You're forgetting about who's left out of the partisan bickering....most independent people. In fact the U.S. isn't just made up of party loyalists of one stripe versus party loyalists of another stripe. We have a democracy, and what post-partisan means to Obama supporters is that he's stepping above the we hate bush/we hate clinton deadlock that has choked this nation for too many years. I know Hannity et al aren't going to be sweet to Obama just because he's a nice guy...We all know they're going to beat the Hussein part of his name to death. But of all the Democrats, he seems least frightened of them. He's like the person who shows no fear in front of the wolf.

Obama understands that when the majority of voters want something they have the power to elect the person to get it done. This is precisely the crowd Obama has been dating over the past couple of years. Look at you-tube. Who else is courting the independents like he is? Not the Republicans, with the notable exception of Ron Paul. The dinosaurs of the old ways (I'm tempted to say liberal elite, not to repeat Republican talking points, but sometimes the old guard doesn't seem to have a clue) don't recognize the potential for a better way than the Clinton triangulation (that, by the way, never earned them the respect they wanted in Washington). Obama isn't talking triangulation. He talks about listening to both sides and building a consensus toward a government that the majority of Americans want, regardless of their party stripe. Short of a military coup and a reinstatement of the Bush government, but with a different face, how else should a leader lead in a democracy?

you're right about that post. That was a while ago and AKA Smith pointed out that I had the links wrong. I apologize.

friends, cohorts, and those who find me credible:

and www.ontheissues.org

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/

thanks for sending me to a funny site, although I'm not sure we can trust it since it shows "pants on fire" for Biden's claim that Bush is brain-dead.

also I disagree with their claim about the universal healthcare being barely true (for obama) maybe it's partisan of me. but I shudder to think, as a social worker who's healthy and currently uninsured, of being forced to buy health care I might not like at usurious rates. And I can't find the percentages points you mention, or are you doing it in your head. Who has only 4.5 % marked false? Ron Paul?

powersjs

thank-you for the really interesting article.

http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=the_theory_of_change_primary

I think the community organizer aspect is what I've been trying to put my finger on too.

doc5467,

thank-you for your snarky comments, even the ones about my pants being on fire. these are humbling times for truth seekers of all stripes....I've been on the waiting list at the library for weeks for Paul Krugman's book. I'm trying to grasp where far conservative and libertarian thought meet in many economists' thinking--I think not in Krugman though. I've been thinking about this in relation to trade and the rights of workers in other countries. I'm still learning, to put it mildly. But I wish for a better sense of how the world is put together.

And I do take seriously your comments about Clinton. I hope I haven't come across in my posts as a flame-thrower at Clinton. I've defended her in the past, and if she is the nominee I will do so again. It does feel somewhat personal for me because unlike some democrats here, I have many republicans in my immediate family. So I will have to deal with the fact that they hate her, and while I know it is not in any strict sense her fault, it still doesn't make my life any easier at family gatherings, you know?

Also, if I were working for her campaign I would encourage her to develop more of a narrative about her personal strengths. Hard work is good, but I wish she could show more of the Hillary behind the Hillary. Mentioning what she did to get health care for children at the debate, that was a really good start. If she could just let people get closer to her. I felt at the debate that she probably does feel bad that (some) people don't like her (and questions like that thrown at her at these debates always seem rather unfair to me--how is she supposed to answer?). I mean who wouldn't feel bad with a lot of people who don't know you thinking that they don't like you? I think the more she relaxes and shows her real self the easier it will be to connect with her. But I sense that this is frightening to her--as it would be for anyone. I feel for her. I do. I do feel connected with her in some sense, and appreciative of all of her hard work and accomplishments.

Elections are complicated. And this is just the beginning. Maybe she will bounce back in New Hampshire. Anything might happen. I'm preparing myself for an exiting ride no matter who the nominee turns out to be.

you aren't the only one! I have been glued to my computer over the past few four days straight. at this point my eyes ache even when I close them. But still, there's a part of me that's really excited that an election could be this exciting in my lifetime. I'll probably have a few more dips in the doldrums before the whole thing ends, but at the moment, I'm kind of proud of all the candidates and how far they've come. sleep, what's sleep when you're watching history being written?

AKA Smith....religious conversion? I thought it was more like....love.......

We heart you Obama....