Shaking hands with Obama

Eeeek really cringey on the name dropping front, but a recent trip to DC gave me the opportunity to do so. As I’m sure most of you know Obama is the current mega-star of American politics who has risen, as the old saying goes, without trace to stand second behind Hillary in the race for Democratic nomination for president, and he is attracting the predictable smears and innuendo from the hysterical right.

I was fortunate enough to hear him speaking at a breakfast meeting with his senior Illinois senatorial colleague, Dick Durbin, and the contrast between the men was interesting. Both were in different ways tremendously impressive, but Obama, up close, wasn’t like a politician.

By which I mean, despite the controversy, he was not particularly articulate in the slick, political, soundbitey sort of way. Rather his response to questions from his constituents was very measured and very thoughtful and actually engaged with what was asked rather than got his point on the issue across. He also had a sense of seriousness and certainty about him that was intriguing. While charming and personable, he also, oddly, seemed less at ease than Durbin, who was very chatty, interested in what were doing and so forth, but this might just reflect someone standing on the edge of the announcement (he formally announced his candidacy two days after we met him).

I think I would sum it up as that he has charisma, but not the qualities that one usually associates with charismatic people. Whether he can win or not is another matter. I have a sense that he might end up being Hillary’s running mate.

For more on the impressive Durbin - see the other blog