What Makes Obama Attractive?

[maycocksean]

Well, at least the author cops to being a Hillary supporter.

But still, this putting forth of the supposed "facts" while ignoring the "spin" on them while accusing the opponent of doing the very same really, really gets my goat.


From the article:
The Lincoln comparison is equally tortured. Yes, Lincoln spent only two years in the House after winning election in 1846. Yet his deep involvement in state and national politics began in 1832, the same year he was elected a captain in the Illinois militia -- and 28 years before he ran for president. He then served as leader of the Illinois Whig Party and served his far-from-undistinguished term in Congress courageously leading opposition to the Mexican War.

After returning home, he became one of the leading railroad lawyers in the country, emerged as an outspoken antislavery leader of Illinois' Republican Party -- and then, in 1858, ran unsuccessfully for the Senate and engaged with Stephen A. Douglas in the nation's most important debates over slavery before the Civil War. It behooves the champions of any candidate to think carefully when citing similarities to Lincoln's record. In this case, the comparison is absurd.


The only reason the comparison is absurd is because the author SAYS its absurd. This kind of argument (very popular on outlets such as Fox News) just drives me nuts. The facts are that Lincoln's only NATIONAL office was his two years in the House--whether they were distinguished or not is ENTIRELY subjective. Lincoln was very politically active for many years and the article makes a good case for that--but look at what the author's done--spun Obama's political activity as minimal and Lincoln's as substanstative. It's not as if Obama was just some guy sitting on his couch who decided to write a book and run for president last year. It's true most of his political involvement has been in the local and state level but here's the thing--the thing the author of this article won't say--SO WAS LINCOLN'S! The author is essentially suggesting that Lincoln's state and local political activity is worthy and Obama's isn't. THAT is absurd. That guy they had as the keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention in 2004--was he just some neophyte somebody found and stuck on the stage?

But what the hell, a lot of people had great doubts about Lincoln's capacity to lead the country as well. That's historically documented as well.

The shorthanding of the Obama and Clinton campaigns as being about "change" and "experience" is another example of the dumbing down of political discourse in this country and it's very sad.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

NY Times

January 27, 2008
Op-Ed Contributor
A President Like My Father
By CAROLINE KENNEDY

Over the years, I’ve been deeply moved by the people who’ve told me they wished they could feel inspired and hopeful about America the way people did when my father was president. This sense is even more profound today. That is why I am supporting a presidential candidate in the Democratic primaries, Barack Obama.

My reasons are patriotic, political and personal, and the three are intertwined. All my life, people have told me that my father changed their lives, that they got involved in public service or politics because he asked them to. And the generation he inspired has passed that spirit on to its children. I meet young people who were born long after John F. Kennedy was president, yet who ask me how to live out his ideals.

Sometimes it takes a while to recognize that someone has a special ability to get us to believe in ourselves, to tie that belief to our highest ideals and imagine that together we can do great things. In those rare moments, when such a person comes along, we need to put aside our plans and reach for what we know is possible.

We have that kind of opportunity with Senator Obama. It isn’t that the other candidates are not experienced or knowledgeable. But this year, that may not be enough. We need a change in the leadership of this country — just as we did in 1960.

Most of us would prefer to base our voting decision on policy differences. However, the candidates’ goals are similar. They have all laid out detailed plans on everything from strengthening our middle class to investing in early childhood education. So qualities of leadership, character and judgment play a larger role than usual.

Senator Obama has demonstrated these qualities throughout his more than two decades of public service, not just in the United States Senate but in Illinois, where he helped turn around struggling communities, taught constitutional law and was an elected state official for eight years. And Senator Obama is showing the same qualities today. He has built a movement that is changing the face of politics in this country, and he has demonstrated a special gift for inspiring young people — known for a willingness to volunteer, but an aversion to politics — to become engaged in the political process.

I have spent the past five years working in the New York City public schools and have three teenage children of my own. There is a generation coming of age that is hopeful, hard-working, innovative and imaginative. But too many of them are also hopeless, defeated and disengaged. As parents, we have a responsibility to help our children to believe in themselves and in their power to shape their future. Senator Obama is inspiring my children, my parents’ grandchildren, with that sense of possibility.

Senator Obama is running a dignified and honest campaign. He has spoken eloquently about the role of faith in his life, and opened a window into his character in two compelling books. And when it comes to judgment, Barack Obama made the right call on the most important issue of our time by opposing the war in Iraq from the beginning.

