The idolized Obama

[Whomp]

Time will tell since there's not a lot to work from. What will be very important to see is whether he can stand up to his own party on principles, something most politicians can't do. Let's see if he can delegate a government the way he handled a campaign.

He's learned patronage from the best Chicago machine politicians and Penny Pritzker did a fantastic job creating the opportunity. They did so well they're advertising in Arizona, Georgia and North Dakota.

 

[Loppan Torkel]

Medias invested in Obama giving him popularity, in exchange of more economical privileges in case of his electoral victory. Time will speak...

The media is pro-Obama, but you can still be critical about the info given. He might be a bad guy who has succeeded in fooling the world through medias help, but by my judgement he's a good guy and a good politician. I guess time will speak...

 

[Winner]

Care to explain?

Sure - every elections it's the same: "change", "nation at crossroads", "most important elections ever" etc.

Obama is just another presidential candidate. No, he won't change America in any profound way; no, he won't be much different from the previous presidents; no, he's not a messiah.

It seems to me that America is all about image, substance is irrelevant.

 

[Loppan Torkel]

Sure - every elections it's the same: "change", "nation at crossroads", "most important elections ever" etc.

Obama is just another presidential candidate. No, he won't change America in any profound way; no, he won't be much different from the previous presidents; no, he's not a messiah.

It seems to me that America is all about image, substance is irrelevant.

Image is important to win the election, but Obama seems to have substance too and that's why I'm interested how much he'll be able to do. From the debates I've seen he seems smart, he's a Harvard educate, he seems to have good values, there haven't been any major scandals about him and he doesn't resort to the low-moral tactics of the republican side. I haven't heard him take cheap shots at Sarah Palin, not that he needs to, but I like that he avoids it. Other than that, it appears to me that he have more substance in his ideas than the McCain-side.

He's not the messiah, but because most presidents don't differ from each other in how they lead the country in any significant way, doesn't mean that the next president won't be a great one. Perhaps it will, perhaps not.
I like when I get a chance to see something positive in an otherwise pretty cynically viewed area.


In what way have you been given the notion that Obama lack substance?

 

[GenMarshall]

Yes, he is quite different from any other politician and will accomplish much in office.

 

[Winner]

I didn't say he's without substance, I am saying that image is what will get him into White House. Americans don't ask "what's his programme", but "is he capable of leading our great nation?" Which is why they waste so much time digging up dirt about candidates - their family, their religion, their past etc. They most of all want to know the person, the actual political vision is secondary.

As for Obama himself, my perspective of an uninterested Central European is that he's just like our socialists - promising miracles he won't be able to realize.

 

[Dachs]

Americans don't ask "what's his programme", but "is he capable of leading our great nation?"

IMHO the nuts and bolts of a lot of things, especially the tax plan, have been more visible and more important to the campaign than they used to be. In 2000 it was 'fuzzy math', now people actually care about the $200K thing.

 

[Loppan Torkel]

I didn't say he's without substance, I am saying that image is what will get him into White House. Americans don't ask "what's his programme", but "is he capable of leading our great nation?" Which is why they waste so much time digging up dirt about candidates - their family, their religion, their past etc. They most of all want to know the person, the actual political vision is secondary.

As for Obama himself, my perspective of an uninterested Central European is that he's just like our socialists - promising miracles he won't be able to realize.

Ok, true, but people not getting involved in politics or the candidates is nothing new.

As for politicians, I don't expect miracles, just that they make the right decisions often enough. I don't trust Bush or McCain in this aspect, but hopefully Obama will. The fact that he's a great speaker and got charisma should only help his cause.

 

[Loppan Torkel]

To those who say he's just like any other politician - What could a person on verge of becoming president do and be to get you excited at the notion? Or what did Obama do to lose your confidence? Is it general cynicism about politics that keep your spirits down?

Just curious. I think there's some placebo effect to the election that can be helped.

 

[Phinaeus]

I voted for the second option. He's just like any other politician, it's just that he's an excellent public speaker with confidence. I'm not sure he'll do anything different.

Edit: I swear that I didn't read Torkel's post before posting. Haha

 

[alcal]

The media is pro-Obama, but you can still be critical about the info given. He might be a bad guy who has succeeded in fooling the world through medias help, but by my judgement he's a good guy and a good politician. I guess time will speak...

 

[Perfection]

I think he'll be good, but he's going to make some pretty interesting mistakes in the first year or two.

 

[AngryZealot]

All I know is that it will be refreshing to have a president that taught constitutional law.

 

[sonorakitch]

He is another Kennedy. Inspiring, youthful, and intelligent. But at the end of the day, he will pretty much stick with the standard ways of doing business in DC.

Transformational? Only in generation.

~Chris

 

[CCA]

He is a man of extremely high ability to get to where he is today, and I think his identity will help him on the world stage. Will he achieve to the levels of godly idolization that some have elevated him to? No. But I think he will be successful.

This. Just the fact that Obama is president will mean that America's partners will start calling it again in the morning.... and still respect it.

 

[Loppan Torkel]

Oh, you got me there, he looks really arrogant...

 

[Annex]

Americans must be the most gullible nation on the planet...

Ah, so those people in Berlin weren't really cheering?

 

[El_Machinae]

I think he'll have a lot of political capital when he's elected. He's going to get some of his primary projects pushed through: there's no stopping that. The Congress is only going to be able to influence which of his primary proposals get pushed through before he starts losing capital. This will be based on whatever they think is most popular. They'll need feedback about that, too, from the electorate.

 

[alcal]

Oh, you got me there, he looks really arrogant...

Looking is different from being, my pupil

 

[Loppan Torkel]

Looking is different from being, my pupil

You're meaning he's not arrogant then?! I know there's been some accusations about him being elitist and arrogant, but other than him looking arrogant and him being an educated and articulated person - is there any substance to these accusations that you can back up?