DU haters read it and weep: Obama is No. 1 most popular senator

[wndycty]

http://www.suntimes.com/output/elect/cst-nws-barack17.html

Obama is No. 1 most popular senator

June 17, 2005

BY SCOTT FORNEK Political Reporter

It's official.

Barack Obama is the most popular U.S. senator in the nation --but just barely.

The South Side Democrat has a higher job approval rating than any other senator, according to a series of automated polls conducted in all 50 states over the weekend.

Durbin's down on the list

A total of 72 percent of Illinois adult residents gave Obama the thumbs up, just edging out four other senators who each had the support of 71 percent of residents in their states in the SurveyUSA polls.

Illinois' senior senator did not fare as well.

Democrat Dick Durbin got good marks from half of Illinois residents, putting him in a five-way tie for 77th place among the nation's 100 U.S. senators.

As for Obama, the state's junior senator's job approval rating climbed from 67 percent in May, when he ranked seventh among 100 senators in a similar SurveyUSA poll.
-snip-

No disrespect to Durbin, who I really like!

[PurityOfEssence]

1. For WHAT?

Is this for having a nice smile or something? What has he done?

Meanwhile, Durbin is, and has been one of the most heroic of our senators for a goodly long time.

Sheesh. Show biz.

[Eloriel]

10. Amen. Not only that,

he piled onto Dean a week or so ago, which was pretty damned unflattering for a FRESHMAN Senator. Landed him on my shit list, where he'll stay until he redeems himself. I'm not holding my breath.

[LoZoccolo]

32. Who is on your shit list?

If it would be more convenient, you could tell us who is not on your shit list instead.

Also, if you would, please indicate which members of the shit list are there for saying something about Dean.

If you are going to bring up your shit list as a relevant part of the discussion, I would like to know something about the nature of the shit list, to gauge it's relevancy.

[CatWoman]

45. leave her alone

dammit.

Eloriel and I don't always agree, but she makes some damn astute observations.

[wndycty]

46. I agree with Catwoman. . .

. . .there are a lot of people on this board who can dish it out, but. . .oh hell you know the rest.

[Eloriel]

64. Oh, goodness

who died and made you king?

:rofl:

For future reference: I don't DO "demands." In fact, the more demanding some "request" sounds, the more I dig in my heels.

Thanks to CatWoman and Wyndycty for their posts. :toast:

[LoZoccolo]

68. Fine.

Your shit list has unproven and untested worth, especially regarding a senator from a state in which you probably don't live. Can I be on your shit list too?

who died and made you king?

What is funny, is that I was kind-of asking you that first. It looks like something else passed over your head as well.

[wndycty]

71. I'm not sure. . .

. . .if they caught the sarcasm in my post.

[LoZoccolo]

74. Hee hee hee hee!

See I could tell by your other posts in this thread.

[MoJoWorkin]

11. agreed

Obama MAY become a great Senator, while Durbin IS a great one. Barack should take lessons from Durbin on how to stand tall, rather than be mild and moderate(all things to all people). When Obama starts to do anything of substance (I am waiting) his ratings will go down. Most people know of him, so far, only from his Convention speech.
I met him before the election, and had high hopes for him. I have been sorely disappointed in his votes and his telling Dean, by way of the media, to "tone it down". Dean is doing his job, for pity sakes--it is time that Obama started to do his, and stop this popularity thing. I know he is the new kid, but to dis Dean so publicly, when Dean was one of his most ardent supporters and the DNC Chair, is wrong. Also, I see Obama sliding to the dark side DLC, and it sickens me. DURBIN IS THE MAN that Obama NEEDS to become for me to think he has achieved anything resembling greatness.

[Richard Steele]

67. Well said, MJW! It's easy to be POPULAR :Look GOOD and have NO RECORD!

" When Obama starts to do anything of substance (I am waiting) his ratings will go down."

Everyone's always do; Obama will be no different. Assuming he starts.

But it's WAYYY too early to pass judgement, the guy's just starting out. Let's see what we think of him in 10 years or so.

[LoZoccolo]

70. Like it's easy to be an anti-war candidate who didn't have to vote on it!

Who could that be?

[Tinoire]

43. Well, you know... "He speaks so well. He's so well spoken."

As Chris Rocks astutely pointed out... It's, you know, the same s**t they say about retarded people that can talk.

