One of the best speeches I've ever seen.

Don't tell me that we can't change.

DamnYankees: One of the best speeches I've ever seen.

Don't tell me that we can't change.

agreed. I just READ it (haven't seen the video yet) and was greatly moved.

Will vote for McCain, unless the dems nominate this guy...

DamnYankees: One of the best speeches I've ever seen.

Don't tell me that we can't change.

I won't tell you can't, I can tell you that Obama doesn't plan to. A change compared to Bush, no doubt, but not actual change to the fundamental way Washington works.

In case you haven't noticed, every candidate talks about "change". The fact that Obama does so more convincingly doesn't mean much.

I'll root for anyone who can make default cynicism look as miserable and pointless as it should.

Damn, the guy can sure deliver an inspirational speech, can't he?

Unfortunately, of the Democratic candidates who have been in the race this year, only Hillary is less likely to deliver a fundamental change of the trajectory of our broken and corrupt government than Obama. I wish his inspirational words were backed up with more substance with respect to his positions and views on the issues.

Damn good speech, though. Damn good.

A better speech about change.

You know who else delivered inspirational speeches about the need for change?

oldebayer: You know who else delivered inspirational speeches about the need for change?

JFK?

Cyberluddite: Damn, the guy can sure deliver an inspirational speech, can't he?

Unfortunately, of the Democratic candidates who have been in the race this year, only Hillary is less likely to deliver a fundamental change of the trajectory of our broken and corrupt government than Obama. I wish his inspirational words were backed up with more substance with respect to his positions and views on the issues.

Damn good speech, though. Damn good.

He has plenty of specific positions, and you can read them on his website. He just knows that a great speech isn't made up of policy positions, so you won't find them in his oratory. It doesn't mean they don't exist.

Top that Romney!

So did he write this? Or does he have a professional speech writer?

Because if he actually wrote this... wow. Just wow.

Dayum, that dude can give a speech

he makes it seem like its all off the top of his head.... that's key.



/gives hope not just to americans.

Hillary would be considered the greatest American this year if she dropped out and threw her support behind Obama.

But that won't happen because she's a miserable engine of selfish, power-hungry nastiness.

So instead, she'll stew in her miserable campaign right through the convention.

That was the best speech I've heard in a long time. Bravo Obama.

Cyberluddite: Unfortunately, of the Democratic candidates who have been in the race this year, only Hillary is less likely to deliver a fundamental change of the trajectory of our broken and corrupt government than Obama. I wish his inspirational words were backed up with more substance with respect to his positions and views on the issues.

baby steps, my friend...baby steps.

Obama may be a baby step, but he's a baby step forward. What, I should consider maybe a vote for Romney?

I have a hunch this won't be the last time this is applicable

DamnYankees: He has plenty of specific positions, and you can read them on his website. He just knows that a great speech isn't made up of policy positions, so you won't find them in his oratory. It doesn't mean they don't exist.

I didn't mean that I wished he had stated more substantive policy positions in this speech (though my post was poorly written and I can see how you read it that way). What I meant was that his substantive policy positions won't really effect any meaningful change from the current system. He talks about change very well in theory, but I don't expect him to deliver it if he gets elected.

I would denifitely prefer him to Hillary by a wide margin. But I'm voting for Edwards.

I'd love to have a real Republican win for a change, but really, they don't stand much of a chance against this guy. I just hope he doesn't fark it up too bad. Too many times we've gotten burned by broken campaign promises.

Great speech, great speech.

As someone who has pretty much been nothing more than an absolute cynic when it comes to politics, I can say this without a shadow of a doubt:

I believe in Barack Obama.

Cyberluddite: But I'm voting for Edwards

Edwards's intentions are pure with respect with poor and government corruption, but he just reeks of sleazy lawyerism and maybe that is why he is always in last place.

/Is being angry with Republicans going to change their minds?
//Meet the future leader of the Democrat party, President Barack Obama

Great speech. I threw in with Obama after a speech he gave on, I think, Labor Day.

At no point did he try to tell me who to hate or who to blame. After I shook off my confusion, I sent my first contribution in years.

Churchill2004: I can tell you that Obama doesn't plan to

Thanks for the premonition karnak

Hillary's not going to take this too well.

What is he talking about at 6:55?

I_Approve_Of_This_Message: As someone who has pretty much been nothing more than an absolute cynic when it comes to politics, I can say this without a shadow of a doubt:

I believe in Barack Obama.

