Obama comes out swinging...

You're a little off base, abbott.

While I cannot deny that personal narrative is a huge part of Obama's appeal to this point, the man can give a speech.

Find a clip of him at the last Democratic National Convention, if you haven't seen that.

 

I saw Henry Fonda do a better job on The Grapes of Wrath, but that didn't qualify him for the Presidency

 

I'm not arguing that being able to deliver a speech well qualifies one for the presidency.

I'm arguing that you are wrong when you say his speechmaking ability is tied to his personal narrative.

He'd be in the top one percent in the nation in that particular talent if he was white, black, brown or purple.

 

Actually I think McCain won't get the nod because the Republican base considers him to be far left. Neither McCain or Guliani will make it out of the primaries.

 

PLEASE, absent his particular personal narrative he'd be no where, just another double Ivy League Graduate.

 

Obama is already more qualified than Kerry was to run for president on the grounds that someone actually taught him how to run a campaign. Kerry lost largely because the public the Bush campaign and Swift Boat vets portrayed him as indecisive...and then Kerry waited far to long to hit back, cement the indecisive image. In coming out swinging before he has even officially declared his candidacy, Obama is setting a tone for his campaign. That makes him an intelligent politician, regardless of his skin color.

 

Actually, all that proves is that his handlers are smarter than Kerry's handlers.

 

And the last president who didn't have handlers or speechwriters was ....?

 

Which still makes him superior to previous democratic nominees. I probably won't even vote for the guy, its just good to see a Democrat actually demonstrating political acumen for once.

 

You seem unable to grasp what I am saying, abbott.

Of course his personal narrative has helped him get where he is now. I already said that.

But the man can give a speech. The idea you put forth that he is only regarded as a great speaker because of his heritage is ridiculous.

Who among any of the other '08 hopefuls is a better speachmaker?

 

Obama probably does not have shot at actually winning the presidency this time around being that A) Senators do not have a great track record of winning the presidency B) He only has four years in the senate and not much experience to speak regarding international diplomacy, which will have to be the next presidents strong suit C) He is an inexperienced, liberal senator who happens to be black but does not have as many connections in the black community as other Democratic contenders, which will kill his campaign among black voters, moderate white Democrats and many Republicans. His biggest chance to get the nomination and win the presidency is use arguably his biggest weakness (most people are familiar with where he stands on many issues) as a strength and fill it in with positions that undecided voters will swing towards.

 

For Abbott's edification, and everyone else's enjoyment:

"If there is a child on the south side of Chicago who can't read, that matters to me, even if it's not my child. If there's a senior citizen somewhere who can't pay for their prescription drugs, and has to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it's not my grandparent. If there's an Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties.

It is that fundamental belief, it is that fundamental belief — I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeper — that makes this country work. It's what allows us to pursue our individual dreams and yet still come together as one American family.

E pluribus unum. "Out of many, one."

Now even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters, the negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there is not a liberal America and a conservative America — there is the United States of America. There is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America — there's the United States of America.

The pundits, the pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I've got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don't like federal agents poking around in our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and yes, we've got some gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and there are patriots who supported the war in Iraq.

We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America. In the end, that's what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or do we participate in a politics of hope?"