Obama e-mail: HE'S RUNNING

[demdiva]

Or atleast he's "creating an exploratory committee" and announcing his intent on Feb 10th for sure

Dear DemDiva,

Watch Barack's statement on forming a Presidential Exploratory Committee
http://www.barackobama.com/video/youtube/index.php

As you may know, over the last few months I have been thinking hard about my plans for 2008. Running for the presidency is a profound decision - a decision no one should make on the basis of media hype or personal ambition alone - and so before I committed myself and my family to this race, I wanted to be sure that this was right for us and, more importantly, right for the country.

I certainly didn't expect to find myself in this position a year ago. But as I've spoken to many of you in my travels across the states these past months; as I've read your emails and read your letters; I've been struck by how hungry we all are for a different kind of politics.

So I've spent some time thinking about how I could best advance the cause of change and progress that we so desperately need.

The decisions that have been made in Washington these past six years, and the problems that have been ignored, have put our country in a precarious place. Our economy is changing rapidly, and that means profound changes for working people. Many of you have shared with me your stories about skyrocketing health care bills, the pensions you've lost and your struggles to pay for college for your kids. Our continued dependence on oil has put our security and our very planet at risk. And we're still mired in a tragic and costly war that should have never been waged.

But challenging as they are, it's not the magnitude of our problems that concerns me the most. It's the smallness of our politics. America's faced big problems before. But today, our leaders in Washington seem incapable of working together in a practical, common sense way. Politics has become so bitter and partisan, so gummed up by money and influence, that we can't tackle the big problems that demand solutions.

And that's what we have to change first.

We have to change our politics, and come together around our common interests and concerns as Americans.

This won't happen by itself. A change in our politics can only come from you; from people across our country who believe there's a better way and are willing to work for it.

Years ago, as a community organizer in Chicago, I learned that meaningful change always begins at the grassroots, and that engaged citizens working together can accomplish extraordinary things.

So even in the midst of the enormous challenges we face today, I have great faith and hope about the future - because I believe in you.

And that's why I wanted to tell you first that I'll be filing papers today to create a presidential exploratory committee. For the next several weeks, I am going to talk with people from around the country, listening and learning more about the challenges we face as a nation, the opportunities that lie before us, and the role that a presidential campaign might play in bringing our country together. And on February 10th, at the end of these decisions and in my home state of Illinois, I'll share my plans with my friends, neighbors and fellow Americans.

In the meantime, I want to thank all of you for your time, your suggestions, your encouragement and your prayers. And I look forward to continuing our conversation in the weeks and months to come.

Sincerely,

Senator Barack Obama

[Cronus Protagonist]

1. Seems like a nice guy, but he's peaking WAY too early

It will be a good experience for him, though.

[bigdarryl]

6. He's not peaking to early if you look at the latest polling hes running 3rd in states....

the person thats peaking to early is Clinton. look at these polls that are updated everyday http://www.americanresearchgroup.com/
American Research Group

[demdiva]

8. Iowa will be big for him

I remember him visiting the Quad Cities (two in Illinois and two in Iowa) during the 2004 election cycle at least a few times

[Cronus Protagonist]

13. I think they're both peaking too soon

Gore is the dark horse. He's keeping the kettle hot, but not boiling. Still, either of the three will make a fine president, so this is just fun all the way!

[Fire Walk With Me]

9. So much really depends upon what happens in the days prior to an election.

[Firespirit]

2. More power to him

I am a Kerry person myself, but I welcome more people into the field. It allows for more ideas to be put on the table.

Good for Obama.

[demdiva]

3. I agree. I happen to be a fan of both of them

May the best man win!

[Inuca]

4. What exactly does an exploratory committee do?

Except announcing without announcing, that is.... I am not being snarky by the way, just curious. Hey, as I was typing this, I jsut saw the Outlook pop-up that the message mentioned in th OP appeared in my mail box as well :-).

[demdiva]

7. I believe legally there are some things a candidate can't do without filing

Here's an article from NPR,http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6581302

The next step is another veil -- usually the formation of an exploratory committee to consider formal candidacy. The exploratory committee has been around for decades, and technically it creates a legal shell for a candidate who expects to spend more than $5,000 while contemplating an actual run. Under the rules, exploratory money may be raised without the full disclosure of sources required of true candidates. Only when the candidate drops the exploratory label does the full responsibility of transparency apply.

Candidates use an exploratory committee as not only a transitional phase for their bookkeeping but as an extra claim on media attention. Some of the most skillful handlers like to leak word that their candidate is testing the waters, then leak word that he or she is thinking about forming an exploratory committee. Additional "news" can be made when the same candidate actually forms such a committee and registers with the Federal Election Commission. Yet a fourth round of attention may be generated when the word exploratory gets dropped from the committee filing.

