Thursday, January 04, 2007

Barack Obama's New Admirer and Interview

While nervous Republicans and clumsy cable news technicians have caused Barack Obama some grief this week, he's finding new admirers; Mike Flannery of CBS2Chicago has the story on Ethel Kennedy:
Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Bobby Kennedy, told CBS 2 she would support Obama in a presidential run. Many people often compare Obama with Kennedy.

Kennedy said she thinks Obama should run for president. When asked why, she said, while walking next to Obama, "He's so adorable. Because he's got it all."

US News, one of the few conservative magazines that hasn't completely caved in to the far right tries to keep up with politics across the aisle; here's part of a recent interview:
[U.S. News:] What are you learning about the mood of Americans during your travels around the country? [Barack Obama:] I think there is a great hunger for change in the country–and not just policy change. ... What I also think they are looking for is change in tone and a return to some notion of the common good and some sense of cooperation, of pragmatism over ideology. I'm a stand-in for that right now. I'm not the only one. There's Deval Patrick in Massachusetts, Brian Schweitzer in Montana, Eliot Spitzer in New York [all Democratic governors]. ... There is something new that is out there, but it hasn't fully expressed itself.

[U.S. News:] How much of the current ferment is due to "baby boomer fatigue"? [Barack Obama:] There is a weariness with the ideological battles and cultural wars of the past. Too much of our policy is framed in terms of the debates of the Sixties.

[U.S. News:] What's gone wrong with the Bush presidency? [Barack Obama:] This has been the most ideological administration in my lifetime, even more so than the Reagan administration. The Reagan administration, despite the rhetoric, could be pragmatic.

U.S. News also has two other stories on Barack Obama here and here. The senator from Illinois hits the right notes with nods towards 'pragmatism,' 'the common good,' and a 'hunger for change.' With two bestsellers, there's no question he has a gift for words and a way of thinking about things that resonates with people. If he runs, he needs to find a way to show that he can convert those good thoughts into deeds. If Barack Obama does not end up the Democratic nominee, he would make a potent addition to the ticket in the number two slot.

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1 Comments:

Blogger Esq T said...

I agree. I'm ready for a change and I invite everyone to get involved and support that change.

Barack Obama's signature issue has to be Ethics Reform. He was able to pass an Earmark Reform Bill (w/ the opposition of Sen. Byrd and Sen. Stevens) and now he's leading the charge for an Independent Ethics Committee. We've all seen how willingly Congress has been to police itself (Delay, Foley, etc.) and with an independent committee, maybe something would actually get done to clean up Washington!

Independents for Obama

8:52 AM  

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