We've got our most inspirational and charismatic leader since JFK. Are we REALLY going to say ...

[Alhena]

"forget him, let's go with the ruthless one- at least she's tough and knows how to win"?

History and what we stand for a party demands that we choose Obama. These candidates and these moments don't come along but once in a generation or two. If it turns out there are too many racists in Appalachia or whatever and we lose in November, at least we went down standing for something instead of giving into fear and cynicism.

Everybody has seen this video, but look at it again:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldF_bfoZPLo

Ask yourself when the last time was that we had a candidate who would have inspired people to create something like that. Bobby Kennedy maybe, certainly no one since him. That was 40 years ago.

If this moment is taken away from us by superdelegates, then I WILL be in Denver in August. Not to do anything violent, but just to add my voice to the throngs demanding that our votes be counted. We are DEMOCRATS, dammit. We are supposed to stand for the things Obama stands for, we are supposed to be idealistic. Let the fucking Republicans be the ruthless ones. And it just so happens that Obama is plenty strong enough to win in November. We've got to give the American people the chance to do the right thing- if we don't, history won't forgive our party and I certainly won't.

[Fresh_Start]

1. Neither of them inspire me

I believe we got literally the worst two candidates from the treasure trove we started with.

[Alhena]

3. Gravel '12?

[Fresh_Start]

5. He didn't strike me either though those tools that best match

your candidate says he shoulda been my man.

I wished for Gore.
Flirted with Biden.
Admired Richardson and Dodd but couldn't imagine them winning
Settled on Edwards because I believe the absolute worst issue facing US today is the corporate influence over government.

[superkia]

70. Damn no mention of Kucinich? Did the media wipe him from your...

memory?

[GoldieAZ49]

4. I agree, but no one on DU wants to hear it n/t

[Middle finga]

7. Well just go put your head in the sand or better yet go join the

republican party and see can you find some inspiration over on that side of the isle.

[Fresh_Start]

10. no, the other side of the aisle doesn't inspire me

but maybe you can take your 'my way or the highway' attitude and go to FR.... they think just like you do

[citygal]

15. Then who would have been your first choice?

Just curious...since these two are the worst.

[Fresh_Start]

16. Al GORE but he didn't run

I'm still hoping this thing goes to convention and we get Gore.

[citygal]

44. Well I confidently voted for Gore in 2000...

he is not running now. Period.

However, I wish he would publicly endorse a candidate and I am pretty sure it wouldn't be Hillary.

[Laelth]

50. I wouldn't count on that.

The fact that he has not endorsed Hillary speaks volumes to me.

-Laelth

[dflprincess]

48. The MSM wanted the Democratic race to turn into a Clinton/Obama match

Even when Edwards finished 2nd in Iowa all we heard was ClintonObamaClintonObama. And the voters walked right into the trap laid for them by the corporate media - you'd think they would have learned after the press helped lie us into Iraq.

[Fresh_Start]

61. ENTERTAINMENT

look at the Democratic party campaign novelty act....

[Muttocracy]

73. yep

The top 3 Iowas finishers were the top 3 covered by the media for the year leading up to it. And then Edwards got ignored after 2nd place because it wasn't part of the media's story line.

media = money = media.....

[THUNDER HANDS]

2. it just goes to show, even some liberals don't want real change

they want window dressing change. Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton is enough change to satisfy them.

It really makes me sick.

[Little Star]

9. Window dressing change, not real change. Right on the nose!

[movonne]

32. I'm not sure these are liberals...moderates, moderates rights..

[roseBudd]

6. Anyone who thinks a large section of the electorate doesn't just watch a debate or two & pick

the likeable one is delusional

My brother actually said he voted for Nader because he thought Kerry looks like Butthead of Beavis & Butthead fame.

I kid you not.

[Middle finga]

That's why this country is in the predicament it's in today

[babylonsister]

47. I do think it's a bit different this year. No incumbents, clean slate,

or not. Judging by the people voting, caucusing, and the enthusiasm I'm seeing, it's different this year. How does your brother feel?

[roseBudd]

88. Except it's not a clean slate because one of our candidates is named Clinton. My

brother married a woman whose parents are rich so I am fairly certain she was taught to be republican. Both parents are now dead and they were able to quit their jobs and move to FL.

