Voice of the people
Weighing in an Obama run for president in 2008
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In addition to this column I publish a daily political
newsletter named Capitol Fax. A couple of years ago I also started a blog, found at
thecapitolfaxblog.com.
Running the blog is a real pain sometimes. It’s
a lot of work, and I’ve had to weed out some truly insane comments.
Still, most people have interesting, insightful thoughts, so I thought
I’d share some.
Every day on my blog I ask a “question of the
day.” Last week I asked my readers whether U.S. Sen. Barack Obama
should run for president. Here are some of the responses, edited for space
and style.
Ron: Give me a
break! This political novice would get his hat handed to him.
105th Blues: He’s
never been challenged seriously on his views and has gotten a free pass by
the media up to this point. I think if he wanted to run, the response would
be too much too soon.
Beowulf: It is too soon
for Barack. He would receive quite a few votes but not enough to get the
job done. I would hate to see him spoil or set back his political future by
pulling the trigger too soon.
Throw da bums out: Strike
while the iron is hot. To those who think he needs more legislation or
significant achievements, I say that four or eight more years is simply
hundreds of votes that can be manipulated against him later.
Goodbye Napoleon: Yes.
He should run — first term doesn’t matter in reality. Look at
John Kerry; he’s been in the Senate forever and when he speaks
— you can tell — he talks like a senator and he’s highly
unlikable.
Old Elephant: If I
were advising him, I’d tell him to go for it. Tragically, substance
matters very little these days (as evidenced by our current governor) and
because the media have a very short attention span, he needs to strike now,
before they move on to the next superstar and he actually has a record to
defend.
Zatoichi: He needs
some more wear and tear on him. Smart guy with a great future if he takes
his time, develops relationships, and actually does something that stands
out in a difficult situation.
The Hankster: People
seem to never understand that half of everything in politics is timing.
This might be his time and best chance to win. Experience means very little
when you look at how people vote the way they do.
ZC: No, he should
not run. Bottom line: He hasn’t accomplished anything yet to run on,
which counts more than people give credit for, and he hasn’t been on
the national stage long enough to acquire an aura of presidential caliber
even lacking some signature accomplishment. Obama is the media darling, but
make no mistake, that glow will vanish as soon as he becomes a candidate
and goes up against Hillary Clinton’s $40 million ad machine.
Just Saying: Not to
be glib here, but Lincoln had comparable experience in elected office.
Lincoln was a state rep for a while and served in the U.S. House for a
single term. Then Lincoln lost two consecutive U.S. Senate races. All
I’m saying is, there’s not a formula for determining how much
experience is enough. And there might be a downside to having too much
experience (look at Kerry, Gore and Dole) . . . Obama’s magic is,
he’s all things to all people. He’s a Midwesterner because of
his ties to Kansas and Illinois. To blacks, he’s a former community
organizer who’s fought City Hall, literally, for better schools and
housing. He’s the son of an immigrant to people who have recently
come here. He’s a Harvard-educated lawyer for the upper class and the
New England liberals. He manages to appeal to all these segments of society
without alienating the others. That’s why his Democratic National
Convention speech went over so well.
ChicagoCynic: Obama
won’t run in 2008. He knows he doesn’t have adequate experience
or sophistication. Any careful observer of Obama’s words and actions
(as opposed to mythology), knows he is a very, very careful and cautious
politician. Frankly, he still hasn’t really found his national voice
yet, and sometimes his excessive caution is extremely frustrating. It will
come in a couple of years.
So, what do you think?
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