Obama may run for president

I think Obama comes across like everybody's favorite college professor. While I don't doubt there might be some racial ugliness, I think most anybody who would vote against him on that basis probably wouldn't vote for a Democrat anyway and I don't think that is more than 20 percent of the vote. He seems to be the type of guy that most people would like, even if they did have questions about him.

My doubt about him running for president is simple - I don't think he has the fund-raising ability and there is no indication he would have the organizational skills or people to run a presidential campaign. There is a lot unproven about him, but those two factors seem to be the biggest question.

 

Agreed with your post, but especially these two graphs. More bickering in Washington is the last thing we need now. We need to get things done, and given his bipartisan record, Obama seems like a good way to do that. Hillary would be quite the opposite.

 

He's like a high schooler declaring for the NBA draft (when that was still legal). Show a few flashes of brilliance, remain an unknown quantity with "tremendous upside potential" and wait to be drafted first.

A few years of seasoning in college (or the senate) might prepare him better for the job, but it might expose his flaws as well.

If Obama thinks (and the party thinks) he can be the No. 1 pick in the 2008 Presidential Draft, he should declare.

 

You can't completely ignore that factor, though, it's gotta be there, especially since his name is unusual and happens to ryhme with Osama...

However, the high school class graduating next year is one of the largest in the last 20 years, so that's a big chunk of new voters. Obama probably appeals better to the younger vote (those that bother to vote anyway) than any random Republican. Hillary also became popular when they were in grade school, so there isn't the built-in likability that many democrats have for her from the Clinton campaign days.

 

Well, to answer your question here are some resumes for you:

Teddy: Member of New York State Assembly, 1882-84
Member of Civil Service Commission, 1889-95
Assistant Secretary of the Navy, 1895-97
Governor of New York, 1898-1900
Vice President, 1901

JFK:Member of U.S. House of Representatives, 1947-53
United States Senator, 1953-61

Obama: Illinois Senate 1997-2004
U.S. Senate 2004-2008

Needless to say, the resume is a little thin.

And if you think the GOP is scared shitless of any candidate, you don't know the GOP very well. I think Bill Richardson is the best candidate for the Dems -- executive experience, international experience, very good verbal skills, good campaigner, novelty of minority candidate. A Richardson/Spitzer ticket would be damn tough to beat.

 

Jesus, how old was JFK when he was elected to Congress?!

 

Fund raising ability is not only not a question, it's probably one of his biggest strengths. I'd say his potential war chest is somewhere between unprecedented and unlimited.

 

30...but it wasn't exactly an open election. His father "owned" the seat

 

I hope Al Gore considers a run.

 

Yeah, but could he do it if he was trying to raise funds against the Clintons. Hillary has something like $32-million for her Senate race, which is pretty much uncontested.

 

I would hate to see him go the way of Mario Cuomo or Colin Powell who probably would have made great presidents, but waited too long

 

There's the question. Would the Dems want that to ever happen, Clintons vs. Obama? No. Obama's clearly the star of the party now, and perhaps more popular than Hillary. The Clintons are the power of the party, and Bill's the only one out of any of them that's done a damn thing. A schism between the two would be bad for the party as a whole and will likely be averted somehow. I think Hillary, if she's planning on running, is very scared of Obama. I don't see how they could run against each other.