He is expressing interest in the Dem primary. I am not sure what kind of analysis will go into his decision.

The Nader vote in '04 because of a Butthead looking candidate was a slap in the face to me. He knew how much time and effort I put into Kerry.

[babylonsister]

91. Yes, that clean slate remark was ill-advised.

Expressing interest in the Dem primary? Maybe there's hope!

And I remember you and all your work for Kerry, rosebud57.

[Shae]

71. and that's the ones who think for themselves

I had a friend who voted for GHW Bush because "Pastor told us to."

[Blondiegrrl]

72. I'd venture a guess that the majority don't even watch a single debate.

A friend of mine -- a middle-aged woman who holds a master's degree -- remained undecided right until the very moment she stepped into the voting booth. Then she ended up voting for Clinton because, in her words, she'd at least heard of Clinton, but she didn't know anything about Obama.

How can people be so willfully ignorant? (Disclaimer: I don't mean "stupid," I mean IGNORANT, as in uninformed.) It boggles the mind.

[roseBudd]

87. I have been a bug in my cube listening to the people who are white middleclass struggling

working women. I have heard several say they did not vote for Kerry because they despise his wife.

They are also very underinformed about Bush/GOP incompetence, fraud, deficit spending, etc.

My mother's masseuse, said she could not look at John Kerry and not see Jane Fonda.

My brother did not vote for him because his long rectangular head reminded him of Butthead.

The more GOTV yo do the more irrationality you will see.

It only takes one major unlikeability moment to doom a candidate.

[CitizenLeft]

8. let me just say this, and I hope you don't take it the wrong way...

First of all, I voted for Obama on Tues., and I support him still, more so as every ugly day goes by. The comparison of Obama to JFK, and RFK too, in terms of charisma and inspiration, are accurate, in my mind. But he does lack that killer instinct that all the Kennedy's most certainly do have (wait, I take that back... Ted has less of it than his brothers). The Kennedys could be ruthless, too - AND were charismatic and inspirational. Obama, clearly, lacks that ruthlessness.

Having said that, to me, that's not a bad thing. That ruthless aspect of the Kennedys always made me cringe. I WANT Obama to keep to the high road, but I want him to get angry - justifiably, visibly, verbally ANGRY - say exactly why, in specifics, and list alllllll the reasons, in clear precise language, why Hillary Clintons dirty gutter campaign should be judged ON THOSE MERITS. Over and over and over and over and over and over again until the media is puking it. Notice I didn't say "mad." Mad means you lose control... no, anger, justifiable anger, is closely controlled and gets noticed. That's what I want him to do.

By the way, you can be an effective and strong president without being ruthless.

That is what HE can do, in my mind, to ensure that nothing is taken away from him. In my opinion, the superdelegates are waiting for him to do JUST THAT.

[woolldog]

13. Can you expand on that ruthlessness you saw in the Kennedys?

What do you mean? Do you have examples?

[CitizenLeft]

20. I'm doing this off the top of my head from memory...

...and perception, so feel free to go to Wikipedia after I'm done, LOL! But I'm thinking of that famous story of how Daly handed Kennedy the '60 election with some voting shenanigans in Chicago. Also, didn't Bobby work on McCarthy's HUAC committee? He did, for a short while. Also, JFK played politics with MLK and hesitated, at first, to take on that fight. When he did, he embraced it fully, but I believe he did weigh the risks - it was Bobby who made it his cause. Then there was Joseph Kennedy's history which I'd really have to look up. They were tough, organized, and calculating. And thank goodness for it... though, still, I'd rather not have to list those things.

[woolldog]

25. interesting, thanks.

[CitizenLeft]

29. you're welcome...

:)

[Alhena]

37. I remember one quote from JFK during the Cuban missile crisis ...

he said "If Khruschev is looking to rub my nose in the dirt, then it is all over."

That comment troubled me ever since I read it- I don't think personal ego should be a consideration when you're dealing with possible nuclear war. I basically liked JFK a lot, but he did have ego issues. I guess having sex with Marilyn Monroe in the White House will do that to you. :)

[CitizenLeft]

54. LOL

The Kennedys, with all of their flaws, are still my favorite political family. I'll always have a soft spot for them because, in spite of, or underneath, all of that ambition and power, they did - and do - have a deep and genuine belief in their obligation to serve the public. They don't need money or power, they have it. So any Kennedy willing to stick yet another targeted neck out there gets my admiration.