I want a president who understands that his responsibility is to articulate a vision and encourage others to achieve it; who holds himself, and those around him, to the highest ethical standards; who appeals to the hopes of those who still believe in the American Dream, and those around the world who still believe in the American ideal; and who can lift our spirits, and make us believe again that our country needs every one of us to get involved.

I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them. But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president — not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans.

 

[Dreadsox]

She scares me...

 

[anitram]

Sweet Caroline
Good times never seemed so good....

 

[sue4u2]

NY Times

January 27, 2008
Op-Ed Contributor
A President Like My Father
By CAROLINE KENNEDY

I want a president who understands that his responsibility is to articulate a vision and encourage others to achieve it; who holds himself, and those around him, to the highest ethical standards; who appeals to the hopes of those who still believe in the American Dream, and those around the world who still believe in the American ideal; and who can lift our spirits, and make us believe again that our country needs every one of us to get involved.

I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them. But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president — not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans.

I hear ya, Caroline..

This is an impressive endorsement, to say the least.

It's been a long time, if ever, that I have strongly supported 2
candidates. This is going to be a tough call.

 

[deep]

and with Uncle Ted's endorsement tomorrow

there goes the bridge to moderates, independents and Reagan democrats?

 

[deep]

I hear ya, Caroline..

This is an impressive endorsement, to say the least.

It's been a long time, if ever, that I have strongly supported 2
candidates. This is going to be a tough call.

what did you believed before you read this
that you no longer believe?

 

[sue4u2]

what did you believed before you read this
that you no longer believe?

It's not that I believed one over the other.
I've supported Clinton all along.
My only concern with Clinton is that there are so many past resentments, on both sides, that uniting the parties to work together may be more difficult for her to pull off.

At this point I think Obama has the edge in doing this.
(if it's at all possible, that is)

 

[deep]

I will cede the point that Obama attracts more younger people than Hillary


like Jackson he gets them

fired up and ready to go

Jackson was very influential in Clinton's 92 win
getting voters to the polls


and yes
I do believe Bill Clinton will work very hard for Obama in Nov, as the last Dem President

I just believe that Hillary has a better chance of capturing more (in all age groups) moderates, independents and moderate GOP like myself.

 

[Dreadsox]

The Clinton strategy was to paint him as the "black candidate" and lose SC. This will propell her to victory in virtually every other state.

Peace

 

[deep]

"This will propell her to victory in virtually every other state."


I don't think so.


Obama won

Iowa
SC

he will win DC

can he win in these?

Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, Virginia, Delaware, Vermont, Alaska, Texas?

 

[U2democrat]

I think many of those states could go either way...Virginia will be interesting. Northern Virginia is kind of split between Obama and Hillary, the rest of the state is mostly split between Obama and Edwards.

I'll be seeing Obama on Feb 9, and possibly Hillary Clinton as well (and MAYBE John Edwards) so that'll be interesting.

 

[sue4u2]

like Jackson he gets them

fired up and ready to go

Jackson was very influential in Clinton's 92 win
getting voters to the polls


I just believe that Hillary has a better chance of capturing more (in all age groups) moderates, independents and moderate GOP like myself.

I remember how I respected Jesse Jackson back then, and the feeling that even with all that he spoke, and I agreed with - I was still going to vote for Bill Clinton, and did.
With Obama however, its different.

With that said, I completely agree with your last point.
Hillary has a much better chance of reaching a larger range of voters.
Guess we'll see, to a degree, on super Tuesday.

 

[Dreadsox]

"This will propell her to victory in virtually every other state."


I don't think so.


Obama won

Iowa
SC

he will win DC

can he win in these?

Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, Virginia, Delaware, Vermont, Alaska, Texas?

"Virtually"

And I believe there are only three states in which the African American voters approach the numbers that SC has.

There is also a big difference betwee Iowa - a caucus verses a primary.

So, CA and NY go to Hillary - Game set match.

 

[diamond]

This article explains why voters are attracted to Obama.

Personally I would vote for him over McCain. With Obama you get the real deal, who has integrity, faithful to his wife and isn't a conniving or plotting person:

Dear Mr. Obama;

You’re right. Your assertion from the past week is absolutely correct. You ARE running against “both Clintons.”



US Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama (D-IL) is pictured during a roundtable discussion with women in Columbia, South Carolina, January 25, 2008. The next Presidential Primary will be held in South Carolina on January 26. REUTERS/Jason Reed (UNITED STATES) US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN 2008 (USA) I’ll address “both Clintons” in a moment. First, let me congratulate you and thank you for staying “above board,“ and conducting a mostly honorable and positive campaign.

