OBAMARAMA

Every time I hear the name “Frank Luntz,” I throw up in my mouth a little.

This is the man, after all, who made the Republicans understand that they could win policy debates simply by having the better message, regardless of how flawed their policies were. He coined phrases like “Death Tax,” “energy exploration” and “healthy forests,” to replace the unimaginative (if more precise) terms “Estate Tax,” “drilling” and “logging.” As Samantha Bee once put it, “Luntz has made a brilliant career spraying perfume on dog turds.”

In fairness, I don’t have such a visceral, intestinal reaction to Frank Luntz because he’s an idiot. To the contrary, the guy has been brutally successful, having reportedly once even sold a ketchup popsicle to an Eskimo wearing white gloves.

While we should lament the absence of substance in our debates, Luntz has helped political folks on both sides learn to appreciate the vital role communication plays in the process. Despite his sometimes questionable methodologies, Luntz understands better than anyone that you need to sell your ideas if you want them to be adopted.

So when he goes on Bill Maher and says Sen. Obama is well-positioned to win both the primary and the general election, I take heed. I still get a little nauseous, but it’s a nausea of joy. Have a look:

This interesting segment from ABC News discusses the unwillingness of all of this campaign’s major presidential candidates — from both parties — to release their tax information.

All but one, that is.  Have a look:

For those who missed it, Sen. Obama had a great discussion with George Stephanopoulos yesterday on ABC’s This Week. Here’s the video, in three installments courtesy of YouTuber lovingj1:

Sen. Obama crashes a certain Woman of the Year event in this ridiculous MadTV clip:

I received an email tonight from a staff member at ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos, where Sen. Obama will be appearing this Sunday. She made a very interesting pitch that is unprecedented among the Sunday shows, as far as I know. Have a look — I think you’ll be impressed:

[Y]our readers may be interested in a new feature for This Week - “Be Seen, Be Heard” We’ve set it up so people can submit video questions to our guests (with chosen ones featured on This Week). They can submit videos to Senator Obama at this link: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/BeSeenBeHeard/story?id=3078388, or they can email questions to thisweek@abc.com.

This strikes me as an excellent opportunity to ask any questions you may have for Sen. Obama in a public forum — and a valuable chance for him to address the concerns of real people, in real time.

What are the best questions we can pose? Questions that give him a chance to talk about his plan to end the war in Iraq? His thoughts on the administration’s lack of accountability? His top priorities for his first term? It would be great to read your thoughts on this and any ideas for questions in the comments section.

And here’s the video promo for this week’s This Week:

Here’s the headline of an AP story out today:

“Obama’s Wife Says Supporters to Bring Energy to Presidential Campaign.”

And another, from the Post:

“Wife Touts Obama’s ‘Moral Compass.’“

And how about one more, from the Nashua Telegraph:

“Michelle Obama says husband has experience that counts.”

Media coverage in the run-up to the campaign suggested that it was Michelle Obama, the professional, intelligent and classy wife of Sen. Barack Obama, who harbored the most qualms about her husband’s potential run. But now that he’s in, he couldn’t hope for a more ardent, devoted and compelling advocate.

Michelle Obama has been on the campaign trail since February, and everywhere she goes she draws large, interested crowds, engaging them with funny anecdotes about her husband and ultimately inspiring them with testimony about his commitment to justice and public service. Once the campaign skeptic, Michelle Obama is quickly becoming one of its biggest assets.

I’ve long believed that as the public comes to know Michelle Obama, they will see in her the sort of strong, independent but deeply supportive woman they want standing alongside their president. To help in that process, here is a great video of her speech to the Women for Obama group, where she discusses balancing her different roles during the campaign:

And here is another short video that profiles Michelle Obama’s life:

A witty take-off on the Mac/PC ad campaign…

The Obama campaign’s official blog highlights Sen. Obama’s speech to the California Democratic Convention this weekend, including photos and links to glowing reviews over at Daily Kos and the California Progress Report.

Here’s the video of his remarks:

A somewhat discomfiting fake ad for a hip new breakfast cereal called Obama O’s, from the folks who brought you Rolling Barocks:

A great series of exchanges from last night’s Democratic presidential debate on the subject of Iran and nuclear proliferation:

Am I crazy, or does Sen. Obama seem to be the only grown up in the conversation?

Over the past five months, we’ve documented the wide array of attacks that have been launched against Sen. Obama by his opponents in politics and the media. For the most part, these baseless caricatures have been debunked and have largely fallen by the wayside (”He’s a junkie,” “he’s a Marxist leftist,” “he’s too black,” “he’s not black enough,” “he’s a hypocrite,” “he’s a Muslim“…just to name a few).

Up until now, though, the attack that has arguably stung Sen. Obama’s supporters the most is the suggestion that he is “all style, no substance.” We’ve known that it’s not true, but given the nature of the campaign, its quick and early start, and Sen. Obama’s need as a relative newcomer to build momentum and enthusiasm, we haven’t had as many tools as we’d like to rebut it.

That’s about to change.

Earlier this week, Sen. Obama addressed the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, where he discussed his foreign policy vision. It was a 40-minute speech that was reported in the New York Times under the headline, “Obama Outlines His Foreign Policy Views,” and was very well received by pundits and experts alike.

Lest there be any question about the substantial nature of the speech, here is a video of Sen. Obama’s remarks in their entirety:

As Sen. Obama builds on his momentum and grassroots support by laying out the specifics of his candidacy, I suspect we’ll be seeing a lot more speeches like this one. And as we do, OBAMARAMA will lay them out here in a new segment called “Here’s the Beef.”

Frankly, it’s just nice to know that the biggest knock against Sen. Obama is based on a total underestimation of his ability to back up charisma with meaty policy proposals. Those of us who have been following him know that won’t be any problem — and appreciate having such a low bar to step over.

Next time, try ordering some Rolling Barocks. It works for Peyton Manning, apparently:

Here’s video of Sen. Obama speaking in Milwaukee in the wake of the news about the Virginia Tech shooting:

I’d just like to make it clear that OBAMARAMA in no way endorses the use of illicit substances. With that said, enjoy:

Here’s the bulk of Sen. Obama’s appearance on “The Late Show with David Letterman” last night (updated with more complete excerpts).

Part 1:

Part 2: