"I serve as a blank screen," Obama writes...

[Skip Intro]

"I serve as a blank screen," Obama writes, "on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views." He notifies readers that "my treatment of the issues is often partial and incomplete."

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2006/12/obama_scores_as_an_exotic_who.html


Now, this post could be seen, and will be seen by some, I'm sure, as an attempt to slander Obama. However, I think his words worth noting. He used the vague rallying cries of Hope and Change (and Believe), words that can mean whatever you want them to mean, to an effect that still floors me. Indeed, this post could be viewed as a tribute to such an effective campaign.

Will this type of campaign carry us through November? We'll see.

Is it worth noting? Imho, absolutely.

[MadBadger]

1. Noted.

[Rick Myers]

2. That was 2 years ago. People evolve.

Might be used by the vermin, but easily overcome.

[Egnever]

3. How long are you seriously going to continue with your hate?

What function does it serve at this point? The nominee is chosen. He has plenty of concrete proposals and can be plenty wonkish when required in fact he lost his first race because he was too wonkish. He has since learned how to play the game and this somehow makes you angry.

Its getting pathetic. What is your purpose with this thread anyway?

[2rth2pwr]

35. This is a serious question- How does it follow that posting the words of Obama,

in a very familiar context ie. vague rhetoric, is evidence that the individual has the intense, emotionally charged concept described as "hate" for Obama?

I am truly curious how that association is made.

[Egnever]

43. You lost your curiosity months ago

as did the OP.

The two of you are two of the biggest obama haters on this board. You can pretend all you want but there are plenty of us out here reading these craptastic concern troll threads for exactly what they are. More obama bashing bullshit.

Maybe if your track records werent so crystal clear people would take you seriously.

One need only look at the responses to this thread to see what a joke your postings have become. You have two more days to spew your hate then it will be time to find another place for it. Enjoy it while it last it will change nothing when it comes to the outcome of this race. It is over. You lost.

[knight_of_the_star]

44. Please refrain from ad hominem and shooting the messenger

I thought those were tactics the GOP indulged in, not us.

[ampad]

62. Yes kind of like the

You hate Clinton meme every time someone criticizers her; as if people hate her just because they make a negative statement about her. You know throwing the hate word around like repigs throw patriotism around. Sound like you are not patriotic if you say anything negative about Bush. Just wondering if you are picking or choosing or just asleep.

[knight_of_the_star]

68. I have not been picking and choosing

Don't cast accusations on me that you cannot support, that's no better than what you describe. I've been blasting BOTH sides in this primary season since Edwards dropped out.

[2rth2pwr]

45. What is your definition of a hater? Is it more like a "playa hater" or what?

Hate is a very strong word, if I recall correctly. Maybe you use the word as a shield, a shield to cover your eyes and ears from some viewpoints that are different than yours?

[snooper2]

59. I wouldn't say the only two, there are a few more left...

I found out today this POS is gone though :rofl:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=user_profiles&u_id=188045

[LisaM]

77. I'm listening to a caller on Ed Schultz right now

who is saying a little bit of the same thing (this is tape delayed). He is talking about how he will vote for Obama but is having a terrible time connecting to him. I agree with that assessment. He does absolutely NOTHING for me, other than stir a vague uneasiness. Messy and sloppy and all over the place as the Clintons are, I still prefer their style. It engages me better.

Ed countered by saying Obama was "smooth" - which to me is about the LAST thing I want in a candidate. It reeks of salesmanship, not statesmanship.

I will vote for Obama, so you can hold your fire on that end. But I have never been less enthusiastic about a vote I'm casting in my entire life, and that includes at the state and local level. Maybe the "blank slate" comment sums it up best. I don't want a blank slate! I want a mirror, even if it's old and cracked in places, one that reflects me, not absorbs me.

[knight_of_the_star]

39. I don't see this as hate

This is a genuine question that needs asking

[JoFerret]

51. It's not hate

But it may not be helpful as all it will do is enflame the bile mongers.
It is an interesting point.

[knight_of_the_star]

67. It helps make the point why I didn't fall in

Until now when it was clear he's the only game in town now, I don't want to go with someone who is seemingly vague in his speeches and such and this helps make that point. We need to understand our nominee inside and out to be able to beat the GOP so we don't get hit by any nasty curve ball surprises on the way.

