Update: I have since changed my opinion of Obama.
This video is pretty representative of Obama’s support. It may help get his base pumped, but does nothing to convince me that he’s actually better. His supporters love him and hate Clinton, but the reasoning is fairly unclear. Mostly, it seems, because he’s much cooler. However, their voting record in the senate’s pretty much the same, and Obama’s even said that he might have voted for the Iraq war if he’d been in the senate at the time (ref). There’s very little difference between him and Clinton.* Still, he’s energizing a large base of young supporters, even more than Dean. Perhaps Dean had too much substance, not enough style. If we’ve learned anything from Schwarzenegger it’s that the best way to win elections is to be someone with no credentials and to make vague promises about making things better without proposing any solutions.
The Obama supporters I know are all pretty bright, and they say they like Obama because he’s new and young and he just inspires confidence in his leadership ability. I guess I’m more of a policy wonk, so I’m cynical about Obama. I’m leaning towards Bill Richardson myself, but as UlyLaz loves to point out, he’s got Chinagate to contend with. Other than that, he’s got a great record. Obama’s record’s fine, but it’s easy to have a decent record if your career barely spans a decade.
*Considering that women got to vote later than blacks, and women are still struggling to get equal pay and the right to control their own bodies (a right even the supposed libertarian Ron Paul opposes), a woman president is at least as good a “symbolic victory” as a black president. If you want to play that game.