DUer Question?? Who were the original core backers of Obama for Pres.

[Blaze Diem]

Skeptic that I am, I am curious if anyone knows how Obama originated his run for President.
I watched a show about how Bush was literally chosen for the GOP ticket in 99-2000. Sec Schulz was speaking about how a core group got together to choose a candidate and he brought up George Bush's name as the best person for the job. Of course that was perhaps as a favor to Bush Sr., after his loss to Bill Clinton, thus interrupting the Bush plan for their new world order.

Just curious if Obama was chosen by a think-tank group like Bush was. If so, who approached him with the idea.
I don't believe one person decides one fine day that they will run for Pres. I believe they are chosen or supported by a certain group. Who originated the Obama run for U.S. President?
Anyone know?

[MNDemNY]

1. Phizer

[Blaze Diem]

10. lol..well that's a start. Perhaps you are right...I

think it is a smart voter who knows how the candidates were chosen to 'run' in the first place.
I say this after hearing Schulz talk of their selection of George jr.
We well know of Hillary & Edwards by now, but Obama is a newcomer to the field, and this has my curiosity.

[MethuenProgressive]

26. Antoni "Tony" Rezko

[Bicoastal]

2. GEORGE SOROS!!! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

:rofl: at any lurking Freepers going "Aha! O'Reilly was right!"

[NMDemDist2]

3. you may see some of the usual suspects here?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=1515140

and here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=1473204

[Tarc]

23. Some funny stuff in there.

a slick, seasoned "natural" politician, already toeing the DLC/RNC line. Corporate America has giving him their stamp of approval; between that and his first few votes, I'm less than trusting of Senator Obama.

[Adelante]

4. I guess you are asking about some political machine more than think tank

I can tell you Dick Durbin and Tom Daschle both encouraged Obama to run. I doubt that constitutes a machine, but I am sure it doesn't mean Obama was "chosen" in the sense you are giving about Bush.

[THUNDER HANDS]

5. I think after the convention speech in 2004

everyone with ears wanted the guy to run for president some day.

[dkf]

9. Yup, just the speech.

Obama and Edwards are self made...no machines there.

Bill was self made...Hillary has a machine.

[redqueen]

Are you sure?

I remember people around here being very impressed, but saying he's too new...

:shrug:

[THUNDER HANDS]

15. obviously somebody wanted him to run

I'm sure a lot of people asked him to run this year.

Hell, I'm sure a lot of people were upset he wasn't the nominee in 2004.

[redqueen]

17. Oh yes, I know many speculated about it...

that's why he kept saying he wouldn't. Obviously he changed his mind along the way. :)

[THUNDER HANDS]

20. i'm sure the thought

that you never know what the future holds probably made the decision easier.

Look at how guys like Dodd and Kucinich and Biden did after spending years and years in Congress. People get tired of you and you start to lose that luster you had when you were young and fresh.

Obama would lose a big part of his appeal if he stayed out of running for president for 8 years or so.

[redqueen]

22. Yeah, and also he'd have racked up so many more non-votes by then.

It'd be much harder to 'splain away by then.

;)

Sorry! You know I'm kidding around, I hope. :evilgrin:

[THUNDER HANDS]

36. yeah, I do

;)

[redqueen]

37. Ah c'mon... I made a funny!

I feel like I deserve an award or somethin, that's so rare. :P :7

[Perky]

6. Dick Durbin was really key.

[MadBadger]

8. Great Minds...n/t

[MadBadger]

7. I think Durbin helped some.

[dkf]

11. Yeah but I wouldn't say Durbin had a machine.

would you?

[Perky]

13. No....he doesn't

But it was not insturional black leaderhip and it certainly was not DLCers

[Perky]

14. No....he doesn't

But it was not insturional black leaderhip and it certainly was not DLCers

[Perky]

12. LOL next time I am in Madison...I will buy you a beer.

We think alot alike.