[wndycty]

44. Hey stranger, its been a while

How have you been?

[Tinoire]

61. Long time no see and GOOD to see you!

Just not posting as much because it seems so futile. Regardless of what your beliefs are or where you find yourself on the left-right spectrum, it gets tiring banging your head against a wall.

Right now I think I'm going to focus the majority of my attention on our forgotten flesh and blood soldiers who are paying such a high price for our follies.

Obama ain't the enemy. Not to the extent that others are but I have to shake my head and wonder why he was idolized so quickly only to now be burned at the stake?

How are you doing? :hi:

On edit: It doesn't make me weep that he's so popular. I'm happy for him and the people who support him. I just wish more of us would take the time to examine people BEFORE idolizing them because later on we look ridiculous when we weep over how disappointed we are.

[newsguyatl]

75. exactly

he's about as useless as they come in senators...

if he weren't african american, with a purdy wife and a great smile, would he have high marks?

seriously, what HAS he accomplished?

nada.

[Pirate Smile]

2. They are omitting him from the "Hottest Senator" Contest because he is too

HOT.



The Premise
Since it's not an election year, and we at HottestUSSenator.com got bored, we created an election of our own.
When you think "hot" you probably don't think U.S. Senators. But if you had to choose, who would it be?
Here are the starting eight. We'll narrow it down to four, then two, then select an "Ultimate Hottest U.S. Senator Not Counting Obama". The winning Senator will receive a certificate for looking hot.

The Obama Omission
We decided Barack Obama is so hot that he'd wipe the floor with any of the others, so he's excluded from this contest.

The Rules
Simple. Choose the Hottest Senator based on looks only. Vote only once per week. Select one candidate. You don't have to vote for the opposite sex.
If you use Outlook, select the candidate from the drop down menu below, click "Submit", and an independent accounting firm will count up the votes.
If you use server-based email, send your vote to [e-mail]. You have until Monday, June 20, to select a candidate before we narrow down to four. The top four Hot Senator candidates will be named Tuesday, June 21.
http://www.hottestussenator.com/

[In_The_Wind]

3. that's wonderful

I would like to see Obama as a big part of America's future.

[Straight Shooter]

4. He voted for Condi.

Hot? I don't think so.

And, yes, I understand the games that are played in Congress. But I still hold it against him after his grilling of her. Made it all look like a show. All style, not enough substance.

[ElectroPrincess]

5. So what, he's still a tool for the DLC

[1932]

13. Actually, he told the DLC to stop claiming him as a member.

[wndycty]

17. That does not matter to the haters

:kick:

[matcom]

6. exactly WHAT has he done?

cause i must have missed it in my paper. has he DONE anything?

[mtnsnake]

7. I'm glad. I don't care what anyone says, Obama gave me hope

when there were no other signs of it around.

[ElectroPrincess]

8. FOX news uses a lot of flowery platitudes and "feel good"

patriotism. Those who watch FOX are "in bliss."

People need THE FACTS not feel good talk with no delivery.

[mtnsnake]

14. Excuse me for having high hopes for Obama.

Is there something wrong that I found Obama's convention speech so inspiring? And because he isn't "perfect" with regards to his vote on Condi or something else, am I supposed to write him off?

I believe one of the main reasons we haven't cleaned up with the last two elections is because the people running for our side didn't know how to deliver messages like Barrack Obama does.......with passion and inspiration. In comparison to Obama, they were like robots when they talked.

I agree with you that we need delivery, but I disagree with you that "feel good talk" isn't something we need. If anything, we need it more than ever. Inspiration speeches, with or without personal delivery, are like catalysts in gaining positive results.

[KG]

9. how nice.

:eyes:

[CatWoman]

12. This confirms my suspicion

that all of the drama queen threads you kept posting about Dean were really about defending Obama.

[wndycty]

15. You need to add Ford, Biden and Richardson to that list. . .

. . .LOL. This is not about Dean, there really is no need to mention him this thread, what purpose does that serve?

[CatWoman]

18. no I don't

You need to add Ford, Biden and Richardson to that list. .

[wndycty]

19. Well. . .

. . .my threads from last weekend, which must have really upset you because you are still reacting to them 5 days later, were not just about defending Obama, but they were also about Richardson, Ford and Biden. . .don't believe me go back and read them. . .LOL This is too funny.

