Obama '08?

This is from Michael Ramirez's biography. I found it while looking for information about the cartoonist. He's a Pulitzer prize winning cartoonist with a reputation for using stereotypes as parody in his cartoons. After reading his own words, it leaves little doubt to the innocent cuteness of the parody. Editorial cartoons aren't usually published for their "cuteness."

"Editorial cartoons should be smart and substantive, provocative and informative. They should stir passions and deep emotions. Editorial cartoons should be the catalyst for thought, and frankly speaking, if you can make politicians think, that is an accomplishment in itself. If I don't get at least one death threat every few months, then I'm not doing my job," Ramirez says of his penchant for sparking controversy.

https://www.copleynews.com/1cns/EditorialCartoons/rz/

I have to revise my opinion of the cartoon. It accomplishes his goal of sparking controversy vey well. That cartoon wouldn't have nearly the impact if he'd used an Asian- or Hispanic-American female. Using the convenient Jessica (Chicken of the Sea) Simpson TV ad for the parody just adds another few layers to the number of stereotypes he wanted to include.


Blatham, ""I think he comes at things in a way that is perpendicular to the usual left-right axis.""

That's why the timing is perfect for him to run. It could also be the groundwork for creating a viable third party.

Good piece here... LAT

Obama Testing the Waters

<we need a nibbling fingernails emoticon...>

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS
Clinton, Obama Clearing The Field
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), trading on star power, the capacity to raise tens of millions of dollars with relative ease and an ability to dominate media attention, are rewriting the script of the 2008 Democratic presidential campaign, driving potential rivals...
(By Dan Balz, The Washington Post)

That's very funny, soz. May Santa bring you everything you deserve.

"Simply put, it's the Obama factor," said Democratic pollster Peter Hart. "Obama's entry into the presidential race essentially raised the ante. Candidates who used to do careful exploration with the hope that they could catch fire in Iowa and New Hampshire and move from there recognize that there's no oxygen left out there for their candidacies."

Republicans have their own celebrity candidates in Arizona Sen. John McCain and former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, but they cast a far smaller shadow on their rivals. Those so far sidelined in the GOP race - Sens. Bill Frist of Tennesee and George Allen of Virginia - have landed there through their own mistakes, not the looming presence of the two early poll leaders.

Dominating candidates are not new to presidential campaigns, nor is it uncommon for some politicians to explore a candidacy but never run. In 1992, many prominent Democrats chose not to run, fearful that President George Bush could not be defeated.

Even though neither has announced for president, Clinton and Obama have demonstrated the advantages of celebrity status in a world of cable news and expanding Internet communities. They have the capacity to raise tens of millions of dollars with relative ease.

Only former Vice President Al Gore might be able to command the kind of attention Clinton and Obama receive, say veteran strategists. But he has made no serious moves toward running.

Webpage Title source

Brianmas wishes to B and D from B and J.

According to Lynn Sweet in today's Chicago Sun-Time, "Obama, on vacation in Hawaii, has decided to run."
But the next sentence clears it up " He has said he will announce his decision in January."

Merry Christmas to me!!

I won't get too excited until the actual announcement, but... ooh!

http://kgmb9.com/kgmb/display.cfm?storyID=10043&sid=1183

They're serious about him in Hawaii.

Unlike sozobe, I am excited! This guy fires up more Americans to become active and fight for what's right in our country. He's smart and has charisma.

He brings back hope to our country for the first time in many years.

Well, I'm excited obviously...! Just don't want to put too much stock in an aside from a columnist. I'm waiting until Obama makes an official announcement before breaking out the confetti.

yawn........zzzzzzzzzz.........

By the way, hope for what? I thought the man FROM HOPE already brought us that?

OK, ehBeth, maybe.

Okie, he did. That was a really nice time in America. I'd much rather be in a time similar to that one than the one we're in now.

I can only speak for myself:

Hope for a better future for our country and the world.
Hope that the hard problems will at least be confronted, even if they can't be solved (like pollution and climate change, health care, taxes, the Israeli-Palestinian crisis, Darfur, etc...).
Hope for real leadership in government.
Hope for change from the status quo in the federal government.

I don't know where to start so I won't. At least you need to know some of us have different opinions. And Obama will need to eventually tell us what hes for and against. I aint votin for him because he talks good according to some people. And I didn't think he talked all that good. And reports are that some people are disappointed now when they hear him speak because the buildup has him more impressive than he really is. Time will tell whether hes a flash in the pan.

Pragmatism and competence.