[frogcycle]

94. the quote seems to me

to be concern over whether Khruschev would make it personal, rather than JFK doing so

[blonndee]

62. I agree that Obama needs to be more agressive,

in some ways. On the other hand, as others have mentioned, can you imagine how the Clinton campaign and the MSM would play the "angry black man" stereotype? He's really in an unfair situation. He can't do the "Shame on you, Hillary Clinton!" game. It's sick, but it's something Barack has to deal with. It seems, unfortunately perhaps, that Barack is going to have to rely more on "surrogates" to do the "angry" part of the fighting back. I hope that Kerry, Dodd, and others will step up to the plate and stand up for the Democratic party like they should. Still, Barack should indeed stand up for HIMSELF without playing nasty Shillary's games. I could totally be wrong, but that's how I see it.

[ariesgem]

81. Her attacks on Obama are going to backfire.

I think Obama needs to have his surrogates do the attacking. When Obama keeps is cool and takes the highroad when she's in attack mode it makes her look like a ranting, raving lunatic. It worked for a minute in Ohio & TX but if she continues this crap EVERY NIGHT on TV, voters are going to get tired of it. People are going to ask themselves, do I want to see and hear this woman in my living room for the next 4 years?

She's making an ass out of herself.



OBAMA IS 44

[Faygo Kid]

11. I remember JFK in '60. I remember RFK, MLK, Bull Connors, Da Nang, Alan Shepherd, Kruschev, Malcolm

And I support Barack Obama, and condemn my peer for the campaign she is running.

Of course, I was never a Goldwater Girl, so I can't speak to that.

But I haven't seen a candidate like Barack since RFK, and I'll be damned if I will let him go quietly by the wayside because of the campaign against him.

[goclark]

22. With every passing hour I am more in touch with the judgment

of Obama.

He is the kind of role model that I want for our youth.

Hillary disappoints, she is a Republican trained by Rove.

I never believed I would see this day,

[jillan]

12. The thing is - I don't find Obama inspirational and charismatic.

I've really tried to get behind him, but I can't.

I'm glad you feel that way about Obama, but you have to understand that many of us don't feel the same way about him.

[Alhena]

17. That's fine, but you will have to acknowledge ...

that drawing crowds of 15,000 in places like Texas and Idaho indicate that there are many, many who feel like I do.

[jillan]

28. I understand, and am glad that so many find Obama so inspiring.

[brentspeak]

45. Isn't that kind of common for leading presidential candidates?

[movonne]

18. Well then are you for hillary...or nader...mc cain, .....

[RBInMaine]

14. Gotta by BOTH tough AND inspirational, ala JFK.

[CitizenLeft]

27. well, hell, you said it in a lot fewer words than I did, LOL!

[elixir]

19. You can't run a country on inspiration and hope alone, you need a plan and experience. He'll need

more.

[movonne]

26. What is it that makes you think hillary has that is experience...being first

lady does not make experience..I always have the feeling that hillary is war...she wants the same things that mc cain does...and to think that mc cain has so much experience...we seen to think that war experience is a great thing..

[citygal]

58. That is absolutely true.

However, I still find it difficult to stomach that being first lady for eight years qualifies as being capable of providing a plan. Furthermore, you do need to inspire and elicit hope among those who can help you achieve that plan.

[babylonsister]

21. I love your post! Thank you for saying it! Rec'd! nt

[bluedawg12]

23. Ruthless and smart anyday over inspirational *gag*

WTF is this an election or a come to Jessie meeting?
Is there a new bumper sticker out? WWBD?

[Alhena]

33. Smart? Try graduating Magna Cum Laude from Harvard Law School

and then get back with me. That's about the top .00001% of the population, intelligence-wise right there. I like to think I'm a pretty smart guy, but I couldn't even come close to getting into Harvard Law, much less finish near the top of my class there.

Hillary failed the bar exam, just by way of comparison.

