Thank You Barack Obama

[goad74]

John's looking for the chain letter.....wait a sec

[Shad]

If Obama gets elected, I'm moving to a condo near downtown.

[John]

GP keeps locking up on me, for some reason.

Anyway, Obama was a regular old state senator from Illinois who made several attempts to get elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, but couldn't. Then, the incumbent U.S. Senator from Illinois got involved in some sex scandal during his divorce while he was running for re-election. He resigned and a bunch of local yokels came to feed on the scraps. The Dems pushed Obama to the forefront and he was elected. There you have it: Obama-mania.

This was just three years ago in 2004, mind you.

I’m not saying anything for or against Barrack. That's just how he came onto the scene.

Lucky.

[John]

Sen. Jack Ryan, that's the guy. No angel himself.

Ryan hoped to succeed retiring Republican Peter Fitzgerald in the United States Senate. On March 16, 2004, he won the Republican primary, thus pairing him against Democrat Barack Obama. However, after reports of embarrassing allegations about Ryan's sexual past, he withdrew his candidacy on June 25, 2004, and officially filed the documentation to withdraw on July 29, 2004.

Controversially, in 2004, Ryan had Justin Warfel (a campaign worker) follow his opponent, Barack Obama, twenty-four hours a day and record everything he did in public on videotape. Warfel did not follow Obama into his office or private residences, but he recorded Obama at all other times. Warfel also heckled Obama by yelling questions at him in public. The tactic backfired when many people, including Ryan's supporters, criticized this activity. Ryan eventually withdrew Warfel but did not apologize [1].

[ferg2001]

he's smart, articulate and inspires people. ...and with his name, coupled with how stupid most americans are he's gotta be all of those things x2. luck only gets you so far.

[goad74]

Borgs for Barack

[crosshair]

Originally Posted by John

Goddamn, Obama really seized on the scandal that got him elected, didn't he?

No, that scandal seized on itself. Obama showed class by not crassly exploiting it, he didn't need to. What a jackass that Ryan guy was. The Illinois GOP was in a state of total hilarious meltdown.

Obama won a very difficult D primary race as a nobody, against a self-financing bazillionaire and several other better known, better financed opponents.

My prediction for 2008 is that all the GOP contenders melt down in one way or another until the only one left standing is... Alan Keyes. And then we will have a madcap rematch of that hilarious episode in IL, on the national stage. Please God make it happen.

I love that crazy dude.

[John]

Originally Posted by ferg2001

he's smart, articulate and inspires people. ...and with his name, coupled with how stupid most americans are he's gotta be all of those things x2. luck only gets you so far.

Right on, I couldn't agree with you more.


My original post wasn't meant to be derogatory. He took an opportunity and has run with about as far as one can: the U.S. Presidency. The only other thing more he could have done was had Jessica Alba shooting cartoon hearts out of her eyes at him.

[9pod9]

Originally Posted by ferg2001

he's smart, articulate and inspires people. ...and with his name, coupled with how stupid most americans are he's gotta be all of those things x2. luck only gets you so far.

Yeah, I remember seeing his speech at the last Democratic National Convention and thinking, "Well, there's the first black president."

Jeez, an articulate president. Wouldn't that be nice?

[goad74]