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Public image of Barack Obama

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Barack Obama is the first African-American to be elected President of the United States.

Origins and identity

Race and culture

See also: A More Perfect Union (speech)
 
Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Obama is of biracial ancestry, of a Kenyan Luo father and a Kansan White American mother. With his upbringing in Honolulu and Jakarta, and his Ivy League education, Obama's early life experiences differ markedly from those of African American politicians who launched their careers in the 1960s through participation in the civil rights movement.[1] In January 2007, The End of Blackness author Debra Dickerson warned against drawing favorable cultural implications from Obama's political rise: "Lumping us all together," Dickerson wrote in Salon, "erases the significance of slavery and continuing racism while giving the appearance of progress."[2] Film critic David Ehrenstein, writing in a March 2007 Los Angeles Times article, compared the cultural sources of Obama's favorable polling among whites to those of "magical negro" roles played by black actors in Hollywood movies.[3] Expressing puzzlement over questions about whether he is "black enough," Obama told an August 2007 meeting of the National Association of Black Journalists that the debate is not about his physical appearance or his record on issues of concern to black voters. Obama said, "we're still locked in this notion that if you appeal to white folks then there must be something wrong."[4]

53% of Americans polled said that they found Obama's comments, saying that McCain and other Republicans would try to scare voters, telling them that he (Obama) "doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills," to be racist.[5] Obama denied that the comment was on race. An aide later said that the remark was on the subject of race.[6]

Religion

See also: Jeremiah Wright controversy

Obama is a Christian, specifically a member of the United Church of Christ, but July 2008 polls showed that some Americans believe incorrectly that he is Muslim or was raised Muslim (12% and 26%, respectively, in Pew[7] and Newsweek[8] polls). Citing the latter poll by CNN's Larry King, Obama responded, "...I wasn't raised in a Muslim home," and said that advancement of the misconception insulted Muslim Americans.[9] James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute expressed in a news report (reacting in part to a satirical New Yorker cover) that ethnic caricature involving faulty depiction of Obama's faith harms Muslim Americans, impeding their "opportunity to participate in the political process."[10]

Publications which speculate Obama's allegedly concealed Muslim heritage include The Obama Nation (published August 1, 2008) by Jerome Corsi. His book opens with a quote by Andy Martin, who the The Nation,[11] The Washington Post,[12] and The New York Times[13] have identified as the primary source for the allegations that Obama is concealing an alleged Muslim faith.

Political image

Youth and experience

In a December 2006 Wall Street Journal editorial headlined "The Man from Nowhere," Ronald Reagan speech writer and Fox News pundit Peggy Noonan advised "establishment" commentators to avoid becoming too quickly excited about Obama's still-early political career.[14][15] Echoing the inaugural address of John F. Kennedy, Obama acknowledged his youthful image, saying in an October 2007 campaign speech, "I wouldn't be here if, time and again, the torch had not been passed to a new generation."[16]

During the 2008 election season, Barack Obama's experience has been a topic of contention. Both Democratic and Republican politicians have criticized his experience in regard to whether he's ready to be President of the United States. Since his nomination the criticism has been mostly from Republican politicians; many Democratic politicians now believe that Obama is ready.[17] Criticism has almost exclusively centered around his readiness for the position of commander in chief as opposed to his abilities as a public servant. Hillary Clinton often stated during her unsuccessful campaign for the Democratic nomination that Obama wouldn't be a candidate who's ready on "Day One".[18] Since conceding the race for the nomination she has endorsed Obama. While campaigning for president, Joe Biden believed that Obama could eventually be ready for the job of president, but that at the time he wasn't ready. Biden, now Obama's vice president-Elect, has since revised his beliefs on Obama's readiness, but his quotes from the 2008 Democratic Debates have been used in campaign ads for John McCain.[19] Independent Democrat Joe Lieberman has criticized Obama's experience and readiness, citing his response to the Russian invasion of Georgia in August 2008.[20]

Political savvy

A prominent part of Obama's political image is a belief that Obama's rhetoric and actions toward political reform are matched with a political savvy that often includes a measure of expediency. In a July 2008 The New Yorker feature article, for example, Ryan Lizza wrote, "(Obama) campaigns on reforming a broken political process, yet he has always played politics by the rules as they exist, not as he would like them to exist."[21]

Alleged elitism

Obama’s Ivy League education, combined with remarks he has made about small-town Pennsylvanians,[22] have led to questions about elitism. Obama has responded to such questions by pointing out that he was raised by a single mother, in a family that had little money, and he used scholarships to get his education.[23]


