Ref; http://www.eastandard.net/news/?id=1143982998&cid=190
Published on March 9, 2008, 12:00 am
By Jason Kap-Kirwok
Some things are irresistible. Like the urge to write about a phenomenon called Barack Obama. My excuse, of course, is the lame one you already know - he has Kenyan roots.
But there is something else. Being so close to the scene of action as I am, you cannot escape the feeling of witnessing history.
A few months ago when Obama decided to contest the most powerful office on earth, many political pundits were incredulous at the sheer audacity of it. If their misgivings were muted, it was simply because they saw the immediate entertainment value of Obama’s run. They saw an African American adding spice and colour to a political season already historical in the uniqueness of the cast: a woman, a Latino, a Mormon, a pastor, a mayor, a war hero, and a maverick economist among the contestants.
It is easy to understand why pundits would consider Obama’s run for the White House highly improbable. Consider the odds and you will appreciate how daunting it is.
A junior senator barely two years in the US Congress, daring to compete with seasoned politicians; including one of the most formidable political machines. And then there is the constant spectre of racism.
After his victory in Iowa, political talking heads began to take note. Could an African American really win in a predominantly white state? Was the win for real? When that victory was followed by a loss in New Hampshire, some were quick to characterise his earlier win as a tiny pebble dropped into a sea of political indifference.
Then the tide turned almost overnight. One victory followed another in rapid succession, including eleven straight wins. Forty-two contests and 28 victories later, the ripples that Iowa began are spreading fast across the US.
Indifference and cynicism have been replaced by panic. This man could really become the President of the United States of America.
Never since JF Kennedy has a politician so electrified the political field. Like every good political melodrama, Obama’s campaign has introduced a whole new language into the political lexicon. Here are a few, for fun.
Fixated on Obama
Obamania is an affliction akin to obsessive compulsive disorder. It makes you, like me, totally absorbed into Obama. Obambi is used by his detractors, mostly conservative right-wingers, to ridicule him, while Obamicans are Republicans who have been smitten by Obama. To be Barackcupied is to be fixated on Obama, while Obambination is the union of warring parties brought together by Obama.
And if you thought the Senator drink is the only consumable named after Obama, wait until you are served a Barackwurst, a short, thick, highly seasoned Obama sausage.
The big question is ‘How did Barack Obama capture the imagination of millions of Americans that big?’
The answer may be found in a close look at the anatomy of his stump speech. A typical Obama speech usually lasts about 40 minutes. According to analysis by Alec MacGillis of the Washington Post and Gerald Shuster of the University of Pittsburgh, Obama’s speech is interrupted by applause every 30 seconds, and laughter every four minutes. What is he saying to cause such rapture? There are several components to his message.
First, he establishes the rationale for his candidacy at this point in time.
Second, he makes a case for why he is a different kind of politician. Third, he explains his theory of bottom-up people-driven change.
Finally, he rounds up his speech by making a pitch for hope and the need to believe in the power of a united people to bring about change.
His message of hope combined with his organisational skills and a personal kaleidoscopic life story are largely responsible for the phenomenon that is Obama. His prospects? It is difficult to tell. His detractors will do everything to stop him. Already we have seen the Hillary Clinton has thrown at him everything she can lay her hands on.
And then there are the right-wing radio talk show hit squads who have been urging republicans to vote for Hillary because they are afraid Obama might beat their candidate, John McCain, in November.
Whatever the outcome, Obama has already has already etched his mark on the sands of time. Consider this one alone: no one in the history of American politics has rallied so many individual donors - now more than one million.
-The writer (Strategybeyondprofit@gmail.com) is based in the US.
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