I'm from Illinois and voted for Barack Obama in the primaries and Senator in 2004 (would gladly do it again) and felt his election was just about the brightest result of the otherwise dismal performance for Democrats at the federal level. I believe he is an incredible word-smith who has wide appeal and a life-story far more inspiring than John Edwards. I'd be proud to have an African-American president and hope I live to see that day, but all of that is a lot of icing on a thin cake.
I'm from Illinois and voted for Barack Obama in the primaries and Senator in 2004 (would gladly do it again) and felt his election was just about the brightest result of the otherwise dismal performance for Democrats at the federal level. I believe he is an incredible word-smith who has wide appeal and a life-story far more inspiring than John Edwards. I'd be proud to have an African-American president and hope I live to see that day, but all of that is a lot of icing on a thin cake.
And I've never been a very big fan of Hillary. Yes, I would gladly vote for Obama and begrudgingly for Hillary over any Republican--I've been reading Daily Kos for too long and too often to not know that the most conservative Democrat votes for the progressive position more often than the most liberal Republican. And I know how important it is to control the chairmanships of the committees--I'm not making any melodramatic threat to leave the Democratic party, but I do not think Hillary or Obama are the right choices for the Democratic Presidential nominee in 2008.
First and foremost, Barack Obama is not a seasoned politician. It's one thing to be untainted by DC lobbying and "phony collegiality" like Brian Schweitzer or Jim Webb, but it is another to have won your primary because of ugly, personal allegations made against your opponents only to face a joke like Allan Keyes. I do believe he would have handedly beaten Republican Jack Ryan without the blown-out-of-proportion sex-scandal, but I do not believe he would not have even reached the general election without allegations of domestic abuse against Democratic contender Blair Hull.
What I liked about Obama was his humility in the face of media adoration--having supported his Senate run from the beginning, he did us proud by concentrating on his job as our representative. Before he was quick to point out his lack of legislative accomplishments when asked if he was considering a 2008 run, but it seems recent Democratic victories and constant media attention have gone to his head. Where's the legislative record to prove he's more than just a handsome face, toothy smile, intelligent eyes, and silver tongue? Why isn't he on my TV fighting for intervention in Sudan instead of Iraq? Where's the automatically-adjusting-for-inflation minimum-wage bill? Where was he when it was time to censure George W Bush's illegal spying? Where are the innovative ideas towards energy independence and more accessible health-care? And yes, I'd love a black president, but what about John Conyers, Jesse Jackson Jr., or Shelia Jackson-Lee? They've been champions of accountability, poverty issues, and voter rights for years--why not them?
And yeah, I know, I know he's the junior Senator, who until January, will have been in the minority--exactly my point: let's see what he does in the next few congressional sessions when he will have the opportunity to dictate policy. This diary is not meant to be a cynical attack--I do believe that Obama, with time, will be apart of some great legislative policy, but I want that to, you know, actually happen.
Now to Hillary Clinton. I'm sorry but I have serious qualms about Hillary and so did a majority of Americans--until she stuck with Bill after the Lewinsky scandal. I do not wish the viability of candidate to be based on sympathy. I know there are many dKos readers who might take issue with my interpretation of her popularity, but the fact is Hillary was not popular on her own merits--and yes much of that has to do, I'm sure, with lingering sexism and the "roles" first-ladies should play.
My dislike of Hillary stems more from, first and foremost, her support of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. I am very tired of these Democrats who "thought it was a good idea but Bush handled it wrong". While Bush's cronyism is absolutely shameful and has only made things worse, invading Iraq was never a viable or sensible idea. Yes, I'd love for Iraq to be a democracy, I'd also love to win the lottery and live in constant 70 degree weather, but "shocking and awing" a country (with little recent democratic history) into submission will never bring democracy, whether the President is Lyndon Johnson or George W Bush.
I'm also sure standard progressive legislation protecting a woman's right to choose, reasonable college tuition, minimum wage, sensible CO2 regulations and increased fuel-efficiency laws would be made a priority under Hillary, but I don't trust her to see through bullshit lobbying campaigns that keep subsidizing farmers to grow corn instead of hemp for ethanol. Also, Hillary's fundraising tends to be "top-down" and relies more on big donors rather than large numbers of small donations like Howard Dean.
So I'm not sure what we're in for this pre-primary season, but I really hope we nominated someone else than Obama or Hillary--not that Biden is any better (and certainly worse than Obama). I was a big fan of Mark Warner, but since he'll be sitting 2008 out, I guess I'll just have to let the candidates fight for my vote--we'll see what I think 13 months from now, and who knows? Maybe I'll end up voting for Obama anyways.
Update 1: Great comment on what Obama has been doing since elected.
Update 2:This is not an "end of the world" if Hillary wins diary, you'll note I wrote that I would vote for her, but I think we could do a lot better. And yes, I would gladly vote for Obama in the primaries 6-10 years from now--assuming he continues working towards progressive goals--and will gladly vote for him in the generals in 2008, but I want someone more politically tested with a federal record to fall back upon--getting things done in DC is much different than the state senate chamber. And please, this has nothing to do with not wanting the blacks or women to be president: Biden and Dodd aren't worth the time to diary about because they'll never win...unlike Hillary or Obama.