Conservative support

See also: Republican and conservative support for Barack Obama in 2008

Obama has been praised and endorsed by some Republicans and conservatives.[24] Those who cross-support Obama have been labeled Obamacans.[25] Gallup has conducted weekly polls of registered voters to measure support amongst the candidates. The most recent poll conducted between October 13 and October 19 shows 5% support for Barack Obama from Conservative Republicans, and 15% support from Moderate/Liberal Republicans. Obama's support among Conservative Republicans peaked at 7% the week of June 16 - June 22, and among Liberal/Moderate Republicans peaked at 21% the week of July 21 - July 27.[26]

Media coverage

An August 2008 poll found that nearly half of all Americans felt that they were hearing too much coverage of Obama.[27] The coverage of Obama has also been parodied by comedians such as Jon Stewart and David Letterman.[28]

Obama an English language word

On 20 February 2008, the Global Language Monitor announced that the latest word to enter the English language is obama in its many variations. The word is derived from the name, Barack Obama, the Senator from Illinois, and Democratic candidate for the US Presidency for the 2008 election. GLM described Obama- as a ‘root’ for an ever-expanding number of words, including: obamamentum, obamacize, obamarama, obamaNation, obamanomics, obamican, obamafy, obamamania[15], and obamacam.

GLM explained, “To enter the English language, a word has to meet certain criteria, including: frequency of appearance in the written and spoken language, in the media, have a large geographic footprint, and to stand the test of time. "In the past, this process would unfold over many years, even decades or centuries. However, the Internet, with instant global communication to billions of people has radically accelerated the cycle.”

"Other names that have made the leap into the language, include jacuzzi, kodak, macadam, Caesarian section (after Julius Caesar who was said to have been "plucked from his mother's womb"); decibel (the measure of sound), Hertz, and frisbee."

Temperament

As one of many points of sharp contrast between him and his 2008 opponent John McCain, Barack Obama has been perceived as having a calm and even temperament, which has been praised by former presidential candidate Chris Dodd[29] as well as numerous media sources as "cool" and "unflappable".[30][31][32][33][34][35] Bill Maher remarked on Larry King Live, "...and they [Obama and Powell] have the same temperament, so even. Obama never gets too high, never gets too low - nothing rattles this guy! President? I wish he was my broker!"[36]

Around the world

 
Obama speaking before a crowd of about 200,000[37] at the Berlin Victory Column in Germany on July 24, 2008

Twenty two countries covered in a September 2008 BBC poll said they would prefer to see Senator Obama elected president ahead of Republican opponent John McCain.[38] In 17 of the 22 nations, people expected relations between the United States and the rest of the world to improve if Senator Obama won.[38] More than 22,000 people were questioned by pollster GlobeScan in countries ranging from Canada to India and across Africa, Europe and South America.[38] The margin in favor of Senator Obama ranged from 9% in India to 82% in Kenya (location of Obama's paternal ancestry), while an average of 49% across the 22 countries preferred Senator Obama compared with 12% preferring Senator McCain.[38] Some four in ten did not take a view.[38]

A similar global poll was held by Reader's Digest, with respondents "overwhelmingly" in favour of Obama from all 17 countries, including Mexico, Finland, Indonesia, Britain and Spain. Russia gave Obama the lowest score among the countries polled, but still preferred Obama over McCain with a 35% margin.[39] An Australian poll conducted in August 2008 found that over 75% of Australians want Obama to win the presidential election, while only 10% showed support for McCain.[40][41]

Similar results were found in New Zealand (65% in favour of Obama, 11% in favour of McCain),[42] Japan (49% in favour of Obama, 13% in favour of McCain),[43] France (65% in favour of Obama, 8% in favour of McCain), Italy (70% in favour of Obama, 15% in favour of McCain), Germany (67% in favour of Obama, 6% in favour of McCain) and the Netherlands (90% in favour of Obama, 6% in favour of McCain).[44][45] The only country surveyed (other than the U.S.) where McCain's popularity rivals Obama's is Jordan, where 22% are in favour of Obama and 23% are in favour of McCain.[46] Obama scored higher approval ratings in all 70 countries covered in an October 2008 Gallup poll, with the most favourable scores coming from Asian and European countries.[47]

In addition to this, Obama has established close relationships with prominent foreign politicians and elected officials even before his presidential candidacy, notably with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, whom he met in London in 2005,[48] with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who visited him in Washington in 2006 as France's Interior Minister,[49] Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd,[50] who spoke with Obama by telephone from Washington D.C. in 2008 (while Obama was campaigning elsewhere), as well as with Italy's Democratic Party leader, and then Mayor of Rome, Walter Veltroni, who was welcomed in Obama's Senate office in Washington in 2005[51][52] and later wrote the introduction to Obama's The Audacity of Hope Italian edition.[53]

