves this country and the so called liberal left (which I found out is just as full of hate as the right wing pundits)can spend the next four or eight years crying about how oppressed they are.

If Obama gets the nod, I'm changing my registration to independent.

Most of the Obamaiacs are so mesmerized and enomored by every word Obama uttered that they have surrendered their ability to critically examine the authenticity of Obama as a person. His messages and campaign slogan seem to have aroused more misguided fervor than genuine desire for change. without a doubt Obama is a supurb campaigner who by and large has elevated this art to a new level. Through the course of history, we have seen how cult figures managed to mask their real intentions before they reached the pinnacle of power. Obama has embarked on a well-planned ascendency to become a presidential contender through carefully cultivating his creditials and honing his skills through the ranks after getting his law degree. why he chose Chicago? it's an incubator for African-American political hopefuls. he is where he is now is a culmination of his finely chiseled image plus the grooming of the Democratic Party since 2004 when he was chosen to be the keynote speaker in the Democratic Convention.
There is so much we don't know about this individual behind his great speeches. we are in for lots of surprises should be become the president. Let's wait and see.

Jeff,you can't compare Obama to Bush. Hillary keeps making that comparison, but it's ridiculous to compare the two.

Just try it:

Bush - C average at Harvard Business School. Had no education in law or understanding of the way government is supposed to work.

Obama: Graduated FIRST IN HIS CLASS at Harvard Law School and was President and editor of the Harvard Law Review. TSpent a decade teaching the Constitution at one of the top five law schools in the country and has a clear understanding of the Constitutional limits that were intended for the president.

Bush: Alcoholic until he was forty (and did cocaine)

Obama: Never an alcoholic, did a few drugs as a teenager

Bush: started three businesses with his father's help - ran all three into bankruptcy. Managed a baseball team. As governor of Texas, turned a massive budget surplus into a massive budget deficit and set a new record for executions. Is notorious for not working with Democrats.

Obama: Community organizer on the streets of Chicago ( making a 12,000 salary despite an Ivy League education) - was responsible for working with Republicans to pass death penalty reform in Illinois requiring interrogations to be videotaped - Has a great record of working with the other side in the u.s. senate including working with Republicans to pass the largest campaign finance reform bill since watergate and visiting Russia to work with the Russians to secure loose nuclear materials to prevent them from falling into the black market.

Bush: Came from dynastic family - father was a former president

Obama: Was raised by an 18 year old single mother on food stamps with the help of his grandparents, but was intelligent enough that he was awarded a scholarship to go to a private school.

George Bush: Was likable because is an idiot.

Barack Obama: Is likable because he is brilliant.

What could Hillary possibly see in common between Obama and Bush (aside from the fact that neither of them were ever First Lady)?

Time for a real change...
http://www.dipdive.com/

Billary are running low on cash & can only rely on debates to get some free air time & play the race card like in L.A. where Hillary claimed that african-americans disliked hispanics over loss of jobs&she had a letter from one of them[AA] stating that!Conquering by dividing is a very old strategy!She claims she is against endorsements but can't start a sentence without "My good friend Governor so and so/Senator X&Y".If people don't come forward,she just goes ahead and proclaim the endorsement.

Obama is fresh new and can handle the job without worrying about his spouse cheating on him.

Jeff- are you really trying to say Obama and Bush are alike? Give me a break. Have you ever heard GWB speak, he's an idiot and he's stubborn. Obama is an intellectual, not a C student like Bush. Hillary votes like him, is stubborn like him, though she does care about kids. But with big money from pharm and insurance companies funding her campaign, I seriously doubt any real change in healthcare "cost" will happen.

I am a Republican who was supporting Ron Paul because he was the only candidate in that party that wouldn't be playing the same old games that the Bushes/Clintons have in the last sixteen years. But I believe that a protest write-in vote for Paul would be a wasted vote. I believe that the three candidates that are left on the Republican side are all establishment candidates. I therefore will be changing parties if Obama takes the primaries and will vote for him in November '08. I believe that he will bring some integrity back to the Oval Office and I believe that he is the only candidate of either party that is not already bought by the oil companies and other world corporations. If Clinton takes the primaries then I will be doing the "write-in" vote for Paul. Her calling Obama the establishment candidate is ridiculous. You can't get any more establishment than a Clinton or a Bush. The last sixteen years has been a reign of destruction on the U.S. by the presidents of both parties.
Susan

You people who vote for Hillary are stupid. That's all I've gotta say.

Obama is an extreme liberal who would toss in the white flag and lead us to defeat in our war against terrorists. Idealists have no idea of the havoc that a weak US president could create. Obama is nice enough, we need tough enough.

Obama is hardly an extreme liberal. I don't think this
country has ever had even a moderately liberal president, because it (the US) has always been so far to the right that it calls moderate "extreme left". Travel the world, and you will see extreme liberal. Visit the Scandinavian countries.

Not only are the Hillary debate challenges a way for her to get free airtime when she is cash strapped, and to prattle on about policy details - for the most part talking details on where her plans are indentical to Obama's anyway - but she wants to tie him up from spending time in the communities that are about to vote. Hillary well knows that the more people are exposed to Obama and get to know him the more they like him, but the more they are exposed to her the less they like her.

Obama needs to put some serious time into Ohio - I think - this has been a swing state in the past and so a strong showing here - particularly with Independants - would be very good.