Which is also featured in a Wikipedia stub
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploratory_committee

[hedda_foil]

11. Raise money

It's necessary for tax purposes to form an exploratory committee in order to raise money for a presidential run. Those whose committees don't raise much can drop out before announcing actual candidacy. That won't be a problem for Obama.

[ripple]

5. I got one, too

Feb. 10th seems like an eternity!!

You're right, though. This is pretty much an announcement of his intentions. Awesome news!

:woohoo: :applause: :woohoo: :applause: :woohoo:

[wisteria]

10. I wish he wouldn't of let all the hype get to him.

I personally like the man, but I do not think he is ready to be our president yet. This time around, I think we need someone who really knows how to walk into a leadership role with experience, and can get right to work. VP perhaps, that way he has a learning curve.
Anyway, the best of luck to him.

[athena]

17. I think the country needs him right now.

He's not as inexperienced as some claim; he was very successful in his eight years in the Illinois Senate and has more experience than Lincoln did when he became president. He's not that young, either; he'll be 47 in August 2008. I also think that he can clean up America's image better than the other candidates.

He just needs a good VP. I'm for Bill Richardson.

[Apollo11]

12. He wants to work with Republicans

"our leaders in Washington seem incapable of working together in a practical, common sense way. Politics has become so bitter and partisan ... that we can't tackle the big problems that demand solutions. And that's what we have to change first. We have to change our politics, and come together around our common interests and concerns as Americans."


I hope he is just saying this, and he undertands that the best way to achieve positive change is to DEFEAT the Republican Party and their dangerous agenda for America's future.

Some of us are dam proud to be partisan! :-)

[Gloria]

15. This is exactly the sort of tripe that turns me off. Big time.

[athena]

16. He says that because

as a black Democrat, he is prone to be attacked as an extreme left-winger. Right now, he is seen as a uniter, and that's making him very popular; his message of unity is resonating with people. If you read his books, you will see that he's progressive.

I remind you of his 2004 speech:

Yet even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there's not a liberal America and a conservative America -- there's the United States of America. There's not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there's the United States of America. The pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I've got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and have gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.

In the end, that's what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or a politics of hope?

[demdiva]

14. Kick

:kick: for the evening crowd

[PATRICK]

18. A piece of easy advice

which, if too simple, means the complicated stuff will likely doom his campaign anyway.

I may favor another candidate, but unless you like to see everyone else fumbling disastrously rather than a quality contest, the best selection is by having a good selection.

People are just a tad off with the otherwise simple judgment that Obama is inexperienced. They mean in government, when the reality is presidential politics. Obama is being conditioned, hamstrung and about to be discarded by following in the safe dutiful path of the beginner. All the other experienced candidates learned the same hard lessons and did the same cautious, uninspiring mistakes. This means, whatever his personal success in getting the experience with his ultimate gifts intact, Obama will not likely be the candidate this time or even close. If his wisdom is to lose and get a leg up for the future that is the slow wisdom. So be it.

If he WANTS to seriously win this time he has to vault over the obstacles to hard won freedom and outspokenness enjoyed by the others who preceded him, like Gore, Edwards, Clark. The temptation of thinking Hillary should be his controlling model on the safe path is arguable, but he will lose either by her or because of her. Traditional donors and campaign workers and money) will be mightily split weakening a newbie who relies on traditionalists and has no new blood to dare the gap. Playing it safe will garner only marginal success and bland staff recruits.

Traditionally, the losing candidates(who far outnumber the winners) start softly, play to the big wads of activist supporters and old money, and play the rules. The center, supposedly of something or other.
Then, too late they go populist when scaring people off no longer is an issue, but life is. If you want to win, reverse this. Despite the fleeting media puffing, he should come on very strong and specific and increase the fire of his initial appeal with substance galore. Dean's success was not in measured cadence to the center but specific challenge. Netroots etc. conjoined early with this fire and almost carried the day. The competition for new sources will be fiercer this time, so the main thing is simply being yourself and overshooting the game.

You may well lose anyway. The populism may guarantee it but not be blamed for it as a personal flaw. It will be cheaper, will draw support if successful, not bargain with internal party powers divorced from the people and the nation. Liberate yourself and others will feel led to the same. Then you can lead and choose from what comes and not get mired in the reverse process that makes even winners slog against the tide of popular desire and expectation, inhibiting enthusiasm or faith. Drown the attacks with undistracted offense not calculating defense that instills the image of fear and incapacity among the voters. this is not advice simply given to anyone. Obama could simply do it, but seems on the point of creating self-fulfilling low expectations and unripeness even as he tailors his campaign like the good neophyte, awed that this unnecessary initiation is the accepted path to The Presidency. And who would instinctively want to empower the institutionalists empowered by a success using their baggage as means? The lesser candidate will evaporate going on his own or worse, evaporate under the burden of the centrist machinery. Someone going on to win brings the unsatisfying baggage with him, lessening the real faith of the people no matter what the polls say.

Political inexperience, not anything else, will and seems even today, to be going down a very well traveled, deadend street.