Obama knows how to make friends and influence people

November 21, 2005

For a man with only 11 months in the Senate under his belt, Barack Obama has a knack for impressing people.

The sage of money and finance, America’s second-richest man, seldom becomes invested in politicians. But [Warren Buffett] has made an exception for the junior senator from Illinois, which is precisely why Obama has arrived here on a frosty fall morning, without an overcoat or an entourage.

No television cameras record the moment. No oversize crowds gather. Rather, a mere 16 people — most of whom Obama was meeting for the first time — finish a breakfast of eggs and fresh fruit in the home of Warren Buffett’s daughter, Susie Buffett.

“I’ve got a conviction about him that I don’t get very often,” Warren Buffett explained later in an interview. “He has as much potential as anyone I’ve seen to have an important impact over his lifetime on the course that America takes. […] “If he can do an ounce better with me,” Buffett added, “fine.”

Needless to say, Buffett is hardly the only one who’s impressed. Obama’s legislative record after a year is limited, but his potential is not. The Chicago Tribune noted that Obama has built “a coast-to-coast army of backers,” and given his willingness to campaign with other Democrats, it’s a fair description.

Just this year, Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) was struggling to raise money, so he turned to Obama. (It worked; Byrd raised nearly $1 million through online donations.) In Virginia, Gov.-elect Tim Kaine relied on Obama repeatedly. In New Jersey, Gov.-elect Jon Corzine brought Obama in shortly before Election Day for a last-minute push. Looking ahead, one has to assume that Obama’s frequent-flier miles will flourish in 2006.

Time will tell whether Obama seeks higher office, but he’s collected a lot of favors over the last year or so, making a very positive impression along the way. Unless your initials are HRC, it’s the kind of network most Democrats can only dream of.

Update: To clarify, I wanted to add that, at times, the pressure the political world is putting on this guy is over the top. Obama’s barely unpacked and he’s already asked, a little too often, about his presidential plans. That said, Obama has created the kind of network that might come in handy.

“HRC”–is that Hodding Carter?

  • Please, please, please, Hillary … dangle the presidency in front of everyone (as Ted Kennedy did forever). it will increase your power in the Senate and nation generally. But please don’t actually run. We need the 2008 win. But we should run someone likely to win (statistically, over the last 100 years, that would be either a governor or a former vice president).

  • Bravo, Ed. My sentiments exactly. And don’t leave out the possibility of former generals rising to the top, as well. 😉 At this point the republic will need all its strength to survive, and some real military experience definitely wouldn’t hurt.

  • I hate the fact that our political system is becoming, in both parties, an aristocracy. You can see it in the fact that our current president is the son of a former president. Or that the Democrats’ leading candidate in Pennsylvania is the son of a prominent politician.

    If we believe in the ideal of a meritocracy, then we must put an end to “son of”-politics, and that means saying no to Hillary. The truth is, she would never have become a Senator if it weren’t for her husband. And the truth is, again, while popular at home she’s really not the vocal and outspoken champion of Democratic policies we expect in a leader.

    Obama, yes. Hillary, no.

  • The great thing about Obama is that he’s in it for the long haul. It seems clear to me that he has the patience to build his credibility and experience. Compare and contrast with John Edwards, who has the potential, if he wouldn’t step on his noodly appendage in his rush to fulfill his ambition.

    And the way Obama has chosen to build his creds happens to make the Democratic party stronger. Or the other way around. I suspect if and when he announces he’s going to run, I for one may have to quit my job and move to a swing state to burn some old fashioned shoe leather for him.

  • If we’re talking about dream 2008 combos I’d love to see a Obama/Hillary ticket (yes, in that order) but Obama will still be too green/young to carry it off, he will be just about perfect in 2012. Hillary at the top is far too risky and does have that whiff of political arisotracy.

    However, I certainly could be easily convinced to vote for Warner/Obama in 2008 or even Warner/Hillary. I know there is much made of her ego, but when it really comes down to it would she accept the position of 1st female VP? I think she might.

  • If I was one of the Greek gods looking down on the actions of my (our?) creations, I would love to see the what the right-wing slime machine would churn out if HRC was the democtatic nominee for president. Being a pragmatic, partisan democrat, however, I’m certain we must make sure that she is never at the top of the ticket (and maybe even on it at all).

