I am sure by now you have read, watched, and heard hundreds of analyses and reports related to Barack Obama’s election as America›s 44th President last November. His election unleashed a renewed love for the United States after years of dwindling goodwill. Many believe that U.S. voters had blazed a trail that people, especially minorities, across the world could follow. From Africa where Obama›s Kenyan father was born to Australia, Europe, and the Middle East many hugged each other, danced and chanted “Obama! Obama!” with a joy the world has not seen before.
Many expressed amazement and satisfaction that the United States could overcome centuries of racial strife to elect an African-American as president. You would hear such phrases as, “This is the fall of the Berlin Wall times ten,” or, “America is re-becoming a New World,” or “ We all want to be American so we can take a bite of this dream unfolding before our eyes.” In Britain, the Sun newspaper described Obama’s election as “One giant leap for mankind.”
His victory was also warmly welcomed in Iran, where there is cautious optimism that he will help improve relations between the old enemies. As is the case, Iran’s “President” Ahmadinejad sent another one of his now famous religious-themed rhetoric letters congratulating Obama. Indications are it will be a while before Mr. Ahmadinejad will get an answer, if any at all. Overall, Iranian people reacted positively to Barack Obama’s election, saluting the choice of the American people in breaking with George W. Bush’s policies. According to press reports, they were overwhelmingly pleased with the result, and cautiously optimistic about the future. There are still some who thought Obama’s win would make little difference believing that American policy is the same whether Democrats or Republicans are in charge.
Make no mistake: Obama’s victory was not simply the result of a desire of the American people for change. For those of you who followed his campaign closely, his near flawless run is credited to two otherwise unknown captains of his campaign, David Axelrod, his close friend and political strategist, and the meticulous David Plouffe, the campaign manager. Ironically, neither man had ever been on a team that had won a presidential nomination, much less a general election. This was the case while two of the Democratic primary rivals Hillary Clinton and John Edwards, as well as his eventual Republican opponent, John McCain, had spent years planning for this race. Obama had no organization and no clear idea of what he was getting into. Yet, after a somewhat lackluster start, we can now appreciate how Obama and his team delivered. They developed a strategy to secure the nomination, and stuck with it even after setbacks.
Obama and his aides believed from the outset that he had to overcome obstacles that sometimes became easy to forget: he is a black man with an unusual name and exotic past, and someone dogged by a stubborn (and inaccurate) belief among some voters that he is a Muslim. As Obama reminded Americans in his victory speech, “I was never the likeliest candidate for the office.” There were a lot of questions about whether he had a genuine “American outlook.” Steve Murphy, a member of his advertising team is quoted as saying “Many people just didn’t know him: He came out of nowhere, his name is Barack Hussein Obama, his mom was an anthropologist, his father’s a Kenyan; he spent time growing up in Indonesia.”
The issue of race was thoughtfully studied. Using “racial voting patterns” the team concluded that it would be difficult for an African-American to be elected president, yet it is not difficult for an extraordinary individual who happens to be African-American to be elected president. The Primaries and the Clinton campaign are credited for Obama’s team building a stronger campaign strategy for Fall. Going head to head with Clinton over such a long period of time would test Obama, and demonstrate that he had the ability to endure a hard fight. The Obama team had a well-thought-out plan for how to proceed deeper into the primary season, mostly by concentrating on picking up delegates in red states and in states with caucuses where the Obama campaign’s organizational strengths and financial advantage could be put to use.
The Campaign used the newest technology combined with old-fashioned organizing skills to harness the grass-roots enthusiasm that helped record sums of money and build a volunteer army to turn out the vote. They carefully researched how to handle the issue of race, and worked at making voters comfortable with the idea of putting a black family in the White House. Using the tightly run 2004 Bush campaign as a model, Obama’s campaign did not waver from its core theme of change. It tolerated no drama and did not endure a single staff shakeup, in contrast to the turmoil that marked the Clinton and McCain campaigns. Obama kept himself and his team focused - a character trait that paid immense dividends in the closing stages, - when his understated approach to the economic crisis came off to many voters as steady leadership. Even McCain’s strategist, Steve Schmidt admitted “It was perfectly run; it made few mistakes, and it took full advantage of an environment where the American people had turned on the incumbent president of the Republican Party and badly wanted change.”