[lapfog_1]

4. your "concern" is duly noted. - n/t

[Moochy]

5. Wednesday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jgraz]

30. Sing it, Mooch.

[ossman]

6. he kicked your ass. ha ha ha.

[Skittles]

37. he kicked no ass n/t

[JoFerret]

63. Ossman sweetie

what are you doing today to help Obama win the election?

[Emit]

7. The manner in which this quote you used has been taken out of context

The manner in which this quote you used has been taken out of context implies that Obama desires for people to use him as a blank slate, when, in fact, the larger content of it (I am reading his book now) implies something entirely different and much more complicated.

Here's a larger content:

I am a Democrat; my views on most topics correspond more closely to the editorial pages of the New York Times than those of the Wall Street Journal. I am angry about policies that consistently favor the wealthy and powerful over average Americans, and insist that government has an important role in opening up opportunity to all. I believe in evolution, scientific inquiry, and global warming; I believe in free speech, whether politically correct or politically incorrect, and I am suspicious of using government to impose anybody's religious beliefs--including my own--on nonbelievers. Furthermore, I am a prisoner of my own biography: I can't help but view the American experience through the lens of a black man of mixed heritage, forever mindful of how generations of people who looked like me were subjugated and stigmatized, and the subtle and not so subtle ways that race and class continue to shape our lives.

But that is not all that I am. I also think my party can be smug, detached, and dogmatic at times. I believe in the free market, competition, and entrepreneurship, and think no small number of government programs don't work as advertised. I wish the country had fewer lawyers and more engineers. I think America has more often been a force for good than for ill in the world; I carry few illusions about our enemies, and revere the courage and competence of our military. I reject a politics that is based solely on racial identity, gender identity, sexual orientation, or victimhood generally. I think much of what ails the inner city involves a breakdown in culture that will not be cured by money alone, and that our values and spiritual life matter at least as much as our GDP.

Undoubtedly, some of these views will get me in trouble. I am new enough on the national political scene that I serve as a blank screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views. As such, I am bound to disappoint some of them. Which perhaps indicates a second, more intimate theme to this book--namely, how I, or anybody in public office, can avoid the pitfalls of fame, the hunger to please, the fear of loss, and thereby retain that kernel of truth, that singular voice within each of us that reminds us of our deepest commitments.

The larger quote can be found somewhere here: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=I+am+new+enough+on+the+national+political+scene+that+I+serve+as+a+blank+screen+on+which+people+of+vastly+different+political+stripes+project+their+own+views.+As+such%2C+I+am+bound+to+disappoint+some%2C+if+not+all%2C+of+them&btnG=Google+Search


Of course, the best thing, for all who are interested in learning more about him or who doubt him, would be to read his book(s), and not rely on quotes taken out of context.

[Name removed]

Deleted message

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

[Skip Intro]

16. Well, thanks. I don't see how the context you present changes the meaning

of what he said about being a blank screen, but I do like what he said in the passage you provided.

He still used the "blank screen" to a wonderful effect in the campaign. I can't help but notice that the choice to use vague words like change, and hope and believe must have been born from that. What he did with that tactic is amazing. And that was the point of the thread.

Believe it or not.

It won him the nom, or helped in no small manner.

I don't see the harm in recognizing that, and pondering it's effectiveness, in a purely political sense.

[2rth2pwr]

38. I don't know about anybody else, but I've noticed this excuse "taken out of context"

being used relentlessly this year. What cracks me up about it, and why I had to comment on it, is that in almost every case this year the context makes it even worse.

Seriously, the laughing is really starting to cramp my abdominals, it hurts.

[dionysus]

64. you have about a day left to laugh....

[2rth2pwr]

78. You sound so ominous.

[AuntPatsy]

58. I have to agree, quotes taken out of context is not even worth discussing...

without looking at it all it leaves us lacking in finding a way out of this mess, but the reality is that far too many people just want the sound bites, the small quotes and are either too dam lazy to read and or listen to it all or simply don't have the time, so again, why don't alot of us begin printing these messages out in their entirety and handing them out to people and hope that some time in the near future and before election day they will have time to read and attempt to understand it all, not just small meaningless quotes.

[Ashy Larry]

8. Oh my God!

Call the super-delegates! There's still time to reconsider! Obama is a blank slate! We have no idea what his positions are!

