Hillary's mantra is: I'm tested. I'm ready from day 1. She bills herself as the master manager.

Obama's mantra is: Together we can. He bills himself as the master inspirer.

All substance and no fluff say Hillary's supporters.

Here's what I say and what the evidence shows for Obama: Inspiration and a master politician with real substantive heft. What's the evidence? Why how they've run their campaigns.

Hillary started as way ahead in all the polls the better known, the inevitable candidate. What did she do? Ignore the red states, thereby continuing the divide between Them and Us. Failed to build a true grass roots organizations even in states such as Maine which she should have won. Failed initially to raise any money from the real voters, relying instead on those who give large bucks to buy access. And finally, blew through $175 million she had raised for her campaigns (senatorial and now for president) without even knowing she was doing it.

But also she relies on a narrower and narrower base. It was brilliant to show contempt for and alienate the Black vote by trying dismiss Obama's win there as just Blacks voting for one of their own (as if Hillary hadn't expect to and didn't have the majority of the Black support until then). Why they are just 20% of the Democratic party's most loyal electorate and not likely to forgive her or old Bill for that. So she decided to go after the Latino vote. Although she seems to forget that until recently they have not voted in as great numbers. In all events she began to lose the Latino vote in the Potomac primaries. Never mind, she tell us, I'll get them back in Texas. Well maybe, but since they have historically voted in lesser numbers than Blacks have in Texas,and since delegates are allocated based on districts with greater past voting strength in Texas, the Latino vote, even if it goes overwhelmingly for Hillary, won't be able to pull her chestnuts out of the fire. And what does she do going into the Texas primary? Fire her Latina campaign manager. Brilliant. Just brilliant. And replace her with whom? A Black woman, after she has thoroughly pissed off the Black vote.

Hey never mind the Black/Latino alleged divide... she can count on White women, but only if they are over the age of 45. And the blue collar vote she believes. Let's say she is right. Does she really believe that these Reagan Democratic type voters represent the future of the Democratic party or given the chance won't they flock

Taken all in all her campaign has demonstrated strategic idiocy. She perhaps can still pull of the Democratic nomination, BUT

Ready from Day 1? I don't think so. A great manager? You don't say. If she runs our budget the way she has run her own, she'll be a repeat of the Republicans, won't she?

Now, let's look at what Obama has done. He billed himself as the catalyst for change. So what is the first thing he does? Recognizes the power of the internet as a great new tool for organizing, raising money from small donors and bringing people together. His website allows people to get involved, while trusting them to do their own thing, to create events, to put together fund raisers without control from the top. It faciliates grass roots involvement.

Then he ignores no state. He goes to and wins in the so called Red States and he wins by massive margins. He understands that in order to create change, he has to expand the base and transform the electorate. And he does just that, firing up the Democratic base which Hillary has ignored in the Red States and pulling Independents and even moderate Republicans who know this country is in trouble as he goes. So much for "false hopes."

And compare his core supporters to Hillary"s... the younger, more educated... people who think more for themselves, are less afraid of change, less likely to desert to the Republican hero in the general election because they need and want reassurance.

And finally, just as Hillary and McCain start pounding him on lack of specifics (although there were always specifics aplenty for those who cared to look at his website), just after he really has built an amazing base of enthusiastic, grass roots supporters, coming off the Potomac primary clean sweep with amazing margins, cutting into Hillary's core constituency, he begins to get specific in Wisconsin, the progressive state, but one that is a meat and potatoes state, at a GM car plant on the day that GM has reported huge losses: a green jobs program, a bank for infrastructure redevelopment, student education for public serviced pay back. So much for all rhetoric and no substance. But look he has built a mandate at least in the terms of the primary to start making a case for the changes he would propose.

You could not have scripted Obama's campaign better and what better insight into how the two would govern.

You don't have to be a Hillary hater not to want her to win and to want desperately that Obama wins... just look at the best evidence we have of how they would bring about real change. Obama has revolutionized modern campaigns. Hillary, who has been battle tested in 2 successful prior presidential campaigns, has failed miserably by any and all measures. With such a record in the primaries, what would make anyone think she could beat McCain even in this year that people hunger and are ready for transformational change in the very nature of our politics. Hillary cannot get out of the mindset of We vs. Them. Obama can and has shown us how to do it. Go Man, GO!

Bravo Edna! Brilliant post.

Excellent comparison.

The posts on this site currently remind me so much of what was being posted 4 years ago about Bush. Lots of zeal, unquestioned belief in what their idol says, and an intolerance of anything that is contrary to what their leader says.

I do not believe that hillary said it is us against them and I think you need to remember he is running to be the candidate of the Democratic party. I personally think that those details he spoke of in Wis are not going to be even considered by the Rep party.

