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The Tribune has a couple of stories today on Barack Obama’s time in the Illinois Senate. One of them, which required the combined efforts of four Trib reporters, breaks almost no new ground. Poker playing buddies, cautious nature, fights with Rickey Hendon and Donne Trotter, blah, blah, blah.
The other looks at pork projects that Obama doled out. Some of it is new info, some of it isn’t.
During his nearly eight years in Springfield, he tucked special earmarks into massive budget bills to shower small bequests on inner city schools, parks and youth service agencies.
But some of the larger grants Obama sponsored were tied to political allies and show how difficult it is even for politicians advocating reform to avoid the appearance of favoritism as they dole out taxpayer funds. Several non-profit directors, for instance, gave money to Obama’s campaigns soon after their allotments were awarded. […]
“It happens that there were major supporters in my district who had been supporters before they got member initiatives,” Obama said, noting that some of his contributors had been his allies for years.
One of those long-time supporters was Rev. Michael Pfleger, the politically active leader of St. Sabina Church. He gave Obama’s campaign $1,500 between 1995 and 2001, including $200 in April 2001, about three months after Obama announced $225,000 in grants to St. Sabina programs.
Also, the Tribune has set up a new web-page devoted to all things Obama. And they have another story today about the Obama campaign’s fight with a would-be disgruntled MySpace entrepreneur.
This is a Barack Obama open thread. How do you think his campaign is going so far?
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, May 3, 07 @ 9:28 am
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So far I like the campaign. He doesn’t need to take any risks right now, but at some point it would be nice for him to go on the offensive.
Comment by Ron Burgundy Thursday, May 3, 07 @ 9:40 am
He didnt score any points with the young (non voting) population in his campaigns handling of his myspace profile. Instead of just working with the guy they strong armed him outta the way and made themselves look bad.
Comment by Robbie Thursday, May 3, 07 @ 9:53 am
My impression is that the campaign is pretty disorganized. There has been a huge wave of staff and volunteers, always a challenge to sort out. The Senator struck me as poorly prepared in the debate, which may mean a lack of focus among senior staff.
On the other hand, the campaign went from zero to sixty in a very short time and that is always a little messy. And one can’t argue with success- rising in the polls, almost out-raising Clintoin.
Comment by Viator Thursday, May 3, 07 @ 10:09 am
I think one can’t sit in IL and answer that question properly. Who’s sat in coffee shops in Iowa or NH lately?
Every candidate has a long list of Emil Joneses in their life; it goes with the profession. Rezkos too.
The 3 key issues for the 2008 election/primaries are not likely to be personal credibility (at least on the Dem side). Voters will be looking for candidates that make the voters feel good about the future of the country. Isn’t that Obama’s strong point?
Comment by RBD Thursday, May 3, 07 @ 10:36 am
The latest round of early-state primary/caucus polls shows Obama in 3rd in Iowa, 3rd in New Hampshire, 3rd in Nevada and 2nd in South Carolina. His staff is making rookie mistakes, like using Senate staffers to fax fundraising call-lists to Newsweek reporters. Seems like they should hire staff with gray hair and get serious. On a brighter note, the candidate continues to razzle and dazzle and may continue to make up for staff screw ups. A good candidate can carry a mediocre staff a long way.
Comment by Observer Thursday, May 3, 07 @ 11:43 am
Most national media focus has been on Barack Obama the man, his interracial identity, and what events in his youth shaped who he is today. Late this summer the coverage will intensify and focus more on who Barack Obama is as a politician. The media will begin to focus on his rise from State Senator to US Senator to Presidential candidate, and who helped him get there. If the words “Chicago Machine” become hammered into the national psyche Obama’s “New kind of politics” message will fall flat. If Obama’s campaign does not adequately spin and minimize the Machine association he will fall behind Edwards.
Comment by Tom Thursday, May 3, 07 @ 12:19 pm
I think all the Chicago Machine stuff, Rezko, etc,,, for naught except for regular readers here…
Newt Gingrich nailed it. If Americans want a therapist for Prez, we’ll elect Obama. I think in a Foregin affairs election, we won’t go there.
But I think he’ll be the VP on the Dem ticket.
Comment by Bill Baar Thursday, May 3, 07 @ 12:24 pm
The situation with Joe A at MySpace could have been handled better. The money requested was minimal and the list of “friends” is huge. They should have paid the minimal amount asked as it is reasonable and worth it. What they did feels heavy handed. Not the message to send to the grass roots.
Comment by Way Northsider Thursday, May 3, 07 @ 12:37 pm
I read an article somewhere on the internet that his campaign is more professional than it is grassroots. It could only heighten his appeal if his organization was mostly grassroots.