:sarcasm:

[Shakespeare]

9. You seem mildly obsessed with what was an answer to a narrowly phrased question.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=4822015&mesg_id=4823939

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=6300755&mesg_id=6309520

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=4814580

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=4814135&mesg_id=4814471

[ossman]

10. Lanny Davis? Is that you?

[Forkboy]

11. People will see this post through a prism you've helped create.

You're not exactly known here for your Obama defense. Hence, I suspect people will assume the worst, and it would be hard to blame them. Maybe a few months from now when you speak about Obama and have defended him from McCain et al people will be more willing to give you the benefit of the doubt.

[Skip Intro]

26. I'm sorry man, if people can't take my words for what they are

then that's too bad.

I'm not going to be jumping through hoops for anyone.

[Forkboy]

32. That's fine. I can respect that,. Just saying how people will see things differently.

It applies to all of us here. We're all a product of our past words, which will color other people's take on our current words.

[Moochy]

33. Not even this one?

[JTFrog]

52. Too tired to jump through em after holding them up for Obama supporters for over a year?

Figures. I bet it takes its toll.

[beachmom]

12. Actually, I think he is right, and we have seen how people have looked at him as good or bad

Think of some of the stupid things said about him like the Muslim stuff. That is also because of the "blank screen". Here is the thing, though: the more I read about him, the more I like him. We need him fleshed out more, and some of the more extreme reactions to him (in either direction) will start to dissipate.

[ProSense]

13. A perfect example of how distortions thrive. Two completely unrelated quotes strung together.

"I am new enough on the national political scene that I serve as a blank screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views. As such, I am bound to disappoint some, if not all, of them." (p. 11, 134, 355-61)

link

That's the topic of this book: how we might begin the process of changing our politics and our civic life. This isn't to say that I know exactly how to do it. I don't. Although I discuss in each chapter a number of our most pressing policy challenges, and suggest in broad strokes the path I believe we should follow, my treatment of the issues is often partial and incomplete. I offer no unifying theory of American government, nor do these pages provide a manifesto for action, complete with charts and graphs, timetables and ten-point plans. . . .

link

edited typo

[TahitiNut]

14. Yup. Two ounces of deceit and three ounces of spin.

Mix. Stir. Nothin' but shit.

[Skip Intro]

23. The quotes came from the politico article to which I linked.

I don't see how your quotes delegitimize the point I was trying to make.

I'm looking at this from a purely political perspective.

That seems to be a high bar for some to reach here in DU:GDP.

[bunnies]

92. Thank you. You just saved me from posting this.

I'm so tired of these shit stirrers trashing Obama for this quote when they NEVER even get the quote or context correct. Drives me nuts! :grr:

[Youphemism]

15. Worth noting? Why? Let's look at where this is coming from...

We've had people on both sides slamming the candidates pointlessly for a while now. Unless you're going to offer a suggestion about how to proceed, how can you pretend you're posting this for the good of democrats?

If you want to see what a "blank slate" Obama is, go read the couple dozen position papers on his web site, then come back and tell us where the "blank slate" part applies.

Instead of wasting any more time on a response, I'll just paste a few other titles written by that author you quoted -- who wrote this way back before any primary was held.

Let's see if we can guess where she's coming from:

* White Women Take the Gloves Off

* Obamites Pile on Clinton at Own Peril

* Cosby Is the Real Prophet, Not Wright

* The Change That Can't Be Changed

* Obama and the Skeptic-Free Campaign

* Divides Obama Doesn't Bridge

* The Mandates are the Message

* What About the Woman Lobbyists?

* Cult of Obama Will Turn Off Centrists

* Media Swallows Kennedys' Arrogant Presumption

* Single Women Coming Out to Vote

* N.H. Women Had Enough Insults

* Obama: The Audacity Of Hype

* Obama, Drugs and Everyone Else

[Levgreee]

17. You already posted this awhile ago... no one cared then, they don't now

do you have a quota for your Obama slamming threads?

[Skip Intro]

19. gotta link?

[iconicgnom]

18. I think what he says is true, of those who understand the ideas that he represents.

The same could be said of any politician in a democracy. There's no other way for one person, one leader, to communicate with masses of people, than to just give a bare outline.

I'm happy for the US Dem party because I don't think Barack Obama is lying. I think he's asking his base, the mass progressive movement and the mass of people who simply want peace and prosperity for all, to *push* him. This is illustrated in his campaign. I mean, not just airy-fairy bullshit, but structurally -- his campaign depends on over a million donors, on a progressive network that beggars belief and the capacity to describe.