Given my previous criticisms of some of your ideas, in this and other publications, you might be surprised to find me being complimentary now. But this gets to an important point: I can disagree with your ideas, while still respecting your conduct. And at this moment I’m commenting on your conduct.

Unlike some “black leaders” (self-appointed as they may be) of our day, you seem to be running a campaign that is generally devoid of the race baiting rhetoric that has become commonplace. And while I’m sure that you have experienced plenty of prejudice and bigotry in your lifetime, I don’t sense that you assume yourself to be a victim merely because of your skin color, or that you would assume me to be your perpetrator merely because of mine. This is very refreshing, and I’m grateful for it.

Similarly, I’m impressed that you and your wife Michelle seem to be contented and confident in your respective rolls. A well educated and accomplished professional in her own right, Michelle appears to be comfortable with the reality that you are campaigning for the presidency, and she is not. Based on what we can observe publicly, it seems that the Obama family simply “is what it is,” regardless of whether or not “it” is politically expedient at any given moment. This, too, is refreshing. It’s good for you, your family, and our country.

Now, about the Clintons. Yes, it’s tragic what they are doing, both to you, and to your party. As for you, they have most certainly distorted your position on the war in Iraq, and your statements about President Reagan. As for the party, they have made key issues of race and gender, and have enflamed racial tensions that some people didn’t know existed. But surely you can’t be surprised by this - - can you?

Let’s examine some of what’s happened. Earlier this month, after several days of Bill trashing your character, complete with the “fairy tale” and “hit job” accusations, you finally called him on it. Shortly thereafter, we saw Bill speaking in a black church claiming “I kind of like seeing Barack and Hillary fighting” - - his clever, passive way of implying that he isn‘t in the fight himself.

Then, after yet another week of Bill assaulting you and distorting your record, complete with his repeated, grotesque, red-faced tirades before the tv cameras, Hillary got “emotional” again - - claiming reluctantly that she’s been attacked by you, and then in her oh-so regretful tone of voice stating that she has no other choice but to “counterpunch.”

Mr. Obama, are you surprised by any of this? I’m younger than you are, and I remember the politics of the 1990’s all too well. Surely you must also remember.

Mr. and Mrs. Clinton are the merciless masters of misinformation. The veracity of their assertions and subtle implications, and the damage that they might bring about at any given moment, doesn’t matter - - their “story” will change later, anyway. What matters for the Clintons is what they can accomplish politically for themselves, in the moment. This was the politics of the Clintons’ White House, and it is now the politics of the Clintons’ campaign to destroy you.

And as much as you have tried to not make your ethnicity an issue in your campaign, it matters. Especially for the Clintons. While Bill likes to fancy himself as America’s “first black President,” and Hillary thinks that nobody has done more for the cause of “civil rights” than herself, you symbolize something very unnerving to them. You’re the accomplished, confident black man from a younger generation who doesn’t need their help. Worse yet, you have the “audacity” to challenge their authority. You obliterate their long-held stereotype, and threaten to obliterate an entire political paradigm. You endanger the old-school politics of the Clintons.

But doesn’t this ultimately lead us to your concept of the “politics of hope,” Mr. Obama? When the Clintons speak of “change,” they’re merely speaking of an end to Republican rule and their own return at White House. For you, it seems that “change” and “hope” mean a departure from the Clintons’ duplicitous, deceitful politics of personal destruction. Tell us more about that, Mr. Obama. And feel free to tell us how the Clintons’ “good candidate / bad candidate” gamesmanship appears from your vantage point.

And regardless of how your campaign ends, I believe that your candidacy has already accomplished great things. Ultimately, I believe that American politics will be better-off when your party relinquishes itself from the Clintons’ stranglehold, and I hope that happens sooner rather than later.

But not matter how these next several weeks unfold, be strong. And remember, Mr. Obama. You’re right.

 

[yolland]

I doubt he could win CA or NY but I think he could definitely pick up delegates in both.

Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, Virginia, Delaware, Vermont, Alaska, Texas?

IMO...yes, yes, yes, yes, doubtful, maybe, doubtful, probably, no idea, doubtful

 

[sue4u2]

For you, it seems that “change” and “hope” mean a departure from the Clintons’ duplicitous, deceitful politics of personal destruction. Tell us more about that, Mr. Obama. And feel free to tell us how the Clintons’ “good candidate / bad candidate” gamesmanship appears from your vantage point.

