Diplomat

Canon PowerShot G9

ƒ/4.5

36.781 mm

1/320

Obama just comes alive in the interactive discussions and Q&A.

He has the uncanny ability to represent both sides of seemingly intractable impasses – from gun control to racism to criminal justice– thereby evoking a depolarizing empathy and newfound hope for change.

I wondered if my perception was somehow limited to those who affiliate with Obama’s personal perspective on the issues. I recognized a couple lifelong Republicans at this Silicon Valley gathering, and was surprised that through this encounter, they are going to vote for a Democrat for the first time.

(more Obama photos & quotes)

37 responses to “Diplomat”

angry shock

Apr 9, 2008 at 4:44 am

He is a very handsome man. And so is his wife for what I saw. I know this is completely superfluous for a comment, but it´s an added value that they are pleasing for the eye (imo, of course).

And as Voltaire said: "The superfluous, a very necessary thing."

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Josh Thompson

Apr 9, 2008 at 4:59 am

I am heartened to hear that Obama is so convincing in person, but I also wonder if the qualities you describe (an "uncanny ability to represent both sides" of an issue) appeal to highly educated, intellectual voters but fall flat with working class Republicans (and Democrats). Will he be susceptible to the "waffling" charge like Kerry was? I like him and I voted for him, but I worry about these things….

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jared

Apr 9, 2008 at 5:07 am

I am a highly educated, intellectual voter and this man has my vote.

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nels1

Apr 9, 2008 at 5:33 am

if i could vote, he would also have earned mine:)

however, this Democratic Representative from Illinois wouldn’t…

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jurvetson

Apr 9, 2008 at 5:31 pm

awesome video link nels1

Josh… these waffling, flip-flop stereotypes are hard to shake… Quoting from the LA TImes, summarizing a story from Nature Neuroscience:

Exploring the neurobiology of politics, scientists have found that liberals tolerate ambiguity and conflict better than conservatives because of how their brains work.

Psychological studies have found that conservatives tend to be more structured and persistent in their judgments whereas liberals are more open to new experiences.

liberals were … 2.2 times as likely to score in the top half of the distribution for accuracy.

Sulloway said the results could explain why President Bush demonstrated a single-minded commitment to the Iraq war and why some people perceived Sen. John F. Kerry, the liberal Massachusetts Democrat who opposed Bush in the 2004 presidential race, as a "flip-flopper" for changing his mind about the conflict.

Based on the results, he said, liberals could be expected to more readily accept new social, scientific or religious ideas.

"There is ample data from the history of science showing that social and political liberals indeed do tend to support major revolutions in science,"

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PhOtOnQuAnTiQuE

Apr 9, 2008 at 8:59 pm

Following the comments. Here is a little more to explore for some of you : )

TED just uploaded this year talk from Al Gore: New thinking on the climate crisis . At the end Chris asked him a question : "When you look at what the leading candidats in your party are doing now…Are you existed by their plans on global warming ? His answer is very interesting. Following on an inspiring, "pleine d’ energie" , passionate talk.

@Nels : Marrant =)

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mantruc

Apr 10, 2008 at 2:51 pm

connotations apart, that’s a great smile, good portrait!

—
Seen on your photo stream. (?)

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Resh B.

Apr 12, 2008 at 1:25 am

Exciting times ahead!

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JC Couto

Apr 13, 2008 at 5:01 pm

Please add your beautiful picture to Sorria / Smile or visit our group for more information.

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Today is a good day

Apr 14, 2008 at 2:44 pm

he is the man

From a non-US persons viewpoint, I think we could do a lot to restore the damage done over the last few years.

—
Seen on your photo stream. (?)

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Olive Ndungutse

Apr 15, 2008 at 4:29 am

Excellent Portrait of Obama – he has a wonderful smile.

