OBAMA SUPPORTERS: Top Five Obama accomplishments/reasons for voting?

[Flabbergasted]

Imagine someone asks you: "Why are you voting for Obama....?"

I was asked about Obama's accomplishments today in a brief discussion at work...

To tell you the truth I didn't have an immediate answer because he was not my first, or even my second choice. I had a few vague answers but nothing definite. I'd like to be a bit better prepared next time.

So I'm asking how do you answer this question in five easy lines?

[democrattotheend]

1. My top ones

US Senate:

Coburn-Obama ethics reform
Nuclear non-proliferation legislation

Illinois Senate:
Toughest ethics reform in 25 years
Reform of death penalty system
Videotaping of police interrogations

Those are the top ones that come to mind, though I know there are a lot more, especially in the Illinois senate

[Blue State Bandit]

16. Note on taping police interrogations:

He was able to gain the support of the police, who initially opposed it.

[Pirate Smile]

18. The death penalty opponents also opposed it because it was one of their

best "selling" reasons for so many convictions being illegitimate therefore the death penalty needed to be gotten rid entirely - so he had both sides against it at first.

[Blue State Bandit]

30. He sat as an "honest broker" in the debate.

The DA's office, Ill Police, and many other activist groups stood at loggerheads on this issue. After the Ryan commutations, it became a political "hot potato". Though he is pro-capitol punishment (under extreme circumstances) he took on the task that nobody else would touch, brokered legislation, and garnered the respect of nearly everyone involved. (can't please everybody all the time). His role undoubtedly will save many lives, and fixed a broken system.

[Flabbergasted]

36. Thanks

[NYCGirl]

2. I'm particularly interested in his Technology ideas (especially transparency):

http://www.barackobama.com/issues/technology/

[Flabbergasted]

39. Good one. I like this: "Encourage Diversity in Media Ownership"

[DemVet]

3. Easy...

Change. Hope. "Yes we can!"

To hell with where he stands on the issues. That's all you need. That's all most people going to his rallies know or understand, anyway.

[Veronica.Franco]

7. Also ..

Many people see him as new hope and not part of the old problems with Washington ... they've seen all the Washington insiders and corruption ... they don't want someone who's been part of the problem ... they want someone who will be part of a solution ...

[John Q. Citizen]

10. Most of them know he's running a vastly better campaign than Clinton is. I guess she's not ready

[ficus1]

46. Most people that support either candidate

Wouldn't be able to list any of their accomplishments. The only reason why Obama's supporters are constantly asked about his accomplishments is because most people buy into the false dichotomy of style vs. substance, as if the two cannot coexist. If you asked some random Clinton supporter at a rally to name her most important accomplishments, the vast majority would be dumbfounded, and the same applies to most Obama supporters.

[cali]

4. Sure.

I'm voting for Obama because he had the good judgment to see that Iraq was an epic mistake, because he has a history of standing up for open government, because I'm impressed with some of the things he accomplished in the Illinois State Legislature, including the legislation he wrote and got passed that mandates the taping of police interrogations. I'm voting for him because I'm impressed by his becoming a civil rights attny upon graduating magna cum laude from Harvard. I'm voting for him because he's pro-choice and I believe he'll appoint Justices in the Breyer/Ginsberg mode. I'm voting for him because he's promised to get out troops out of Iraq within 16 months. There's more, but there you go.

[Flabbergasted]

43. Excellent Thanks.

[blm]

5. He advocates Open Government which affects the success or failure of every other issue.

Many countries around the world who view us as an untrustworthy, racist nation bent on the destruction of their nations so they can strip it of its resources will look at us with a new eye and appreciation and trust it hasn't had in decades.

[BuyingThyme]

6. 1. He's far better suited for the job than Hillary Clinton.

2. He openly opposed the invasion of Iraq.
3. He polls better against John McCrazy than does Hillary Clinton.
4. He made an effort to disassociate himself from the DLC.
5. He is not running his campaign the way Hillary Clinton and George W. Bush would.

[babylonsister]

8. OK:

*he never wanted this war and will work to end it

*he wants to reach across the aisle to get things done even if they're not considered 'sexy':
http://obsidianwings.blogs.com/obsidian_wings/2006/10/barack_obama.html (good article, worth a read)
"But I do follow legislation, at least on some issues, and I have been surprised by how often Senator Obama turns up, sponsoring or co-sponsoring really good legislation on some topic that isn't wildly sexy, but does matter. His bills tend to have the following features: they are good and thoughtful bills that try to solve real problems; they are in general not terribly flashy; and they tend to focus on achieving solutions acceptable to all concerned, not by compromising on principle, but by genuinely trying to craft a solution that everyone can get behind.