Barack Obama's position, after this campaign, puts him in a position of dependency not on the clients of corporate lobbyists, but on a truly grassroots movement. I believe that his position will be stable, when he's president, because the grassroots progressive movement is so wide and mature.

I'm totally proud of what this generation of progressives is doing.

[vaberella]

61. Agreed.

[Guaranteed]

20. But he also demonstrates a thorough understanding of the problems facing our

country not through what he says, but by his conduct.

That's what you're missing- that his is a positive message backed up by positive leadership. It's that kind of leadership that is going to win this election for us.

[mcctatas]

21. WHY?

If you spent half of your obviously considerable googling abilities digging up dirt to quote out of context (or hell, even in context) on McCain, you would be invaluable to democrats everywhere. As things stand, you just seem like a divisive, bitter, weenie!

[Writer]

22. I think Obama looks at the political process as one large ridiculous game.

He knows that he has to use tactics in order to woo people - a pretense that he inside likely finds to be utter BS.

And this is because I'm inside his head and know exactly how it works. :P

[Skip Intro]

25. rofl

:rofl:

good stuff, that last line

the political process is bs, we all know that

did he transcend it, or did he merely use a well worn tactic to a new effectiveness?

[Writer]

36. In my opinion, I think he just looks at the BS and says...

"Yeah, okay. I'll tell you what you want to hear, okay? Isn't that how politics works? I'm supposed to say nice things so that you'll vote for me. I mean tell me another way to get it done and I'll do it, but quite frankly if I want to get elected that's how I'm going to have to play. But otherwise, c'mon - the political process is the biggest bunch of crap I've ever experienced. Can't we just submit a resume, go in for an interview, and get hired for the job based on merit?"

"Dude." :P

[iconicgnom]

48. whoa! That level of cynicism doesn't belong to a progressive Dem.

And I don't think a person who owns that level of cynicism can understand what the progressive movement is about.

Is that what it is to be "centrist" on the Republican scale - to be satisfied with judgements that come after that level of cynicism? That doesn't seem to be a life worth living - but then, I don't doubt that there are those who live it. A lot of them voted twice for G. W. Bush, and still can't figure it out. In fact, one might well argue that such an extreme level of cynicism could be a *consequence* of sequences of that kind of wrong decision, as exemplified by voting for GWB twice. Or voting for the IWR, then without backtracking voting for the Kyle-Lieberman amendment. Cynicism might just be the least painful habit, the least painful escape, from the reality of what one is enabling.

[Writer]

56. I don't think that's cynicism at all. I think it's just shunning BS.

Consider the song and dance a politician has to do in front of his or her constituents in order to earn their votes. It all comes down to marketing political opinion and political image to voters. But we're so dishonest with ourselves about this process. We say that we will vote for a politician who "listens to the people" or "understands the issues," but it's the song and dance - the BS - that wins us over more often than not.

I think Obama is the sort of younger politician who thinks about having to tap dance in front of another crowd and sighs. I think he'd prefer that we all sit down and go over our problems pedantically, realistically. We need better health care coverage? Okay. Let's sit down and look at improving our health care system. We should invest in the research of green technologies? Okay. Let's sit down and figure out how to pay for it.

I get this "cut the crap, sit down, and work" attitude from him that's a bit different than the politicians of the recent past.

[iconicgnom]

90. In fact you're saying that Obama is a liar, on the stump.

You claim he's in effect saying
"Yeah, okay. I'll tell you what you want to hear, okay? Isn't that how politics works? .."

And I say that you're projecting your cynicism on the world, and on Obama.

[FrenchieCat]

24. foolish.......

reading his book might help you, cause he pretty much lays it out; what he believes.

It's worth the money...otherwise, you can just go to the library. I'm sure they have it. :eyes:

[cottonseed]

27. It was perfect for the Democratic primary.

He'll tweak it a bit for the GE I'm certain. But the message won him the nomination so, it works for me.

[anonymous171]

28. Have you watched McCain lately?

The guy's a fucking idiot.

[Occam Bandage]

29. That's it. Get it all out of your system.

[jgraz]

31. "I serve as a concern troll," Skip Intro writes...

:eyes:

[hokies4ever]

42. LOL!

I bet he'll be one of those people dumb enough to attack Obama after noon Wednesday. :rofl:

[Bolo Boffin]

70. How many hours left until all this concern trolling gets swept away?

And thank you for that laugh.

