Great Reads

Another fantastic profile from the Washington Post, this one looks at Obama's tenure in the US Senate.

Obama arrived as a celebrity, a best-selling author whose keynote speech was the only moment Democrats wanted to remember from their 2004 convention. He could capitalize on that reputation by speaking out against the Iraq war, scheduling prime-time television interviews and seizing control of high-profile bills. He could, as one Chicago friend suggested, "go in, do your thing and take the place by storm."

Or, others advised, Obama could assume the typical role of a freshman senator, maneuvering with deference and humility. By endearing himself to Washington's elite, he could build the foundation for his future.

"I think it's important to take it slow," Obama told his advisers. "I want to be liked."

If you are interested in the previous article about Obama's years in the Illinois Senate, go here.

The second article is more dense, more wonkish, but it provides an very interesting profile of the electorate. (H/T: Marc Ambinder)

Looking at the results from another angle captures the Democratic difficulty among white men even more starkly: The past five presidential elections have involved very different Democratic nominees (from Michael Dukakis and John Kerry to Clinton and Al Gore) running in very different circumstances. Yet over that entire period, the Democratic share of the vote among white men has varied little: ranging between lows of 36 percent (in 1988 and 2000) and a high of 38 percent (for Clinton's 1996 re-election). That remarkable stability suggests a structural resistance to Democrats among these men that will be difficult for any single candidate to overcome.