Depictions

File:Barack Obama with Superman.jpg
Obama poses before a statue of Superman in Metropolis, Illinois

The West Wing writer and producer Eli Attie based the character of Matt Santos (portrayed by Jimmy Smits) on Obama. At the time the politician was only a state senator. Obama later met Smits.[54]

Obama became a popular subject for artists during his presidential campaign. Shepard Fairey designed posters captioned "Hope", and he was commonly depicted as a superhero. Alex Ross painted a portrait of Obama as Superman, tearing open his suit to reveal a shirt with an 'O'-symbol, while in Entertainment Weekly he was depicted as Spider-Man opposite John McCain's Batman.[55] The association of Obama with Superman was picked up by the media and by the candidate himself: at the 2008 Al Smith Dinner, Obama joked, "Contrary to the rumors you have heard, I was not born in a manger. I was actually born on Krypton and sent here by my father, Jor-El, to save the planet Earth."[56] And The Washington Post titled two essays about the impact of Obama's election by Desmond Tutu and Ta-Nehisi Coates "The Man of Tomorrow", referencing a frequent sobriquet of Superman.[57]

On election night, Ralph Nader said about Barack Obama, "To put it very simply, he is our first African-American president, or he will be. And we wish him well. But his choice, basically, is whether he is going to be Uncle Sam for this country or Uncle Tom for the giant corporations."[58]