[LTR]

34. The most successful politicians do this exact thing

Shit, Reagan did that for eight years. He was the ultimate blank canvas. There was a reason people called him 'the great communicator.' He knew how to transmit his message and get things done, and create the type of persona where people projected whatever they wanted upon him. I know most people here despise him, but you gotta admit - he was a slick old bastard. And people still worship the guy as some sort of a god. Bill Clinton took careful notes, did many of the same things, and his presidency saw a booming America.

All the great presidents did this. Even lousy presidents like Coolidge did. Think Eisenhower's legacy would have been as strong without doing this? I think not.

One of the big things is to create a positive feeling, and that clears the way effectively for the rest to take care of itself.

This is one of many ways Dumbya (and his father) failed, and one of McCain's biggest problems. They inspired no joy in people, and in turn, gave much less optimism to the masses.

I have always maintained that in order to create any kind of change or progress, a simple push is needed. Of course, it's not everything, but it's more important than most people imagine. Obama realizes this. The blank screen comment is one of the smartest and most honest things I've ever heard from a politician. Looks like we've got ourselves a winner here.

And Skip Intro has one less talking point to parrot. Doesn't matter, since Wednesday is near.

[Kaleko]

46. I loved reading your take on things.

Yeah! Two thumbs up.

[sandnsea]

40. As opposed to the DLC IWR loving corporate whores

who we know are worthless.

[hokies4ever]

41. Submit peacefully Geraldine. Change is upon you.

[PBS Poll-435]

79. hokies4ever...You behaving?

Doesn't look like it.


:P

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

[hokies4ever]

86. Hehe, I'm always on my best behavior :-)

Just talking to my friend Geraldine here. :rofl:

[onetwo]

47. Obama will be a good president because he knows what it means to surround himself with good people.

It is more important that the leader know where we need to go than the dry specifics of how to get there. There's an overabundance of smart individuals in this country who can do extraordinary things when the right mission is put in front of them. Obama has proven over and over that he has excellent judgment (gas tax holiday gimmick was the latest display) -- this is THE most important factor since the President's job is not necessarily to be a master on the multitude of matters that concern this country but to make the right decisions based on the information and choices provided to him by those around him.

[CreekDog]

49. Yes, you've honed in on his appeal

Every politician who runs on unifying themes strives to do as Obama is doing now.

the thing about a politician like Obama is that those that support him really do have an effect on what he represents and he is the type to try to represent as much of the good he sees in the people that support him.

[my3boyz]

50. If you can't support the nominee, why don't you leave? nt

[Alter Ego]

53. What's your point?

People have spent the entire campaign projecting their own hopes and dreams onto Obama.

I see him as my generation's representative--a smart, charismatic guy who will work to make things easier on people our age so that when we DO inherit the country it doesn't turn into a Herculean labor to get it back on track.

African-Americans see him as a milestone in their history as well--the first black man to be a major party candidate for President.

Others see him as the light at the end of the long, dark tunnel that has been the last eight years of the Bush presidency.

[Colobo]

54. Let's unite.

[Mooney]

55. I think he came along at the right time.

If he were saying the same things in the same way even just two years earlier, I think the timing would have been all wrong, and an "angrier" candidate would have been able to get more traction, just because people were so pissed off at the Bush administration and Republicans in general. But this year, I think people are looking for more of a breath of fresh air type of thing, and the way Obama hits the notes that he hits are appropriate for the overall mood of the electorate.

After the miniature eternity that has been President Shit-For-Brains' time in office, I think the majority of the electorate is hungry for someone who represents a total repudiation of the last seven years of Bush/Cheney/Rove. Someone whose middle name is "Hussein" and who can not only form a coherent sentence but occasionally hits soaring notes when he speaks represents that repudiation to a large degree, in my opinion.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

57. You demonstrate his point perfectly.

But I don't think you realize it.

[vaberella]

60. My God!!! That phrase is absolutely BEAUTIFUL and commendable. You're reading it incorrectly.

His view is to mobilize the people into change into recognizing that they are in control and he is just an avenue as all politicians are. We have them work for us.

The political view or orientation is nothing in relation to him as a person. Because his treatment on the issues would be partial and incomplete, because no person is 100% anything. It's like this, I am an independent for one reason, I vote for Green, Working Family, Conservative, Republican, Democrat and so on and so forth.

