January 31, 2007
I really hope this is the last stupid racist thing Joe Biden says in public. This guy’s running for president. And our leading Senator in foreign relations.
Kevin Drum’s take:
I’ve never really had the animus toward Biden that a lot of people do, but jeebus. He’s just a gaffe machine waiting for someone to flip the power switch on. Back to the Senate, Joe.
With all due respect to Biden, there’s already a gaffe machine right now in the White House–and the power switch was turned on too long ago.
January 22, 2007
This is a great resource for those of us who are having trouble keeping track of the 15 candidates who have declared either their intention to run or to form an exploratory committee for the 2008 Presidential Election.
(Editor’s Note: The fact that one of the categories is “number of Daily Show appearances” acknowledges the undeniable influence Jon Stewart has on modern politics, good or bad. And while I’m personally partial to Colbert myself, I cannot help but smile at this)
January 17, 2007
With the launching of his exploratory committee, Senator Barack Obama took the first step towards the White House. CBS News assessed his chances with some very insightful analysis:
To a much greater extent than the other announced and prospective candidates for the party’s nomination, that depends on the immediate response of grassroots Democrats to his prospective candidacy…
By establishing the exploratory committee, he will be able to raise money to hire staff and build a basic campaign infrastructure in advance of the expected formal announcement in February. He’ll need it. Clinton and another contender, former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, are far ahead of Obama when it comes to putting together the multi-state campaign apparatus that is needed in a fast-paced presidential campaign.
Can Obama catch up? Yes, but only if the grassroots Democrats who have been so enthusiastic about the prospect of his candidacy now turn that enthusiasm into practical commitments in states such as Iowa, where the first caucuses will be held a year from this week, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina. That transition will have something to do with Obama’s star power, of course, but it will have much more to do with how he defines himself.
Obama is undeniably the hottest political star at the moment, stealing the spotlight from a newly elected Congress and other possible horses for the 2008 race. But this article touched upon a good point: flash is, in the end, just flash. To borrow a fundamental physics lesson, Obama must turn the potential energy of his star-power into kinetic, working energy, manifested through grassroots organizing.
January 16, 2007
Thoughts from Mark Sandalow:
Will Americans elect a black man president? It boggles the mind that Obama is only the third African American elected to the Senate since reconstruction. Polls suggest the country is ready, but this is the sort of question where people lie to pollsters.
At 45, Obama is roughly the same age as Bill Clinton when he sought the presidency. But Clinton had served four terms as governor and one as attorney general. George Bush had served just six years as governor. But that was before Sept. 11. Is America ready to entrust its national security to a candidate whose experience amounts to two years service on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee?
There will be other raps. Obama’s middle name is Hussein, which will likely remind some Americans of their discomfort voting for a man whose first and last names are even more unfamiliar.
Obama’s greatest hurdles come campaign time will be race, Washington inexperience, and unfortunate (and possibly unforgiving) coincidences. The good news is that problem number 2 can be addressed by the campaign. The bad news is that problems one and three won’t go away no matter how the campaign spins them. Why? Because they’re not his problems to change; rather, they’re a fault of our collective conscience, an issue of our own perceptions.
January 16, 2007
It’s official…almost
December 22, 2006
Two feature articles appeared today addressing the impending Clinton-Obama bout.
Here’s the New Republic’s take. And here’s thoughts from Eugene Robinson.
Both bring up an interesting point: is Barack Obama a political orgasm that simply won’t last, or is he the real deal? Many have pegged him to be so, but my faith is in Obama the sensible leader and competent politician, not the Time Magazine cover boy and supposed political newbie. He might have rock star status at the moment, but the next few months of primary campaigning will ultimately reveal his true political worth. But if he is the sure shot, then Clinton, Edwards, Richardson, and anyone else will have more than enough work ahead of them.
December 21, 2006
Interesting insight from the Daily Dish:
Reader JT with too much time on his hands uses college football to handicap the 2008 Presidential race:
John Kerry = Alabama, for some reason still thinks he should be considered an elite organization but each season becomes more and more embarrassing.
Barack Obama = Notre Dame, highly touted going into the season and will sway voters based on name and mystique, but really no one knows if the praise is worthy and ends up unable to beat a quality opponent.
Mitt Romney = BYU, for obvious reasons.
December 18, 2006
Too many horses in this race: Bayh’s out.
