[POLL] Four years ago, had you ever heard of Barack Obama?

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: WhipperSnapper
While listening to an NPR clip about Obama's victory, the thought occurred to me. Had I even heard of this guy two years ago? Four years ago? When you contemplate that--that a relatively unknown man who is a racial minority could win the presidency--his election victories really are amazing.

The political climate is almost such that the Democratic party could have nominated a head of cabbage and still won.

I don't mean to take anything away from Obama, he's a very intelligent person and he ran an excellent campaign, but I don't find his election to be anything close to "amazing".

ZV

 

[Lemon law]

I partly agree with the comment, saw him at the DNC convention of 04, knew he was a rising star someday, just did know he would run for President this soon. But time waits for no one, in my mind, Hillary was forever tainted by her pandering on the Iraq war, and now the Obama audacious gamble has paid off.

I hope the following comment does not set off orgies of mental masturbation among GOP supporters, but we don't know much more about Obama than we did two years ago. Partly because McCain was bereft of any real policy ideals that could separate himself from George the horrible. Allowing Obama to simply campaign on not being like McCain.

Bottom line, we the American people, just like we did after 911, are going to have to rally around our President Obama, and hope he leads us back to the greener side of the fence.

At times the American people pick or have picked the right man at the right time. I believe that Obama has a chance to be a truly great President, to be a Lincoln, a TR, a Woodrow Wilson, a FDR, or a Truman and set this country off on a new and better road at exactly the time we are mired in a dead end swamp. At best, McCain would have made a mediocre caretaker President.

Already, Obama is hitting the ground running, blue ribbon advisers in place, on 1/20/2009, Obama will be ready to take over as teh weight of the world falls on him.

 

[yowolabi]

I live in Illinois. I heard of him when he was running for senate that year. I watched his debates with Keyes and thought that they were both great spokesmen for their respective sides. It wasn't until his speech at the DNC that I really stood up and took notice however. It was one of the most inspiring things i'd heard from a poltician, and spoke directly to what I felt aobut the country. I emailed that to all of my friends and familly. I was hopeful that he could be President someday. I never dreamed it would be in 4 years.

 

[palehorse]

Originally posted by: TallBill

Originally posted by: palehorse
ummm, hello... little event called the 2004 DNC was held over four years ago where he owned the night.

But, before that, no.

Umm, hello, I was too busy in Afghanistan to be watching the news. I only recognized his name when he became an IL senator, but knew nothing about his politics until the primaries this year.

that's too bad... I left for my tour in Afghanistan two months after the '04 DNC, so I got to see his first nationally televised speech before I went. It was a fine speech, but that shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone now.

 

[Moonbeam]

Originally posted by: LunarRay

Originally posted by: Moonbeam
I knew who he was the minute I heard his name. So I wrote him and told him to stop hemming and hawing and run because he was going to win and his country needed him.

Kenya needed him?

edit: oops

In good time we'll save Kenya too. The wave is mighty and forming in all the world's oceans.

 

[MovingTarget]

DNC speech FTW! (Literally in this case.) If he hadn't been given that keynote speaker slot back in 2004, he would still be largely unknown and probably not the president-elect right about now.

 

[Pens1566]

Knew of him before the '04 convention, and after his speech told the wife he'd be president one day. Guess I was right.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: WhipperSnapper
While listening to an NPR clip about Obama's victory, the thought occurred to me. Had I even heard of this guy two years ago? Four years ago? When you contemplate that--that a relatively unknown man who is a racial minority could win the presidency--his election victories really are amazing.

The political climate is almost such that the Democratic party could have nominated a head of cabbage and still won.

I don't mean to take anything away from Obama, he's a very intelligent person and he ran an excellent campaign, but I don't find his election to be anything close to "amazing".

ZV

That's what they said in 04... and they tried it with a head of cabbage and failed.

 

[jhu]

i remember back in 2004, while living in wisconsin, when he was running for the illinois senator seat. there was some huge sex scandal involving jerry ryan and the other candidate, so that guy dropped out. in comes alan keyes as the republican candidate even though he wasn't an illinois resident. i remember how hypocritical the republicans were with regard to this because in 2000, hillary clinton was running for the new york senator seat and the republicans were saying how she was carpetbagging. fast-forward four years later and we have a republican candidate doing the same thing. it was interesting back then since no matter what the outcome, the illinois senator would be the first black elected senator. my impression back then was that obama seemed more calm and sane than allan keyes.

 

[seemingly random]

Originally posted by: jhu
i remember back in 2004, while living in wisconsin, when he was running for the illinois senator seat. there was some huge sex scandal involving jerry ryan and the other candidate, so that guy dropped out. in comes alan keyes as the republican candidate even though he wasn't an illinois resident. i remember how hypocritical the republicans were with regard to this because in 2000, hillary clinton was running for the new york senator seat and the republicans were saying how she was carpetbagging. fast-forward four years later and we have a republican candidate doing the same thing. it was interesting back then since no matter what the outcome, the illinois senator would be the first black elected senator. my impression back then was that obama seemed more calm and sane than allan keyes.

The rnc must have known obama was trouble brewing for them - probably more than anyone here guessed. Funny that they can recognize quality but eschew it in their own candidates.

 

[bbdub333]

Originally posted by: AyashiKaibutsu

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: WhipperSnapper
While listening to an NPR clip about Obama's victory, the thought occurred to me. Had I even heard of this guy two years ago? Four years ago? When you contemplate that--that a relatively unknown man who is a racial minority could win the presidency--his election victories really are amazing.

The political climate is almost such that the Democratic party could have nominated a head of cabbage and still won.

I don't mean to take anything away from Obama, he's a very intelligent person and he ran an excellent campaign, but I don't find his election to be anything close to "amazing".

ZV

That's what they said in 04... and they tried it with a head of cabbage and failed.

But they lacked the campaign element, or any clear message. This year, like Z said, you can say that the "idea" of Obama won the election. Whether or not Obama can live up to the image his campaign has created will be determined in the coming years.