(If anything.) Those who read Sound Politics regularly know that I have been trying to get his local supporters to answer that question since last December. With no luck so far.
But I am not giving up. Starting this week, I am going to write local supporters of the junior senator from Illinois and ask them directly to describe his accomplishments for us. Where they do that does not matter much to me. They can send me an email, in which case I will format it into a post, write a post of their own on another site, or write a column for a newspaper or web site. Any place that is linkable is fine.
The first person I am going to ask will be, naturally, Congressman Adam Smith, an early supporter of Obama. Next week, I will ask Obama delegate (and journalist) Knute Berger. The week after that I plan to ask Obama girl (and Seattle Times editorial writer) Lynne Varner, who tells us that Obama is a "pragmatic and deep long-range thinker". After those three I am not sure who should be next, although there are many possibilities. (If you have any suggestions, please share them.)
To encourage Obama supporters to tell us what he has accomplished (if anything), I am going to provide some links to two posts that have answered that question, posts from two people who will not be voting for the junior senator from Illinois. Karl Goldstein researched Obama's public record and came away unimpressed.
Again, there is not much to admire in either snake oil, tyranny or flowery speeches trying to sell either. Moreover, remove Obama from a TelePrompTer and he is every bit the gaffer as any other average politician, though few have had the audacity to base their foreign policy on a debate gaffe.
In sum, Barack Obama's record, judgment and message are at best entirely undistinguished in the field of presidential politics. At worst, we have Axelrod's campaign of personality attracting a cult of followers so creepy that even many Obama backers are put off by it, to a man who admits he is a "blank screen," with a message that is either illusory or tyrannical.
Tom Maguire admired the Goldstein post and decided to fill in one area that Goldstein had missed, Obama's work with unrepentant terrorist William Ayers on reforming Chicago public schools. The two men managed to spend $50 million on that project, without accomplishing anything. (If you need still more facts on Obama's "accomplishments", you can find some in this post.)
If Obama supporters don't agree with those conclusions, then they should take the time to look at Obama's record and tell us what he has accomplished — as I have been asking them to do since last December. If the "Accomplishments" section of Obama's résumé has something significant in it, tell us what it is, tell us what Obama has done that qualifies him to be president. Which some people consider a tough job. Even for those who read well from a TelePrompTer.
Cross posted at Jim Miller on Politics.
(Note to Congressman Smith: The word is "digital", not "digitial". And it is good to see you reaching back to honor President Truman, who would be completely out of place in today's "Defeat Now!" Democratic party.)
Note to Obama supporters: If you want to take up my challenge, I would be delighted, but comments to this post to this post are not the best place to do so. Do your research, write your piece, and then tell me where it has been published. If you don't have a place of your own to publish it, then email it to me, and I will arrange for it to be posted here and at my own site. If I get more than one email, I will choose the one I think makes the best argument for Obama.
Posted by Jim Miller at August 04, 2008 06:19 PM | Email ThisWhoa hey--but then he was asked this: "Governor you said 18 months' experience wasn't enough experience as gov. to be the vice president. Would you want to contrast that with the 143 days' experience Obama as senator before he decided he had enough experience to be president."
Apparently, Ritter just changed the subject. I think you can cross Ritter off the list, as Obama will apparently need to pick someone even LESS experienced than he just so he won't have to tangle with THAT issue again.
As Malkin says (D'oh!): It's Gaffe-tastic!
Posted by: Michele on August 4, 2008 08:22 PM"Andy Warhol said we all get our 15 minutes of fame," says Barack Obama. "I've already had an hour and a half. I mean, I'm so overexposed, I'm making Paris Hilton look like a recluse."
(Barack Obama - 2005)
Posted by: KS on August 4, 2008 08:25 PMYou will never see see the McCain camp touting the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform bill, nor any of the other bi-partisan legislation that he sponsored. I seem to remember that there is also an immigration reform bill that he had his name on that the wingnuts don't care too much for, either.
