President Obama?

As most of the world knows, Senator Barack Obama announced today that he is forming an exploratory committee — the first formal step in declaring his candidacy for President in 2008. I have been loosely following the Senator since his speech at the Democratic Convention in 2004. He is a fascinating phenomenon at the very least. There has been an enormous amount of commentary about him, especially in the last year as it became apparent that he was considering a run for president, with people trying to figure out who he is and what he stands for….I think we are about to find out.

The reason I enjoy listening to the Senator speak about anything is that he makes me feel good, about Americans and our country, about the future. There are a lot of people trying to compartmentalize him and categorize him and I don’t think it’s going to be that easy. He is obviously very intelligent, an excellent public speaker and charismatic. With the horrible, hateful state of politics in this country — after six years of divisive, wedge-issue politics — I think this man speaks to the best in all of us and that will be a very difficult effect to counter.

He says it’s the “smallness of our politics that most bothers him…our leaders in Washington seem incapable of working together in a practical, common-sense way. Politics has become so bitter and partisan and gummed up by money and influence that we can’t tackle the big problems that demand solutions, and that’s what we have to change.”

Check out his announcement video at www.barackobama.com.

Sorry for lack of updates…

I apologies for the lack of updates on my blog, these past couple of day’s I have been moving into a new house and I did not have any internet access. I will do my best to update you with of the 2008 news that was announced during my absence.

New Feature!

I will be posting the Pro’s and Con’s for some possible/current presidential candidates over the next couple of weeks…

…and the first one is……

TOMMY THOMPSON!! – (Republican)

PROS:

Looking for a conservative reformer? Try this former four-term governor, who’s best known for pioneering welfare reform in the 1980s and 1990s, championing school vouchers, and cutting taxes. And as President Bush’s HHS secretary, he knows a thing or two about one of today’s more pressing issues: health care. What’s more, he hails from an important battleground state where Republican candidates have come up short in the past few elections. And Wisconsin is next door to Iowa, home of the first nominating contests.

CONS:

A big problem for Thompson, who has announced he’s forming an exploratory committee, is that many people remember him for his last job — as a Bush cabinet official — and not his lengthy tenure as governor, which makes it harder for him to play the Washington outsider card. He’s also an avid backer of Amtrak, which is anathema to many conservatives. He has little to no national security experience. And in a GOP field featuring possibly a war hero maverick (McCain), a 9/11 hero (Giuliani), and a telegenic governor (Romney), where does Thompson’s money and support come from?

Edwards wants universal health care for all!..?

Edwards has staked out a strong position on universal healthcare. Apparently, he’s the first to be pushing this particular issue:

Democratic presidential contender John Edwards says it is more important to invest in universal health care and lifting people out of poverty than to reduce the budget deficit.

The 2004 vice presidential nominee said in an interview broadcast Sunday said “there is a tension” between the two directions, but he has made his choice.

“If I were choosing now between which is more important, I think the investments are more important,” he said on ABC’s “This Week.”

I see the mention of Universal Healthcare as a very smart bit of anti-Hillary maneuvering.

Mitt Romney Announces

Two key developments in the life of Mitt Romney happened last week:

1. He walked out of the Massachusetts Capitol for the last time as outgoing Governor.

2. He filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to form a presidential exploratory committee.

Updates will be posted tonight!

Happy New Year!!

 

2007!!!

John Edwards — “WELCOME HOME!!”

Newly announced Presidential candidate John Edwards returned to his home state last night to a huge rally.

 

Presidential hopeful John Edwards finished a six-state campaign tour on Saturday evening, returning to his home state where an overflowing crowd greeted him at an outdoor rally.

About 5,000 people, according to campaign officials, packed onto a grassy area across from Edwards’ Chapel Hill headquarters for the homecoming. Hundreds held “Tomorrow Begins Today” signs – a reference to Edwards’ effort to persuade Democrats to get involved in the 2008 presidential campaign early.

American flags were draped on a stage set up in the grassy square, and flags also hung from a few businesses in the surrounding shopping center. Children held red, white and blue balloons, and people chanted “Edwards! Edwards!” as they waited nearly two hours for the candidate to arrive from a stop in Columbia, S.C.

That’s pretty amazing, 5,000 people… especially around the holidays.

Edwards is in…

John Edwards officially entered the 2008 presidential race today because … his campaign website accidentally launched a day early.

“Aides quickly shut down the errant Web site,” the Associated Press reported, “but could not contain news of the obvious, even in the shadows of former President (Gerald) Ford’s death.”

There was a surprising revelation from Edwards’ platform.

“The priorities did not mention Iraq,” the AP reported, “evidence that some candidates may want to move beyond the war in the next presidential race.”

I will post more on this later …

Bownback in Iowa

This Weekly Standard article by Terry Eastland notes that the Iowa Caucuses are especially well-suited for an low-funded underdog campaign like Brownbacks. But the interesting part of the article is where Brownback would like to position himself in this fight.

The Brownback campaign, in short, sees an opportunity to position the senator as the standard-bearer for social conservatism. Jerry Zandstra, an ordained minister in the Christian Reformed Church and political activist in Michigan and a member of Brownback’s exploratory committee, is attacking Romney online for his views on abortion (as well as on other social issues), describing him as a candidate who is “historically pro-choice” but whose position “depends on the next election.” Zandstra is also taking on Giuliani (“unquestionably pro-choice”) and McCain (“B-plus” on opposing abortion).

Brownback is going to be a pain in the neck for John McCain.