I think what Barack Obama represents is a new sense of connectedness to politics that many Americans are experiencing. It’s as if he offers a bit of a reprieve from the learned helplessness we’ve experienced under Bush. (I’m not convinced I’ll vote for him, mind you.) The actual changes he can make are uncertain.
Boy, I couldn't agree with you more. People forget that politics is more about feeling sometimes (JFK) and less about how someone can operate the system (LBJ). It's the beauty of Obama's candidacy and the danger of it. We are all waiting to be inspired and each of last week's Iowa Caucus winning candidates, Obama and Huckabee, are raising people's pulse rates a bit. Of course, we need to put both men through the fire, so to speak. Not even Progressives should be let off the hook. We should also avoid sound-bite politics and try to understand what they are saying and who are behind them. Who is Obama's Karl Rove? David Axelrod. I think that David Axelrod has a very checkered past in Chicago's politics. Caveat Emptor, my friends. Caveat Emptor.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Axelrod_(political_consultant)
