Barack Obama is this year's "man from hope", just as Bill Clinton was in 1992 and Howard Dean in 2004, the fresh faced outsider riding in wearing a white hat to take on the corrupt establishment.

The netroots carries presidential campaigning up until the primaries start and there is every reason to believe Obama might be the darling of cyberspace this year just as Dean was four years ago. This because the 'net is propelled by younger voters, and Obama is the only candidate I see out there right now who is going to naturally appeal to those age 18-30. Hillary is nearly sixty now, if you are in college, she and Bill Clinton were your parents candidates. Most of the other candidates are in their fifties. Obama is 45. His age and the idea that his politics are less rooted in the sixties, an era fewer and fewer young kids identify with now, than in the 70's, 80's, 90's, is going to appeal to the college demographic.

I have attended a couple of Obama's book signings at Barnes and Noble and at both events, there were throngs of young people overjoyed to see him and begging him to run. They identify with him. He is their "man from hope" Hillary Clinton has much more of a challenge in trying to connect with younger voters and independent-minded voters than Obama does, because she has been around so long and is such a well known member of the establishment. In this regard, Obama's lack of experience plays in his favor.

Obama's problem is that he is going to have people on the right, such as the author of this item, portraying him as way too liberal while many on the left are going to think he's not liberal enough. Right now Edwards seems to be running the farthest to the left, with Obama in the center, and Hillary right of center. It will be interesting to see if this holds up over the course of the year.