Comments on: Is Obama the new JFK?

By: Dr. Slammy

Dr. Slammy — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 03:47:45 +0000

You are dramatically uninformed. Sure, some Xers have early Boomer parents – these things do overlap. But the Boom was 1943-1960 and X was 1961 to 1980. The front edge of the Boom is around 65 right now but the tail end isn’t even 50 yet.

Do the math. And maybe read some of the experts.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 03:26:24 +0000

Millenials are not the children of Baby Boomers…GenXers are. Baby Boomers are in their sixties, which means they would have had their Millenial kids in their forties. Get your math right. GenXers are the children of Baby Boomers. I’m 25, a millenial (by all definitions, I suppose), and my mother was born in ‘59…too young to be a Baby Boomer.

By: robert

robert — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 21:30:12 +0000

What is so great about Obama? ” at least that’s what i thought at one time. ” Untill one night when I heard him speak “. There he was I saw it” Jfk the Second ” lol ” spazz”

By: Scholars and Rogues » Why I am for Obama: It’s more than just the man, it’s the movement

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 18:51:37 +0000

[...] a flat-out movement for change. His team has tapped into the restless sleeping giant that is the Millenial Generation, appealing to them with the latest social networking tools and paeans to togetherness, unity, and [...]

By: Phil Russell

Phil Russell — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 00:38:55 +0000

Darrell, January 7, 2008 at 2:10 pm :
I always liked Barack as a speaker, he does give hope, but then again if you listen to Huckster he does as well

Hey Darrell, do YOU have a blog?

By: Coleen Milton

Coleen Milton — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 19:43:42 +0000

The Millennial generation is in full force right now. Miore than ever are companies, business’ and empolyers reaching out to the most connected and networked generation in existence. I work with Cambria Suites and they too are reaching out in new ways with their website http://www.roomforyourimagination.com . You should check it out, it really gives insight into the new direction to head when connecting with millennials . I reccomend checking out room 224 at the website for a good laugh!

By: Djerrid

Djerrid — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 21:05:17 +0000

Talking about how he will deal with foreign policy, he has been actively working with the Kenyan leaders to create peace between their two rival tribes – on the day of the caucus!

On January 3, the day of the caucuses, he had a conversation with Bishop Desmond Tutu, who had flown to Nairobi to see if he could begin negotiations with the factions. In the days since his Iowa victory, Obama has had near-daily conversations with the U.S. Ambassador in Kenya or with opposition leader Raila Odinga. As of late this afternoon, before his rally in Rochester, N.H., Obama was trying to reach Kenyan President Kibaki.
http://www.time-blog.com/swampland/2008/01/obamas_other_life.html

This speaks a lot toward how he works under stress, handles diplomacy and how he sets his priorities.

By: carolyn

carolyn — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 17:22:58 +0000

Obama is very inspirational, but sometimes rhetoric is just that; he is lacking in any foreign policy experience; the next president will have to deal with the world governments as well as domestic problems at home; at some point we need to know who his advisors will be in foreign policy. JFK chose some of the very brightest people in the country (well, McNamara turned out not to be such a great choice for sure.) It is best not to raise your hopes too high. The next president will probably be a one-term president.

By: Dr. Slammy

Dr. Slammy — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 14:16:31 +0000

Mustafa: You’re right – that’s a dumb question.

By: Elaine

Elaine — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 10:56:07 +0000

…well he is the sexiest candidate on offer so women are coming out in force it would seem.

By: Mustafa

Mustafa — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 06:54:42 +0000

I have a dumb question for ya, would you vote for a guy who’s name is Hussein for a president of USA?

By: links for 2008-01-08 « Kevin Bondelli’s YD Blog

links for 2008-01-08 « Kevin Bondelli’s YD Blog — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 06:27:12 +0000

[...] Scholars and Rogues Â» Is Obama the new JFK? [...]

By: whythawk

whythawk — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 05:47:31 +0000

I like it, the liberals / progressives get their candidate on the Democrat side, and the religious right get their candidate on the Republican side. Neither side can claim they aren’t being represented by precisely the perfect person for them.

Oh, and Jeff, one of the other betting agencies in the UK has already started paying out. On Obama.