His legislation is often proposed with Republican co-sponsorship, which brings me to another point: he is bipartisan in a good way. According to me, bad bipartisanship is the kind practiced by Joe Lieberman. Bad bipartisans are so eager to establish credentials for moderation and reasonableness that they go out of their way to criticize their (supposed) ideological allies and praise their (supposed) opponents. They also compromise on principle, and when their opponents don't reciprocate, they compromise some more, until over time their positions become indistinguishable from those on the other side."

*I think he will be the change agent in the way the world looks at us;

*I do believe he'll use every diplomatic tool at his disposal to make a difference;

*and yes, I have faith that he will change the way politics is played. I think he will command respect, he's a fresh face with new ideas, and I long for a new, fresh start.

*he also has an amazing ability to unite people-what's not to like about that?

Do I get a cookie?

[snappyturtle]

17. You get a whole cookie sheet full! n/t

[Hepburn]

9. Try this site....very good points, IMO:

Why Obama, Not Clinton?

http://thinkonthesethings.wordpress.com/why-support-barack-obama-not-hillary-clinton-comparison-compare-records/

Many reasons, numbered and listed by specific categories. And, within most, if not all, of the reasons listed in each category, there are "click on links" to get further specifics for each allegation.

Enjoy...:hi:

[CyberPieHole]

11. 1 McClurkin. 2 Rezko. 3 Present. 4 Not voting at all. 5"OOOps I pressed the wrong button".

[snappyturtle]

21. Oops! you're on the wrong thread. n/t

[cali]

22. How sad that you're

so desperate and bitter. Or not so sad.

[rolleitreks]

12. This is easy:

He will end the war in Iraq.

He will close Guantanamo.

He will ban the use of torture.

He will restore habeas corpus.

He will attempt to assure our security through forging consensus and alliances rather than force.

You said five, right? Okay, that's five. I'll shut up now.

[Qutzupalotl]

13. He can beat Hillary and McCain.

He attracts tons of formerly disaffected new voters.

He had the judgment and courage to speak out publicly against the Iraq invasion, at a time when the media were still lapdogs, the public was still mainly supportive of the invasion, and he was in a competitive race.

His $4,000 college credit in exchange for community service is fucking brilliant.

His presence would restore honor to the White House and improve our standing abroad.

[snappyturtle]

19. Those are great ones! n/t

[BeyondGeography]

14. ...

-Ethics (whereas Hillary never met a campaign and/or lobbying reform she didn't despise)
-Transparency (whereas the Clintons are terminally secretive and special interest arguments need to see the light of day))
-Iraq (whereas Hillary is obviously more hawkish and less committed to leaving, IMHO. Plus I believe in rewarding antiwar candidates and punsishing those who voted for IWR.)
-Health care (yes, heath care; he's smart enough not to sacrifice UHC to politically unsaleable mandates)
-Global image (whereas our President will be someone with whom much of the world will be able to identify for the first time in history)

[snappyturtle]

23. More? Wow! these are terrific too! n/t

[DS1]

15. Yet again, the Hillary crowd can't stay out of a positive Obama thread for Obama supporters

It's childish sniping like this which mostly make this particular forum suck.

We've all heard your simpleton attacks before. Someone asked a question, and they're getting answers, coupled with your douchebaggery.


It's not helping your cause to act like such children.

[eissa]

20. I simply find him amazing

Not to sound like I have a girl-school crush, but I can't help but be impressed with the man.

1. I find him refreshingly authentic. The moment that really stands out for me was the debate question "Name your weakness." I was braced for the usual "I'm a perfectionist" crap answer that most of us give at job interviews. And here he gave a really honest, completely unpolitician-like answer. It spoke volumes about who he is.
2. I love that he has real experience working with needy people in one of the nations toughest districts (Chicago's south side.) His experience navigating that system and making some real changes from within are examples of how he earns the trust of a wide range of people to get the job done. In other words, he's not divisive like......?
3. His Senate voting record shows where he stands on issues that matter to me. I don't care how short it is -- who says you must serve X amount of years before running for the presidency? As his supporters have pointed out time and time again -- no one had more "experience" than Rumsfeld and Cheney, 'nuff said.
4. More than experience, he has the intellect to lead. I trust his judgement -- Iraq war, Iraq war, Iraq war.
5. I firmly believe that we can not only win in November with Obama as our candidate, but win BIG. I know many a republican who have said that although they would not be happy with Obama, they would DEFINITELY go out and vote for McCain if Hillary is our nominee. She galvanizes the right like no one else can (other than Bill.) Honestly, I love the Clintons -- spent most of the 90s defending them. I would just like to vote in a presidential election for once in my lifetime without seeing the names "bush" or "clinton" listed.

