"Obama is credited with revelatory eloquence for using phrases that have been in circulation for years…After listening to Obama’s rhetoric you wonder is anything has changed in 20 years. He attracts listeners who think he is “fresh”, when in fact everything he says has been said before." (Street 178)
Photo courtesy of allamericanpatriots.com
In Censored 2011, the editors preface describes what is happening in our world today and the media that surrounds our politics. "Simply put, what threatens us most is our ignorance about what is going on in the world around us. In large part, it is the corporate media, especially in the news departments that continues to distract, misinform, disinform, and propagandize the public into misguided rages..." (Huff xxi). This relates directly to the ignorance of our media today. Obama's ideas have been labeled as fresh and new, but the truth is the media fails to recognize that everything he has stated to our country and our people has in fact all been said before.
Are we really getting anywhere?
2. Obama appeal
"Former President Richard Nixon, who once claimed he lost an election because he was
sabotaged by make-up men, has offered Senator Edward Kennedy advice on how to make a serious run for presidency: lose 20 pounds." (Postman 4) Yes, this statement is real. The ideal candidate will look youthful, classy, and fit. Much like a celebrity, that is exactly how Obama appears. Obama is appealing to his large audience that seeks his "fresh" new ideas. His look coincides with his new hopes. It is sad, and for me personally I associate age with wisdom, so Obama in-fact, looks to young to have the experience needed to run our country. It's too bad that looks and appeal finish first in today's government.
photo: ebony inspired.com
3. What Brands do you Follow?
I
n 2008, the "Obama Brand" was named top brand by Ad Agency. "Nov. 4, 2008, will go down in history as the biggest day ever in the history of marketing." (AdAge, Riess) That is a large statement, but what kind of statement is that making? Obama's campaign follows the three large components of a successful marketing campaign; simplicity, consistency, and relevance. By using technology like Facebook, blogs, and online social marketing tools Obama has been able to reach out to his audiences using "technology as a driving force of social change" (Hoynes 299). Obama brand is in media and in word form is full of change and hope.
4. Let the fundraising begin...
Last week president Obama began his fundraising for hi re-elect for 2012. He made a trip to California and Nevada to begin his democratic campaigning. It was a short, three-day trip, but he made sure he hit all the right spots. "The obama campaign raised about 750 million last election.
They're talking about a billion dollars this cycle that's just a lot of money," notes Stu Rothernberg of The Rothenberg Political Report. At Facebook's California headquarters Wednesday, he told a young crowd his plan to trim $4 trillion is a better solution than the GOP proposal. Why was Obama at Facebook's headquarters? Obama held a town meeting, virtually, so that all could see his presence, and on the most popular medium at that. He knows how to stay in the young and successful demographic, that is for sure!
5. Repetition Works
I
n 2008, the "Obama Brand" was named top brand by Ad Agency. "Nov. 4, 2008, will go down in history as the biggest day ever in the history of marketing." (AdAge, Riess) That is a large statement, but what kind of statement is that making? Obama's campaign follows the three large components of a successful marketing campaign; simplicity, consistency, and relevance. By using technology like Facebook, blogs, and online social marketing tools Obama has been able to reach out to his audiences using "technology as a driving force of social change" (Hoynes 299). Obama brand is in media and in word form is full of change and hope.
4. Let the fundraising begin...
Last week president Obama began his fundraising for hi re-elect for 2012. He made a trip to California and Nevada to begin his democratic campaigning. It was a short, three-day trip, but he made sure he hit all the right spots. "The obama campaign raised about 750 million last election.
They're talking about a billion dollars this cycle that's just a lot of money," notes Stu Rothernberg of The Rothenberg Political Report. At Facebook's California headquarters Wednesday, he told a young crowd his plan to trim $4 trillion is a better solution than the GOP proposal. Why was Obama at Facebook's headquarters? Obama held a town meeting, virtually, so that all could see his presence, and on the most popular medium at that. He knows how to stay in the young and successful demographic, that is for sure!
photo: ibnlive.com
5. Repetition Works
After reading Feed by M.T. Anderson, I realized how much our culture surrounds us with repetitious messages and a constant flow of advertisements into our brains. Much like the characters in Feed, we are easily influenced by what is given to us to consume. We take what seems the newest and then we run with it until the next big thing-
"We Americans are interested only in the consumption of our products. We have no interest in how they are produced, or what happens to them once we discard them, once we throw them away." (M.T. Anderson)
photo: Marxcommunications.com
Obama puts his message into the peoples minds that he will provide them with a new way to run our government and we suck it up and take it in like a "feed" of new information, a feed of new information to our brain. When it was election time, it was a visual stimulant to see "CHANGE" and "HOPE" in big letters on everyones lawn. To the people it was a good idea and it was implanted in the minds of everyday liberal middle class people.
6. Black Pride
Obama is the "first black president". There are lingering reservations about Obama's level of "blackness". What kind of "blackness" is he? Many say that Obama is the "good black" and that leads him to have less followings of black people. Others say that he is "too white" and does not act black enough. This is a black-on-white argument that switches sides depending on who's talking. Those who follow him see him as a leader, a intelligent, strong man with the power to make a difference. Those who deny his "blackness" and see him as "bad black" are too ashamed that maybe they have been "black" for too long now, and need to make a change themselves. "For the huge majority of black voters who have chosen Obama, the decision has been a simple matter of racial pride." (Street 171)
How black is Obama?
7. A True Neo-Liberal
"Now, mass media serve as the vehicles for conveying political messages and mobilizing voters." (Hoynes 238) Obama plays the perfect role. Always. Depending on where he is and who he is speaking to, he manages to form his beliefs into a much more passionate speech about how he fits into every category that his audience does and makes them believe that he is something that in fact he is not. That is because, it is impossible to be everything at once.
Neo-liberalism: describes a market-driven[1] approach to economic and social policy based on neoclassical theories of economics that stresses the efficiency of private enterprise, liberalized trade and relatively open markets, and therefore seeks to maximize the role of the private sector in determining the political and economic priorities of the state.(Wiki)
Is is safe to say that Obama falls into that category?
