Matt, you're a tough crowd!

Excellent Speech.

Obama's speeches are like chinese food.  30 minutes later you wonder what it was about.

His healthcare page is the most timid thing I've seen so far..

I think Edwards' "raise your taxes" scared him on healthcare.

try to find "universal" or "single payer" on his health care issues page

That is what I remembered most.  That Divided we are bound to fail and that we are all responsible for our country and have to do our part.

I really think he is like Lincoln--able to bring the country together in a time of crisis.  He'll be able to unite the country around ending this war.

I have been listening to candidate speeches since JFK. This is the most inspiring announcement speech I can recall. Truly uplifting!

anyone have a link to watch the speech??

thanks

Well, he did mention that people had to sacrifice and work which is more than other candidates will say except for Edwards.

Obama will come around to the netroots.  One way I expect the netroots to really establish itself this election cycle is as a kind of virtual security force.  Campaigns are terrified of thugs like Bill Donahue and other rightwing blowhards.  Republican pols have hid behind these proxy attack dogs for years now, and Democratic pols have learned that trying to counter the proxies directly only creates more attention for the proxies.  Bill Donahue wants nothing more than to hear an Edwards spokesman say his name.

That's where the netroots steps in.  As we saw in the Edwards debacle, the netroots is capable of taking on proxies directly.  The Edwards campaign was rightly hesitant to say Donahue's name aloud, but mydd readers weren't, and the blizzard of emails denouncing Donahue was rapid and effective.  Edwards' attackers were publicly denounced, their credibility impugned.  It was an example of "bitch slap politics," except this time, the slappers got slapped.

I suspect the one campaign that believes it can handle it's own "security" in this respect is HRC's.  The Clintonistas were always quite proud of their rapid response team for scandals.  But other campaigns, including Obama's, will need to play nice with the netroots if they want the kind of assistance Edwards got.  And really, the best way to play nice is to adopt reasonable policy positions.  It's not that hard.

As for the netroots itself, I suspect that at least some of the enthusiasm behind the Edwards defense came in response to the sense that one of its own was under attack.  In other words, if the story hadn't involved bloggers, I'm not sure the netroots response would have been as aggressive or effective.  But it was effective.  And other campaigns will want the same kind of effort when they are targeted by Donahue and his ilk.  Even when the slime attack does not involve campaign bloggers.  (Just as an example, I would submit that the netroots defense of Pelosi, during the jet scandal, was not as focused or effective as it was of Edwards.  Blogs were getting the facts right on Pelosi, but news organizations were not facing same kind of direct, sustained pressure to include those facts in their stories.)

I haven't watched the speech yet, but just visited his site, including the video section.  I agree with Matt that Obama should take seriously Zack's suggestions.  I also think he's got the right attributes to take those suggestions and run an amazing campaign with them.  I'm also heartened by Edwards recent actions.  

While its great and very helpful to have the netroots poking, prodding, pushing and critiquing the candidates, their campaigns and policy proposals (or lack thereof), my main feeling is that we are fortunate to have at least two candidates that show signs of understanding the potential that exists for a revitalization of American democracy, policy, political campaigns and government's role in our society.

After visiting Obama's site and watching the Brightcove-powered video section, I got the feeling that he may very well have what it takes to do what Zack is suggesting, and also to walk with integrity a path that stands up to the bullies and the liars, but also inspires the hearts and minds of Americans hungry for authenticity, hope and practical ways to invest that hope in individual and collective actions.  

The netroots stands as the foundation for that transition.  Zack suggests a way to quickly build new layers of activism and involvement on top of that foundation.  I encourage front pagers to keep pushing this basic message, and have a feeling Obama and/or Edwards (and maybe others)will "get it."

Zack's got some great and specific advice in his post, but here's his general message:

They need to think about the Internet with the same intensity, curiosity and rigor that they apply to television, polling, speech writing/making and debate performance. This is the cycle when it is just complete idiocy to treat base-building through the Internet with one iota less seriousness than those other critical areas.

And his warning:

But just you watch: He and his campaign manager are going to leave it to "the Internet guy" to sort out. And the problem isn't that "the Internet guy" is not smart--in fact, he's brilliant! But he's not Obama. And he is not sitting in that inner circle. And, no, I don't mean "senior staff"--I mean the candidate's kitchen table when he's hammering out those giant decisions such as: "How do we launch?"

Obama's apparently missed the launch opportunity Zack suggests, but my sense is that its not too late to do some catching up, and that there's at least a decent chance that he will.

In the meantime, I suspect he'll be hearing more such suggestions and feeling mounting pressure from the netroots.  That he will heed the message is my audacious hope.

I have a question? What do all you Democratic revitalists have to say when 3 months after you win the Congress, one of the major candidates announces and doesn't mention Democrats or the Democratic party?

Obama will embrace the netroots out of necessity.  As the shiny new kid on the block, he has a fat target on his back.  The rightwing attacks are going to come from all directions.  They will be a creative mix of the irrelevant and superfluous, bigoted and mean spirited, and the completely fabricated.  His campaign will quickly learn that the NY Times and Washington Post are not his friends.  