Good/bad gamesmanship? Someone's been listening to too many talking heads.
STOP LISTENING TO SOUNDBITES.
Duplicitous, deceitful politics of personal destruction.
This is a tactic fabricated and promoted by the Carl Rove machine.
That goes along with the bullshit that Hillary is using him to do the dirty work.
Bill isn't becoming the monster some of the media wants him to be.
He's picking his battles and letting Hillary run on her own merit.
But he's not going to let it ride when people attack her... or him for that matter.

 

[phillyfan26]

Personally I would vote for him over McCain. With Obama you get the real deal, who has integrity, faithful to his wife and isn't a conniving or plotting person:

I find this funny considering McCain's light years ahead of any other GOP candidate.

Huckabee's running for Protestant Pope, and Romney's downright infuriating.

 

[maycocksean]

Personally I would vote for him over McCain. With Obama you get the real deal, who has integrity, faithful to his wife and isn't a conniving or plotting person:

I am just amazed. . .amazed. . .by the blindness of the Democratic establishment. You've got conservatives. . .CONSERVATIVES. . .saying they'd vote for Obama! Okay, maybe diamond is just being hypothetical but the point remains. This guy has the appeal. Hillary does NOT speak to those outside the party faithful. Obama does. The party faithful though are too blind to see it. They're so dazzled by the Clinton legacy--those glory years of the 90's and they're forgetting how negatively much of America viewed both Clintons. Whether that that anti-Clinton distaste is warranted or not is debatable but the point is, it's there. The Republicans know it. The Republicans WANT her to get the nomination. . .do the Clinton worshipers ever stop to wonder why?

 

[anitram]

The Republicans WANT her to get the nomination. . .do the Clinton worshipers ever stop to wonder why?

There is such a thing as a Clinton worshiper? Seriously?

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Reports: Kennedy clan rift over racial attacks on Obama
By Jessica Van Sack | Monday, January 28, 2008 | http://www.bostonherald.com

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy’s endorsement of presidential hopeful Illinois Sen. Barack Obama reportedly came after mounting anger toward the Clintons over the racial overtones of campaign attacks against Obama.

Quoting anonymous sources, both the Washington Post and New York Times [NYT] reported that Kennedy was frustrated with attacks on Obama by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, which he thought to be misleading. Sources confirmed Kennedy expressed his angst to Bill Clinton directly.

According to the Post, the senior senator’s frustration boiled over Saturday when the former president sought to downplay Obama’s South Carolina win by comparing him to the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who won the Palmetto State in his long-shot 1984 and 1988 campaigns.

In bracing for his wife’s South Carolina defeat at a rally in Columbia, S.C., Bill Clinton told a reporter, “Jesse Jackson won South Carolina in ’84 and ’88. Jackson ran a good campaign. And Obama ran a good campaign here.”

Meanwhile, there is widespread speculation on the campaign trail that Bill Clinton will tone down his hatchet-man role in the campaign after weeks of being on the front lines.

The senior Bay State senator’s nod for Obama today is an especially painful blow as it comes as Hillary Clinton is scheduled to campaign in Springfield, followed by a high-rolling Hub fund-raiser.

Kennedy plans to campaign aggressively for Obama in the critical days leading up to the multistate Super Tuesday primary Feb. 5. The Obama campaign announced late last night that Kennedy will campaign for Obama today at American University in Washington, D.C., along with his niece Caroline Kennedy.

The hotly contested Democratic contest has spawned a political family feud of sorts within the famous Kennedy clan, prompting the children of Sen. Kennedy’s slain brother, Robert Kennedy, to affirm their support for Clinton.

“I respect Caroline and Teddy’s decision but I have made a different choice,” said Kathleen Kennedy Townsend in a statement released yesterday by the Clinton campaign after news of the senator’s endorsement was leaked.

Townsend also noted her brother Robert, an avid environmentalist, and Mary Kerry, a human rights activist, endorsed the New York senator.

Caroline Kennedy declared her support in a weekend New York Times op-ed, and in a state where devoted Irish-Catholics still dutifully keep portraits of JFK on their mantles, the late president’s daughter may be especially effective.

“It’s a special kind of endorsement,” said Paul Watanabe, political science professor at the University of Massachusetts at Boston.

The latest SurveyUSA poll shows Clinton with a tidy lead in the Bay State, running with 59 percent compared to Obama’s 22 percent and former Sen. John Edwards’ 11 percent.