[Marie26]

16. Rezco.

Yes, low blow. :)

[Mass]

18. Grassroot. Everywhere he was going in 2005 and 2006, people were asking him if he was going to run.

[Marie26]

19. But that doesn't translate to money

Obama had an enormous campaign fund right out of the gate. That's really unusual for someone who was so new to national politics.

[Mass]

21. Most of it coming from small individual donors. He has the largest numbers of individual donors.

He also inherited of some of Kerry's fundraisers, I know, but it was after he decided to run and that Kerry had dropped out of the race.

[Marie26]

24. He's also got a ton of corporate donors

And that's where the big money is. Which came first, the corporate donors or the individual donors? IMO the big bundled money had to come first to get national coverage of Obama's campaign, then ind. donations came from people who liked what they saw. But without the big backing, Obama would just be a Gravel or a Kucinich.

PACs and lobbyists aided Obama's rise
Data contrast with his theme

Boston Globe, August 9, 2007

"But behind Obama's campaign rhetoric about taking on special interests lies a more complicated truth. A Globe review of Obama's campaign finance records shows that he collected hundreds of thousands of dollars from lobbyists and PACs as a state legislator in Illinois, a US senator, and a presidential aspirant.

In Obama's eight years in the Illinois Senate, from 1996 to 2004, almost two-thirds of the money he raised for his campaigns -- $296,000 of $461,000 -- came from PACs, corporate contributions, or unions, according to Illinois Board of Elections records. He tapped financial services firms, real estate developers, healthcare providers, oil companies, and many other corporate interests, the records show.

Obama's US Senate campaign committee, starting with his successful run in 2004, has collected $128,000 from lobbyists and $1.3 million from PACs, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonprofit organization that tracks money in politics. His $1.3 million from PACs represents 8 percent of what he has raised overall. Clinton's Senate committee, by comparison, has raised $3 million from PACs, 4 percent of her total amount raised, the group said.

In addition, Obama's own federal PAC, Hopefund, took in $115,000 from 56 PACs in the 2005-2006 election cycle out of $4.4 million the PAC raised, according to CQ MoneyLine, which collects Federal Election Commission data. Obama then used those PAC contributions -- including thousands from defense contractors, law firms, and the securities and insurance industries -- to build support for his presidential run by making donations to Democratic Party organizations and candidates around the country."

-
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/08/09/pacs_and_lobbyists_aided_obamas_rise/

[Blaze Diem]

28. What worries me is who they are beholden to in the event they are

elected. What comes first ..their desire to do the best to honor America & its Constitution or the 'base' that got them the Pres position?

[Mass]

29. You asked who was behind him. The answer is simple and even if you do not believe it, it is true.

People.

And I stopped trusting the Globe a long time ago. I will not trust them today.

[Marie26]

32. Why not?

I thought the Boston Globe was a pretty liberal paper? And yeah, Obama's got people - a lot of those people are lobbyists & real estate developers (Rezco). Obama's original backing was the Chicago machine, then PACS, then individuals. Which is pretty typical, really.

[Mass]

33. Yeah! Sure, I have to believe you and the globe who could not even defend Kerry during the SBVT

campaign. Liberal, sure, as long as you do not have to stand for it,

[Marie26]

34. Don't you have a basis for

your opinion? You said that you don't trust the Boston Globe - I was wondering why that was. If they got a big story wrong, or favored Republicans, or something. Otherwise, why wouldn't you believe a reputable story from a reputable newspaper?

[Blaze Diem]

25. Makes sense, guess there's no dark & looming machine behind

Obama's Pres run. Just had to ask.
Shows how tainted I've become since the Bush crime family has revealed its true mission in our political system.
Thanks all.

[robbedvoter]

27. here's a bit from my tinfoil hat:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=2728863&mesg_id=2728863

Bush's "spiritual adviser endorses Obama" - "we share a common vision" W approves

[Blaze Diem]

30. Wish there was a Tinfoil News on msm.

All tinfoil all the time...tinfoil moderated..
Probably be good for this country.

[FrenchieCat]

31. People

[Blaze Diem]

35. True, but people chose criminal Bush also..

My point in this question.