[snappyturtle]

24. You've got it!

edit: inclusion of the following for those who don't get it:

From: Professional Builder magazine, February 2008

"Emotional Intelligence, Part II" by Rodney Hall, The Talon Group

snip...
"Those with high EQ tend to motivate others, reach consensus decisions and gain cooperation.
Some of the psychological components for measuring EQ include self-awareness, magaging emotion, self-motivation, empathy, openess, flexibility and relationship building."

*******************************
Pretty much fits Senator Obama in my book. I bet his EQ is very high!

[XemaSab]

25. Hrere's mine:

He's a former constitutional law professor and has done a lot of work on civil rights and community activism

Of the three remaining candidates, he alone has the power to move our country FORWARD past the bitter partisan divide of the last 25+ years

He was anti-war back in the day, *and* he was born too late to go to 'Nam so we don't have to put up with THAT crap anymore

I like his environmental platform and commitment to clean air, clean water, and public lands

He was raised partly overseas and comes from a family that looks like the United States. I think the fact that he's not another crusty old white dude will enable him to broker solutions to problems in Africa, the Middle East, and beyond and restore America's image internationally.

Good question! :hi:

[BigDDem]

26. One of our local affiliates in Dallas was interviewing

voters and questioning them on who they were supporting.
One man said Obama and the reporter asked him to name one (only one)
accomplishment of Obama.
The poor guy had the Dan Quayle deer in the headlights look and finally
said...."he's a good speaker."

[NYCGirl]

29. After eight years of Bush, that's certainly a valid reason.

Edited to add: I'm tired of being embarassed to watch Bush press conferences with international dignitaries and wondering what people overseas think of us.

[BigDDem]

40. Alrighty

You have the bar set pretty low but hey, whatever

[NYCGirl]

42. It's not my first reason, but it is certainly a valid one.

Whatever.

[Pirate Smile]

27. Here is a great diary on Ethics Reform:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/2/7/101110/2068

[MethuenProgressive]

28. My gay niece and nephew have the flu. I hear Obama wants to Cure them?

That'd be wicked cool, we're running out of juice and tissues.

[Alexander]

33. Just like a hateful Shillbot to shit on someone else's positive thread.

[nonconformist]

41. There has not been a SINGLE "Hillary accomplishments" thread that hasn't been viciously attacked

In fact, the threads that I've seen, the vast majority of responders are Obama supporters saying things like "she married Bill".

Must be NICE to be able to have at least a mostly good, positive thread about a Democrat on DU.

[MethuenProgressive]

34. Thanks for the ignore feature DU Admins!

Makes the place smell better.

[BigDDem]

44. It's time for them to "CHANGE!"

:rofl:

[Kolesar]

31. #1 He is not Hillary Clinton

It's the war.

[Alexander]

32. Obama worked with Lugar to get rid of active landmines in war zones.

-Obama opposes the War on Drugs and favors marijuana decriminalization.

-Obama realized from the beginning that war in Iraq was a mistake and will withdraw our troops in 14 months.

-Obama voted for banning cluster bombs, 98% of which kill civilians.

-Obama wants all of our vehicles to get 40 mpg within a few years - an attainable goal.

[babylonsister]

35. Rec'd for great, informative thread! Then bookmark it! nt

[stillcool]

37. I like the community activism part...

of his early days. That he knows intimately adversity and struggle and life through so many stratas of our society. I like the fact that he taught Constitutional law, and worked as a Civil Rights Attorney. I like the fact that as a State Senator he wrote a health insurance law to cover uninsured children. I like the death penalty reform law that he wrote and managed to get passed unanimously, and then the ethics reform bill in the U.S. Senate. I like that the enviro's, and the Pro-Choice groups rate him so positively. I like that he knows how to win friends and influence people. That he is open to what other's concerns are, and is willing to find a solution where all parties can feel good about something. I like what his ideas, and speeches will mean to people around the world. I like the idea that as foolish and inane as if sound, we might be able to somehow, someday move forward as a country. As the head of government I could not ask for a better spokesperson, or negotiator. And in my mind, that is what the position of President is all about.

[Pirate Smile]

38. Another to add to the growing list - his campaign is the 50 State Strategy put into action.

The Clinton campaign is the 17 state strategy plus must win Ohio or Florida. They have made that perfectly clear by dismissing the majority of states and voters in the entire country.

He "gets it". She doesn't.

[PLCRW2]

45. Obama Accomplishments

Here is a link to a list of Obama's accomplishments:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post_group/1000AmericansforObama/CHjY