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Tobias Hayashi Photography

Apr 29, 2008 at 4:53 am

A+++ Grade Photo

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pricey paper

Apr 29, 2008 at 5:56 am

A+++ Grade Photo

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sandra.harris10

Apr 29, 2008 at 6:15 am

I like the man. Remains to be seen if he can do the job. Great portrait though.

A+++ Grade Photo

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nels1

May 2, 2008 at 4:16 pm

you gotta love his sense of humour…here he is doing the top 10 list on letterman.

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jurvetson

May 2, 2008 at 5:23 pm

righteous! #2 is my favorite.

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nels1

May 3, 2008 at 5:19 am

haha…#8 was my fav:)

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nels1

May 6, 2008 at 5:17 pm

some more…this time with a star wars slant:)
The Empire Strikes Barack!

the huge internet phenomenon surrounding Obama compared to the other two candidates is very interesting.

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“Maybe I’m amazed”

May 8, 2008 at 8:33 pm

Your remarks are right on. Someone smart in the white house, what a concept.

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first science

Aug 2, 2008 at 11:30 pm

★ People love this image and what you’ve allowed me to do with it, Steve. I can’t thank you enough. What a genuine, generous, and infectious smile. Eternal kudos!

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first science

Sep 9, 2008 at 4:46 pm

★ Hi Steve, I thought you’d enjoy seeing this:
weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/crafts/2008/09/i_v…

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jurvetson

Sep 9, 2008 at 8:29 pm

Obama-rama!

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ginasant

Sep 9, 2008 at 9:53 pm

A+++ Grade Photo

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j.anne4 ( Janne )

Sep 10, 2008 at 4:20 pm

This photo is a certified…

You can now post it to an open contest and Super A+++ Group

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Wencey

Sep 10, 2008 at 6:35 pm

nicee!

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amzakem

Sep 11, 2008 at 4:11 pm

Great!

>>>seen on
1-2-3 group

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Dilara Güneş Kurtaş

Oct 3, 2008 at 10:10 pm

Hi can I use this image on my flickr site? thanks 🙂

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jurvetson

Nov 1, 2008 at 8:48 pm

Sure. All my photos are free to use if they link back to the original page.

The people I met at this event have followed through – libertarian Republicans voting for Obama. For the folks I know, it’s their first time to break from the GOP.

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first science

Nov 6, 2008 at 9:57 pm

★ Thanks again, Steve, for allowing me to alter and sell this image. Now that the campaigning is over and Obama is our president elect, I am rethinking what to do with funds raised from my sale of items with this image. In the spirit of change and Obama and making a difference, it’ll be something good. Maybe to raise money for camera equipment for underprivileged children? Or a political action fund of some sort? I don’t know yet. I’ll keep you posted. And many thanks, again! We did it! All of us. Yes We Did !

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nels1

Nov 12, 2008 at 2:24 am

steve, thought you might appreciate this nanobama goodness:)

it’ll be interesting to see who he chooses as his CTO.

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jurvetson

Nov 12, 2008 at 5:12 am

cool. And there’s a a whole flickr set of nanobamas…. each made of 150 million carbon nanotubes… one for each voter…

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PhOtOnQuAnTiQuE

Nov 12, 2008 at 10:20 am

That ‘ s a cool afronano hairstyle =P
Thanks for the link =)

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first science

Nov 13, 2008 at 8:36 am

That’s pretty cool, Steve.

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bmlilly67

Jan 3, 2009 at 4:32 am

Great picture and an awesome smile.

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HaleyHyatt

Jan 23, 2009 at 5:10 am

Just discovered your wonderful Obama-set. This one also could be titled "charisma." His intelligence shows, through, too — and I sense a laser-like intensity. What a great portrait!

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roberthuffstutter

May 1, 2009 at 12:50 pm

It is a shame he is going to publish photos and information that will ruin the cia…….Which will ruin our defense dept. Otherwise, he is so wonderful.

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Diplomat

37 responses to “Diplomat”

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