My views do not lie with one section fully. And no person in the US shares 100% of the same views as any political party. He is supposed to be a blank screen because he's not supposed to dictate to us what is good and what is right which he never does.

His mantle is change. We are certain of that. Now the path to change can be taken in many different roads and can be seen in many different ways. It has no set path.

I think people are a bit short sighted if this is hard to grasp. Further more, I'm surprised that you find this can be used against him, because it can't actually be used against him. His statement is a philosophical phrase laden with realism.

It is far from worth nothing. Because most theories have to be put in practice to see if they can work. His can, since it has worked before. His plan is making government accesible and work the way they are meant to work. They are meant to work in several ways.

To provide representation for the masses. He is representing the masses, far more than some of the more elite former candidates. We present our problems to them and they find ways to rectify it by working with us.

It mobilizes the people and allows people to have faith in a solid government. We are the least interested nation in politics until this election. He made people realise that government doesn't change on its own. We make it change. Government is not unilateral, they work for us and are an extension of us. This is easy to see.


There is supposed to be transparency. Government is not our parents and we their children. They do not have the right to take our money in large fees and yet keep us from knowing how it's spent. Furher more what it's spent on. We rarely are proactive in Government activities, yet we know that they are taking money from social welfare programs that our grandparents paid for in the past.


His statement is far from an empty promises or delusional words. His words are to show that he encompasses everyone in the nation, be it Republican or Demo or whatever, he wants to unite us not on set values that are some how canonical. But to create a new platform that allows free exchange of ideas but realize we work towards the same wants and goals.


His statement is fantastic and reinforces my faith in his position as future president.

-coming from someone with a minor in Political Philosophy.

[Tech 9]

85. Is a minor

two classes or three?

[izzybeans]

65. Oh noes!!! Could it be??!!! He's just a person!!!!

We're doomed!!!!

[alcibiades_mystery]

66. Tick tock tick tock tick tock

...

[northernsoul]

69. Mmmm... sour grapes.... vinegarry

[jefferson_dem]

71. Seriously, why no put your bitterness behind you and get on board?

Come on. It's time to re-focus on the real opposition - McLame and this band of repugs...

[question everything]

72. And this is why so many are going to be disappointed

no one can be everything to everyone. By serving as a blank screen (I have used this term before and am surprised to see it used by him) many projected their hopes and wishes on him and as soon as he takes office, or is forced to be more specific during the campaign, many will be disappointed, and DU will be the first launching pad.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

73. Gnats!

[SeaLyons]

74. No sour grapes, but a big K&R for a note worthy post /t

[fadedrose]

75. That's a good statement...

"my treatment of the issues is often partial and incomplete."

Sounds kind of humble to me - meaning he wasn't born knowing everything, he wants and needs input to come up with the right decisions.

[Terri S]

76. Did you read the book?

Real Clear Politics took a few sentences --- that were not together -- strung them and tried to make it sound like he's all fluff. Apparently you chose to just accept that.

The book, The Audacity of Hope was written to offer his "personal reflections on those values and ideals that have led me to public life, some thoughts on the ways that our current political discourse unnecessarily divides us, and my own best assessment-based on my experience as a senator and lawyer, husband and father, Christian and skeptic - of the ways we can ground our politics in the notion of a common good."

Now for the blank screen -- 6 paragraphs after he notes that the treatment of issues will be partial and incomplete IN THE BOOK...

"Undoubtedly, some of these views will get me in trouble. I am new enough on the national political scene that I serve as a blank screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views. As such, I am bound to disappoint some, if not all, of them. Which perhaps indicates a second, more intimate theme to this book -- namely, how I, or anybody in public office can avoid the pitfalls of fame, the hunger to please, the fear of loss, and thereby retain that kernel of truth, that singular voice within each of us that reminds us of our deepest commitments.

You want specific plans and policies, go to his website. You'll drown in it. The book wasn't written for that purpose. I'd suggest you read the book sometime and find his depth of character and profound understanding of what ails this country -- the kinds of things that produce the policies he has laid out since announcing his candidacy, which he hadn't done when he wrote the book.

[LanternWaste]

80. hardly indicative of his campaign to date.

"Will this type of campaign carry us through November? We'll see."

However, the statement is over two years old and hardly indicative of his campaign to date. What are the precise and relevant reasons you believe them to be part and parcel of his campaign-to-come?

"Indeed, this post could be viewed as a tribute to such an effective campaign."

