Yes, we can.

[Alex]

And with Maine, Obama makes it a clean sweep of the weekend. None of the four states was closer than 19 points and two were northern states.

With the caveat as always that the delegates still have a lot of guesswork in them, even including super delegates CNN now has Obama within 30 of Clinton at 1,148 to 1,121 (and Obama ahead 986 to 924 in pledged delegates).

At this point, so long as Obama can keep Texas, Ohio, and Pennsylvania from being blowouts in favor of Clinton, I think things are good for him to go into the convention with a pledged delegate lead. Since Bill Clinton is a superdelegate they better get to work on switching his vote.

[lashbear]

Hillary's prettier.

...and you'd get two presidents for the price of one.

Besides, there's been too many male presidents - we need a female president.

[blueerica]

Well, he won a Grammy, let's see what else the boy can win.

[innerSpaceman]

I have to agree with Lashbear. In voting for Hillary (with the caveat that I'm one of the ones who can stand her), I'm likely voting for the first woman president to set a precedent. To me, that's really the most important thing.

I frankly feel the president has so little impact on Domestic issues that it really doesn't much matter which one it is that's not George Bush ... and the rest of the world is going to fall quickly to hell with our without America's tremendous help.

[innerSpaceman]

I'm sorry, proven? Ok, please educate me, because I admit I haven't paid much attention to his political career. But on the face of it, he's been a Senator for 2 years, half of which time he's been pretty much absent whilst campaigning for president.

Exactly what has demonstrated his proven willingness to work with all his colleagues to get things done? What things? What colleagues?

[Ghoulish Delight]

Off the top of my head:

Ethics reforms
Energy policy
Illinois health care
He sponsored and received bipartisan support for SCHIP
The fact that the vast bulk of his fund raising for his campaign has been from inidivudal donors, keeping him unbeholden to party machinery.
The fact that he can talk about the ideas and people on "the other side" without demonizing them.

He's only been a US senator for 2 years, however he was an Illinois legislator for 8 years prior to that. He left there with a reputation for being non partisan (in Illinois for crying out loud) and has kept that in his short tenure on the national stage.

[Alex]

Well, he was an Illinois state senator for 8 years and had a long career of community activism before that.

I have no idea if his bipartisan-ship is shown from that time frame but my Chicago friends all feel that he did avoid the worst of the petty squabbling.

But I don't really care if he's bi-partisan. "Bi-partisan" as a political buzzword generally just means "I'm in the minority party but I want you to treat me as an equal anyway." I disagree with his policies and if elected I expected him to try an enact what he thinks is best with minimal consideration of my point of view.

However, based on what I've seen I do expect he'll be polite about it compared to the current behaviors on either side when in power.

But when offered one of these:

1. Stronger agreement policy-wise but I don't like the candidate.
2. Weak agreement policy-wise but I don't like the candidate even if for reasons completely unfair to that candidate.
3. Weak agreement policy-wise but despite myself I find the candidate inspiring.

I'm going to have to go with #3. #1 hasn't exactly worked out for me very well. I have no idea if Obama can accomplish those things he thinks he will try for. I have no idea if he'll be corrupted by the power and turn into a despised figure.

But I do know that Clinton's chances of achieving her policy goals aren't really any better than Obama's (and if hers improve with a sweeping Democratic victory in the Senate then so do his) and she's already most of the way down the path to power-corruption leading to hatred.

The process of wielding political power will probably quickly take the bloom off of Obama and he may end up being more Carter than FDR but I have to prefer the entity that may disappoint than the ones I know with certainty will disappoint.

[Not Afraid]

I think Obama talks a great talk. But, I have my doubts about if we can actually get things done. I think the chosen marketing slogan of "Yes we can" is telling in itself. It's almost as if he's trying to convince us that he can do something that is nearly impossible. I think he's setting us up for a big disappointment. It's naive notion that he's campaigning on.

[NirvanaMan]

Originally Posted by Not Afraid

I think the chosen marketing slogan of "Yes we can" is telling in itself.

His VP and supporters can run under the slogan "You can do it, we can help."

Though I find it inspiring to see people so inspired, I think I grew jaded on politics after peaking too early. I was a strong Regan Republican through elementary school. Was ok on Bush the first (though I preferred Steve Forbes and Perot in subsequent elections) and eventually watched as the Republican party and the Democratic party merged yet still somehow hated each other.

All they want to do is raise my taxes, fund pork barrel projects, and take away my freedoms and rights. Thought I suppose they are divided on how and what they want to tax, what waste they want to fund and which freedoms they want to take away, but to me, it's really all the same.

Change? Change what exactly? I only want a President that will do two things:

• Let me keep my own money
• Let me keep my guns (or right to own them)

Outside of that, I guess I don't care too much anymore. The most powerful man (or woman) in the world really isn't all that powerful.

Tax the wealthy? What is wealthy? Regarding the recent tax cuts, some have said that wealthy = $100,000 a year. Hah! Please. Maybe in some rundown town of Hope, Arkansas, but not in SoCal. Of course geographical considerations are rarely taken into account.

Anyway, what was I talking about? Oh yeah. Jaded. Feel totally blah about the election still. Don't like the Republican candidate much though I guess his views correlate most with mine. Hillary seems evil. Obama is inspirational, of course I have seen lot's of inspirational speakers at my time at Fortune 500 companies. Not sure I would vote for any of them. That and I disagree with 70% of his views.

But, I have to vote cause well, I can't complain if I don't. And I will definitely want to complain about whichever of the 3 eventually takes the office. Full-well knowing that their impact is rather limited. Unless they try to take my guns or money. You bastards! Leave those money and gun caches were you found 'em.

[Not Afraid]

Originally Posted by NirvanaMan

His VP and supporters can run under the slogan "You can do it, we can help."

There are quite a few marting campaign slogans that could be absconded for use by politics. There's a reason they're both called campaigns - it's just a bunch of marketing (which is why I am also very jaded - I see the marketing as too obvious).

How about:

You're in good hands with Obama
Just do it.
We try harder
I'd rather fight than switch. (McCain, perhaps?)
We've come a long way, baby.
Try it, you'll like it.
Think outside the box

Or, "With a name like Clinton, it has to be good"