While Edwards' decision to retain his bloggers was, to some degree, the result of coercive pressure from the netroots, it was also a result of the netroots' ability to attack his attackers.  You can't buy that kind of protection from consultants. Obama will learn.

Obama's inclusive message is resonating with members of my family I wouldn't expect to support any Dem candidate -- particularly this early in the process. My moderate Republican mother and my self-made millionaire brother-in-law are both very excited about Obama. My Mom likes his tone and that in the whole speech he didn't mention Bush once and my brother-in-law is excited that his message is positive with a call to action and that his background is 'worldly' -- particularly African and Asian -- at a time when we need to be better world citizens and have our leadership reflect this. I haven't heard either family member this excited about a political candidate. I don't have a particular dog in this fight yet, but this reaction raises my eyebrows.

I think Obama is a nice enough guy, but even as recently as last fall he was saying he was "over-hyped," "too green," etc.

What's changed in the past five months?  How does he move from over-hyped (by his own words) to legitimate contender?  What makes him ready to run for president, much less be president?

Can he do something first? Can he do is job as Senator and then get re-elected and then consider running for President?

I just watched his speech (now up on his site) and I gotta say there was something very powerful and positive--but also very natural--about watching an African-American presidential candidate reach out so eloquently to the entire nation.

I'm someone who views current events from a long-term historical and evolutionary perspective.  And from that perspective, I can't help but see Obama as a major game-changer.  He's very smart, eloquent, has a vision for the next phase of the great American (and human) experiment, and seems genuinely and deeply comfortable in his own skin, with a healthy sense of destiny mixed with an equally healthy dose of humility.

And, yes, I also loved the music....there were some moments that seemed both perfectly staged and gracefully natural.  If he can combine that "magic" with substance, strategy and courage, he can push the nascent realignment a big step forward.

I was a Clark supporter in '04 (and still think he's a tremendous leader and asset to this country) and also really do like Edwards.  But I think Obama may be the best vehicle for what needs to happen in this country.  In fact, I wouldn't mind seeing Wes Clark get behind Obama and have Obama take on Clark as a top-level advisor during the campaign and commit to bringing him on in a key role like Sec of State or special emissary to the rest of the world that's waiting for the U.S. to become a constructive leader again in the world.

A little bit louder now......

A little bit louder now indeed....

I was very impressed, as I must confess as I have usually been in the case of Mr. Obama. It might be just hope, but for the moment I am going with it...I feel like he could be the candidate I have been waiting for. The big question is can he live up to it once he gets into the campaign, based on what I have seen so far I think he can.

I think Matt had a good point about realizing, and or accepting that he is part of a movement. But he seems like the sort of person who will figure that out...I wonder how many idiots in the media are going to make the Obama/Osama mistake now?

There are other candidates and potential candidates I really like, particularly Edwards and Gore, but today, for my money, I would take Barack Obama.

I think this is not being mentioned on the blogs because people are looking at it from a bigger picture than "the state of black America." Nor do I think it is all that relavent to "the state of black America."

Universal Healthcare would be relavent.
A living wage would be relavent.
Getting out of Iraq would be relavent.

The idea is that skin color doesn't matter, but for that idea to be true it has to cut both ways, and treating Obama as "the black candidate," or "the african-american candidate" is not the sort of typecasting we should want in a situation like this.

I was watching that today, very interesting.  You could write a diary on that.

Meh, he still hasn't given me what I want out of our nominee.  After the disaster that has been Bush, Democrats need another FDR.  We need that grand theme that does unite the US behind a great effort that makes the country better.  I don't feel that listening to Obama or Hillary right now.  Edwards' Two Americas has echoes of what I want but I need to see a lot more of him before I am willing to go with a person who contributed to the current mess.  Maybe Obama will get better.

"and it [State of Black America] isn't going to get noticed on blogs.

Dude!  A black man announcing for president IS the state of black America.

Get ready for the smear machine to gear up against him.

Here is what I think they will do.

Stage One: Throw spaghetti at the wall.

Stage Two: Pound the crap out of whatever gets traction in the press. They are attempting to weaken the foundation among voters that pay no attention. Some voters hear something and make an early decision as to where they will get their information. If they keep lobbing in mortars they soften up the defense, and see if a weakness develops. They also might get voters to believe some of their information. If this is done long enough they can define our candidate through shear repetition.

Stage Three: Divert voter attention from real issues by initiating absurd attacks from marginal sources. They can waste a great deal of Obama's time and energy as he has to fend off attacks. This only works if the press goes along with the unsubstantiated attacks. That is, it works and works well.

Stage Four: Accuse Obama of whatever they think their candidate's weakness is, first. For example, if their candidate tends to be a racist, they accuse Barack of racism, thus blunting any attack by Barack as a tit for tat reprisal.

Stage Five: Have their candidate skate above the fray, in calm denial of all the dirty work being done by their campaign. Their candidate pounds out the same generic message day after day. They will make sure that message is full of platitudes that no reasonable person would disagree with. For example, their candidate will say something like "I believe the world should be free and happy," or "America can only be great if people are responsible."

