Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

September 6, 2008 11:19:48 PM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

How Chicago Made Obama a Politician

Posted Jul 15, 08 3:00 PM CDT in Politics,  Glossies 

(Newser) – Behind the New Yorker’s fist-bumping Barack Obama cover, Ryan Lizza chronicles the Democrat’s political education in Chicago, where competing imperatives from the city’s fundraising elite, black urban base, and Daley-down political hierarchy taught him how to massage the system—and learn the kind of political evasion that opponents are beginning to detect. 

Illinois pols say Obama was always more politically adept than idealistic; even his anti-Iraq war stance may have ingratiated him with an important backer. And though Obama the organizer evinced devotion to his causes, the insular, patronage-driven Chicago political machine forged Obama the politician—deft at being “superficially critical of some unseemly aspect of the political process without necessarily forswearing the practice itself.”

Source New Yorker

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Mac Makes the Most of Sarcasm

    Sep 4, 08 1:07 PM CDT
    Mac Makes the Most of Sarcasm Between one ad hailing Barack Obama as the Messiah and another comparing him to Paris Hilton, John McCain’s camp might be running the most sarcastic presidential campaign in history, Michael Crowley writes in the New Republic. The tactic is “in stark conflict with his image as a straight-shooting man of noble values,” Crowley writes. “The question is whether he can really be both things at once.” More »

  • Convention Bounce Small, Fading Fast

    Sep 2, 08 9:49 AM CDT
    Convention Bounce Small, Fading Fast Barack Obama enjoyed a noticeable, but below-average, bounce in opinion polls after last week’s Democratic National Convention, Politico reports—but the gains appear to be already diminishing. Obama has risen 4% in Gallup’s daily tracking poll, 3% in a CBS survey—smaller than the average 5-6% convention bounce. And while Gallup had Obama 8% ahead of John McCain on Saturday, his margin was 5% yesterday. More »

  • 5 Reasons the World Wants Obama

    Sep 1, 08 6:35 PM CDT
    5 Reasons the World Wants Obama Americans may be divided over the presidential election, but the world clearly prefers Barack Obama, Melinda Brouwer writes on AlterNet. Here's why:

    1. Other nations share Obama’s desire for change in US policy, "and want him to make good on it."
    2. Unlike John McCain, Obama "represents the antithesis of the current president. That part doesn't get lost in translation."
    3. Electing an African American shows the US is tolerant and mature—qualities it claims to possess and "that people abroad want it to possess."
    More »

  • Obama on Warpath Pleases, Worries Pundits

    Aug 29, 08 1:39 PM CDT
    Obama on Warpath Pleases, Worries Pundits The chattering class saw strength—even Rovian aggression—in Barack Obama’s acceptance speech, for better or worse. A sampling of what observers are saying:

    • The Democratic nominee managed to be about voters, not himself, magnificently deflecting John McCain’s entire “celebrity” narrative, Michael Tomasky writes in the Guardian.
    • This speech is exactly what Democrats have been calling for: a bare-knuckled attack on McCain, challenging the Republican "not to stoop to questioning his motives," Dan Balz writes in the Washington Post.
    More »

  • West Turning Blue, Dems Say

    Aug 29, 08 12:54 PM CDT
    West Turning Blue, Dems Say The Mountain West has historically gone for the GOP, but thanks to aggressive grass-roots organizing, Democrats believe they have a shot at turning red states blue, Politico reports. More field offices, opened much earlier than the GOP's, have boosted registration in Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada. “This presidential cycle is different,” says the head of New Mexico’s Democratic Party. “The ground game is completely different.” More »

Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., arrives at Midway International Airport in Chicago, Monday, July 14, 2008.   (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The controversial New Yorker cover   (AP Photo)
Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., speaks at the National Council of La Raza Convention in San Diego, Calif., Sunday, July 13, 2008.   (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., talks to reporters aboard his campaign charter en route to San Diego, Calif., Saturday, July 12, 2008.   (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., talks to reporters aboard his campaign charter en route to San Diego, Calif., Saturday, July 12, 2008.   (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (1 of 7)

Tags

Barack Obama  • Obama 2008  • Chicago  • New Yorker magazine


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular


Other Glossies Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »