4716

Thanks for that. I was going to look for the rock I was living under. I wanted to see what the new owners did to it. :)

4717

No man, that’s not even close to being true.

4718

Well. She didn’t really lose.

4719

Pre 2008 the only people who knew anything about Obama were political junkies like me who still watch a bit of the Republican and Democratic National Conventions, and honestly, when I heard he was running, I still didn’t know who he was till someone on the radio reminded me “he’s the one that gave that speech at the 2004 DNC.”

4720

Right. I’d expect at least half of IL to know who he was. Everyone else, not so much, unless he’s out there making an ass of himself.

Hell, Joni Ernst does that all the time and I’m sure most people still don’t know who she is.

4721

Obama was a two-time bestselling author as well when he declared his candidacy. His most recent book, “The Audacity Of Hope”, spent 30 weeks in the top 20 of the NYT bestseller lists.

During the 2006 midterms, he was the most in-demand fundraiser/speaker for senate colleagues who were running for either re-election or to flip a seat. As in, all over the country.

Good lord. Dude was nominated for a Grammy (which he won) shortly after declaring his candidacy.

EDIT: We had more than 50+ threads ON THIS FORUM discussing Obama and whether he was the future of the Democratic party, before he ever declared for President. Some of you (Rich for instance) posted in those threads.

As is traditional for a national sporting event like Monday Night Football, in 2006 they chose a political unknown, a little-known senator named “Barack Obama” to intro the game.

4722

Agreed. his legacy is now tied directly to Trump’s.

4723

Like the Maia who sided with Melkor, and found they we’re stuck being balrogs.

4724

Ike, Grant, adjusting for smaller populations of the time. Even sans modern mass media, I imagine it would have been pretty hard to find an American North or South who didn’t know who Grant was in 1868. Perhaps it’s not fair to include generals, as they bring a ton of celebrity with them into political life, or at least used to.

4725

Amazing speech that instantly made him a star. Sadly his vision of the U.S., as articulated in that speech, appears to have been completely shattered to smithereens, as Ta Nahisi Coates lamented.

4726

I don’t think you wanna wager on that. :)

But OK, let’s say non-military first-time candidates then.

4727

On the other hand, he won at least a 51% majority of the popular vote BOTH times he ran for President. That hadn’t happened since Ike. Now you can argue that sans Anderson, Reagan would have hit that mark in 1980. Also, even the less charismatic Hillary, essentially espousing a similar vision, still won the popular vote (offhand I’m not sure if by majority or plurality).

4728

I think she ended up with a few points over 48, and 2 full percentage points above Trump.

4729

When I think of how much could have been done if low-info Dem voters had turned out in force in the 2010 midterms, I just shake my head.

We need way more government/civics taught in HS.

4730

If you can think of a way to test it, I’d risk $10.

4731

I knew Ed Markey only because his congressional office was above the liquor store around the corner from my apartment 10 years ago. I thought it was funny that a Congressman would have an office in that dump.

Now that he’s Senator Markey he has a fancy office in Medford square. Which is also not great.

4732

Republican Representative Kevin Yoder in Kansas? You have been triaged.

Oh, and there’s this, from just this morning…

4733

I’m with Triggercut Obama had a celebrity before he ran. Now Jimmy Carter he was virtually unknown, IRRC. Bill Clinton was known (he too gave a prime-time speech at a convention.) but didn’t have any of the celebrity status Obama had.

The Republican have pretty much only run well known figures since WWII, Berry Goldwater in 1964 being a notable exception, including 3 celebrities, Ike, Reagan and Trump.

4734

Kamala Harris is my favorite U.S. Senator right now. Can we fast-track her to becoming even more widely known so we can elect her in 6 or 10 years or whatever?

She’s a total hardass in testimonies and depositions and every time she’s got somebody in her sights I’m riveted to the screen.

4735

Yep, Carter was – to quote Dylan – a complete unknown, and it fit the zeitgeist of the time for an electorate that had never been so mistrustful of politicians and government institutions as that immediate post-Watergate one was.