This accomplishes two things. First, by staking out "happiness" as their issue, they imply that Barack is against "happiness." Second, the voters, that are not paying attention, hear a platitude like "happiness" and think "hay, I like this guy because I like happiness too. I should vote for him."

Of course, running a campaign on something, every human being on the planet agrees with, like "happiness," is absurd, but it works. At least it did in the last two Presidential campaigns.

I thought Senator Obama's speech was terrific, along with his website and call to citizen support and participation.  He is declaring a populist grassroots oriented campaign and wants that to be his mandate when he gets to the White House.  From the size of the crowd he is alrady on to something.

Take a look at his campaign funding proposals lately, and consider what impact that might have later in the campaign.  Interesting stuff.

So far, so good.  I reckon he has hit all the early markers for this campaign and has established himself as a front-runner candidate with a popular base of support, not yet beholding to any demographic or special interest groups.  Except Democrats, of course.

I watched it, and I have a lot to say.  

As a general rule of thumb, if you don't do it, no one will.

Smiley mentioned Obama in his opening statement about those who had run for President:

Shirley, Jesse, Carol, Al, and now Barack.

When Obama talks about the audacity of hope it reminds me way too much of Bush's compassionate conservatism bulslhit back in 1999.

What Obama says in his speeches is top-notched stuff, but it's mostly rhetoric and fluff.

His Iraq War plan=fluf
His Healthcare plans=fluff
His Poverty Rhetoric=fluff
His Hope Talk=fluff

HRC and Obama are peaking in the polls right now and once the debates start Edwards will be in the perfect position to take Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Carolina-Oklahoma.

Look at what Edwards has done domestically and overseas with poverty. It's amazing!!

The first debate is in South Carolina on April, 26th.

Hillary is going to get exposed by both Obama and Edwards in the first debate.

She may possibly be the worst debater alive among current politicans in the United States congress. Public speaking is not her forte, but she is still a decent senator.  

However, Edwards will rip her apart to pieces.  

On the other hand, Edwards and Obama should have a lively debate about the major issues. That should be fun to watch.

The debate may be a little like Ned Lamont and Alan Schlesinger teamming up against Lieberman durring the Ct-Sen debates.

Maybe the Larouche crowd will show up and start singing how Hillary is in bed with big money corporations.

However, Lieberman is a much more skilled politican than Hillary Clinton.

Obama is acceptable, but he disappoints me.  He is right on the most important issues, like Iraq, which puts him leagues ahead of the more entrenched Democratic Party candidates like Hillary or Biden.

But all this inspiration and hope and unity and fluff and more fluff just makes me want to vomit.  That's mostly an aesthetic thing, I suppose.

It's wrong to say that America wants more optimism and hope and belief.  We have had that in huge quantities for the last five years.  Lots of hope and wishes and optimism and steering straight, full steam ahead into iceberg after iceberg.  I could use less hope and more practicality.  Obama's whole schtick comes off as the typical "young and hip" Democratic insurgent candidate, the kind teenagers want to put on straw hats and campaign for, but nobody takes seriously in the long run.

What I really wish we had was somebody that is fed up as we are, and ready to start cleaning house the first day.  That would fill me with hope.

This is an annual event, one I've watched in its entirety some years. I think we can allow it to be upstaged for a few hours one time. It's always possible that C-Span will re-air some sessions.

West is a tough one to impress.  I missed the pm session.  Was he supporting Obama and what else did he have to say?

Thanks for your impressions.  I will look for the re-airing of the second session.

Smiley always impresses me with the panels he has on that annual event.  He and his crew work hard to make it meaningful, especially when folks have to get there at 8am on a Sat morning.  

I thought Gov Kaine gave Smiley a nice theme to work with and I want to revisit Jamestown since it's been 25 years ago this summer I was there.  

I went to the announcement in Springfield today.

I liked the speech.

I watched the re-run on C-Span.

What shocked me is the effect it had on my mother. She had been so set, I thought, in the Hillary camp.

She watched the speech a second time this afternoon. The way she talked about it - something changed for her.

Me?

I went and gave my first donation.

Lucas -- thanks for adding this point about the State of Black America to the conversation. Yes, it is a shame that SBA was inevitably overshadowed. I hope that you and other bloggers will take time to note your impressions from it. What African-Americans are thinking and wanting right now should be a major priority for Democratic candidates -- ultimately they can't win the race for president without a strong turnout from this loyal demographic.

What the blogs and the MSM need to understand is that Tavis Smiley represents a new and truly influential set of black leaders. Right now -- in the black community at large, Tavis Smiley has as much or more influence as Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton in setting the agenda. Smiley is a NY Times multiple bestselling author who is shaping the discussion and leading progressive activism. He's an incredibly important figure right now.

The SBA was re-run last year on TVOne (the cable channel) I believe and/or on PBS, so if you missed it, I would expect it will still be available for viewing. Tivo it!

"As was said today by Dr. Julia Hare, there's a difference between Black Leaders and Leading Blacks. The one is chosen by blacks, the other by whites."

Obama is a leader...not just a "black" leader.  Obama is the ultimate vision of Martin Luther King.