[brentspeak]

38. What makes doing well at Harvard Law any more difficult than doing well at other law schools?

And his admittance to Harvard Law couldn't have been due a stellar undergraduate record -- he didn't make honors at Columbia.

[citygal]

60. Come on...Obama is obviously very intelligent...

and he was the first African American EIC of the Harvard Law Review. It is considered the most prestigious law journal in the United States.

After he achieved that feat, he was then asked to write his first memoir, which I highly recommend reading.

BTW, I have also read Hillary's "Living History." I felt it was a very guarded autobiography even when I read it several years ago. Not honest. Nothing like Barack's autobiography.

[WinkyDink]

83. Hillary is brilliant; that doesn't make YOU like her.

[bluedawg12]

55. Too bad the OP mentioned charismatic and inspirational and not

smart and tough.

Do I really have to graduate from harvard Law Magna Cum Laude before I get back to you?

It that the criteria for me to be allowed to have an opinion? For any voter?

You will have very few votes if everyone weighing in has to be editor of The Harvard Law Review.

[Upton]

24. Don't you get it? we're supposed to vote for Hillary just because she's a woman.

but seriously, I agree with you, if what you outlined comes to pass, I don't know if I'll ever forgive the party either.

[WinkyDink]

84. You don't want to go there, as an OBAMA supporter, do you?

[BlackVelvet04]

30. I don't think he's either charismatic or inspirational....

I think he's annoying with his preacher style and a fake.

[movonne]

36. I didn't think for one moment you thought him inspirational...

[JoFerret]

31. Charisma is dangerous and hollow

(I like Obama AND Hillary)

[annie1]

34. he does not inspire me in the least. he really bores me. not to say that...

he couldn't inspire me, but so far his words don't speak to me. If they did my decision would have been much harder to make, but as of now he has never turned me on, not for a second.

[Beregond2]

35. Inspirational

I couldn't agree more. This is the first time I have felt that old idealism in a long time, and I'm not going to let the cynics kill it.

[AtomicKitten]

39. Obama owns the high ground.

[frogcycle]

43. snort

[AtomicKitten]

51. Gesundheit!

[roguevalley]

63. atomickitten: BWAAHAHAHAHA! That was adorable. :)

[AtomicKitten]

64. *

:hi:

[roguevalley]

96. Waves back atcha. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. Thanks,

honey. :hug:

[JoFerret]

78. If you like snottiness!

(Just a pun - not a personal attack)

I like both candidates and BOTH of them are a breath of fresh air compared with any republican.

(Huckabee, of course, is amusing and has a little appeal for his "maverickism" but he would be a horror show as president.)

[emilyg]

40. He's no JFK

[JoFerret]

79. Thank goodness

One was enough. (Although it would have been good to see him finish his term.)

I see Obama as stronger than JFK in important ways. Appeals to me far more than JFK ever did.
And I prefer Hillary.

[frogcycle]

41. christ on a cracker!

If it turns out there are too many racists in Appalachia or whatever and we lose in November, at least we went down standing for something

Deliver us from naive idealogues. I prefer not to have the rape of my country continue another four years.

I don't like her, don't know that she'd do any better against mcc than he, but that is an appallingly stupid statement. YOU go down 'standing for something.'

[Alhena]

49. Obama is no McGovern ... he's done better than Hillary in most GE polls

all I'm saying is that the fact that there are some disturbing things in the polls regarding his appeal- such as his appeal (non-existent) among Appalachian whites, doesn't mean we should choose Hillary.

Hillary has her own problems, notably that about half the country dislikes her.

[frogcycle]

56. all I'm saying is

state your position without random absurdities and you might be more persuasive

unless, perhaps, your real intent was to bring up that arcane bit of knowledge and get it some publicity...

hmmmm?

[brentspeak]

42. Neither JFK nor RFK surrounded themselves with corporate lobbyists

as BOTH Obama and Clinton do.

[Faygo Kid]

46. Bull. Both JFK and RFK were of their era. And it's Hillary who is the corporatist.

Try a little history.

[brentspeak]

52. I just did "try a little history"

You might try some, yourself: the Kennedys didn't surround themselves with corporations. That is a fact. .

