Why are John Locke's ideas more convincing and influencing that Hobbes's?

Hobbes had 19 "rules of natural law"! This is subjectivity at its worst.

Locke's ideas of "common sovereignty" led directly to the America's Founder's conceiving of "individual sovereignty", which Patrick Henry and James Madison thought would be protected by the Ninth Amendment.

"Individual sovereignty was not a peculiar conceit of Thomas Jefferson: It was the common assumption of the day..." http://www.friesian.com/ellis.htm

I know only enough to get you started. Hobbes believed in absolute sovereignty, whereas Locke believed that a society could get along fine without having be governed by a tyrant.

The only reason Locke is more convincing is because America is a democracy (and most other "strong" countries are as well).

Therefore they favor the philosopher who promoted "their" government as opposed to the philosopher who promoted monarchy.

If people supported fascist, totalitarian governments like me then they'd favor Hobbes instead.

I like Hobbes.

I believe the common people are stupid and destructive and therefore are not fit to rule themselves.

Plato's on my side as well.