Obama in the Senate: Star Power, Minor Role...

[annie1]

for anyone who's interested. from NYT:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23540579/

Here's the first couple of paragraphs, the rest is in the link above:
CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Senator Barack Obama stood before Washington’s elite at the spring dinner of the storied Gridiron Club. In self-parody, he ticked off his accomplishments, little more than a year after arriving in town.

“I’ve been very blessed,” Mr. Obama told the crowd assembled in March 2006. “Keynote speaker at the Democratic convention. The cover of Newsweek. My book made the best-seller list. I just won a Grammy for reading it on tape.

“Really, what else is there to do?” he said, his smile now broad. “Well, I guess I could pass a law or something.”

They were the two competing elements in Barack Obama’s time in the Senate: his megawatt celebrity and the realities of the job he was elected to do. He went to the Senate intent on learning the ways of the institution, telling reporters he would be “looking for the washroom and trying to figure out how the phones work.” But frustrated by his lack of influence and what he called the “glacial pace,” he soon opted to exploit his star power. He was running for president even as he was still getting lost in the Capitol’s corridors.

[lligrd]

1. Opted To Exploit His Star Power??

Shame on him. He should have hidden it like Hillary did her acting abilities.

[zabet]

2. When that is more important than doing the

job he was elected to do, yes,
shame on him.

[lligrd]

5. You Mean Like Voting For The IWR

Hillary might as well have not bothered.

[zabet]

7. Just like Obama didn't bother to vote

on Kyl-Liebermann. He really cannot
dis her vote on that when he did not
care to vote himself.

[lligrd]

9. A Non Vote Is Better Than A Wrong Vote

Heed that before you cast yours for McCain.

[zabet]

12. Voting for Hillary.

Even if I have to write it in.

By your reasoning of a non-vote
being better than a wrong vote,
(when 1 vote would not have made
a difference in either case) means
an ambitious senator would do well
to miss as many votes as possible.
Maybe that is why Obama has missed
more votes than Hillary.

[lligrd]

13. You Might As Well Vote For Nader

So much for your logic.

[zabet]

17. Logic is a rare commodity in GDP these days..

as you should well know.

[milkyway]

6. If you read the article, the main way he used his "star power" was in campaigning and fundraising

for other dems in 2006. He helped a lot of them get elected and helped the dems take both houses. He spread around the benefits of his celebrity to other dems.

[zabet]

8. Suuure none of it was for himself.....

"He was running for president even as he was still getting lost in the Capitol’s corridors."

[lligrd]

10. I'm All For Using Star Power If You Have It

I was questioning why he shouldn't use it. Maybe it isn't fair because Hillary doesn't have it. :shrug:

[milkyway]

3. I've read it and thought it was quite a good article. Not a negative article as it may appear to be.

And on the topic of legislative accomplishments--what freshman senators from the minority party were able to pass major legislation? I doubt few, if any. Obama did what a freshman is supposed to do--keep his head down and defer to his elders. But he was still able to play a significant role in passing legislation on ethics and tracking nuclear material.

[tabatha]

4. Obama has already replied to this....

and cited his work with Richard Lugar.

Obama has accomplished far more in his short time in the Senate than Clinton in her longer time.

This article is incorrect.

I know that ProSense will have the facts.

[Beacool]

11. Obama has had one goal in mind since he entered politics: the presidency.

To that effect he has avoided making waves or casting difficult votes in both the state and US senates. The joke in the IL senate was that every time there was a difficult vote, Barack would be in the bathroom. Not for a minute do I believe that it's about us the people for him, it's all about Barack Obama. His ego and ambition are what propel this man. He doesn't appear to have the backbone to stand up for something even if it made him enemies.

Well, we never learn, we deserve the leaders that we get............

[milkyway]

14. And you have Hillary as your avatar? The person who sent a million people to their death because to

vote against the IWR would hurt her future political chances? Yeah, she's a real profile in courage.

[Beacool]

15. Oh yeah, Hillary personally killed all these people.

Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld are not responsible, only mean Hillary did this.........



:crazy:

[annie1]

16. Biden too, that damn murderer. John Kerry and John Edwards too. Damn them all the hell!

[demo dutch]

18. Not taking a more prominent role opposing war & folded like a cheap suit! He's a farce!

"Disappointment over war stance He disappointed some Democrats by — not taking a more prominent role opposing the war he voted against a troop withdrawal proposal by Senators John Kerry and Russ Feingold in June 2006, arguing that a firm date for withdrawal would hamstring diplomats and military commanders in the field."