The similarities of Barack Obama and JFK can be pretty convincing

zulchzulu

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Tue Dec-25-07 10:28 PM
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The similarities of Barack Obama and JFK can be pretty convincing

Tonight, some DU members found the time and effort to produce lame push polls dissing Obama on the JFK factor and a thread or two questioning why anyone dare come up with the comparison between Barack Obama and JFK.

Personally, I have seen many politicians speak in person and have only seen films of JFK. The nearest I've come to seeing a Kennedy in person was seeing Ted Kennedy a few times in 2004, and he had the Kennedy magic with a crowd.

I've seen Barack Obama in person and he is certainly an amazing, charasmatic speaker who can energize a large crowd. Three people fainted at the speech I saw him at in Madison last October.

Whether he's the "next JFK" or the "next RFK" or "very MLK" is something I'll leave for others to say. In my view, Obama is fantastic in his own right and I refuse to pigeonhole him as someone else who has already been around.

But since it seems to be a sore subject for some, here's an article that spells out the notion, namely from Ted Sorenson, who knew JFK directly:

�Both Kennedy and Obama have fantastically winning smiles and I might say both are very relaxed in front of an audience and on television," he said in an interview. "They don�t shout into a microphone, they talk.

"The principles, the values Obama and Kennedy are enunciating are not five-point plans for new health care programmes, which is more Hillary's style."

The Kennedy legacy and the aura of Camelot have been powerful but largely unspoken themes underpinning the campaign of Mr Obama, another charismatic Harvard alumnus heralding a new era in politics.

Mr Kennedy broke down the barrier of becoming the first Roman Catholic president while Mr Obama is vying to become the first black occupant of the Oval Office.

(snip)

"He has great judgment, which he has demonstrated in his position against the Iraq war even before it started.

"Judgment is the single most important criterion for selecting a president. At the time of the <1962> Cuban missile crisis, Kennedy's powers of judgment were tested as no president has ever been tested. Fortunately for all of us, he really came up with the right answers. He was 45. Obama's 46 so he's an old geezer."

Mr Sorensen's eyes are now failing him but when he is at an Obama rally the message, mannerisms and atmosphere make it seem like the 1960 campaign once again.

"I've heard a lot of high pitched shrieks of approval, which I assume were coming from young women," he said. "I'm told the phenomenon known as leapers has returned.

"In Kennedy's case, along the motorcade route young women would levitate themselves to be able to see over the heads of taller people as he was driven by.

"There was excitement and enthusiasm that went into that leap as well as his good looks. It's interesting they report leaper sightings when Obama appears."

But perhaps the thing that most makes Mr Obama, the first-term Illinois senator, "on track" to become the new Mr Kennedy is his determination to transform American politics.

"There's a sense in this country that Washington badly needs to be changed. The election of Obama will not only change the players in Washington, it'll change the game itself."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/12/wobama112.xml