See also

References

  1. ^ Wallace-Wells, Benjamin (November 2004). "The Great Black Hope: What's Riding on Barack Obama?". Washington Monthly. Retrieved 2008-04-07. See also: Scott, Janny (December 28, 2007). "A Member of a New Generation, Obama Walks a Fine Line". International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
  2. ^ Dickerson, Debra J (January 22, 2007). "Colorblind". Salon. Retrieved 2008-01-14. For a sampling of views by other black commentators see: Younge, Gary (posted October 27, 2006 (November 13, 2006 issue)). "Obama: Black Like Me". The Nation. Retrieved 2008-04-07. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) Crouch, Stanley (November 2, 2006). "What Obama Isn't: Black Like Me". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on 2007-03-08. Retrieved 2008-04-07. Washington, Laura (January 1, 2007). "Whites May Embrace Obama, But Do 'Regular Black Folks'?". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2008-04-07. Page, Clarence (February 25, 2007). "Is Barack Black Enough? Now That's a Silly Question". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2007-03-08. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
  3. ^ Ehrenstein, David. "Obama the 'Magic Negro'", Los Angeles Times, March 19, 2007. Retrieved on 2008-04-07.
  4. ^ Payne, Les (August 19, 2007). "In One Country, a Dual Audience" (paid archive). Newsday. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
  5. ^ "Only 22% Say McCain Ad Racist, But Over Half (53%) See Obama Dollar-bill Comment That Way". Rasmussenreports.com. 2008-08-03. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
  6. ^ Obama Aide Concedes 'Dollar Bill' Remark Referred to His Race
  7. ^ Poll: Obama extends national lead over McCain, Associated Press (11 July 2008).
  8. ^ Jonathan Darman, Glow Fading?, Newsweek online exclusive (11 July 2008).
  9. ^ King, Larry (2008-07-15). "CNN Larry King Live: Interview with Sen. Barack Obama …". CNN. Retrieved 2008-07-17. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ "Obama cartoon riles Democrats". Baltimoresun.com. 2008-11-03. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
  11. ^ Hayes, Christopher. "The New Right-Wing Smear Machine". The Nation. Retrieved 2008-10-14. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  12. ^ Mosk, Matthew. An Attack That Came Out of the Ether. The Washington Post, 2008-10-14.
  13. ^ Rutenberg, Jim (October 12, 2008). "The Man Behind the Whispers About Obama". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-10-14. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ "Peggy Noonan on Political Impact of Illegal Immigration". Foxnews.com. 2008-06-08. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
  15. ^ Noonan, Peggy (December 15, 2006). "The Man From Nowhere". OpinionJournal (Wall Street Journal). Retrieved 2008-04-07. See also: Obama (2006), pp. 122–124. For Noonan's comments on Obama winning the January 2008 Iowa Caucus, see: Noonan, Peggy (January 4, 2008). "Out With the Old, In With the New". OpinionJournal (Wall Street Journal). Retrieved 2008-04-07.
  16. ^ Dorning, Mike (October 4, 2007). "Obama Reaches Across Decades to JFK" (paid archive). Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2008-04-07. See also: Harnden, Toby (October 15, 2007). "Barack Obama is JFK Heir, Says Kennedy Aide". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
  17. ^ Analysis: Is Obama ready for world's toughest job?
  18. ^ USA Today: Will any presidential candidate be ready on 'Day One'?
  19. ^ Politico: Statesman known for slips of his tongue
  20. ^ Lieberman: Obama shows "inexperience" over Georgia
  21. ^ Making It: How Chicago shaped Obama
  22. ^ “Opponents Paint Obama as an Elitist; Clinton, McCain Try to Score Off 'Bitter' Remark”, Washington Post (2008-04-12): “You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania ….they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."
  23. ^ “The Candidates Respond To ‘Elitist’ Label”, CBS News (2008-10-15): “I think it's the Ivy League education - that somehow … puts you in this rarified air.”
  24. ^ Regan, Tom (2008-01-18). "Barack Obama and His Conservative Fans". National Public Radio. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
  25. ^ Conservatives should rethink their support of Obama Thomas Sowell, Deseret News July 10, 2008.
  26. ^ Candidate Support by Political Party and Ideology Retrieved 2008-10-23.
  27. ^ "Poll: Nearly half hearing too much about Obama". Sfgate.com. 2008-08-06. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
  28. ^ "GOP's Image Of Obama Gains Traction, Politico: New McCain Ad Tries To Paint Democrat As A "Celebrity" Candidate". CBS News. 2008-07-31. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
  29. ^ http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&sid=aGUESSOCzYlw&refer=columnist_carlson
  30. ^ http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081005/OPINION03/810050308/1356/OPINION0330
  31. ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/16/AR2008101603436_pf.html
  32. ^ http://society-culture.marc8.com/obamas-temperament-examined
  33. ^ http://www.aei.org/publications/filter.all,pubID.28906/pub_detail.asp
  34. ^ http://usliberals.about.com/od/obamavsmccainin08/a/ObamaWin_2.htm
  35. ^ http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-na-president5-2008nov05,0,1889291.story
  36. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_J5xvJbcHs&feature=related
  37. ^ "Obama Urges Renewed Alliance With Europe in Berlin Speech"
  38. ^ a b c d e World wants Obama as president: poll
  39. ^ "Obama 'wins' global polls", Gulf Daily News. Retrieved on October 8, 2008.
  40. ^ Knott, Matthew. "Aussies join world cheering for Obama", The Australian Online. Retrieved on October 8, 2008.
  41. ^ Hudson, Phillip. "Obama wins by a landslide - in Australia", The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved on 2008-10-02
  42. ^ "NZers overwhelmingly support Obama for president", The National Business Review. Retrieved on 2008-10-02
  43. ^ Ito, Masami. "Poll: Voters favor Obama for U.S.", The Japan Times Online. Retrieved on 2008-10-02
  44. ^ Blaire, David. "Barack Obama beats John McCain in European vote: US election 2008", telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved on 2008-10-02
  45. ^ Yeh, Joseph. "Taiwanese favor Obama over McCain, poll shows", Taiwan News. Retrieved on 8 October 2008.
  46. ^ "The world loves Obama, except Jordan", Foreign Policy. Retrieved on 2008-10-02
  47. ^ "Rest of world prefers Obama over McCain for US president: poll", The Sydney Morning Herald, 2008. Retrieved on October 23, 2008.
  48. ^ "Obama to visit nuclear, biological weapons destruction facilities in former Soviet Union" - Senate.gov
  49. ^ "Sarkozy, Obama and McCain" - The Economist
  50. ^ "Obama Statement on the U.S. Visit of Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd", Obama.senate.gov, 2008.
  51. ^ Rome Mayor's Leadership Bid May Lead to Early Italian Elections
  52. ^ VELTRONI A NEW YORK - Il politico prevale sull' amministratore
  53. ^ Libreria Rizzoli Galleria
  54. ^ Jonathan Freedland (2008-02-21). "From West Wing to the real thing". guardian.co.uk. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 2008-11-05.</
  55. ^ Nisha Gopalan (2008-10-23). "The Many Superhero Faces of Barack Obama". io9. Gawker Media. Retrieved 2008-11-05.
  56. ^ Rhee, Foon (October 17, 2008). "Candidates get funny, really". The Boston Globe. Retrieved November 11, 2008. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |curly= ignored (help)
    Boucher, Geoff (October 17, 2008). "Everyday Hero Headlines". Los Angeles Times. "Hero Complex" blog. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
  57. ^ Tutu, Desmond (November 9, 2008). "The Man of Tomorrow". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 11, 2008. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |curly= ignored (help)
    Coates, Ta-Nehisi (November 9, 2008). "The Man of Tomorrow". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 11, 2008. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |curly= ignored (help)
  58. ^ Herman, Jan (November 7, 2008) "Bob's Your Uncle." The Huffington Post.
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