Yeah, but he beat Alan Keyes in a two-man race, despite having only a five-month head start, so his campaigning skills are indisputable.
While an Illinois state senator, Obama voted against the Born Alive Infants Protection Act. It stated all live-born babies were guaranteed the same constitutional right to equal protection, whether or not they were wanted. BAIPA passed the U.S. Senate by unanimous vote. Even Clinton, Kennedy and Kerry voted for it. Someone that out of touch with American values should never be president. God help us if that man is elected. I also don't think anyone would be talking about Obama running for president if he was white. Democrats like Steny Hoyer have the nerve to call Michael Steele a "token", but they seem to have one of their own.
when you're a senator, you're not a token. its not like someone picked him to be a senator. this guy is a legitimate rising star and the fact that you think that he is only talked about because he is black speaks volumes about you.
Yes, it says I have a brain. Listen to any media story about Obama, and see how fast they mention the fact that he is an African-American. And you obviously don't know the history of his election to the Senate either. As a matter of fact someone DID pick him to be a senator. The republican party was in complete disarray in Illinois, and their candidate had to withdraw from the race with only a few months to go, leading to them recruiting Alan Keyes who wasn't even from Illinois to come in at the last minute. Obama won by default. If Fitzgerald had run for re-election, Obama wouldn't have even run, because he wouldn't have had a chance. He was in the right place at the right time, and the media have propped him up to be a "rising star" because they're desparate to find someone that doesn't have the negatives that Hillary has.
You do realize that the original candidate the GOP was running against Obama was already behind in the polls right? Obama was winning before Keyes even got in the race.
the media hasn't proped him up, guys on this site used to mention obama before he ever won. but I guess whatever, you keep making excuses why there is a black senator. there have been more black head coaches in the nfl than seantors, so the fact that he is a senator and black shows he is an exceptional politician. I love how conservatives are the first to accuse other of playing the race card but they show their true colors when a black man is successful. oh, he's only successful because he's black. again, you know your true colors. you and trader_jorge belong on the same side. at least I know where you stand, even if you don't want to completely admit it. its okay, we can all read between the lines.
and the republicans put keyes in the race because they thought obama was only winning because he was black.
Given that the bill failed multiple times in the Illinois House, it sounds like the bills in the US Congress and Illinois legislature were slightly different. But hey, who wants an actual discussion when you can go straight to a partisan political attack? Jeffster's comments are straight out of the Alan Keyes talking points he used in his failed campaign.
At the debate w/ Keyes: OBAMA: Well, you know, this is apparently the entire basis on which Ambassador Keyes decided to contradict himself with respect to his views about federalism and not carpet-bagging and not running in other states. According to Ambassador Keyes, this was the reason, this bill. And unfortunately, it's premised on a falsehood. You know, if Ambassador Keyes had called me up, he could have saved himself a trip because existing Illinois law mandates that any infant that has a chance for survival is provided life-saving treatment. Not only that, you've got to have a second doctor there to certify that in fact that is the case. That continues to be the case, that is current law today, as it should be. Now, the bill that was put forward was essentially a way of getting around Roe vs. Wade, which is why 21 other senators, Democrat and Republican, why the Illinois Medical Society objected to the bill. At the federal level there was a similar bill that passed because it had an amendment saying this does not encroach on Roe vs. Wade. I would have voted for that bill.
Well, let's be clear that this bill was meant to criminalize attempts to finish a botched abortion procedure, whether or not the intent of the mother was to terminate the pregnancy. Seems to me a state senator representing the south side of Chicago - unplanned teen pregnancies much? - was merely just out of touch with congressional votes during election years (2000 for the House BAIPA vote, 2002 for the Senate). Hoyer didn't call him a token, he said that Steele "slavishly" supported the GOP, for which he later apologized. I guess since Powell did such a great job justifying the Iraq War, and NSA chief Rice an even better job analyzing WMD intel, no one can question whether or not either one was appointed or retained because they were black.
Presumption, of course, being that there are no electable black or female conservatives. ....which there aren't, but I have no desire to knee-jerkedly link conservatives to racism or sexism.
Well, he didn't ask Obama to "take the bone out of his nose," so probably not. By the way, that's meant more to be just a jab at Limbaugh, Jeffster, I don't mean to insinuate any racial intolerance by your original remarks.
So his only qualifications is the color of his skin? Have you listened to him? Have you watched him speak? Have you watched him connect with people? I think there is no doubt people would be talking about Obama regardless of his skin color. It is too bad you can't see past his skin color. I honestly hope that is an issue that you take the time to investigate and grow beyond. Obama is charismatic, smart, and has a gift for bringing people together. I think those are things that merit attention in a possible candidate, and don't have anything to do with whether he is black or white. I am sorry that it all just comes down to skin color for you.
Obviously your memory is not working. First off, Obama held a double digit lead over Jack Ryan when Ryan dropped out. They put up keyes because they knew nobody could stop Obama. Second, you really seem to be overplaying Fitzgerald's hand. How is Obama not going to have a chance in 2004 against an ultra-conservative Senator like Fitzgerald in a state that voted heavily for Kerry? Wouldn't have had a chance? Right....is that how Kerry beat Bush in Illinois by 10 points? Did you just make all this up yourself or did you read this somewhere and you're repeating it? I think it's probaly the latter, ol' Jeffster got his marching orders from the National Review Online or something on the way to try to stop Obama and he's doing his best....
Obama Barrack is whiter than Bill Clinton. The American middle is going to jump on the Obama train like white on rice, and I don't mean Condoleeza the Parrot. A million dollar smile and an erudite message of hope are the perfect antithisis of the Republican scare tactics and repression. The more Rove and his minions try to smear him the more that stale old tactic will backfire. Unlike our current president or the past two Democratic Nominees, Mr. Barrack can go before the public and explain his thought process and the reasons for his positions in a way that even though you may not completely agree with you can understand and respect. This is going to be fun.