Or, it could easily be seen as a back-handed compliment.

Six of one, half a dozen of the other, you see-- with no one's word but your own to go on...

And may we use statements you've made on DU within the past two years to indicate if indeed this is a tribute to his campaign as you allege, or simply the back-handed compliment of someone who is sitting in the loser's section sticking his foot out to trip the victorious passers-by...?

[Tech 9]

81. The question is why would anyone

*positively* support Obama. You can make the case that he isn't McCain, but that is a negative argument. Cynthia McKinney isn't John McCain either. So then the qualifier becomes "he's the only one who isn't McCain and can win". At that point you've completely capitulated by tacitly acknowledging that you'd support a stuffed turkey (Kerry) or a Ham Sandwich (Gore) if that's what it came to.

On the positive side, Obama says he's for social and economic justice. But any suggestion this might not be true is taken as a smear rather than the central issue that one's position on Obama pivots around. If every sign that Obama is in fact a neo-liberal cold warrior is written off as being a concession to political reality, we spiral into high comedy rather quickly. Obama has made changing politics-as-usual a staple of his campaign (or, what is the same thing, his rhetorical repertoire)

Key tenets of the Obama message have been that we're beyond the divisive, inflamed issues of race that have haunted the nation for hundreds of years and that we can rise above the entrenched partisanship that seems not only intractable but systemic. To prove his absolute faith in the former talking point, he has went out of his way to denounce, disown, deny three times, and distance himself from the Rev Jeremiah Wright. This is not only a repudiation of Wright personally but also the Black Church (which he resigned from) and the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement. What good do you see in this?

On the second point, partisanship, the Democratic Party -- if it stands for anything -- must surely stand on a platform supporting workers, the poor, minorities, the infirm, and others who don't enjoy tremendous advantage in our society. These things are programmatic and it is a certainty that there is no such program on any "bipartisan" agenda.

At some point it must ring hollow to you:

The "best hope" for the anti-war movement is not anti-war

The "best hope" for the working class is beholden to Big Business which violently suppress the working class.

The "best hope" for health care favors a market solution..which, incidentally, is the problem we are currently fighting against

The "best hope" for the environment supports regulatory mechanisms plied against the very polluters who defy all regulation

The "best hope" for blacks tells them that race is no longer the issue, which of course is true in that he never raises it as an issue

The "best hope" for diplomacy in foreign policy threatens first strike nuclear attacks

The "best hope" for peace in the Middle East supports Israeli genocide

[hokies4ever]

87. Why support Obama? He's always believed in building a middle class in this country.

Some vintage (circa 2003) youtube video of Obama 'fighting that fight' for the American people.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=eQVRrqyqepU

I'm not sure if 'middle class' was even in Hillary's vocabulary 5 years ago.

[Thrill]

82. YAWN

[Jed Dilligan]

83. See you tomorrow--or not.

[NYC_SKP]

84. I don't see it as slander because it makes sense and it is honest. n/t

[Butch350]

88. Listen...

For once and for all, Hillary under esitimated her opponent. Obama's team ran a hell of a campaign! Hillary lost!

This is politics, it's a rough game, especially when a candidate is running for the POTUS position!

At least that is what the MSM told Obama's camp when us ObamaBots complained about the press tearing Obama a new one
about the, "DAM REV WRIGHT ISSUE"!

I rather vote for the person who put together a team that out-thought, out-fought, out-spent that cut throat campaigning team
of, Hillary, Bill and Chelse.

If you bitter clinton supporters want to vote for who-ever, that's your choice. It's just a protest vote!

To be honest, if Hillary had won, i would have voted for McCain.

[iamthebandfanman]

89. imho?

while i agree with the first two letters and the last one... that h one really leaves me baffled... and not because i dont know what the h stands for.

[RichardRay]

91. What do you believe that sentence to be saying?

I read it as his sense that people with different perspectives project their hopes for their agendas onto him, and that he doesn't always treat the issues they project in the way the projector might have hoped.

i.e. - He is all things to all people. That seems fine to me. I see every leader and every politician in the world being and doing the same things. The difference is that Barack Obama cops to it. That makes him very trustworthy, in my estimation.

How do you see it?

[blm]

93. Far better than the famous Dems we KNOW who SERVED BushInc's secrecy and privilege

throughout the 90s as they betrayed our party and this nation's historic record.

Or didn't you notice?