"I just can't take him seriously as a candidate of change"

Matt Gonzalez is a fellow San Franciscan, who worked with my mother at the SF public defenders office. He went on to become a city councilor and ran a very compelling campaign for mayor against Gavin Newson - the political darling, who you may have recently seen rallying behind California's same-sex legislation. Gonzalez, had he been elected mayor would have been the first Green party mayor in the United States. Now he is Ralph Nader's Independant running mate for the 08 Presidential election. Most progressives in America have chossen to evaluate Obama, not based on his political program or how measures up vis-a-vis their own liberal ideals, but rather, based on the abstracted qualities and slogans developed by his well oiled public relations machine. (He's a great package!) Whenever I speak to pro-Obama Americans I find many of them know very little about Obama beyond his image, charisma and oratorial style. But in the above clip Gonzalez gives a point by point breakdown of what, at the very least, can be described as Obama's questionable Senate record. He does not even mention Obama's one eighty on Isreal-Palestine and his unwavering committment to the long term occupation of Iraq. I wish all Americans, whoever they vote for, would do a little research, check websites, and actually read the candidates' platforms before falling in love with a guy because he reminds them of a Kennedy. If you feel compelled, Gonzalez's full article is here http://www.counterpunch.org/gonzalez02292008.html .