Barack Obama’s appeal as the Democratic Presidential Nominee
Revised significantly at 12:02 am on Thursday morning.
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ABC News’ Jake Tapper [Senior National Correspondent] and Jonathan Greenberger [Segmant Producer, This week with George Stephanopoulos]... with some assistance from clips of “Public Affairs with Jeff Berkowitz," capture, both in words and video [See here for the words and click on a four minute video] the major trait that sets Obama apart from the field...
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Game, Set and Match. Well, okay, not quite Match and maybe not Set, but certainly Game-- and Obama is well on his way to the Democratic Nomination. As to the General Election-- now that could be another matter.
***************************************************
****************************************************
Much has been written, spoken and aired about the mystery of U. S. Senator Barack Obama’s appeal in the Democratic Presidential primary. Some who are thought to be national African-American political leaders, like Al Sharpton, have questioned whether Obama has done enough in the Civil Rights movement, for low income people, etc. Aside from the doubtful validity of Sharpton's assertion, his focus is way too narrow to comprehend the Obama mystique.
Barack Obama has said often he is “rooted in the African-American community, but he is not limited by it.” He is a national candidate for President who happens to be African-American. He is not the African-American candidate for President. Indeed, it is precisely because of Obama's broader issue focus than Sharpton's that Obama has a shot at the Democratic nomination, something of which Sharpton could never dream.
Some conservatives, such as Fred Barnes, of the Weekly Standard and Fox News Channel, ask, if Obama is such a uniter, consensus builder, bridger of divides, practitioner of a new kind of politics, what political divide has he bridged? That also misses the point. More important than his ability to find a consensus is the fact that Obama transcends traditional politics and race. He transcends traditional politics because he can appeal to voters of all stripes, relying on his charisma and charm when his positions on issues might not, by themselves, do it. In that respect, Obama resembles both Reagan and JFK. Never underestimate, in politics, the importance of pure likeability. Or, as some put it, would you like to have a beer or a cup of coffee with this politician?
Further, Obama is comfortable working across party lines, as he did in the State Senate on such issues as capital punishment and welfare reform and as he has done on fiscal issues with conservative U. S. Senator Tom Coburn [R-OK]. Perhaps more than ever, this is a trait the 2008 presidential voters are anxious to see in their chosen candidate.
Obama transcends race because he is perhaps the first national African-American candidate whose charisma, message, style and charm are almost entirely unrelated to his race. Whether they are black, white, brown or some other color or ethnicity, American voters are comfortable with Barack Obama. And, as importantly, he is comfortable with them.
However, although his ability to transcend politics and race is important, that discussion still misses the essence of Barack Obama's appeal in the Democratic Presidential primary.
ABC News’ Jake Tapper and Jonathan Greenberger, with some assistance from clips of “Public Affairs with Jeff Berkowitz,” capture, in words and video [See here for the words and click on a four minute video] the major trait that sets Obama apart from the field, and especially his top tier competitors, Hillary and Edwards. And that trait is the ability and willingness to speak out clearly, forcefully and unambiguously on major issues in a way that connects with the American electorate, and especially on the major issue of the day.
As a “mere state senator,” in the fall of 2002, before the U. S. went into Iraq, Obama took a strong, unequivocal position on the Iraq War, which as of now, is the major issue likely to be on voters minds as they enter polling booths in November, 2008. Moreover, it was a well thought out, well spoken position. Certainly, one could differ with it. But, nobody could accuse the guy of waffling then, during the last five years, or now. That, boys and girls, is a good part of the appeal of Barack Obama to the country. And, of course, to the great majority of the Democratic Primary voters, there is an added bonus: They think he was right from the get go on the War.
********************************************
Barack Obama: “I don’t oppose war in all circumstances… What I do oppose is a dumb War.” Speaking at an anti-Iraq war rally in Chicago on October 2, 2002,. [See here for the words and click on a four minute video: the portion from the Obama speech is the first segment on the video]
********************************
Jeff Berkowitz: How would you have voted a few months ago when they [the Congress] had the vote on the so-called Iraq War Powers Resolution, because the Democratic Party split on that.
Barack Obama: I think there is a division.
Jeff Berkowitz: How would you have voted? Would you have supported that resolution? Voted Yea or Nay?