By: Alyce J. Bowers

Alyce J. Bowers — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 02:01:05 +0000

I think Barak Obama will be the Democratic nominee and I think he will win the general election by a landslide. Here are some reasons:
1. He has and is building the most incredible grass roots organization we have seen since Franklin Roosevelt. This means lots of people who never vote and who have never voted will swell his margin of victory.
2. He will win over marginal districts all over the US by bringing large majorities from blacks, hispanics, young people, and single women. This will not only ensure his win but it will bring in a very liberal congress. Dems could even win a filibuster proof Senate. This is new because the liberals, environmentalists, and standard Democrats will also be there, but did not have enough to win in the past. The most important statistice from Iowa was not the margin of his victory, but the doubling of Democratic turnout. The new voters were all first time voters. This will be huge in the general election.
3. Being a black man is huge advantage for three reasons: 1. The Rupublican slime maching will have to be very, very careful or they risk a “macaca” backlash. After all, they cannot tell people in South Carolina that he fathered a black child – Whoops! he has fathered two! 2. Many people feel the biggest problem with their government is that it does not care about them. They see government as being run by rich white guys and corporations. With Obama, they feel that he understands people like them because they assume he must have had to deal with some of the same problems they have. 3. There is a undercurrent of guilt in Americans who feel that blacks have gotten a raw deal in America. And they feel that voting for Barak will absolve some of that guilt. Especially since he is so non-threatening. He fits into the Tiger Woods, Oprah Winfrey, Williams sisters mold. We feel good rooting for them.

Finally Barak is new type of leader. Every other candidate – Republican and Democrat follows the leader mold of “Father knows best.” They lead from the top down. Their style is the pyamid with them at the pinnacle. But Obama is a leader whose style is “Come. Let us reason together.” This style could be diagrammed as wheel. Obama is the hub but others form the spokes and rim and gain support from the whole. What this means is that when he is president, he will be able to build support for change from a large base of popular support. Look where he got his money – millions of small donations. This critical mass of popular support will sweep a lot before it.

I have spent months trying to decide whom to support, but I now see Barak Obama as not only the right candidate to save the Democratic party, but the right man to reform America. Wouldn’t it be nice to feel pround to be an American again?

By: jeff

jeff — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 00:56:27 +0000

Actually, aside from Obama wanting to punish success and take more taxes from me, I find him to be the best candidate on the Democratic side. At least he’s not shrill or a whiner, like most of the other candidates I wouldn’t strenously object if he won the election…he might become a voice for the majority like Reagan was. As for the tax issues, if a Democrat is elected and the tax rates rise, I’ll book all of my trades offshore, pay myself a salary, and just pay the AMT.

Ladbrokes(The huge betting house in England) has Obama as 2:1 to win the presidency, whereas Hillary has slipped to 3.75:1(this is the first time she’s been the underdog with the smart money). The Republican with the best chance, McCain is going for 7:1 and Guiliani is 8:1.

http://www.ladbrokes.com/lbr_portal

Jeff

By: Dr. Slammy

Dr. Slammy — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 00:41:04 +0000

The fact remains Obama is not Kennedy…

I’m sorry. It didn’t occur to me that someone might take this literally.

…never suggested that he is the inheritor of the Kennedy mantle.

And I never suggested that there was a mantle to inherit. I merely noted that there were some important parallels.

Most of the Obama/Kennedy comparisons have been put forth as an easily knocked down straw man.

Do you know what the term “straw man” means?

In any case, instead of waffling generally about how easy it is to dismiss the comparison, it would be more interesting if you were to actually do so. A monkey can sit around and harrumph that it’s easy to fly to the moon but that doesn’t make it fact.

And if you do attempt to address the issue, please, stick to the context and argument as set forth. I’m aware that there are many ways in which the two aren’t at all alike, and am more concerned with their relationships to the Boom and Millennial generations specifically.

By: Chris Brown

Chris Brown — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 23:35:20 +0000

Dr. Slammy,

Thanks for your kind response. I take you at your word that you are not a herd pundit.

Obviously there is much to be learned from history. Nice bit of subtle sarcasm.

The fact remains Obama is not Kennedy and, so far as I know, as never suggested that he is the inheritor of the Kennedy mantle.

Most of the Obama/Kennedy comparisons have been put forth as an easily knocked down straw man.

Regards.

By: esl

esl — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 22:49:17 +0000

Well, if he is elected let us hope and pray he doesn’t make the same mistakes Kennedy did. I won’t vote for him. I guess I will stay home on election day but I won’t be watching her Highness, Oprah.

By: Dr. Slammy

Dr. Slammy — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 22:25:29 +0000

Darrell: No doubt that’s how Hillary is viewed by some, but you’re mostly describing a segment of the public that looks at a corporatist wet dream like her and concludes that she’s a “communist” – in other words, that’s not what you’d call the thinking citizen’s take.

The dislike and mistrust of her goes a LOT deeper and you’ll find a lot of Dems who’d have a hard time picking between her and Giuliani….

By: Dr. Slammy

Dr. Slammy — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 22:19:53 +0000

Chris: You’re right. I mean, I haven’t been able to log onto the Internet for weeks without running across all kinds of analyses noting the Obama-Kennedy comparison as it pertains to the unique character of the Millennial generation. And ask anybody – I’m nothing if not a herd pundit. You’re also right about the meaninglessness of these comparisons, because there’s really nothing we can learn from history.

Thanks for calling me on it.