“You have worked hard to live up to that great hope and trust placed in you by the American public.” —Dalai Lama
The world is excited to hear the victory of American President, Barack Obama. It shows the trust and confidence Obama enjoys in the hearts of Americans. His victory raised aspirations among ordinary citizens and minorities that an ordinary person especially a black can aspire and occupy the highest office in America. It also indicates the true heart of Americans who welcome all communities in their fold with magnanimity. Zindzi Mandela, the daughter of Nelson Mandela said, "I think that the symbolism of having a black man occupy the highest office is something that can make my children very aspirational to know that this is possible, you know, in their lifetime."
Obama secured a narrow majority in the popular vote as well as a wide majority of electoral votes. He made it happen despite several odds stacked against him. Obama's first win was due to the change the Americans craved as they were against Bush and his miscalculations in Iraq. However, the second win was due to the hope he raised among the Americans despite being in turbulent times. Here are the reasons for his victory:
Obama’s Branding and Leading
Obama branded himself as the messiah of middle-class people due to his humble origins. He made use of social media effectively to position and brand himself. His wife Michelle Obama and two daughters Malia and Sasha stood by him, and he publicly admitted it. He built a successful team around himself and aggressively campaigned to ensure his victory. This is all about his branding. When we talk about his leadership achievements, he successfully eliminated Osama, ensured the pull-out of American forces from Iraq, and handled the Libyan issue effectively. He enhanced employment in America; built consumer confidence; and improved the housing market. He took the reins of a sinking American economic ship from his predecessor – Bush and kept it floating although he could not sail it smoothly to the shore. Americans voted for him again with the hope that he would sail the American economic ship successfully to the shore.
Respect People’s Verdict
Obama's win also shows that Americans don't want to change the President to make the change happen smoothly. In addition, Americans are aware that it would take four more years to recover from the challenges. Obama doesn't have any magic wand to address all the challenges within four years. Hence, Americans voted for him again so that Obama could deliver the goods effectively. Above all, in democracy, it is the people who are the Gods as they decide the leaders and the destiny of the nation. Hence, let us respect the people's choice.
Challenges Ahead
Presently Obama has several challenges ahead. He must be careful during his second term as some of the second term Presidents could not do well and ended up in a fiasco. Hence, it is more challenging for Obama to live up to the rising expectations of Americans. Despite the decline in employment problem, there is still employment problem as roughly 3.6 million Americans are without work for a year or more and are still looking. Approximately 20 percent of the people between the ages of 25 to 54 don't have jobs in America. Hence, Americans want him to enhance employment opportunities; check recession; and revive the American economy. The global citizens want him to bridge the gap between the developed and the developing countries. They want him to address global warming and ensure ecological balance. They want him to check global terrorism to ensure a peaceful and tolerant world.
Make a Difference
Obama has nothing to lose as there is no third term for him. He has to be assertive in addressing various issues to make America and the world a better place to live. He has four years at his disposal to deliver the goods. Since he won with a thin margin, he should take feedback and act aggressively to address several challenges at home and overseas. He has to pull up his socks to make a positive difference from now onwards. He must walk his talk. He must emphasize less on rhetoric and more on performance. He must convert his charisma into performance and translate his vision into results. Above all, he must make a difference in the lives of global citizens.
Usage of Media by American Presidents
Some of the American Presidents made use of media for their political campaigning. Here is the statistical evidence of how they used to impress their citizens and win their presidential elections:
In 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt gave a series of 30 evening radio speeches between 1933 and 1944.
In 1961, John F. Kennedy became the first president to hold a live televised news conference.
In 2008, Barack Obama created an effective campaign on the web. He has been dubbed ‘The First Internet President’.
In 2008, Obama reached out to a younger audience and used free advertising on the internet. The videos posted on his YouTube channel received 14.5 m hours of viewing: equating to $47 million of pre-internet TV spending.
In 2011, Obama organized the first 'Twitter town hall meeting' answering questions from the public on Twitter.
Parallels and Differences between Lincoln and Obama
Let us look at the parallels and differences between two American Presidents—Abraham Lincoln and Barack Obama who won the second term:
Both Lincoln and Obama came from Illinois and served in the Illinois Legislature. They were authors and lawyers with little experience before becoming President. They won fame through their inspiring oratory. Douglas Brinkley, a Professor from Rice University says, "Lincoln and Obama shared a love of words, a belief that rhetoric and oratory could change people's minds, and the way they would express things, the confidence they would have in a debate—not by fiery oratory, but by a calming presence, a reasoned argument1." Both Lincoln and Obama are speech writers and gifted orators who have magical powers to move the audiences. They were born in poverty and raised by women other than their mothers as Lincoln was raised by his stepmother and Obama by his grandmother. Lincoln's mother died when Lincoln was a child while Obama's father left when Obama was a child. They accept criticism politely and take feedback for their improvement. The differences between Lincoln and Obama were that the former was a Republican while the latter was a Democrat and the former had little formal education while the latter had a good education in law.
Be Optimistic like Obama and Be a Leader like Lincoln
Barack Obama is a symbol of hope and optimism who rose from humble origins and showed the world that everything is possible in the world. His optimism persuaded the Americans to win the second term although there were doubts about his victory. Abraham Lincoln also rose from humble origins and underwent a lot of failures during his lifetime and ultimately became the first Republican President and 16th President of America. He led from the front by managing two challenging issues such as the unification of America and the emancipation of slavery in America. And he succeeded as a leader. That is the reason most Americans look back to Lincoln for lessons whenever they face leadership challenges. Hence, be an optimist like Obama and be a leader like Lincoln to have the cake and eat it too to achieve all-round success.
Abraham Lincoln's Ten "Cannots2"
"You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift."
"You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.
"You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
"You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
"You cannot help the poor man by destroying the rich.
"You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.
"You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
"You cannot establish security on borrowed money.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and independence.
"You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves."
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1 http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/127534.html accessed as on November 22, 2012
2 http://www.illinoishistory.gov/facsimiles.htm accessed as of November 22, 2012
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