Before you trust a political actor to institute a certain, promised reform on a large stage, you kinda sorta want to know whether said political actor has some kind of a track record of instituting such reforms on a smaller stage, nyet? That way, you might be able to trust said political actor when he/she states that he/she has the skills to institute those reforms.

Following from this premise: Before Barack Obama tells us that he can bring change to the country as a whole, it would be nice to know whether, as a politician from Illinois, he has been able to bring change to his own home state.

Well, does this read like a promising answer if you are an Obama fan? As Joe Biden himself might say, Obama doesn’t represent Change. He represents More Of The Same.