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Illinois Senator Barack Obama was in New York yesterday as speculating about the 2008 Presidential race started to reach a fever pitch (or as much of a fever pitch as possible this early on). He spoke at a fundraiser for Kids in Distressed situations, saying, "We have an empathy deficit. It's time for a sense of empathy to infuse our politics in America. It is time to stop making excuses for inaction." The Daily News reports his speech "invoked [Robert] Kennedy's famous 1967 trip to Mississippi to expose the horrors of child poverty in America" - which one person thought was a "cheap shot. You don't start your campaign on the mantle of someone else's success." The NY Times notes that while Obama got two standing ovations, "his performance was not flawless: at one point he referred to 'Jose' Posada of the New York Yankees instead of Jorge." And Posada happened to be one of the fundraiser's honorees and was sitting at Obama's table!
Obama was also asked about the Queens shooting of Sean Bell, Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield; Obama said that investigation was still in progress but the shooting did seem "excessive."
But he did not mention anything about running in 2008. Obama made sure to say, "I have the utmost respect for Hillary Clinton . . . I think actually she could win if she ran, and she is an extraordinarily able person. If make a decision to run, it would not be based on my assessment of Hillary Clinton, who I think has been a [good] senator." Senator Hillary Clinton, though, seems closer to announcing publicly that she'll run for President, as more NY Democrats tell the press about their phone calls with Hillary: "She said to me, 'I'm really going to go for this. I'm going to make this effort.'" The Post says she spoke to politicians like Attorney General-elect Andrew Cuomo, donors like Gristedes' John Catsimatidis and the Reverend Al Sharpton yesterday. Even though Clinton is a front runner with her name recognition and fundraising potential, there are lingering questions about her electability.
The Daily News has a graphic putting Obama and Clinton side by side. And back in 2005, Columbia's alumni magazine wondered if Obama was the new face of the Democratic party.
Photograph of Senator Barack Obama at a New York fundraiser last night by Seth Wenig/AP
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Anyone but another Northeastern liberal.
I LOVE OBAMA. He's incredibly smart, kind and level-headed.
The GOP is scared of Obama. Just reading the slant in the article about him in the Post today reaffirms that.
Obama has great potential, but I think people should wait until he's actually done something, which he hasn't.
Slant in an article? Blame the Post today, but for the last two weeks -- and farther back if my memory serves correct -- the national media has been fawning over Obama. THe GOP is far from scared of this guy or Hilary. THe would welcome either as a stepping stone to keeping the White House. If the Dems keep up their shining performaces of working as a unified party for the next two years, the GOP will slide right back into full majority.
Just saying.
HILLARY + OBAMA '08! The GOP would drop dead if they ran on a ticket together. It would totally, like, be like that scene in SCANNERS...
"He's incredibly smart, kind and level-headed". Why does everyone describe a black person as smart and intelligent as a quality in a politician? Last time I checked almost all politicos and pundits have ivy league pedigrees. It's condescending and insultingh to always hear how "smart" and "articulated" a black person is. It's like saying fat chicks have "nice personalities".
"He's incredibly smart, kind and level-headed". Why does everyone describe a black person as smart and intelligent as a quality in a politician? Last time I checked almost all politicos and pundits have ivy league pedigrees. It's condescending and insulting to always hear how "smart" and "articulated" a black person is. It's like saying fat chicks have "nice personalities".
Perhaps Clinton can run for president and Obama for VP.
"He's incredibly smart, kind and level-headed". Why does everyone describe a black person as smart and intelligent as a quality in a politician? Last time I checked almost all politicos and pundits have ivy league pedigrees. It's condescending and insultingh to always hear how "smart" and "articulated" a black person is. It's like saying fat chicks have "nice personalities".
Maybe in this case it's a fitting description when you compare him to other Democrats that are abrasive, condescending, and mean spirited i.e. not level headed. Hence, he's smart. He isn't following the typical Democrat playbook of insulting the half of the electorate that are registered Republicans. Stop looking for racism where there isn't any.
Last time I checked, our current president had an ivy league pedigree and he is niether smart nor articulate...so why don't you just take the compliment.
Some humorist was on Tavis Smiley's PBS talkshow, plugging his satirical "Republican playbook." The funniest joke was that 50% of Democrats want to see Hilary run in '08 - and 100% of the Republicans do, too.
be careful what you wish for. I mean, probably 100% of republican males will not vote for her but you know that when a republican female goes into the pole booth alone and has the choice to vote for the first woman president she's gonna think nice and hard about where to pull that lever.
GOD HELP US!!!
"He's so well spoken!" Guilt ridden liberals make me laugh almost as much as the prospect of hillary as president. Don't get ahead of yourself; not only has he not done anything yet besides lick Oprah's boots, but he's NOT black!! His mom is white and she had real jungle fever!
Barack Obama is an outstanding Black Person. He can read and write real good and he doesn't rap, deal drugs, committ armed robbery or have children out of wedlock. He has never been incarcerated or live on government subsidies. He actually wears a suit that fits him and does not dress like a 5 year old boy in baggy shorts and xxxl tshirts that don't fit him. He speaks in full sentences and uses punctuation and grammer to their fullest instead of "streetspeak". I'm certainly voting for him and you should too!
curious how so many love to focus on how obama is black and that he claims that being black is not an issue for him. i'll be bet if this "incredibly smart, kind and level-headed" person were white, he would not get half the loving attention he receives from all the guilt ridden do-nothing, so-called "liberal" democrats! they think they are being so progressive loving a black politician when it is clearly arguable how representative he is of blacks in america and how in touch he is with the terrible legacy of race issues in this country.
Wow.
koch said
'but he's NOT black!! His mom is white and she had real jungle fever!'
You should think before you type. I think his comment should be removed.
It would be telling whether Obama or Hillary would comment on Saint Jimmy Carter's new book. Seems that Hillary likes the Apartheid system of Gaza and The West Bank just fine, thank you.
#4 - despite being the governer of texas, i'd hardly say george bush is qualified for the job of POTUS. everything he's touched has gone down the tubes - this country being no exception. i'm sure obama could do a far better job despite his so called "lack of experience." he actually has a brain, intelligence, and a firm grasp of reality unlike george bush.
Hillery 4 pres, yea right, I wonder who she will have under her desk like bill did or still does! O-S#!^ it must be oboma-who.
Obama represents a new voice in American politics. The fact that he is bi-racial is not reason enough for all the praise and attention he has been getting. It is his positions and his worldview that has won ppl over.
Also, I think a very important distinction between Clinton and Obama is the Iraq war. Obama was against it, Clinton was for it.