    Two words about Obama: Roy Hobbs. I’m glad he’s on our side and I hope he’s patient. VP under Clark (or Gore or …) for 8 years followed by 8 years of his own. All before he’s 65.

  • He may be making you guys happy, but my friends here in Chicago are finding him to be a massive disappointment. He’s missed every juncture where he could have proven himself to be a force for good, rather than a loyal Democrat. If you like what the Democratic party has become–a spineless bunch of fools working for lobbyists, without a moral bone in their bodies–you’ll like him, I guess. From where I sit, he’s just the next corrupt politician in waiting.

    What has he done, exactly, that you like, aside from looking good in public? He’s raising money, looking good, and being noticed by important people, impressing them with his “potential” but has he actually done anything for the people who voted for him, who at this instant most need some honest politicians with backbone?

    You guys seem to love him so much–what’s he actually DONE? Read the Tribune article linked at the top “knack for impressing people”. I didn’t send him to Washington to win elections for other Democrats, raise money, and impress rich people. That article makes no attempt to claim he’s actually done anything that has anything to do with the job he was hired to do. Is that supposed to be impressive? I’m really not impressed.

  • Obama is early in the game… that said we know he can’t run in 2008 because our base arguement about Bush was always what experience? someone above suggested a 2012 run for presidency. But here is the problem-> If democrats win 2008 (which should be very possible based upon how things are going for Bush right now) then unless a very poor democrat wins who obviously won’t win a second term or a democrat wins who is impeached, we won’t see an opening for Obama until 2016. The only chance of 2012 ticket is repub win in 08′. So to put it simply I expect we are at a minimum 10 years from Obama. By the way, for the people in Chicago who aren’t impressed, he is a freshman and obviously holds little real board power since it is all based upon seniority.

  • I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again. Even this federalist republican is impressed by Obama. But since the Democratic Party only plays lip service to putting minorities at the forefront of their leadership, he’ll probably never get a fair swing at a Democratic Presidential Ticket.
    I agree with Dick’s retort to the notion that Obama hasn’t done anything yet. The seniority system stymies talent regardless of the party. Unfortunately, senior Democrats aren’t likely to let his star outshine theirs. Give him time.

    I also agree with Leftist Boddhisatva. I am weary of political aristocracies. In 08, no Bushes, Kennedeys, Gores or their cousins will be getting my vote.

    I pray at night that Hillary wins the Democratic nomination, by the way.

  • I saw Obama at a campaign rally for Kaine in Virginia, and I do think he is something special. Not a word of negative campaigning in front of a partisan crowd that would have loved it.

    His message was that the Democratic Party’s vision should be that we’re all in this together. That government exists for the common good, and that one should be in politics to serve.

    I suppose it says much about the cynicism of current times and current regimes that such a message is unusual in even the Democratic Party, and that someone might actually campaign by appealing to idealism and our better natures is considered unusual and striking.

  • Michael, Now you know how it feels to have a national star for your senator. Here in NY, Senator Clinton spends more time burnishing her credentials with Israeli voters than with me, a lifelong moderate Democrat.

    I’ll never forget reading how she sucked up to Al D’Amato on the steps of the new Al D’Amato courthouse. Forget the fact that Al should have been inside in the dock, he made her life a misery for how many years and she has even one nice thing to say about him?

    Then there was the photo of Hillary batting her baby blues up at George Pataki on a podium in western NY so she could share the credit for creating sixs f**king jobs. This was during the gubernatorial race between Pataki and H. Carl McCall. McCall only kept the state pension funds out of the clutches of the Pataki gang of thieves for eight years and this was the kind of support he got from the two-faced junior senator from NY.

    I just looked at Barac Obama’s limited voting record and he seems okay to me. He did not vote for the bankruptcy bill, thank goodness.

    Obama looked positively cheerful walking in NYC with Hillary,Charlie Rangel and Freddy Ferrer on election day. Don’t they have election day in Illinois?

  • Can I believe it that Barach is going to campaign for Mr Joe(kiss me on the cheek) Lieberman. My God I had great hope for the junior Senator from Illinois but if he actually says anything that is false or misleading about the bleeding Bush-Lover who has sold our country to those crazy Republicans then I will become and instant Barach basher for sure.

    Barach you got to use your common sense man – Joe is bad real bad news – he stands for all that Democrats are opposed to. Please explain your intentions so I can see where you are coming from!

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