The recent win of Barack Obama as the president of the United States brought about various theories on the efficiency of his campaign and the effects it poses for many. The significance of this win is marked as a milestone not just to the history of America but to the world as well.
This research argues that Barack Obama’s campaign managed to be effective and successful due to (1) his opportunity to address the issue of economic recession in his platform and (2) the various voter segments that supported him all throughout even though his campaign faced intimidation from his image posed as the “Obama Phenomenon. ” This success brought about a direct effect to both his family and his race.
Barack Obama’s campaign surely has hit its height when the economy reached its downturn in the midst of all the political endorsements for the new commander in chief of the United States. Thereafter, Barack has been given an opportunity to focus on this wide economic downturn, and use it as the strongest selling point of his candidacy. This strategy apparently has worked well for now President Barack Obama not only for the gravity of the issue but for the mere fact that he is affiliated with the right political party that is at the best standing to address this economic issue (Wenzhao, 2008).
This standing is revered to be true because the economic status quo is at its harshest to the Republican counterpart as the blame for the said recession is pointing towards the Republican ideology of having the market stand alone along with the administration of the former president of US who is affiliated with the said party which has been accused of acting shortly to the issue, thus lead to the worsening of the status. Moreover, this strategy accompanied with a superior trail has given the Obama campaign an advantage.
Aside from the opportunity that has presented itself in the form of the economic issue being addressed adeptly by the democratic candidate, the vastness of the demographic of Obama voters positioned him in a very good standing. Obama was able to mobilize his network with the use of the internet and effective slogans to tap the politically inactive citizens such as the black and the youth (Wenzhao, 2008). This has given him a head on since this part of the voting population is considered to have a considerable margin.
Also, right after Hilary Clinton’s announcement of pulling out from the democratic nominee race, her huge female network of supporters pledged to be active in endorsing Hilary’s fellow Democratic nominee, thus supplemented the already vast followers of Barack Obama (Wenzhao, 2008). With Hilary in his side, the Democratic Party has been stronger as a faction and this has lead to the Democratic force becoming united and stronger in the very instance of campaign and elections. These and his charisma were the fundamental factors which paved way to his victory.
However, Barack Obama’s charisma has been used by his opponent and detractors as a threat which can compromise his leadership. Barack, along with this charisma and personality, was identified as a misleading facet that covers up his lack of leadership ability and that people might just be swayed to his marketable assets that can just be easily bought with an overwhelming stage presence. Thus, this defaming release from his detractors signified that there exists an Obama image that is more than a political figure and a valiant leader.
This image is often cited as the Obama Phenomenon; an actual political occurrence which equates Obama as more than just a presidential candidate but a big time celebrity (Herbert, 2008). Oftentimes, we think of celebrities as those figures who are being chased off by paparazzi and are constantly being gossiped about in entertainment news on print and broadcast television. This might just be the case for Obama as his candidacy is not just on political discussions and debates, his life is featured everywhere and people are coming out to support not just his political ideologies and platforms but his personality and charisma.
My personal view on this said phenomenon evolves around the idea of balance. Sometimes, leadership can be viewed as not just all about ideologies and plans. Leadership skills also include a great deal of personality as dealing with constituency in a manner that does not consider charisma as a vital factor may just compromise the effectiveness of the system. However, how people perceive a candidate should not be mistaken as the sole requirement to be able to lead a nation. Platform, ideology and skills should be given enough emphasis and importance.
When President Obama was sworn to presidency of the United States, tagged along with him is his family who has been given not just a prominent figure status but a responsibility to the state as well. Michelle Obama, the new first lady of America, is pointed out to be providing service not just as the wife of the president but as a political force as well (MSNBC, 2008). In recent news allover broadcasts and print, it has been reported that Michelle has just chosen her own staff in fulfilling these responsibilities.
Michelle Obama’s role may be limited to what her husband can do. However she has a significant role as her perceived wit and intelligence might just be a very important factor in the decisions of President Barack Obama. Michelle is now being considered as the closest adviser of the president. Along with this responsibility, Associated Press reported that she is eyeing to be in help for American women who are struggling to keep up with matters of balancing profession and family. Now she is also revered as an important role model (MSNBC, 2008).
All these are responsibilities she has accepted since her husband started his campaign trail for presidency. The victory of the Obama campaign also signified an important milestone in the history of the African Americans. Quite vastly, Obama’s race has gone through radical changes as it has been known that the African American race have been victims of discrimination in the early part of their residing in the country. Some were treated as slaves and equality has always been an issue amidst the multiracial formation of the country.
Martin Luther King, an institution to the black emancipation, has contributed to such aim of eradicating prejudice. And now Barack Obama’s win as the presidential candidate is being considered as another turning point in the issue of cultural differences and inequality. There are no assurances that Obama leadership might just be the one to initiate the full eradication of inequality. It is known, however, that President Obama is a full pledged supporter of global citizenship.
And this ideology only signifies that there is a force within the current president to fully advocate programs which will provide equal opportunity to everyone. Furthermore, the winning of President Obama, an African American himself, only indicates that bias between individual races may have just deteriorated in the American culture. In conclusion, Barack Obama being chosen as the president of the United States is indicative of the current status of equality and cultural diversity.
Also, his responsibilities extend to his family as well especially to first Lady Michelle Obama in standing up as a role model to many. With all these in consideration, the success of his campaign only leads to an implication which is dependent on his efficiency to deliver what was promised. His charisma and personality may be deemed to be what brought about his victory; however, it should be definite that Obama’s leadership skills should be able to match this personality and utilized to instigate the needed progress of the nation.
Work Cited Herbert, Bob. January 2008. “The Obama Phenomenon”. New York Times. February 10, 2009. <http://www. nytimes. com/2008/01/05/opinion/05herbert. html? _r=1> Wenzhao, Tao. November 2008. “How Did Obama Win The Presidential Election? ” Watching America. February 10, 2009. < http://watchingamerica. com/News/11396/how-did-obama-win-the-presidential-election/> “Michelle Obama’s new role as first lady” February 1, 2009 MSNBC. February 10, 2009 <http://www. msnbc. msn. com/id/28964291/>