Obama banks on credentials, charisma

[La_Serpiente]

Obama banks on credentials, charisma

His clear voice resonating through the auditorium, state Sen. Barack Obama was reciting his mantra about how Americans are intrinsically good people linked by decency and hope when an aide to another political candidate shrugged his shoulders.

"He is without a doubt the most dynamic speaker up there," the aide said, referring to Obama amid the six Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate on hand for a joint appearance. "I wish my candidate had half of that."

After the forum, a small gaggle of fawning supporters surrounded Obama, shoving campaign literature at him to be autographed. Meanwhile, several other candidates looked almost lonely, searching the crowd for someone to chat up.

Few Democrats would disagree that among the packed field of Senate hopefuls, Obama carries the most commanding presence--and arguably the most impressive resume. Obama, 42, is a Harvard Law School graduate--the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review, in fact--and was a South Side community organizer. Now a state lawmaker, he also teaches constitutional law at the University of Chicago.

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Obama banks on credentials, charisma

He has Kenyan roots (his father was from Kenya) and was born in Hawaii. The children of immigrants can grow up to do successful things. :thumbsup:

[madrchsod]

1. well that`s all well and good

but out here in the corn and bean fields no one has a clue who he is. not only him but the rest of the democrats. oh well, i guess we will have to try to figure out on our own. illinois politics.

[Nailzberg]

2. "a small gaggle of fawning supporters"

Great, that's how the dems will win a seat.
No offense to Obama, good guy, but '04 won't be his year.

[chiburb]

3. From the Chi. Trib:

A few quick impressions of the candidates' performances in the City Club of Chicago's standing-room-only noontime debate today among the Democrats vying for the U.S. Senate nomination in the March 16 primary.

From left to right as we faced the podium:
Gery Chico--Impressive speaker and commanding presence. But when he gets away from touting his record on education (hey, you'd think former Chicago school chief Paul Vallas was a darn sock puppet to hear Chico talk about his achievements) he's less persuasive

Dan Hynes -- Fumbled on the only key play of the day. Publicist Cheryl Lewin asked about Sunday's St. Louis Post Dispatch investigative report on how Hynes apparently uses a sleazy but technically legal cash re-donation scheme to turn his state campaign funds into federal campaign funds. Hynes snapped, "You read the Post Dispatch regularly?" Then, after Lewin crisply told him that she read a lot on line and was simply trying to be an informed voter, Hynes dismissed the story by saying "I follow the law to a T." Not a good answer for a candidate who wants to be seen as a reformer.

Barack Obama -- Calm, eloquent, earnest. Played up his dazzling resume. Not as emphatic as Chico; seemed more like a senator than someone running for the senate.

Paul Green -- Not a candidate, but the moderator. Genial and fast with the quip; came across as the most likable person on the dais. Had to rule as out of bounds an obscure and pointed question about the Miriam Santos criminal case from gadfly Victor Crown, but such questions are just what the City Club gets for using a format in which questions from self-selected audience members guide the debate.

Maria Pappas -- Still light on substance. In a column Saturday I criticized her for having an "issues" portion of her website that offered only 189 words on three topics. She said an upgrade was on the way, and indeed now Maria on The Issues features 1,820 words on those same three topics. But she continues to speak in broad generalities.

Nancy Skinner --Smart, informed, specific and edgy. Tended to rush when delivering her answers and so didn't appear quite as comfortable in public speaking as some of the other candidates, thus undercutting her claim to being the best communicator in the pack. Did she notice the kind overture that Obama made to her during one of his answers?

Joyce Washington -- When asked to explain why anyone should vote for her over the other candidates, she said because she has experience as an executive in the health care field and because she is an African American woman. The issues portion of her Web site is illustratively light, featuring only a series of short, platitudinous sound files that make Maria Pappas look like a policy wonk.

Blair Hull -- The day's only real loser because he didn't show up.
Tomorrow-- The Republicans square off.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/ericzorn/chi-zornlog,1,704173.story?coll=chi-homepagenews-utl