This.

Corollary: If a candidate is this smart, has tons of money, can inspire and communicate with the likes of JFK and FDR, and doesn't win the nomination, then what does that say about our system?

Cyberluddite: Damn, the guy can sure deliver an inspirational speech, can't he?

Unfortunately, of the Democratic candidates who have been in the race this year, only Hillary is less likely to deliver a fundamental change of the trajectory of our broken and corrupt government than Obama. I wish his inspirational words were backed up with more substance with respect to his positions and views on the issues.

Damn good speech, though. Damn good.

Lionel Mandrake: baby steps, my friend...baby steps.

Obama may be a baby step, but he's a baby step forward.

I agree with both of you. He's decidedly not that much of a divergence from the center- but he does have the ability to rally people, and at least on energy and emissions, he does represent the most realistic and most progressive position of all the front runners.

He is a step forward. Even if you aren't happy with how large of one, be goddamn glad it isn't a step to the side (Hillary) or backwards (Giuliani).

He won SC? My god the US has changed. I mean, South Carolina? The South Carolina? Amazing.

Good speach. No, great speech. Makes me wish I was in that crowd to share in the goodness.

I love this guy. Half honky, all donkey!

finally, some hope.

don't screw it up


/i believe.
//obama's been laden with praise in this thread.

Meat's dream: I love this guy. Half honky, all donkey!

Jon Snow: He's decidedly not that much of a divergence from the center- but he does have the ability to rally people

Yes, I agree. And his ability to rally people--and to bring disaffected groups into the political process--is, to me at least, his most appealing and useful quality. If he truly is going to affect any real change in the political landscape, it'll be because of that.

jennyz, don't be bitter. I'm sure Huckabee can lose the stress weight, overcome the Corporate wing's disdain for him, appease the vast numbers of people that are not comfortable [1][2] with him wanting to reshape the Constitution to apease the Christian God, and will go on to win the nomination and then the White House. Don't worry.

Cyberluddite: Yes, I agree. And his ability to rally people--and to bring disaffected groups into the political process--is, to me at least, his most appealing and useful quality. If he truly is going to affect any real change in the political landscape, it'll be because of that.

I like to think about it like this- he put his Energy and Emissions plan further ahead of Clinton and Edwards (who {JE] should be credited with moving the bar as forward as it was- he pushed the other two far beyond what they could have gotten away with).

Obama is both from a coal friendly state and a state that has ethanol capabilities. He initially made a bad call (for the rest of us) on new coal and biofuels (that benefited IL), and received some minor bad press. Rather than stick to the pork, he did the reading and changed for the positive.

This isn't a good move for him politically, nationally or locally. While climate change is a huge international and somewhat important Democratic issue, only one Republican has even articulated a game plan (McCain) on it, and he has been bashed for even doing that much. Obama really had no reason to adjust his stance. He's certainly not winning any GOP converts for it, nor is hyping how great his stance is versus Clinton and Edwards, even though his plan is better.

That to me is hopeful. Much more so than anything about Iraq.

Churchill2004: I won't tell you can't, I can tell you that Obama doesn't plan to. A change compared to Bush, no doubt, but not actual change to the fundamental way Washington works.

In case you haven't noticed, every candidate talks about "change". The fact that Obama does so more convincingly doesn't mean much.

We get it, you don't like anyone except Ron Paul.

/sigh
//Paulistas don't realize they're hurting their cause

Articulate, highly-educated, thoughtful, inquisitive, literate, funny. He's the anti-Dubya.

Watch for the next viral hate email tomorrow.

Echoic: Churchill2004: In case you haven't noticed, every candidate talks about "change". The fact that Obama does so more convincingly doesn't mean much.

We get it, you don't like anyone except Ron Paul.

/sigh
//Paulistas don't realize they're hurting their cause

Happy to have RP win the GOP. Another crazy Texan, good, good.

Life-long Democrat.

Echoic: We get it, you don't like anyone except Ron Paul.

/sigh
//Paulistas don't realize they're hurting their cause

I'm hurting Paul by expressing my opinion that Obama's "change" is nothing more than pretty rhetoric?

There are a lot of things some Ron Paul supporters have done to alienate people. Disliking Obama isn't one of them.

/note that you're the one who even mentioned Paul

Churchill2004: I'm hurting Paul by expressing my opinion that Obama's "change" is nothing more than pretty rhetoric?

