Obama: Not always "The Messiah" in Illinois

I took this photo on my way to work yesterday--yes on a Sunday--late this afternoon. It's important for two reasons--this is the first Obama presidential bumpersticker I've seen, and secondly, because of the partially torn-bumper sticker to the right.

When Obama announced his candidacy for the US Senate in late 2003, he was given much of a chance to make it out of the Democratic primary. Multi-millionaire Blair Hull dominated the airwaves and billboards promoting his candidacy, but once details of his messy divorce became public, he imploded. Much of the Illinois Democratic establishment lined up behind Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes, his father Dan was a longtime political force in Cook County politics. But Hynes ran a lackluster campaign, and Obama cruised to victory in the primary, and then destroyed Alan Keyes in the general election.

But this Morton Grove Democrat and current Obama presidential supporter didn't view Obama as "The Messiah" in 2004, the owner of the vehicle, who had at least a dozen other bumperstickers supporting various Democrats emblazoned on the car, was a Hynes supporter then.

So was Cairo, Illinois' Ed Smith, a powerful member of the Laborers' Union and a figure in Obama's book The Audacity of Hope.

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