[Name removed]

26. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[wndycty]

29. Yeah, him too!

:kick:

[CatWoman]

40. nice try

[wndycty]

41. Nice try at what?

:kick:

[CatWoman]

47. you know, I like Obama --- I really do

but I despise his stabbing Dean in the back.

You bring up the other backstabbers, and I'm not biting -- I would really like to limit my conversation to the subject at hand.

[wndycty]

51. Yes but, when you mentioned that my threads last week. . .

. . .were to defend Obama I felt the need to correct you, you know what happens when you AssUme.

[reality based]

16. Popular is as popular does.

Political capital? Invest it.

[1932]

20. DU'ers angry at Obama remind me of old Eric Lindros quote about Canadians

Eric Lindros said that he was not surprised by how unpopular he was among Canadians because Canadians have a peculiar psychological predisposition to hating success. They just don't like a winner and they're suspicious of anyone who succeeds, regardless of how hard that person worked to make a success of him or herself.

[wndycty]

21. If he is not pure. . .

. . .people will hate him. DUers forget that he serves Illinois not DU. If he is popular in his home state that is all that matters and I'm sure it kills some people.

[DefenseLawyer]

35. There are always plenty of "idealists"

here- the "I would rather stand tall and lose than compromise and win" crowd. While they don't accept or choose to ignore political reality a lot of the time, I still like hearing from them, if only to remind democrats that the worst of all worlds is to compromise and still lose. But I think their wrath toward the senator is misplaced personally. So far Obama is positioning himself pretty well to actually garner some broad-based support and I have only seen him doing what sometimes needs to be done in the Senate.

[wndycty]

37. Well said

:kick:

[reality based]

22. If any of those participating in the Obama blitz

on this or other websites during the past week have any connection with his office or campaign apparatus, you might want to convey the message that a new approach to politics is being demanded by the Democratic rank and file (who are becoming not only the source of campaign manpower but campaign money for the Democratic Party). We want our champions to be first and foremost people who are proud to be Democrats and who are able not only to communicate with the people but to communicate and support forthrightly Democratic principles. Triangulating is no longer "in." Obama has shown signs of being able to communicate Democratic ideals very effectively. But we are in an extraordinary time in America where our political leaders in both parties have used their communications skills to deceive and misrepresent who they really are. We watch warily and suspiciously for evidence of true meaning and intent in the words and actions of our would be leaders. Obama needs more than one or two feel good speeches to prove himself. His first impression was great, the second and third have not been so hot. It has been my unfortunate experience that those in a hurry usually don't live up to the hype. I suggest that he find issues that are both popular and progressive to establish his political identity and work patiently on them for a little while so that we can take his measure.

[wndycty]

25. You have 6 months to judge him. . .

. . .I have had over 6 years to judge him (he was my state Senator), trust me the man is legit.

[paineinthearse]

28. Here here.

That goes for the shills for all the other "glam" candidates who promise miracles and fail to deliver.

[paineinthearse]

23. WTF??????

What the HELL has HE done?

I hate glamor polls.

What about the work done by Barbara Boxer?

[wndycty]

27. The very same Barbara Boxer. . .

. . .that DUers will turn on in an heartbeat is she votes the wrong way for the right reasons.

[LoZoccolo]

34. Until she does one thing they like after that.

As the very wise wyldwolf once pointed out, on DU, a politician is only as good as the last thing they did! This is perhaps because the mob here thinks they are handing out rewards and punishments to condition our elected officials by putting them on and taking them off of shit lists, and this counts as activism - remember, DUers are seldom doers!

[Matariki]

33. oh, this photo is BEAUTIFUL

i never saw it. i donated a little for flowers for her. i was always afraid they wouldn't get delivered, for security reasons or something. that pic makes me happy.

[leesa]

24. Sad commentary on the emptiness of the Democratic Party.

The guys all talk and his actions do not match his words.