Will this “Obama Phenomena” spread to other lands? I sure hope so. I bet you there are many Obama types in remote villages of Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Africa, Asia, and elsewhere that, given a chance, would shine just as much. Maybe it will not happen during my lifetime or yours, but when it does we will have a world that could be labeled “Obamaworld.” To achieve their goal, it was going to cost money- far more than the $84 million provided by the publicly supported campaign finance system. Earlier in the season, Obama embarked on a politically risky move: he would opt out of the system and raise money on his own. His strategists consider it to be one of their most important decisions. They had online fund-raising down to a science, and as tens of millions of dollars flowed in to the campaign, they were sent out to support field operations in 50 states and to pay for record amounts of advertising. In fact, in some markets Obama’s campaign ran four advertisements to every one from John McCain.
As Americans were increasingly worried about their futures, Obama’s message of help for the middle class and promise of steady leadership were resonating with the white, working-class voters he had been seeking to win over for nearly two years. He managed to cast his rival as out of touch and erratic, and repeatedly linked him with what he portrayed as the devastating policies of the Bush administration. In the end, it appeared to work, helping him cross the racial divide and build support in swing states where some of those Democrats had long surrendered to the Republicans. Finally in September, when the financial markets began to collapse, there was a a clear indicator of a coming financial crisis and a reminder that the campaign was about a referendum on which candidate could best address the nation’s economic challenges. Obama picked up unexpected support among white voters. As one white voter put it in an interview, “If a house is on fire, the owner does not care what color the fireman is.” This is when Obama finally transcended race. At the time of crisis, it became particularly irrelevant.
Now that the election is over and despite all the enthusiasm, Obama faces global challenges as momentous as the hopes he inspired: wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the elusive hunt for peace in the Middle East, and a global economy in turmoil. As France’s former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin put it, “Obama’s biggest challenge would be managing a punishing agenda of various crises in the United States and the world. He will need to fight on every front.” Skepticism is also still high in the Muslim world, where the Bush administration alienated many in the Middle East by his failed policies.
Regardless of how well he will do facing these challenges, Obama’s election has created a glimpse of hope for people globally. Many around the world found Obama›s international roots (his father was Kenyan) and four years in Indonesia as a child, compelling and attractive. He is the first truly global U.S. president the world has ever seen. His election has generated immense expectations within not only the American people but also in every world citizen. I am sure people also realize there is no instantaneous solution for the lingering challenges faced by the nation, and the world for that matter. –
Looking at Obama’s past, you hear the story of a Kenyan grandfather who drove his son to seek a scholarship abroad, which in turn led the young man to Hawaii, where he met and married Ann, a Christian, and they had a son, who, at 47, will become the first black President of the United States. The story is best summed by Malik, Obama’s half brother in Kenya, telling a nervous reporter on the eve of U.S. election, “Look, my father might have gotten a scholarship to someplace like Brazil, and none of this would have happened,” he said. “My brother is not supposed to accomplish even half of what he has. It’s meant to be impossible, and yet it happened. It makes you wonder. Is this some force at work, the dynamics of nature or life? Is it God? We divided the world after 9/11. And the world said no. And through my brother, we can all connect again.”
Will this “Obama Phenomena” spread to other lands? I sure hope so. I bet you there are many Obama types in remote villages of Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Africa, Asia, and elsewhere that, given a chance, would shine just as much. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if in 10 years time we had 10 new leaders emerging as Obama did, leading their countries to a better future? Maybe it will not happen during my lifetime or yours, but when it does we will have a world that could be labeled “Obamaworld.” I can always dream!
Have yourself a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in 2009.
