Rich Miller reports that Obama is picking up steam.
OBAMA PICKS UP STEAM Former US Senator Carol Moseley-Braun may make another run for her old job, but state Sen. Barack Obama (D-Chicago) is picking up some crucial support for the Democratic primary.
Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. has signed on to Obama’s exploratory committee for a 2004 race against US Sen. Peter Fitzgerald. . . .
. . . [S]ome of Obama’s supporters believe that if he can lock up enough support early, then Carol Mosley-Braun might be convinced to stay out of the race – or forced out later this year if she has trouble raising money and finding support.
Don’t dismiss Obama. Yes, he has a strange, even Arabic-sounding name (it doesn’t take a genius to realize that Obama sounds a lot like Osama) at a time when that attribute is far from ideal (if it ever was), but the Harvard Law School grad is raising money and attracting lots of young activists to his campaign.
Obama is the guy I hope I’m wrong about. I think he’d have a tough fight against Fitzgerald, but he is smart and solid. The Jackson tidbit is important because it starts to chip away at Moseley-Braun in the African-American community and provides a machine operation for GOTV on primary day. He is also getting money which is good to hear. If he can force out Moseley-Braun he moves into a very strong position with probably 25% of the vote. And kicking her to the curbside is the best thing for the Illinois Democratic Party.