And here's some information about Obama and lobbyists:

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/09/23/in_illinois_obama_dealt_with_lobbyists?mode=PF

In Illinois, Obama dealt with lobbyists
But as candidate, he faults Clinton for ties

By Scott Helman, Globe Staff | September 23, 2007

When Barack Obama and fellow state lawmakers in Illinois tried to expand healthcare coverage in 2003 with the "Health Care Justice Act," they drew fierce opposition from the insurance industry, which saw it as a back-handed attempt to impose a government-run system.

Over the next 15 months, insurers and their lobbyists found a sympathetic ear in Obama, who amended the bill more to their liking partly because of concerns they raised with him and his aides, according to lobbyists, Senate staff, and Obama's remarks on the Senate floor.
(snip)
Lobbyists praised Obama for taking the insurance industry's concerns into consideration.

"Barack is a very reasonable person who clearly recognized the various roles involved in the healthcare system," said Phil Lackman, a lobbyist for insurance agents and brokers. Obama "understood our concern that we didn't want a predetermined outcome."

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

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

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.

[HughMoran]

53. Obama is OK - I'll vote for him

He was inspirational at the DNC convention in 2004. He's not shown much of that originality in this campaign - I keep hearing the same things repeated - as if he isn't as in-touch as I thought he was. Don't get me wrong - he's a great speaker even with the somewhat contrived MLK/preacher "twang" that I find somewhat contrived when he does it.

[elizm]

57. You won't be alone....It will be a March/Demonstration the likes of which we have not seen....

I'm sure of it.

[newfie4]

59. I don't find him inspirational or charismatic

to me he's shady.

and if HIS MOMENT? is taken away at the convention...what will the obama supporters do. Throw their latte's at hillary?

[alarimer]

65. I am sorry but that is not enough.

I do not give a rat's ass about "Inspirational".
In fact all this idolatry gives me the creeps. Blind faith gets people killed.

[babylonsister]

76. So who do you prefer, and why? Our choices are tiny. I think HRC

was the chosen one and Obama got in her way.

[grantcart]

66. No we are not

she knows its done but she continues to raise a million dollars a day - which she can use for future political battles. It is all a show so that she can continue to build up a huge war chest. At some point she will pull the plug and make it look like she has sacrificed for the higher interests of the party- and walks away with $ 50 million (already has $ 20 million in GE money).

[jackson_dem]

67. 0bama is no Jack Kennedy

:puke: at the ludicrous hype.

[grassfed]

68. The Clinton Rules

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/03/the-clinton-rul.html

The Clinton Rules

The new meme is that politics has returned to normal and that this election will now be run by Clinton rules. Many are relieved by this. You could sense the palpable discomfort among many in Washington that their world might actually shift a little next year. But if elections are primarily about fear and mud, and who best operates in a street fight, Beltway comfort returns. This we know. This we understand. This we already have the language to describe. And, the feeling goes, the Clintons can win back the White House in this atmosphere. What she is doing to Obama she can try to do to McCain. Maybe Limbaugh will help her out again.

What I think this misses are the cultural and social consequences of beating Obama (or McCain) this way. I don't mean beating Obama because the Clintons' message is more persuasive, or because the Clintons' healthcare plan is better, or because she has a better approach to Iraq. I mean: beating him by a barrage of petty attacks, by impugning his clear ability to be commander-in-chief, by toying with questions about his "Muslim past", by subtle invocation of the race card, by intermittent reliance on gender identity politics, by taking faux offense to keep the news cycle busy ("shame on you, Barack Obama!") and so on. If the Clintons beat Obama this way, I have a simple prediction. It will mean a mass flight from the process. It will alter the political consciousness of an entire generation of young voters - against any positive interaction with the political process for the foreseeable future. I'm not sure that Washington yet understands the risk the Clintons are taking with their own party and the future of American politics.

The reason so many people have re-engaged with politics this year is because many sense their country is in a desperate state and because only one candidate has articulated a vision and a politics big enough to address it without dividing the country down the middle again. For the first time in decades, a candidate has emerged who seems able to address the country's and the world's needs with a message that does not rely on Clintonian parsing or Rovian sleaze. For the first time since the 1960s, we have a potential president able to transcend the victim-mongering identity politics so skillfully used by the Clintons. If this promise is eclipsed because the old political system conspires to strangle it at birth, the reaction from the new influx of voters will be severe. The Clintons will all but guarantee they will lose a hefty amount of it in the fall, as they richly deserve to. Some will gravitate to McCain; others will be so disillusioned they will withdraw from politics for another generation. If the Clintons grind up and kill the most promising young leader since Kennedy, and if they do it not on the strength of their arguments, but by the kind of politics we have seen them deploy, the backlash will be deep and severe and long. As it should be.

