Obama plays hardball

[ImnoMensa]

Dallas - News - Obama and Me

This is a bit long but worth the read. You wonder how he got where he is??

This isnt the first time he has been the annointed one.

That was a very difficult read to get through. About 80% of the time, the writer is talking about his own life. The piece would have been better called "The Life and Times of Todd Spivak." What's that got to do with Obama? When he does talk about Obama, it's mostly heresay, so I'm guessing that this guy doesn't really know much.

But, there was one bit of the story that caught my attention. He recounts a supposed conversation between former Chicago alderman Cliff Kelly and Senate Majority Leader Emil Jones Jr. Kelly says that during this conversation, Jones says "Cliff, I'm gonna make me a U.S. senator... Barack Obama." The writer then goes on to say that Jones then appointed Obama as the sponsor of virtually every high-profile piece of legislation. Lastly, and quoting the author, "During his seventh and final year in the Illinois Senate, Obama's stats soared. He sponsored a whopping 26 bills passed into law—including many he now cites in his presidential campaign when attacked as inexperienced. It was a stunning achievement that started him on the path of national politics, and he couldn't have done it without Jones."

Assuming that any of this is true and/or accurate, and it could well be, the question that is left unanswered is why? Why did Jones go all in for Obama? Spivak, during the brief times that he's writing about Obama and not himself, describes Obama as "Before Obama ran for U.S. Senate in 2004, he was virtually unknown even in his own state", "He is just a rank-and-file state senator in Illinois", "He wrote an occasional column published in our papers. It ran with a headshot that made him look about 14 years old", and "He sounded vanilla, and activists in his mostly black district often chided him for it."

So, being a strong cause and effect guy, and assuming that the writer's story is correct, I have to ask myself why did Jones take this course of action? Why would a guy who has taken control of the Illinois legislature for the Democrats, for the first time in 26 years, place the fate of that control into the hands of a guy who few knew, looked like a 14-year old, and who was seen as a vanilla kinda guy? I've heard of a lot of annointed candidates, but they are usually related to someone in power, have made their name fighting crime, are celebrities or former high-ranking officers, etc, but never have I heard of a guy who few knew, looked like a 14-year old, and who was seen as a vanilla kinda guy getting the nod, especially with a new controlling majority. Granted, the writer does throw Obama a bone and write that Obama was "smart, confident, charismatic and liberal", but I'm guessing the same could be said about most Illionois Democrat senators. So, again, why does Jones make the decision to take all this legislation away from guys with years of experience and give it to the rookie with no connections?

This story, as written, just doesn't add up to me. Either the writer is full of it (which is my guess), Obama had pictures of Jones doing a goat, or maybe Obama was doing a lot of great things that missed Spivak's attention but caught Jone's?

[ImnoMensa]

Its open to interpretation. Maybe Jones wanted to play Kingmaker? It worked.

Originally Posted by ImnoMensa

Its open to interpretation. Maybe Jones wanted to play Kingmaker? It worked.

It worked, if it even ever happened, but I would still like to know what it was about Obama that led Jones to want to bet the farm for his new found majority on someone who appears to have been the nag in the race. That is the story. Absent the details, it is just as likely that a newly elected Obama came into office, saw that the rank-and-file senators were more busy chasing their receptionists than being serious about getting things done, displayed some personal initiative and started getting bills passed, and Jones was just trying to paint himself as the catalyst after the fact... that's been know to happen too.

If Jones saw something in Obama that led him to bet it all on the guy, I would be interested to know what it was.

[Pete (Premo)]

Originally Posted by Bruzilla

It worked, if it even ever happened, but I would still like to know what it was about Obama that led Jones to want to bet the farm for his new found majority on someone who appears to have been the nag in the race. That is the story. Absent the details, it is just as likely that a newly elected Obama came into office, saw that the rank-and-file senators were more busy chasing their receptionists than being serious about getting things done, displayed some personal initiative and started getting bills passed, and Jones was just trying to paint himself as the catalyst after the fact... that's been know to happen too.

If Jones saw something in Obama that led him to bet it all on the guy, I would be interested to know what it was.

Maybe he just liked Obama. Maybe Obama was the only one "clean" enough to work being a new comer and all. We are talking about Illinois politics afterall.

Originally Posted by Pete

Maybe he just liked Obama. Maybe Obama was the only one "clean" enough to work being a new comer and all. We are talking about Illinois politics afterall.

That's my point. It could be anything. ImNoMensa appears to be locked on to the angle that he was annointed without due cause, and that could be a possibility, but it is just one possibility. In my years in business I have seen people promoted to lofty positions because they were sleeping with the boss, and I've seen people promoted because they were quietly doing a lot of behind the scenes heavy lifting that I never saw. I thought they were getting a free pass, but I was wrong. So I am not so quick to judge someone as being annointed until I first find out what the motivation for promoting them was.

[ylexot (Premo)]

It could also be that Obama was neieve enough to be manipulated which would make him a good puppet...

[ImnoMensa]

I may be locked into the argument that he was annointed,and you may be locked into hating Mccain so badly that your own judgement is clouded.

Opinions are what make horse races.

Originally Posted by ImnoMensa

I may be locked into the argument that he was annointed,and you may be locked into hating Mccain so badly that your own judgement is clouded.

Opinions are what make horse races.

Clouding is exactly what I am trying to avoid. I dislike McCain because I have taken the trouble to review his background and his activities, and I find him to be a fraud and someone who's not qualified to be president. My view is not based on opinion, but what I've been able to learn about him. As for Obama, I am trying to give him the same view I gave McCain. He may have been annointed for a wide-range of reasons, or he could have busted ass in the senate and this Jones guy was just trying to take the credit. I have seen plenty of both types of people in my day, so I'm witholding my judgement until I see some more facts.

[Larry Gude (Premo)]

Originally Posted by Bruzilla

It worked, if it even ever happened, but I would still like to know what it was about Obama that led Jones to want to bet the farm for his new found majority on someone who appears to have been the nag in the race. That is the story. Absent the details, it is just as likely that a newly elected Obama came into office, saw that the rank-and-file senators were more busy chasing their receptionists than being serious about getting things done, displayed some personal initiative and started getting bills passed, and Jones was just trying to paint himself as the catalyst after the fact... that's been know to happen too.

If Jones saw something in Obama that led him to bet it all on the guy, I would be interested to know what it was.

...kingmakers look for a good bet and Obama is a good bet. He looks and sounds great, the two primary traits for presidential winners. He has no serious baggage, or at least not much. He's ambitious. His wife fits the mold. What's not to like?

Clinton was backed by the Tyson and Walmart kingdoms.

W, the GOP establishment.

Seems pretty plausible and traight forward to me.