There are a lot of things some Ron Paul supporters have done to alienate people. Disliking Obama isn't one of them.

/note that you're the one who even mentioned Paul

I'm not talking about just this post. It's the history of your postings during the entire '08 primaries. It's the 'push everyone down to pull my candidate up" thing. Can't stand it, no matter who you're talking about.

I like Ron Paul, but he's no longer my candidate. His supporters are largely to blame for that, because they drive me nuts and I don't want to be affiliated with them. Paulistas don't realize that. Just a warning.

Does it bother anyone else that the "transcript" at the link leaves out a lot of the actual speech? Lots of key words missing.

Here's why the youth votes for Obama:

We're tired of your shiat, boomers.

Echoic: I'm not talking about just this post. It's the history of your postings during the entire '08 primaries. It's the 'push everyone down to pull my candidate up" thing.

I've never been "push everyone down to pull my candidate up". I've expressed negative opinions about other candidates in threads where they're the topic of discussion because I dislike what they advocate. Using your logic, people shouldn't talk about any candidate except the one they support.

Echoic: I like Ron Paul, but he's no longer my candidate. His supporters are largely to blame for that, because they drive me nuts and I don't want to be affiliated with them. Paulistas don't realize that. Just a warning.

You're warning the wrong person. The crazies have always been nothing more than a vocal minority, and I agree that they're second only to the mismanaged campaign as far as reasons Paul hasn't done better. However, again, not liking candidates whose positions are diametrically opposed to our own is not part of our problem.

sg2001: Here's why the youth votes for Obama:

We're tired of your shiat, boomers.

This! They are a bunch of war mongering, racist, divisive, sexually repressed generation I have ever seen...

/can't wait to get old!

Barack Obama:

1. Voted to reauthorize the patriot act.

2. Sen. Obama supported every funding bill for Iraq, some $300 billion. [2005 Vote # 117, HR1268, 5/10/05; 2005 Vote # 326, S1042, 11/15/05; 2006 Vote # 112, HR4939, 5/4/06; 2006 Vote # 239; 2006 Vote # 186, S2766, 6/22/06; HR5631, 9/7/06]

3. Sen. Obama didn't introduce legislation to end the Iraq war until he started running for president. [S. 433, introduced 1/30/07]

4. Votes "present" on bills, not yes or no. (wtf does that mean)

5. Will not answer questions regarding his vote on HR 2640 (removes the right to own a gun for anyone who has ever been diagnosed with PTSD. Including soldiers, police, firemen, rape victims, or anyone who has had life threatenig experiences)

/change
//really real change

SeismicJizzer

This! They are a bunch of war mongering, racist, divisive, sexually repressed generation I have ever seen...

/can't wait to get old!

It's weird to think about the hippies and see what's happened. They should love Obama. Y may be an echo generation, but it sure is good at exposing hypocrisy.

Shiat that was a great bedtime story =]

/warm, fuzzies

pfm-kamikaze: 1. Voted to reauthorize the patriot act.

He did not vote for the PA really. He worked with Russ Feingold to weaken it and then voted for the revised verison of it. Common smear.

2. Sen. Obama supported every funding bill for Iraq, some $300 billion. [2005 Vote # 117, HR1268, 5/10/05; 2005 Vote # 326, S1042, 11/15/05; 2006 Vote # 112, HR4939, 5/4/06; 2006 Vote # 239; 2006 Vote # 186, S2766, 6/22/06; HR5631, 9/7/06]

He did. Obama opposed the war but believes that once the soldiers are at war, they must be funded and equipped.

3. Sen. Obama didn't introduce legislation to end the Iraq war until he started running for president. [S. 433, introduced 1/30/07]

Okay. He's been in the senate for three years.

4. Votes "present" on bills, not yes or no. (wtf does that mean)

Well, at least you admit that you don't understand it. Present votes in the Illinois state legislature are not 'duck the issue' votes. I'll let papers speak for me here:

Criticizing Present Votes Indicates "You Don't Have A Great Understanding Of The Process." "'Criticizing Obama on the basis of 'present' votes indicates you don't have a great understanding of the process,' said Thom Mannard, director of the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence." [Chicago Tribune, Zorn, 3/9/04]

5. Will not answer questions regarding his vote on HR 2640 (removes the right to own a gun for anyone who has ever been diagnosed with PTSD. Including soldiers, police, firemen, rape victims, or anyone who has had life threatenig experiences)

I don't know much about this.