“The Clintons put on a full-court press to get the Kennedy endorsement,” a longtime Kennedy confidante told the Herald.

Former Democratic National Committee Chairman Steve Grossman, an active Clinton operative and longtime friend of the Kennedys, sought to downplay the senator’s endorsement.

“The people of this state are going to make up their minds based on record of achievement and ability of candidates,” he said.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

ABC News' Rick Klein Reports: Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison -- who famously declared Bill Clinton to be the nation's "first black president" -- is endorsing Barack Obama for president today, an Obama campaign source tells ABC News.

This comes as Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., also announces his support for Obama on Monday, at a rally in Washington.

In an October 1998 essay in The New Yorker, Morrison wrote: "Years ago, in the middle of the Whitewater investigation, one heard the first murmurs: white skin notwithstanding, this is our first black president. Blacker than any actual person who could ever be elected in our children's lifetime."

The Morrison endorsement is expected to come via letter from Morrison to Obama that the campaign is releasing later today.

 

[diamond]

There is such a thing as a Clinton worshiper? Seriously?

in this country, yes.

dbs

 

[U2democrat]

There is such a thing as a Clinton worshiper? Seriously?

Yes! Until recently most people in the Democratic party were Clinton worshippers. People adore(d) him. Things are changing now.

 

[sulawesigirl4]

hey, U2dem, when is our date for primaries in VA? I thought I saw Tuesday, Feb 12. Is that right? Not that I have decided who to vote for yet, but I want to participate.

 

[diamond]

ABC News' Rick Klein Reports: Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison -- who famously declared Bill Clinton to be the nation's "first black president" -- is endorsing Barack Obama for president today, an Obama campaign source tells ABC News.

This comes as Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., also announces his support for Obama on Monday, at a rally in Washington.

In an October 1998 essay in The New Yorker, Morrison wrote: "Years ago, in the middle of the Whitewater investigation, one heard the first murmurs: white skin notwithstanding, this is our first black president. Blacker than any actual person who could ever be elected in our children's lifetime."

The Morrison endorsement is expected to come via letter from Morrison to Obama that the campaign is releasing later today.

Yep, you can fool some of the people some of the time..Go Toni, Go Barrack!

 

[phanan]

I think Kennedy's endorsement of Obama is huge. When people think of the Democratic party, what name do people think of the most? Obviously, the Kennedy name.

And the timing, just before Super Tuesday, I'm sure was done on purpose, but there's nothing wrong with that.

Before I thought Clinton would dominate most of Super Tuesday, but now I'm not so sure. An endorsement from Kennedy will get a lot of attention.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

NY Observer

Why Obama Might Win Massachusetts
by Steve Kornacki | January 27

Ted Kennedy's direct link to Camelot means that his endorsement of Barack Obama will have national implications. But its impact might be most acute in Massachusetts, one of the largest states to vote on February 5 and a very winnable target for Obama.

Polling has been sporadic in Massachusetts, but Hillary Clinton has led -- often decisively -- in the surveys taken so far. But her margins may shrink as the state's electorate focuses more closely on the race, and in the wake of Obama's South Carolina victory.

With Kennedy on board, Obama now has a monopoly on the Bay State's highest profile Democrats: John Kerry signed on two weeks ago, and Governor Deval Patrick endorsed Obama late last fall.

To be sure, Clinton has her share of elected official support in Massachusetts. But generally, they are lower-profile and less dynamic establishment figures. Kennedy is a revered figure among rank-and-file Democrats, as is Patrick, the state's first black governor (and the first black Democrat ever to win statewide office in Massachusetts). In fact, there are some remarkable thematic and stylistic similarities between the Obama campaign and Patrick's own '06 effort.

Not insignificantly, Obama is also being assisted by Phil Johnston, a loyal Kennedy family lieutenant who chaired the Massachusetts Democratic Party for a decade before stepping down last year.

A Massachusetts win would be a nice feather in Obama's February 5 cap. Not only are 93 delegates at stake (the fifth most among the 23 states and territories voting on February 5), but it would refute suggestions that Obama has been marginalized as "the black candidate:" There are fewer blacks in Massachusetts per capita (five percent) than in Kansas, and George Wallace actually carried Boston in the 1972 Democratic primary.

A victory in Massachusetts, where just 33 years ago rocks were thrown at buses carrying black students to South Boston High, would serve as powerful evidence that Obama's vision of a coalition that transcends old ethnic divides is more than just rhetoric.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

WASHINGTON (AP) - Two generations of Kennedys—the Democratic Party's best known political family—endorsed Barack Obama for president on Monday, with Sen. Edward M. Kennedy calling him a "man with extraordinary gifts of leadership and character," a worthy heir to his assassinated brother.