Barack Obama: If it had come to me in an up or down vote as it came, I think I would have agreed with our senior senator, Dick Durbin and voted 'Nay.' And, the reason is not that I don't think we should have aggressive inspections, what I would have been concerned about was a carte blanche to the Administration for a doctrine of pre-emptive strikes that I'm not sure sets a good precedent.
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Barack Obama, then State Senator and likely candidate for the U.S. Senate in the 2004 Democratic Primary, on “Public Affairs with Jeff Berkowitz,” November 25, 2002 [See here for the words and click on a four minute video; the above exchange is taken from the second segment on the video]
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Jeff Berkowitz: Let’s go right to the War.
Barack Obama: Sure.
Jeff Berkowitz: You made a big point of that. You said you were there last fall [2002], you were… at the Federal Building?
Barack Obama: Right.
Jeff Berkowitz: And you were speaking out against the War then, right?
Barack Obama: Right.
Jeff Berkowitz: And, you are saying there are seven other candidates in this [Democratic] primary?
Barack Obama: Right.
Jeff Berkowitz: A number of them probably opposed the War in Iraq. Opposed taking military action. But, they weren’t speaking out? Is that your point.
Barack Obama: I can’t tell because they were silent on the issue at the time…The question though is out of the United States Senate and out of the Democratic Party, we have to make tough choices the same way that a President has to make tough choices…and my analysis said that Saddam Hussein was not an imminent threat and that if we acted multilaterally, it would be better for our long term security…and if we ultimately had to overthrow him, we would have built an international coalition that could have moved forward. Now, some people may disagree with me on this, but what absolutely we can’t have out of our United States Senator …is somebody who waffles on the issue and somebody who ducks the issue…
****************************************************
Barack Obama, then State Senator and candidate for the U.S. Senate in the 2004 Democratic Primary, on “Public Affairs with Jeff Berkowitz,” July 18, 2003. [See here for the words and click on a four minute video; the above exchange is taken from the third segment on the video]
********************************************
The Clintons’ response to the pounding Hillary is taking on the issue of her Pro-Iraq War Powers Resolution vote [and follow up votes supporting the War] is consistent with what Hillary’s critics say has worked for the Clintons in the past, the five Ds: Deny, Delay, Distract, Distort and Discredit.
Deny: Well, Hillary voted to authorize the military effort in Iraq, but her vote really contemplated a different set of actions by the President, she would argue. So, this is kind of a non-denial, denial that she voted for the War.
Delay: Don’t really address the War vote, her advisers told her, other than to argue “If I knew then what I know now, I never would have supported the military action.”
Distract: Tell the voters, "Well, there are much more important issues for your choice for President." It is the totality of Hillary and Bill-- and what they have done for the Democratic Party and country that should cause all thinking Democrats to support Hillary.
Distort and Discredit: Team Hillary argues that this guy Obama wasn’t too clear on what he would have done and how he would have voted, if he were actually in the Senate. So, vote for the tried and true: Hillary and Bill. Another two for the price of one.
However, that distort and discredit just won’t wash, here.
As Obama said back on July, 2003, on “Public Affairs,”
Everybody had concerns about the war. The question was, how would you have voted on a specific resolution giving George Bush carte blanche [to take military action in Iraq].
And, as ABC’s Tapper and Greenberger conclude:
For many Democratic voters, that indeed is the question. And it seems fairly clear where Obama was at the time, however much others try to fuzz up the record. [See the last paragraph, p. 3 ]
That, boys and girls, is the major appeal of Obama in the Democratic Primary. More than four years of clear, cogent, intelligent, thoughtful and unequivocal statements on the Iraq War. All presented in a way that voters can understand. From a guy they like and who excites and inspires them. And, the Democratic voters think Obama was and is right.
You would think out of three hundred million people, there would be lots of Obamas from whom to choose. Think again. As he has described himself so often and modestly, "A skinny kid from the South Side of Chicago, with a strange sounding name.” Must be more to it than that. Obama’s wife, Michelle, has referred to “this weird fascination that Barack has for people.” It is a good line, but the appeal is not weird and there is no denying it.
Game, Set and Match. Well, okay, not quite Match and maybe not Set, but certainly Game-- and Obama is well on his way to the Democratic Nomination. As to the General Election-- now that could be another matter.