Seems like a shell game to me. Take money from the war that we cannot afford, put it into technology here (that part is good) and add more money and increase the taxes to business (imagine the impact that will have on wall street. An instantaneous 4 5 or 10 percent deduction in their net profits going into the future. Not to mention the requirement that all businesses provide health insurance.

Our real problem is a growing deficit and a government that is involved in everything.

Remember that he got into the race because "I thought I could pull it off" His words on 60 minutes. Not that he felt that he had a vision for america that was better than anyone else. But that he could pull it off.

raptor5618- Of course, since his idea of "pulling it off" has been cenered on public service, activism and community throughout his entire career, that is not really all that worrying.

"Pulling it off" was an obvious reference to overcoming Hillary Clinton's seemingly insurmountable advantages at the start of the race. The fact that he pulled it off is a testament to Barack Obama's very real political skills. John McCain might learn something from Hillary Clinton's experience, that underestimating Obama is a big mistake.

Have you stopped to wonder why the Republicans have NOT been beating up on Obama? They would love it if he is the Democratic candidate. Then Karl Rove will begin the destruction of Obama in earnest (all behind the scenes, of course.) Do you realize that all of the major networks have MALE anchors, including CNN, MSNBC, FOX. (They throw in a few female commentators here and there once in a while.) Just listening to these men is enough to make one wonder if they have/had mothers, sisters, daughters, aunts, nieces, wives. There is a republican 527 that was recently formed called Citizens United Not Timid. Look at what the first letter of each word in their name spells. (Not to mention that the name of their group doesn't even make sense.) The TV program South Park had an episode in which they were trying to plant a bomb in Hillary Clinton's vagina. David Schuster wondered if Chelsea Clinton was "pimping" for her mother. Don Imus is back on the air after his vulgar reference to the Rutgers womens basketball team. Nutcrackers that are made in the image of Hillary Clinton are being sold in airports. A man yelled out at Hillary, at a debate, "Iron my shirt". John McCain, when asked by a female supporter, "How do we beat the bitch?" just laughed.

We all know that many white males are terrified of Hillary (or any woman for that matter) becoming President. We have been "presided" over by white males for over 200 years! Many females seem to be threatened by Hillary as well. Is it possible they are jealous of a woman who is as strong and independent as she is, or are they just willing to continue being dominated by white males? It is time for change in this country, that is certain. And the biggest change would be electing a woman as president. If you look at others countries worldwide, you can see that they don't suffer from the same gender bias as we do in the U.S. when it comes to electing politicians. Many people say that a female isn't suited to be president, that a female wouldn't have "what it takes" to do the job. How will we ever know if we never support and elect a female? Females make up approximately 54% of the US population. We are in the majority in that respect, yet our representation in government is dismally low. Do a count of how many female Congress members there are, or how many female politicians in any office there are for that matter. Women are still well below a majority in that respect.

I don't really have anything against Barrack Obama other than that 1.) we would still be presided over by a male, and 2.) lack of experience does matter, and it's not something I want to take a chance on when electing a president.

The young voters who are out en masse right now for Obama may not be there when the election rolls around. College age students have notoriously been absent when it actually comes time to vote. I applaud the efforts of all of the young people who have become involved in the campaign process. I am just concerned that if they don't, in fact, turn up to actually vote in the presidential election, we could end up with John McCain, and then it would be another four years of the current administrations policies - same old, same old. I also have to wonder how many of the young female Obama supporters comprehend what it would mean to their generation to have a female president. Most of them are too young to have been part of the "feminist movement", and don't have a true grasp of the struggles that women have gone through to achieve some semblance of "equality" with men. (Black males at least had the right to vote 50 years before any women did!)

You say Hillary has been battle tested in 2 successful prior presidential campaigns. (Although she herself hasn't run before, so I assume you meant Bill Clinton.) Yes, she has been tested, and continues to be tested. Unfortunately, too many people are focusing on things like, "I don't like her laugh.", "She has thick ankles.", or "She stayed with her husband after he cheated on her." Are these real "issues" that would disqualify someone from running for president? Yet they are all things that have been said about her. Do you hear anyone making such stupid comments about any of the males who have been in the run for president? Let's really focus on the issues, and compare her experience to Obama's "hopes".

I guess in closing, I would say that I feel it is unfortunately bad timing that these two candidates, one female and one black, are running for the Democratic nomination at the same time. We definitely need change in this country, and I believe electing either a female or a black person would be a welcome change from the white male dominance we have had for over 200 years. I would prefer that we elect a female to lead the country. To those who say that Hillary is too much of a Washington insider, I say that she is no more of an insider than any male, including Barrack Obama. And Hillary cannot possibly be any worse than the white male we have been forced to call president for the past seven years!

Let's stand up for women for once, and elect Hillary Clinton as President!