[reality based]

30. I really think the Democratic Party will be fine

Democrats everywhere are pretty energized and are becoming more outspoken. Nationally, if we can turn Ohio, I think a lot of good things will start to fall into place. The Republican corruption there can serve as a symbol of what happens when we let the religious right overcome the popular disposition to choose the Democratic Party's vision of the role of positive popular government. Barack Obama is not a bad Democrat and for that matter neither are the Joes (Lieberman and Biden). The latter allowed to function unsupervised tends to degenerate into a blabbering mass but given direction can be impressive-- his speech on the filibuster of judges was the best of the lot in my opinion. We have a rich tradition of leadership that raises our expectations, but we really need to depend upon our base to motivate these guys to stand up. I have hope that things are beginning to change. There is yet time for Brother Obama to answer humbly the call. (And that Dick Durbin is some fine Senator.)

[wndycty]

31. I would love to see how the other elected Democrats view him. . .

. . .I bet he is popular amongst them as well.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

36. He voted for Rice's confirmation. I have no respect for that. n/t

[NYCGirl]

38. So he has a high approval rating in Illinois? Good for him.

Hopefully, everyone understands that this rating was for high approval ratings in the senators' home states.

[wndycty]

39. Considering he SERVES the people of Illinois

Wouldn't that make sense? I mean he is not Barack Obama (D-DU)

[NYCGirl]

42. Of course, I was merely pointing that out. Perhaps some DUers thought

the survey was conducted throughout the US.

[bpilgrim]

48. "DU haters" wtf does that mean?

and got to do with Obama :shrug:

peace

[CatWoman]

50. because, rightfully so, a bunch of DUers came down hard

on Obama after his tirade about Dean.

[wndycty]

52. Criticizing him for coming down on Dean is one thing. . .

. . .but writing him off is another thing, and there are a lot of haters here who have done that. I'm sure there are a number of posts in this thread that demonstrate my point.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

54. But don't you realize that Dean = Jeezus on DU. No matter WHAT he does.

He can also say anything he wants. Confederate flag, death penalty, guns, NRA = good. All because Howard tells them it's good.

They have a lot in common with the rabid Bush worshipers - who go along with ANYTHING that Bush does or tells them to do.

I used to like Dean until I looked into his record instead of just listening to his rhetoric. Anyone who supports the death penalty and the NRA and is as horrible on the environment is NOT ok in my book.

TALK IS CHEAP, PEOPLE.

[wndycty]

55. Uh oh

:kick:

[CatWoman]

57. *groan*

:eyes:

whatever you say...........

[rniel]

72. Yeah man

Why can't all us Dems be little republican pushovers like Alan Colmes. He's my hero. Can't we all just get along...

[Individualist]

53. It means we're supposed to be like republicans

NEVER criticize an elected official from our party, no matter what he/she does. Drink the koolaid or be called a whiner, a hater, a drama queen, a freeper, etc.

[CatWoman]

58. no, not really

there's always room for criticism.

However, take your criticism to the person -- not to the press.

[wndycty]

59. For Christsakes. . .Obama did not take his criticism to the press!

The press came to him. He did not call a press conference, he did not issue a press release, HE ANSWERED A DAMN QUESTION. Please tell me where any of these guys sought out the press to criticize Dean. I am sure they all reacted to questions aske. . .THERE IS A HUGE DIFFERENCE. Please show me where they called the press to bash Dean.

[CatWoman]

62. last comment I'm making on this

"Obama told reporters gathered at the Rock the Vote awards dinner at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., that Dean needs to tone down his rhetoric. Dean said on Monday that the Republican Party was "pretty much a white, Christian party."

I'm wasn't trying to infer that he called a press conference.

He still could have kept that to himself, and shared it directly with Dean.


http://kerrycrat.dailykos.com/story/2005/6/9/15564/43815

[wndycty]

66. Do you think he volunteered his opinion. . .

. . .or was he asked? And how those Republicans who voted for him (YOU KNOW HE GOT A TON OF GOP VOTES) would have reacted if he said nothing.

[Straight Shooter]

78. Who cares what Republicans think.

I guess Repub voters could have abstained in the election, considering who was running against Obama.

Obama is young, he's "purty," he talks smooth. :shrug:

[wndycty]

80. Unlike the GOP any good Democrat should care what. . .

. . .Republican voters (not the party or the politicians) think. I think that is very short sighted. As a senator, you serve the entire state, not just citizens who belong to your party. Too bad W does not follow that example, this country would be a lot better off.

[Straight Shooter]

91. Oh, I pay attention to what they think.

I just don't care what they think. Maybe I should get some glasses for my shortsightedness.