**************************************************
Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com
******************
**********************************
ABC News’ Jake Tapper [Senior National Correspondent] and Jonathan Greenberger [Segmant Producer, This week with George Stephanopoulos]... with some assistance from clips of “Public Affairs with Jeff Berkowitz," capture, both in words and video [See here for the words and click on a four minute video] the major trait that sets Obama apart from the field...
**************************************************
Game, Set and Match. Well, okay, not quite Match and maybe not Set, but certainly Game-- and Obama is well on his way to the Democratic Nomination. As to the General Election-- now that could be another matter.
***************************************************
****************************************************
Much has been written, spoken and aired about the mystery of U. S. Senator Barack Obama’s appeal in the Democratic Presidential primary. Some who are thought to be national African-American political leaders, like Al Sharpton, have questioned whether Obama has done enough in the Civil Rights movement, for low income people, etc. Aside from the doubtful validity of Sharpton's assertion, his focus is way too narrow to comprehend the Obama mystique.
Barack Obama has said often he is “rooted in the African-American community, but he is not limited by it.” He is a national candidate for President who happens to be African-American. He is not the African-American candidate for President. Indeed, it is precisely because of Obama's broader issue focus than Sharpton's that Obama has a shot at the Democratic nomination, something of which Sharpton could never dream.
Some conservatives, such as Fred Barnes, of the Weekly Standard and Fox News Channel, ask, if Obama is such a uniter, consensus builder, bridger of divides, practitioner of a new kind of politics, what political divide has he bridged? That also misses the point. More important than his ability to find a consensus is the fact that Obama transcends traditional politics and race. He transcends traditional politics because he can appeal to voters of all stripes, relying on his charisma and charm when his positions on issues might not, by themselves, do it. In that respect, Obama resembles both Reagan and JFK. Never underestimate, in politics, the importance of pure likeability. Or, as some put it, would you like to have a beer or a cup of coffee with this politician?
Further, Obama is comfortable working across party lines, as he did in the State Senate on such issues as capital punishment and welfare reform and as he has done on fiscal issues with conservative U. S. Senator Tom Coburn [R-OK]. Perhaps more than ever, this is a trait the 2008 presidential voters are anxious to see in their chosen candidate.
Obama transcends race because he is perhaps the first national African-American candidate whose charisma, message, style and charm are almost entirely unrelated to his race. Whether they are black, white, brown or some other color or ethnicity, American voters are comfortable with Barack Obama. And, as importantly, he is comfortable with them.
However, although his ability to transcend politics and race is important, that discussion still misses the essence of Barack Obama's appeal in the Democratic Presidential primary.
ABC News’ Jake Tapper and Jonathan Greenberger, with some assistance from clips of “Public Affairs with Jeff Berkowitz,” capture, in words and video [See here for the words and click on a four minute video] the major trait that sets Obama apart from the field, and especially his top tier competitors, Hillary and Edwards. And that trait is the ability and willingness to speak out clearly, forcefully and unambiguously on major issues in a way that connects with the American electorate, and especially on the major issue of the day.
As a “mere state senator,” in the fall of 2002, before the U. S. went into Iraq, Obama took a strong, unequivocal position on the Iraq War, which as of now, is the major issue likely to be on voters minds as they enter polling booths in November, 2008. Moreover, it was a well thought out, well spoken position. Certainly, one could differ with it. But, nobody could accuse the guy of waffling then, during the last five years, or now. That, boys and girls, is a good part of the appeal of Barack Obama to the country. And, of course, to the great majority of the Democratic Primary voters, there is an added bonus: They think he was right from the get go on the War.
********************************************
Barack Obama: “I don’t oppose war in all circumstances… What I do oppose is a dumb War.” Speaking at an anti-Iraq war rally in Chicago on October 2, 2002,. [See here for the words and click on a four minute video: the portion from the Obama speech is the first segment on the video]
********************************
Jeff Berkowitz: How would you have voted a few months ago when they [the Congress] had the vote on the so-called Iraq War Powers Resolution, because the Democratic Party split on that.
Barack Obama: I think there is a division.
Jeff Berkowitz: How would you have voted? Would you have supported that resolution? Voted Yea or Nay?