So far as Michigan and Florida are concerned - the DNC has put it on the table for them to consider running primaries again or caucuses. The Clinton camp tried to spin it that Obama doesn't care about Michigan or Florida voters and that is just not true. He honoured the rules of the DNC - it was not his decision that the delegates would not count, but it did prevent him from campaigning in those states and thereby allowing voters to become familiar with him, countering Hillary's greater name recognition. Besides which his name was not even on the ballot in Michigan. I wouldn't be surprised if there was quite a shift in opinion in Michigan and Florida by now, favoring Obama. For one, they have now been exposed to the Clinton's underhanded tactics. For another, the Jewish community in Florida voted heavily for Clinton, but in California they backed Obama. This is because Obama has now been adequately vetted by the Jewish community - which was not the case in Florida mail ballots or even the Florida voting day. Back then, frightening smears were still circulating against Obama - none of which had validity. It is not much of a surprise then, that the Clinton camp does not seem to interested in a fair 're-run' of voting in these states.

The outcomes from super Tuesday are clear. Obama has greater support from Independents, including in States that Clinton won (e.g. CA, NY, NJ). Obama was able to win support of a greater number of red and swing states by wide margins. Super-delegates should consider wisely the validity of Clinton's spin that her wins in CA, NJ, NY and MA mean she is more electable. These are traditionally blue states - she clearly had the backing of the existing Democratic infrastructure but they will still be blue states in November, particularly with Obama's Independant votes more than ensuring they stay that way. Clinton proved little more than she has the Dem party establishment behind her. However, that establishment does not win national elections.

The media, the third party in this country,is trying their best to paint Barack as the camelot leader with the endorsement of the most crippled family in America. I say that still recognizing their capacity to do good when they aren't sabotaging their own lives. I find it very funny that Barack did not take Teddy's state last night. Folks, the people of MA know better. It is hard to criticize Barack because he has done so little. His resume is thin not because of failures, but because he doesn't have a lot of experience leading, nor any legislation directly related to his strong convictions. This is in contrast to McCain that like him or not voters know exactly what issues he personally helped bring legislative change. Barck, at some point, will have to answer hard questions that require him to answer in a concise manner instead of going round and round until we are dizzy or confused on his various positions. Some questions require a "yes" or "no" response.

Anyone who thinks Obama has never accepted support from lobbyists is a star-crossed naive fool. Yes, his campaign is "prohibited" from accepting donations from lobbyists. But that doesn't mean lobbyists are working for him.

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/obamas-k-street-project-2007-03-28.html

As someone mentioned in a comment on another website, when the frontrunner is in trouble at half-time, that does not make them the underdog. It just makes them the frontrunner in trouble at half-time.

If Obama is elected President, he will take office with as much, or more, experience as an elected official than any other president in the past 30 years - more than Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan
and George W. Bush; the same as George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton; and significantly more than Hillary Clinton.

And whatever amount of experience he has as an elected official in Washington is still more than either Ronald REagan or Bill Clinton had - their only elected experience was as governors of their respective states.

verycold:

How can you say that Obama has no legislative experience stemming from his strong convictions. The man spent 11 years in the Illinois state legislature. You need to do some homework before you render your unsubstantiated opinion. Off the top of my head I know that he opposed the war in Iraq from the start at a time when it was very unpopular for him to do so. He did so loudly and publicly. During his four years in the US senate he has helped to pass the most sweeping ethics reform since watergate. He has worked on legislation to increase transparancy in washington allowing citizens to know where there hard earned tax dollars are going. He has worked on non proliferation bills for nuclear weapons just to name a few. Graduated suma cum laude from Harvard Law. 1st black president of the Harvard Law Review. Author. He began his career as a champion of the poor and disenfranchised in chicago neighbourhoods, civil rights attorney, constitutional law professor, community organizer. Eleven years in the illinois state legislature and four years as a united states senator. Highly intelligent, gifted speaker. Has the ability to inspire and unite. Pay the man his dues!

It is incredible that some media players and so many Americans are willing to buy the Clintons' spin that Obama is now the establishment candidate. Hillary talks constantly about her years in the WH as wife of a two-term US President, her "experience" in the political elite circles! The Clintons' bank account is creaking with millions of dollars, much of it from Bill's off-shore business shares, and donations from Middle-Eastern and Eastern European despots fund their presidential library. She has been able to loan her campaign 5 million dollars last month. The Obamas do not even have 3 million in their bank account. The Clintons have been calling on their Friends of Bill (FOB) two-decade network for campaign endorsements and monies. They OWN the Democratic Party machine, although some far-sighted party members have abandoned the Clintons after their race-baiting slurs on Obama. Hillary has been the inevitable candidate for months, and only began to lose that aura after Iowa, when her petulant tears won back the women's votes in New Hampshire. Until South Carolina, she was expected to wipe out Obama on Super Tuesday. Obama has gained the support of the majority of non-machine Democrats and it is our modest donations that form the gift that keeps giving, in order the keep the dream alive. What drives us to give to Obama's campaign is not only the dream but the palpable repugnance at the prospect of another 8 years of the Clinton dynasty with their cigars and tear-down politics that brought us Bush, the Republican Congress, and the sad condition our precious country is now suffering.

By now i think it is glaring that Obama movement is unstopable, Billary Clinton acknowledge that and that is why they quickly dish out their own cash into the campaign, this primaries will go on for a long time, Obama is well prepared and ready more than before, we are ready to vote in TEXAS for Obama.

The mere suggestion that Obama is the establishement candidate is a clear sign of the Clinton campaign's desperation. Just the next in a series of lame and ineffective attempts to muffle change.