http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/5546874.html Editorial Feb. 16, 2008, 2:09AM For Obama The Chronicle endorses the senator from Illinois for the Democratic presidential nomination. Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle The presidency of the United States is a powerful bully pulpit. The occupant of the White House must not only issue orders, but also inspire and advocate for all Americans. Of the two finalists for the Democratic presidential nomination, the Chronicle believes Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois is best-qualified by life experience, skill and temperament to be the standard bearer for his party. In a conference call, Obama told the Chronicle editorial board that "more than any other candidate, I can bridge some of the partisan as well as racial and religious divides that have developed in this country that prevent us from getting things done." Those who have viewed the numerous campaign debates know there's not much to separate Obama from his opponent, Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York. Either could ably represent the Democratic Party. Both candidates favor ending the war in Iraq by withdrawing combat troops and initiating regional negotiations to stabilize the country. Both would press for dramatic strides toward providing all Americans with health insurance. Both support a cap and trade system to begin reducing America's carbon emissions that contribute to global warming. Each promises to initiate multibillion-dollar efforts to promote conversion of the economy to clean energy technologies. They favor securing our borders, initiating comprehensive immigration reform and creating a path to earned legal status for those already here who are working and contributing to their communities. However, there is a decisive difference. Obama vows to reach out to independents and Republicans with a message of inclusion and cooperation. He offers a historic opportunity to elevate national political dialogue to a higher ground. Those who insist on vitriol and obstructionism would be marginalized. On several issues vital to Houstonians, Obama's positions need elaboration. He recognizes the need to maintain U.S. pre-eminence in space but said he wanted to study the costs and benefits of human space exploration — an exercise that should convince him of the space program's long history of indispensable contributions. Obama said he did not expect the leaders of the energy sector to vote for him. He needs to realize that the energy sector must be a large part of a cooperative effort to develop alternative fuels and avoid an energy crunch. The 46-year-old Obama has expanded his base of support, winning new legions of supporters. The more people see and hear him, the more they like him. As the Hawaiian-born son of a Muslim Kenyan father and an Anglo Midwesterner, the devoutly Christian Obama transcends race and religion. His life has been one of involvement with disadvantaged Chicago residents, excellence at Harvard Law School and eight years as an Illinois state senator. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004, only the third African-American to serve there since Reconstruction. Obama is both the epitome of the American Dream and well-positioned to reach out to an international community alienated by recent U.S. go-it-alone policies. The passion and excitement that Obama has brought to the race can only stimulate more citizens to participate in the electoral process. The Chronicle urges Texas Democrats to cast what could be decisive ballots for his presidential nomination.
He is the most liberal politician in the Senate. Polls show that he is going to have trouble keeping many democrats in his camp in the general. Polls also show that McCain will get more democrats to vote for him than Obama will get Republicans to vote for him. That destroys Obama's fantasy of being the candidate to reach across party lines... He has virtually no experience -- heck, almost all of his Senate career has been spent running for president. He is totally unfit to be the Commander-in-Chief of our proud military. His foreign policy instincts are horrible and again he has no experience His message is one of negativity, not hope. Listen to the content, yes, the content, of his speeches for proof of that. No substance at all. None. All media-driven, celebrity-focused hype surrounding this guy. Has he peaked? That's an interesting question...
Yet again, the facts show otherwise. In virtually every state election with open primaries or caucuses, more independents voted for Obama than McCain. More Republicans voted in the Dem primaries than Dems voted in Republican primaries. And of those, more voted for Obama than McCain. Having already won the nomination, McCain still has yet to be able to draw support within his own party; on the flipside, polls show that most Democrats would be happy with either nominee. In both red and blue states, Obama has consistently drawn more votes than McCain, and often more votes than the top 2 or 3 contenders on the GOP side combined. Nothing included in your quote above is remotely true. Not a single thing.
and yet he still manages to be the 2nd leading fundraiser among active duty military. guess who is 1st - ron paul. thats right texx - the two candidates who are the most vocal about ending the iraq war are the ones getting the most donations from the military. hmm... you support george w. bush. NO CRED!
So they endorse him because they think he will change his mind. This is the dumbest **** ever. Talk about emotion taking over rationality. It just sums it all up. Screw all this crap. Yall are just plain dumb.
Major, you are dead wrong. Your fatal error is that you confuse primary voting trends with general election polling data. You are going to be blindsided very soon by some interesting polling results. Bank on that, son.
Looking at it from the outside - that is so true: Obama is inspiring. None of the other candidates are.
No, he's not. That rating is BS. Bernie Sanders who is a socialist is more liberal. It just so happens that whoever the Dems are running each election year ends up being ranked the most liberal. The same thing happened to Kerry. Kerry is still there. Bernie Sanders the socialist is still there. To call Obama the most liberal is an insult to Bernie Sanders. As far as substance it's been commented on and listed time and time again. Just because you ignore it, doesn't mean it isn't there.
This is a very superficial approach to politics. Do you look to the President for inspiration in your daily life? I don't. Really, I don't know anyone who does. If inspiration is what you are looking for in a president, then why not elect Joel Osteen? Tony Robbins? Richard Simmons? Hell, Jessica Simpson inspires me, let's elect her to be President. See how ridiculous that inspiration logic is? Obama has been peddling hope -- false hope. Hope that he can't deliver. Hope with no substance. Hope doesn't solve the abortion debate, the gun-rights debate, the tax debate, the foreign policy debate, etc, etc, etc. To buy into a false promise is foolish. It's political naivete.
