I think Barak is popular precisely because he does not emphasize particular issues or opinions, but rather talks about themes that make almost everyone feel good. Who is against “unity”? Who will argue with the statement, “Yes we can!” Who doesn’t want change of some sort? These are platitudes – they aren’t specific policy positions.
The problem Obama will have if he gets elected is that he has raised hopes very high. Some of his supporters see him as a man who can bring about heaven on earth. He can’t.
Our political system is practically designed for gridlock. This makes it difficult for one leader to change things unless he/she wins a “realignment” election which dramatically alters the composition of the House and Senate. I don’t think the 2008 Election will be like that.
Our founders were conservative, not in the modern Reagan/GW Bush sense of the word, but in the sense that they feared large-scale, sudden change. They set up a system that makes it hard to bring about big changes quickly. There’s a good side to that, and a bad side to that. It’s very difficult for a President to get his initiatives passed, but its also very difficult for Congress to over-ride a Presidential veto.
I think if Barak wins he will have a difficult time convincing Congress to pass his initiatives, unless he moderates them somewhat.