Barack Obama's Quiet Rebellion

[illinoisprogressive]

Walter Shapiro of Salon has an interesting article about the difference of Obama and how he campaigns.
i think he captures what many misunderstand about him. Obama is not a heart on your sleeve for show kind a politician like most others. he is intellectual and 'professorial'
excerpts are below and this link is for the full article:
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/05/30/obama/

"In political terms, this campaign will test whether the Democratic voters will pick a nominee who waxes cool while his major rivals (certainly John Edwards and Hillary Clinton, by marriage and learned experience) burn hot. As David Plouffe, Obama's campaign manager, put it, "For people who only know him through his <2004> convention speech in Boston, it can be a little arresting that he isn't pounding the podium. But that's him. He's a cerebral, thoughtful person."


" This is not to argue in any way that Obama is unfeeling, but rather to stress that his campaign style avoids many of the commonplace rituals of political life. Obama also seems reluctant to play the populist card that has been a staple of Democratic rhetoric for decades. Previewing his plan for universal healthcare coverage at an ice-cream party in a downtown park in Berlin, N.H., Sunday night, Obama went out of his way to declare, "I'm not somebody who will run down the insurance companies and the drug companies just for the sake of it."


Drug companies and insurance companies have long been a favored target of Democratic presidential candidates. They were directly in the firing line when Al Gore built his 2000 campaign around -- not global warming or the environment -- the mock populism of "the people vs. the powerful." Neither Edwards nor Hillary Clinton is apt to miss many opportunities to go after the greed of the pharmaceutical industry. But there was Obama, speaking to a largely Democratic audience in an old pulp-and-paper town, promising not to take any cheap shots at these corporate villains."

There is a risk in drawing firm conclusions from these small moments on the campaign trail. But with the traditional intimacy of the primary warm-up season virtually stripped from the current presidential campaign, these glimpses of something approaching reality are how we come to understand a candidate as a person rather than as a set of position papers or as a walking résumé.

[depakid]

1. I smell a sell out

just like I did with Bill Clinton in 1992.

[pnwmom]

3. Bill Clinton took Reagan/Bush's huge decificit, turned it into a huge surplus,

and got the economy humming again. And he didn't defy the UN and start any unprovoked wars or try to break the back of our military, and he fixed a broken FEMA (before Bush wrecked it again.) He was a strong supporter of civil rights and women's rights.

Yeah, I know, he was responsible for NAFTA/CAFTA, and he had his Monica problem. So he wasn't perfect. The perfect person or President has never been born.

[illinoisprogressive]

5. but, though things were better, alot was due to internet bubble and let's face it,

Bush destroyed it. And we cannot keep looking back and doing reruns. it is time to move on.
I mean, most of our candidates can do a decent job. clinton is not the only dem. they are competent and capable.

[pnwmom]

10. As you know, she isn't my top choice. But I still think that

some people are overly critical of Clinton around here, and often it is because they have other agendas.

We don't have to denigrate Clinton's accomplishments in order to support our favorite candidates. Gore might have been better off if he hadn't tried to run away from Clinton's presidency during his own campaign.

[depakid]

12. I was thinking of health care and regulatory policy

Clinton repeatedly pandered to industry groups- which is why the convoluted health plan failed, why the financial industry ended up with accounting scandals, why banks and other institutions repeatedly ripped off consumers and why the corporate media gained a stranglehold on radio, TV and Cable.

In the NorthWest, he also sold us out on the so called Salvage rider- logging without laws.

[ryanmuegge]

16. Honestly, Clinton gave the economic elite what they wanted 99% of the time

and many of them STILL demonized him (NAFTA, 1996 Telecommunications Act, welfare "reform," trade relations with China). That's how greedy these people are. They couldn't forgive him for increasing taxes on them in his first term. Clinton and the Republicans often rammed things through congress, usually in the case of economic issues, that were completely contrary to public opinion (they are supposed to be representing us, after all) with little or no debate.



Really, though, Clinton was not much better than Bush when it came to standing up for the economic majority. He was better, don't get me wrong, but the differences were very incremental for someone that's supposedly in a different political party.

This is NOT meant to start a Clinton flame war.

[ryanmuegge]

14. The existence of a surplus is highly debatable.

It was due to a Social Security surplus and a balanced budget, not indicative of the long-term budget picture. It was portrayed incorrectly by Clinton as a long-term deal. Bush also misrepresented the surplus during his first campaign.

That said, Clinton was serious about deficit reduction, unlike Reagan and Bush, Jr.

[pnwmom]

21. It was more of a surplus than any Republican has had in decades,

if not longer.

And it followed the worst deficit ever. Quite an accomplishment, no matter how you cut it.

[ryanmuegge]

25. Yeah, Clinton was serious about deficit reduction.

Apparently trade deficits are good, though..judging by his trade policy.

Yeah, he was MUCH, MUCH more fiscally responsible than the two Republican clowns who preceded him. It is an accomplishment. I just feel like he misrepresented it.

[ryanmuegge]

26. Yeah, Clinton was serious about deficit reduction.

Apparently trade deficits are good, though..judging by his trade policy.

Yeah, he was MUCH, MUCH more fiscally responsible than the two Republican clowns who preceded him. It is an accomplishment. I just feel like he misrepresented the nature of the surplus to some extent.

[Telly Savalas]

18. Supporter of civil rights? He signed DOMA!

No doubt the guy was a lot better than both his predecessor and successor, but he didn't shit ice cream.

[pnwmom]

22. I never said he did. n/t

[jillan]

2. There is one thing about Obama that drives me crazy

And I know someone posted here the same thing about Gore.
It's the way he talks. While he has a great voice...he constantly pauses in the middle of the sentence. It drives me nuts. I find myself telling him to 'spit it out already' :P

That said, his manner of speaking is a 100% improvement over what we are listening to now.

It really is a nit-picky thing, and would not keep me from voting for him. I just had to get that off my chest.

[illinoisprogressive]

4. I saw that one on Gore. it sometmes gets to me but, he talks like a professor.

that is what it reminds me of. And it is so much more intelligent than chimpy.

[snowbear]

6. Hmmm... wait a cotton-pickin' minute..

Why do I sense a Deja Vu?

-----------

EDIT:

Pirhana.. I just noticed you said it wasn't you who said that about Gore..

Welp.. I like the way Obama talks!!! He reminds me of Clark in a way. Thoughtful and precise.

[illinoisprogressive]

7. What Gore? I saw the posting of his talking but, I did not post it.

[snowbear]

8. That was for pirhana... but then I read ..."the rest of the story"

I remember the post yesterday that said the same thing about Gore. I just couldn't remember who said it.

I should've read pirhana's thread more carefully..

[pnwmom]

11. Yeah, what's wrong with people who actually think while they're talking?

What a nice change that would be.

[jillan]

15. As a Biden supporter -

I second your post

[pnwmom]

20. Speaking of Biden,

I LOVED his remarkable restraint with that one word debate answer.

Yes!

[jillan]

23. Now if he could only do that more often -

Love the guy- he just needs to know when to shut up sometimes!

[pnwmom]

24. Lots of brainy extroverts have that problem.

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[illinoisprogressive]

17. I like people who know what they are talking about and sound intellegent. Not like chimp

[silverweb]

9. Bookmarking for after work.

Just on a quick scan, I think this assessment adds to things about Obama to respect and admire.

And it's way past time we had someone in the WH again worthy of our respect and admiration!

[Grandrose]

13. K&R

Very insightful article!:) :kick:

[Colobo]

19. Excellent article! Thanks!

[mckeown1128]

27. Gobama kick!!!