Comment by Levois Thursday, May 3, 07 @ 12:37 pm
Somehow I feel that he will be like so many pols that never seem to be doing the duties of the elected position because they are too busy raising money and campaigning for the next election. It’s never what is good for our country or state as the case may be; it’s always about the party politics and how the next election will be affected. Where is Mr. Smith>
Comment by i d Thursday, May 3, 07 @ 2:48 pm
I saw the movie Bobby, recently and Kennedy’s character really reminded me of Obama and his own campaign.
Now, I read that Obama has been given additional Secret Service protection. I am sorry that he needs that, but I can understand it, too.
Comment by Shelbyville Thursday, May 3, 07 @ 4:26 pm
He’s running his campaign just like everyone else now, spending more time campaigning than working as our senator. I think people would be impressed if he took a smaller scale issue and worked at it right now. Something acheivable where he can show leadership. Maybe he could get out in front on immigration reform or some specific aspect of No Child Left Behind.
Point is, the worst thing for Obama is for voters to find out he’s just like all the other pols. That’s why Rezko scares me a little.
Comment by Gene Parmesan Thursday, May 3, 07 @ 4:34 pm
I like Obama and I like his campaign. The local political stuff is a non-issue. My gut tells me Obama genuinely wants to do the right thing. That’s far more than I can say for the current administration or Hillary Clinton for that matter.
Truth should not be a mere inconvenience to be overcome on the way to achieving your objective not matter how noble.
It means something to be an American. We used to be the good guys. We can only truly lead the world by example and Bush and Chaney have failed miserably.
Let’s not leave out native intelligence. Obama is a genuinely smart guy.
I, for one, think America is ready. I say he wins.
Comment by What's in a name? Thursday, May 3, 07 @ 6:53 pm
Way Northsider (and others), Mr. Anthony was essentially cyber-squatting and trying to get a bribe or kickback or whatever you want to call it.
If the guy actually supported Obama and was prepared to not just vote for him but also volunteer, etc. then he would’ve simply handed it over. It wasn’t his name to use, it was a fluke of the Internet (like the squatters who picked up big commercial names hoping for a jackpot payout back in the wild, wild west days of the web).
As it is, Mr. Anthony agreed to MySpace’s terms of conditions and is only pitching a fit now that the TOC has come into play and not in his favor.
Comment by Rob_N Thursday, May 3, 07 @ 7:22 pm
There’s a very interesting article on Obama in the New Yorker this week. Of course, being a New Yorker piece, it meanders. But one of the points it makes is how Obama’s journey contradicts the classic American storyline that you can forge a better future for yourself by throwing off old ties, heading West to find freedom and setting out on your own. It points out that Obama’s parents (and grandparents) believed in that approach, indeed lived it, and it didn’t serve any of them very well. That, of course, led Obama to forge a new identity by establishing himself in an old community, i.e. Chicago. Clearly, he rooted himself while as a community activist, and reading about his first encounters with Michelle’s family shows how impressed he was with their strong family and community values.
The only reason I bring this up is because I think it may explain, at least a little bit, Obama’s endorsement of so many machine Democrats. There’s a line from “Dreams from my Father” that the magazine repeats: “If everyone is family, no one is family.” Now here’s where I’m going to go out on a limb, but bear with me. Obama did reasonably well as a state senator working within the Dem machine. And Machine folks are coming through unbelievably for him now that he’s running for president. So is he going to suddenly denounce them, when they helped shape who he is — and who he hopes to be? At what point does idealism trump loyalty? Is there a fear that he’ll be taken in by people who are too naive? Or, indeed, is he skeptical of people who come off as wide-eyed idealists like his parents and grandparents?
You can also detect his skepticism towards the intoxicating idealism in his foreign policy views. (George Bush, for all his faults, is probably as idealistic as they come in that arena, even more so than Reagan.) Obama sounds like a dove on Iraq, but he still believes in just wars and a muscular military. David Brooks just wrote a really interesting, albeit a bit ivory tower, column on the topic.
Anyway, as this campaign wears on, I’m detecting more nuance in Obama’s positions where once I thought he was just wishy washy or evasive. Sometimes, I don’t like how he resolves some of these sticky issues. But at least he’s making more and more sense to me.
Comment by Just Saying Friday, May 4, 07 @ 1:08 am
Obama did reasonably well as a state senator working within the Dem machine.
That’s how machines work. They do well for the Pols.
And Machine folks are coming through unbelievably for him now that he’s running for president.
Yep, so he can in return do well for them.
So is he going to suddenly denounce them, when they helped shape who he is — and who he hopes to be?
Probably not, but let’s be clear on who Obama hopes to be. Someone who will do well for himself and the machine.
Just the kind of guy we need in wartime.
Comment by Bill Baar Friday, May 4, 07 @ 7:59 am