Obama's Downtown Rally

Mr.Wizard

Mr.Wizard

1,000+ Posts
I took a stroll last night downtown and checked out Obama.

The security was impressive, side streets blocked off with City of Austin dump trucks, local cops, regional cops, and secret service all over the place.

Comfortable crowd that fit fine within 2 of the 3 blocks roped off.

Obama went on at 9pm and spoke for an hour, the standard stump speech he has been using.

He was loose and confident.

Once his cadence gets going, he takes on the air of a preacher, not a politician.

It was entertaining, did not say anything new, but well practiced in what he does say.

He's got a good game and very well will be the next President.

Some of the people in the crowd were just nuts, really, just over the top with the worship.

Lots of vendors selling all kinds of buttons, hats, and shirts.

Had a positive atmosphere overall.

I did find the woman behind me shrieking to be a bit over the top.
 
Wizard, I was there too, and I now see what the columnists mean when they talk about how the cult-like worship has gotten a little over the top.
 
It's bizarre. The last time I saw such worship, strangely enough, was at a Nader rally in 2000. People were praying to him and fainting and all that weird crap.
 
Based on the threads here, the worship is pretty strong on this board. People keep talking about all this amazing change he is going to bring. I really don't see it happening with the checks and balances built into our government system (thank goodness). All of the rhetoric is to secure votes and nothing more.

Bill Clinton was very good at this on the international front. Kyoto was on thing he always played-up knowing full well it was not going to get through congress. Obama is doing much of the same. 90% of what he says will never see the light of day.
 
worship?? I think that notion belittles the fact that he has inspired people to believe in their country again. People believe in their leader again. I think of a lot of you are scared of him and will do anything to discount his influence on the masses. I saw none of what you described last night. I saw a lot of people really excited about the prospect of change. I saw a lot of people who have grown to adore a man who is taking up a cause and is not afraid to be human.

And I also disagree that his speech was the same. I've been following many of his speeches and while much of it was the same, he deviated several times and ad-libbed, joked and generally showed that after all the politicking is done, he's really just a man. He's way more human and tangible than the other candidates and that is what makes him successful.
 
2 things about Obama stick out to me:
1) He NEVER says ANYTHING specific about policy implementation. Ever. I'm as intrigued by the guy as anyone and have listened/watched many of his speeches. There is simply nothing there. This continues to amaze me as I just don't see the substance of the excitement over this guy. Of course, I'm a realist, so I don't fit in with his following.

2) If he maintains this level of excitement (read: hasn't peaked too early), then he will have earned it. I don't see any way this excitement lasts another 8 months. It's only February. This is where the 24-hour news climate works against Obama. Fatigue.
 
I have serious doubts about McCain winning, even though my plan is to vote for him.

In light of the NYT issue going on right now, even though I think it is horrible journalism, it is affecting his campaign.

In the heat of an election I just do not see McCain handling the momentum I saw in person last night.
 
there's a long way to go until November

I do find the Republican talking points on Obama to be really annoying (most liberal Senator and no specifics)
 
I fully admit to holding him to a higher level, unintentionally. Perhaps its simply due to the hype. I just don't get it. To be fair, that article is from his hometown paper.

As posted above, I will check out his Houston speech.
 
There are enough specifics coming out of the BO camp to make it clear that he is just another tax and spend liberal. It's obvious. Historically, when it comes down to pulling the lever in the general election, most Americans vote their pocketbook which is why a mainstream liberal like BO has never been elected POTUS. McCain, while not a perfect candidate, can clearly claim the fiscal responsibility mantle in this campaign.

Regarding the war, BO has been gradually backing off his early position for rapid withdrawal from Iraq. Even he has learned that doing so would be a disaster and is gradually adjusting his position--especially since the surge he opposed is working and it's becoming more evident that troops will continue to be withdrawn before Nov, taking much of the wind out of his sails on the issue. As a result, the difference between him and McCain is becoming narrower if you take a close look and will be more so by Nov.
 
I have a question. Why is "tax and spend" worse than "borrow and spend," which appears to be the Republican mantra? As a young person, I would rather everyone paid up now instead of leaving the bill to me.
 
Question for the 'pubs: do you feel McCain has been more specific than Obama in terms of policy talk on the campaign trail?




Really?
 
with McCain . like him or not, you have a long long public record to review.
With BO you have promises of goodies: help for mortgages, help for tuition, help for health insurance among others
all of this can't come from tax cuts for the rich.
There is a web site that calculated the cost of each candidate's promises. I will try to find it, Obama's promises totaled more by far than even Hillary
 
I'm noticing an ugly trend.

First, those who trust the science of global warming are compared to followers of a new religion.

Now, Obama's supporters are getting labeled cult-like.

Ugly. Just plain ugly.
 
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