[cry baby]

85. He could have volunteered not to answer the question...

or to answer something like this: "I will speak directly to Dr. Dean if I have comments about what he said, not to the press. Thank you for the question. Next?"

Just because someone asks a question doesn't mean you have to answer, just look at Scotty, he dodges questions every day.

[Individualist]

60. I was referring to the way some expect us to behave

here on DU and the name calling directed at anyone who dares criticize anyone with a D after his/her name. However, I fully agree that when criticizing an individual, the critic should take it to the person rather to the press.

[CatWoman]

63. see? you're not dumb.

I'll bet your'e not a hillbilly, either!!

:hi:

[Individualist]

65. I am a hillbilly,

living in the foothills of the Appalachians, but my mama didn't raise no dumb young'uns. :hi:

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

49. For doing what? Speechmaking and pandering?

[Vladimir]

56. LOL n/t

[Catherine Vincent]

69. I'm assuming because he's new to the Senate and has a cool name.

[rniel]

73. An interview on NPR

That bush loves him. Thinks he's great.

That's kinda when my baloon deflated on Obama.

[mirandapriestly]

86. YUUCKKKK!!! NT

[wndycty]

87. Stupid logic

Bush likes him so DU should hate him. Wow, I bet we will end up hating a lot of good Democrats as a result.

[reality based]

76. Has Senator Obama commented on Senator Durbin's remarks

on the Senate floor this week-- the comments about Gitmo abuses that the right wing noise machine are trying to get worked up over?

[Ms. Clio]

77. This is HUGH!!!1111!!

[dissent1977]

79. My favorite part of the article

"In last place was Texas Republican John Cornyn, with a 40 percent approval rating. Cornyn drew criticism in April for questioning whether violence against judges could be linked to "unaccountable" jurists "making political decisions."'

[ScreamingMeemie]

81. Well now, they didn't ask me...or several others here. He still is a sell

out. A shame too, because that was a beautiful speech. Too bad he hasn't held with it. But it's all about presidential runs, isn't it? :shrug:

[wndycty]

83. Did you listen to the speech?

If so please tell me how he is not living up to it. Just in case you missed it, here is a great passage:
-snip-

A belief that we are connected as one people. If there's a child on the south side of Chicago who can't read, that matters to me, even if it's not my child. If there's a senior citizen somewhere who can't pay for her prescription and has to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it's not my grandmother. If there's an Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties. It's that fundamental belief — I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeper — that makes this country work. It's what allows us to pursue our individual dreams, yet still come together as a single American family. "E pluribus unum." Out of many, one.

Yet even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there's not a liberal America and a conservative America — there's the United States of America. There's not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there's the United States of America. The pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I've got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and have gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.


http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-07-27-obama-speech-text_x.htm

It seems like he is living up to his talk, and that is exactly what he did when he distanced himself from Dean's comments.

[reality based]

88. It is fine to speak in unifying terms

but there is now a terrible sickness in the American body politic that must be cured. The reaction of the Republican noise machine to your senior senator's remarks on the terrible treatment of human beings at Gitmo is illustrative of that sickness. You had another politician from Illinois that once said that the nation cannot continue to exist half slave and half free. He divided what had to be divided, ironically, in order to preserve the unity and purposefulness of the nation. There are some things you can't make deals about without losing your soul. It takes uncommon wisdom to know how to draw the line sometimes, but we now need people with the wisdom and the courage to draw that line. Senator Obama has the political capital, I expect to see him use it. Otherwise there are other forces out there that will use him or chew him up. What does the scripture say "So because you are lukewarm-- neither hot nor cold-- I am about to spew you out of my mouth."

[wndycty]

89. You have a point. . .but spending his poltical capital right away

Can definately backfire on him.

[Qanisqineq]

82. Kent Conrad (D-ND) is number 2!

And Byron Dorgan (D-ND) is in a three way tie for number 6!
McCain is in a three way tie for #10, I figured he'd be higher since sooo many people seem to just adore him. :puke:

[LuPeRcALiO]

84. he must doing something right

I'm holding out hope that he puts that good will to good use.

[jsw_81]

90. Good

Most popular senator in the country? Not bad for a freshman! Not bad at all.

With regard to the predictable anti-Obama whining from the wacky Dean/Conyers/Kucinich crowd, this poll just goes to show how irrelevant -- and pathetic -- they have become.