He has a million little donors. He has brought many, many Republicans and Independents to the brink of re-thinking their relationship with the Democratic party. And he has won the majority of primaries and caucuses and has a majority of the delegates and popular vote. This has been a staggering achievement - one that has already made campaign history. If the Clintons, after having already enjoyed presidential power for eight long years, destroy this movement in order to preserve their own grip on privilege and influence in Democratic circles, it will be more than old-fashioned politics. It will be a generational moment - as formative as 1968. Killing it will be remembered for a very, very long time. And everyone will remember who did it - and why.

[Mudcat]

69. thanks for the link & the reminder

yes, he's inspirational, and yes, he's the future... not just for the democratic party, but of the nation, and (hopefully, someday) the world

[Liquorice]

74. I don't really find Obama inspirational.

He is kind of funny sometimes, but his speeches get old fast. I just don't see him as a JFK type. Obama just doesn't speak to me or my concerns really.

I am not interested in Obama's Utopia because I know that is impossible. All people will never unite under a common cause for the good of everyone. The best we can do is make incremental positive changes and fight off the wolves (republicans) while we're at it. I don't believe Obama when he says he can unite republicans and democrats because I know that can't happen. I am a realist and understand that things like universal health care will be incredibly difficult to achieve and will require that we wage a major battle against corporate interests and republican brainwashing.

I find Obama's message to be suspect, and I get the feeling even he knows he can't deliver on his lofty promises of transformation.

[PerfectSage]

75. I pretty cynical, but I admire Obama

I'm Canadian so I'm just watching from the sidelines. What I really, really admire about Obama is the grassroots organization he has built. That decentralized decision making rather than top down control gets my 2 thumbs up approval.
Kick ass organizational culture for the future of the Democratic party.

Awesome. :applause:

[bigtree]

77. He's attracted little over half of the Democrats who've voted. Hillary the other half

what is the proof Obama is more charismatic or inspirational?

[roseBudd]

90. The proof is in the small donor donations, the crowds and the GOTV volunteers

I live in SW OH & someone hung an Obama doorhanger on my door and they were not a paid postal employee.

My husband gets RNC mailings because he drives a BMW. I drive a Subaru, I don't.

Hillary mailed only me. Obama mailed both of us. He did not slice that demographic out to save money on mailings.

[bigtree]

95. about 300,000 less folks voted for Hillary than Obama

she's just as popular as Obama, with national polls about even.

[boston bean]

80. yep

[WinkyDink]

82. That's it, in a nutshell. The desire to re-capture "Camelot". Hence, Ted and Caroline.

That is the entire campaign, in sum.

Let me know when Obama's erudition (literary and historical allusions, wit, etc.) even approaches JFK's (let alone Bobby's command of Shakespeare).

[DemGa]

85. Don't worry, he'll be VP

And Obama may or may not be the "inspirational" force that you see him to be (personally, I see a fraud). He's NEW at the whole transformative figure show--people hardly know him. Perhaps if his past or his policies indicated otherwise? As it is, Obama's just loudly preaching amorphous "hope and change" with zero precedent, and certainly too little experience to lead this nation.

[DemVet]

86. You've been duped by "cheerleader" rhetoric.

[Franks Wild Years]

89. A vote for John McCain would be the only vote for democracy

...if the super-delegates stole the nomination away from the person who'd won the legitimate, valid popular vote and the pledged delegates. Anyone who voted for Clinton under such circumstances would essentially be ceding any right to life in a democratic nation, and would hopefully receive their just desserts in due time.

[calico1]

92. Obama doesn't inspire me.

Never has. In fact, I find him quite un inspirational, dull and boring.

I guess I don't get it.

[sueragingroz]

93. Yes I'll go with the "ruthless" one because she's a fighter who will actually get things done

Instead of talking about it.

Talk is cheap.