I was convinced at Obama's Milwaukee fundraiser that he can pretty much just show up in any big city in the country and 15-20 thousand people would show up for a rally.

What's funny to me is how many people(who support candidate I won't name)thought he was just a media creation and that his popularity would die down over time. Yeah, not so much.

The plural of celebrity is celebrities.

It was part of the joke.

I am an edwards supporter, but DK2, you are out of line on this.  Taking what seems like animosity towards Obama and using it to dis' young people.

Young people were the only age demo to increase the democratic margins in 2004 and to support Kerry in significant numbers.  

The youngest voters (under 25) increased their rate of turnout by 11 points while the increase in turnout of voters 25 and up was less than 4 points.

Even though they voted in lower rates, the sheer numbers of younger (under 35) voters exceeded the number of 65+ voters.

In 2006, young voters increased their rate of turnout again, and increased their support for Democrats.

At least two Senators would not have won if it had not been for these increases (Webb and Tester).

So yes, Obama runs the risk of building his base on a group that is less reliable in a primary election, and yes, there is a great deal of the celebrity factor powering his support among this demographic.  But that is true for a lot of goofy old people too.

The point is, don't be a jerk and start trashing the yong voters that are a critical part of the democratic base and of democratic victories.

Philgoblue, thanks for clearing that quote up.  It made no sense.  I can't imagine that anyone would be jeering Edwards.  I was trying to figure out the context.  Of course the diarist does say "I'll take some bits and pieces from the article out of context".  S/he warns us but what is then the point of the diary - to distort information about one of our candidates in an unflattering way?  To me it borders on being unethical and should be criticized.  I don't find it amusing no matter how it is spun.

I don't know that the diarist is a "troll", but definitely biased and distorts data.  That make all his/her posts suspect whether about Edwards or Obama.  It is kind of a Republican thing to do, distort the truth to make your position look better no matter what the facts are.  I really don't think this kind of post is appropriate for MyDD where we are trying to do good analysis of the campaigns.  I suppose the diarist could be a troll or totally unaware of ethics.

And the little give away line - "I'm doing this on purpose, so lighten up. I like Edwards. The hero worship of some people around here scares me a bit though."  is quite disingenuous.  It is supposed to fend off criticism of false conclusions.  

This is a backhanded swipe at Edwards supporters.  "hero worship of some people around here scares me a bit".  This is the ultimate projection.  I don't find that Edwards supporters "worship" their "hero" as much as they are impressed or convinced of his detailed proposals and his bold stands on what needs to be done.  I have no idea why that would "scare" anyone.  On the other hand I am not clear why Obama draws such crowds - it does appear like hero worship.  I think Obama is a fine senator, but I find some of his supporters disparage Edwards, because the substance of what Obama is saying is quite thin.  There is only so many times you can say (from his website):

Americans are tired of divisive ideological politics, which is why Senator Obama has reached out to Republicans to find areas of common ground. He has tried to break partisan logjams and take on seemingly intractable problems.

and keep Democrats happy during the primaries.  And if you believe that then you cannot make bold statements readily - the Republicans you are trying to work with won't like it.  I would love to see his approach work, I just don't see any evidence that it will work with the Republicans we currently have in the senate.  

To go back to the thesis of the diary.  Yes Edwards is more likely to attract an older crowd who like detail in policy.  He will attract young people turned on to politics.  Obama is tapping into getting younger people involved and that is to his credit.  Many of those will stay involved and that is important for the Democratic party and the country.  Which demographic will have an impact on the primaries?  I think we don't really know, it is a new development - but we will be able to predict better closer to the actual primaries.

Lighten up, mihan clearly says he is about to take quotes out of context.

Come on guys. I really want to see Edwards and Obama overtake Hillary. Stop acting being so freaking touchy. Your candidates wont grow with your hero worship.