"I feel change in the air. What about you?" Kennedy said in a speech salted with scarcely veiled criticism of Obama's chief rival for the nomination, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, as well as her husband, the former president.

Kennedy's endorsement was ardently sought by all three of the remaining presidential contenders, and he delivered it at a pivotal time in the race. A liberal lion in his fifth decade in the Senate, the Massachusetts senator is in a position to help Obama court Hispanic voters as well as rank-and-file members of labor unions, two key elements of the Democratic Party.

He is expected to campaign actively for Obama in the eight days leading up to next Tuesday's delegate-rich primaries and caucuses across 24 states, beginning later this week in Arizona, New Mexico and California.

The senator made his comments at a crowded campaign rally at American University that took on the appearances of a Kennedy family embrace of Obama.

He was introduced by Caroline Kennedy, daughter of the late president, who said Obama "offers that same sense of hope and inspiration" as did her father. Rep. Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island, son of the senator, also offered his support.

In is own remarks, Kennedy sought one by one to rebut many of the arguments leveled by Obama's critics.

"From the beginning, he opposed the war in Iraq. And let no one deny that truth," he said, an obvious reference to former President Clinton's statement that Obama's early anti-war stance was a "fairy tale."

"With Barack Obama, we will turn the page on the old politics of misrepresentation and distortion.

"With Barack Obama we will close the book on the old politics of race against race, gender against gender, ethnic group against ethnic group, and straight against gay," Kennedy said.

The Massachusetts senator had remained on the sideline of the presidential campaign for months, saying he was friends with Obama, Clinton and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, as well and several Senate colleagues who are no longer in the race.

Lately, according to several associates, Kennedy became angered with what he viewed as racially divisive comments by Bill Clinton. Nearly two weeks ago, he played a personal key role in arranging a brief truce between the Clintons and Obama on the issue.

Kennedy refers only sparingly to his assassinated brothers, John and Robert, in his public remarks, and his endorsement of Obama was cast in terms that aides said was unusually personal.

"There was another time, when another young candidate was running for president and challenging America to cross a new frontier. He faced criticism from the preceding Democratic president, who was widely respected in the party," Kennedy said, referring to Harry Truman.

"And John Kennedy replied, 'The world is changing. The old ways will not do. ... It is time for a new generation of leadership.

"So it is with Barack Obama," he added.

Kennedy began his remarks by paying tribute to Sen. Clinton's advocacy for issues such as health care and women's rights. "Whoever is our nominee will have my enthusiastic support," he said.

But he quickly pivoted to a strong endorsement of Obama, whom he said "has extraordinary gifts of leadership and character, matched to the extraordinary demands of this moment in history."

"I believe that a wave of change is moving across America," Kennedy said.

Also Monday, Obama picked up the endorsement of author Toni Morrison, who once labeled Bill Clinton as the "first black president." Morrison said she has has admired Obama rival Hillary Rodham Clinton for years because of her knowledge and mastery of politics, but cited Obama's "creative imagination which coupled with brilliance equals wisdom."

Morrison said her endorsement had little to do with Obama's race—he is the son of a black father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas—but rather his personal gifts.

Writing with the touch of a poet in a letter to the Illinois senator, Morrison explained why she chose Obama over Clinton for her first public presidential endorsement.

"In addition to keen intelligence, integrity and a rare authenticity, you exhibit something that has nothing to do with age, experience, race or gender and something I don't see in other candidates," Morrison wrote. "That something is a creative imagination which coupled with brilliance equals wisdom. It is too bad if we associate it only with gray hair and old age. Or if we call searing vision naivete. Or if we believe cunning is insight. Or if we settle for finessing cures tailored for each ravaged tree in the forest while ignoring the poisonous landscape that feeds and surrounds it."

 

[2861U2]

I'm watching Kennedy right now.

I just don't get it. I just don't get how all he has to do is mention the word "change" or "hope" or "inspiration" over and over and the crowd erupts. I hope this is not how we choose the next president.

From Kennedy and Obama's supporters I get the impression that they believe Obama will supposedly make everyone happy and united and there won't be any more division in this country, and they present it like that's a good thing. It isn't. America is supposed to be divided and have debates. They talk like everyone is going to fall in love with Obama and become Democrats and march in lockstep behind him.