Barack Obama: If it had come to me in an up or down vote as it came, I think I would have agreed with our senior senator, Dick Durbin and voted 'Nay.' And, the reason is not that I don't think we should have aggressive inspections, what I would have been concerned about was a carte blanche to the Administration for a doctrine of pre-emptive strikes that I'm not sure sets a good precedent.
****************************************************************
Barack Obama, then State Senator and likely candidate for the U.S. Senate in the 2004 Democratic Primary, on “Public Affairs with Jeff Berkowitz,” November 25, 2002 [See here for the words and click on a four minute video; the above exchange is taken from the second segment on the video]
********************************************************************
Jeff Berkowitz: Let’s go right to the War.
Barack Obama: Sure.
Jeff Berkowitz: You made a big point of that. You said you were there last fall [2002], you were… at the Federal Building?
Barack Obama: Right.
Jeff Berkowitz: And you were speaking out against the War then, right?
Barack Obama: Right.
Jeff Berkowitz: And, you are saying there are seven other candidates in this [Democratic] primary?
Barack Obama: Right.
Jeff Berkowitz: A number of them probably opposed the War in Iraq. Opposed taking military action. But, they weren’t speaking out? Is that your point.
Barack Obama: I can’t tell because they were silent on the issue at the time…The question though is out of the United States Senate and out of the Democratic Party, we have to make tough choices the same way that a President has to make tough choices…and my analysis said that Saddam Hussein was not an imminent threat and that if we acted multilaterally, it would be better for our long term security…and if we ultimately had to overthrow him, we would have built an international coalition that could have moved forward. Now, some people may disagree with me on this, but what absolutely we can’t have out of our United States Senator …is somebody who waffles on the issue and somebody who ducks the issue…
****************************************************
Barack Obama, then State Senator and candidate for the U.S. Senate in the 2004 Democratic Primary, on “Public Affairs with Jeff Berkowitz,” July 18, 2003. [See here for the words and click on a four minute video; the above exchange is taken from the third segment on the video]
********************************************
The Clintons’ response to the pounding Hillary is taking on the issue of her Pro-Iraq War Powers Resolution vote [and follow up votes supporting the War] is consistent with what Hillary’s critics say has worked for the Clintons in the past, the five Ds: Deny, Delay, Distract, Distort and Discredit.
Deny: Well, Hillary voted to authorize the military effort in Iraq, but her vote really contemplated a different set of actions by the President, she would argue. So, this is kind of a non-denial, denial that she voted for the War.
Delay: Don’t really address the War vote, her advisers told her, other than to argue “If I knew then what I know now, I never would have supported the military action.”
Distract: Tell the voters, "Well, there are much more important issues for your choice for President." It is the totality of Hillary and Bill-- and what they have done for the Democratic Party and country that should cause all thinking Democrats to support Hillary.
Distort and Discredit: Team Hillary argues that this guy Obama wasn’t too clear on what he would have done and how he would have voted, if he were actually in the Senate. So, vote for the tried and true: Hillary and Bill. Another two for the price of one.
However, that distort and discredit just won’t wash, here.
As Obama said back on July, 2003, on “Public Affairs,”
Everybody had concerns about the war. The question was, how would you have voted on a specific resolution giving George Bush carte blanche [to take military action in Iraq].
And, as ABC’s Tapper and Greenberger conclude:
For many Democratic voters, that indeed is the question. And it seems fairly clear where Obama was at the time, however much others try to fuzz up the record. [See the last paragraph, p. 3 ]
That, boys and girls, is the major appeal of Obama in the Democratic Primary. More than four years of clear, cogent, intelligent, thoughtful and unequivocal statements on the Iraq War. All presented in a way that voters can understand. From a guy they like and who excites and inspires them. And, the Democratic voters think Obama was and is right.
You would think out of three hundred million people, there would be lots of Obamas from whom to choose. Think again. As he has described himself so often and modestly, "A skinny kid from the South Side of Chicago, with a strange sounding name.” Must be more to it than that. Obama’s wife, Michelle, has referred to “this weird fascination that Barack has for people.” It is a good line, but the appeal is not weird and there is no denying it.
Game, Set and Match. Well, okay, not quite Match and maybe not Set, but certainly Game-- and Obama is well on his way to the Democratic Nomination. As to the General Election-- now that could be another matter.
**************************************************
Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com
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