I will be interested in reading tc's submission though, as he appears to be the only one focused enough to actually write a coherent one.
Posted by: Rick D. on August 5, 2008 06:16 AM"I'm taking a special look at Barack Obama because he's a lot closer to a Jesus-type than the other candidates, by quite a bit. What if God decided to incarnate as men preaching "hope and change." And what if we didn't recognize them, because we are so dull, and let them slip away, not availing ourselves of the opportunity to be led by God!"
So I guess one could rhetorically ask what did Jesus accomplish before he burst onto the scene by turning water into wine?
Posted by: JDH on August 5, 2008 07:18 AMNot only have I actually BEEN to Washington, DC.... I have ALSO stayed in a Holiday Inn Express.
MY qualifications hammer those of our resident empty-suited, anti-American waste of skin.
Posted by: Hinton on August 5, 2008 07:28 AMYou periodically keep asking the same question as if you seriously think you will get an answer. There isn't an answer.
PC, though, has the only accomplishment that counts- knocking off Clinton, though I came to respect her efforts at the end.
Posted by: swatter on August 5, 2008 08:13 AMWhen he isn't reading from a prepared document - if one was not aware that he was campaigning for the Presidency, you might mistake his stumbling and bumbling as an audition for the part of Porky Pig in a grade school production. He makes Curious George look downright smooth by comparison. This guy is all about nuttin' an empty suit.
Posted by: JDH on August 5, 2008 08:28 AMYou would love listening to KOL or the podcasts of Hugh Hewitt. He incessantly is playing clips of the DalaiBama and his lovely wife, Michelle.
Posted by: swatter on August 5, 2008 09:12 AMhttp://www.usaspending.gov/
Many right wingers are eager to point to McCain's name on the that legislation as well but it's also strange that McCain skips the signing ceremony and isn't even mentioned in Bush's remarks.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/09/20060926.html
Posted by: YLB on August 6, 2008 10:52 AMYou seriously holding up a great achievement in jumping on a bill with half the Senate? A bill that passed just by consensus, it was that popular?
If that's the best that Obama can do, then I guess I'm part of the 116 game winning, AL West Champion Mariners since I went to 7 home games that year.
Being with the 50% of senators that co-sponsored that bill doesn't count for much at all. What has he actually SPONSORED, or was one of 2-3 to co-sponsor? What did he actually stick his neck out for?
And list accomplishments? I've yet to see a single one, unless you count jumping in with half the Senate to agree to a bill passed unanimously by consensus (which shows the strongest possible support - a no-brainer of a bill).
Posted by: Shanghai Dan on August 6, 2008 01:53 PMSorry, that's a fact.
The New York Times and the Chicago papers have done extensive reporting on Obama's legislative record. It's there for right wingers to see if they can stand the cognitive dissonance.
The bottom line: it takes many years of politicking and seniority to build up a heavy legislative record. Barack was admittedly put on the fast track. It's a testament to his talents and the cred he built with his colleagues. Not a drawback.
By the way another old favorite of this website was put on the fast track due to his family name and other attributes - George W. Bush.
Posted by: YLB on August 6, 2008 02:25 PMHistory rhymes I guess.
Posted by: YLB on August 6, 2008 02:34 PMWell "he put his name on two big 54ds"
Posted by: JDH on August 6, 2008 03:01 PMThe media can spin it how they want. Coburn sponsored the bill. Barack and 46 other senators co-sponsored it.
The FACTS are in the Congressional record I linked. Obama was a co-sponsor with 46 others, he was not the sponsor (which was Coburn).
Sorry, but that's the FACT.
Posted by: Shanghai Dan on August 6, 2008 09:02 PMAnd what about how GWB "spun" it before he signed it? He mentions Coburn, Cowper and OBAMA.
Sorry that's a fact. I bet you don't care about that either.
Posted by: YLB on August 9, 2008 06:41 PM