How Obama Won the US Presidency

There will be research papers and books written, conference or symposium presentations made, in-depth analyses conducted, even movies and documentaries made to try and explain why and how a son of a Kenyan man and a white US American woman, who carries a "weird" name such as Barack Hussein Obama, was elected to be the 44th US President. And this in a country with a black population of only 12-15%. A lot has been said about the racist past (or present) of the US population and as the elections drew nearer, there were some fears of the so called "Bradley Effect" (where white voters would publicly declare that they would vote for a black man, but in the privacy of the ballot booth, they would in actual fact vote for a white man).
There will be a lot of speculation on how Obama pulled this off, given that a black US president was something never imagined a few years ago. The pictures are still vivid in people's minds, of racial segregation, white racists throwing bombs into black churches, police brutality against blacks, the assassination of ML King Junior in the late 1960. There are many people alive today, who were there before the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and these people still can't believe that they have lived to see the day a black man moves into the White House.

And the irony of the term "White House" is very telling. It is the House which is White and not necessarily the tenant. There are indeed many factors that led to Obama's victory. Some of them can be directly attributed to him and his amazingly disciplined, organised, efficient, competent and professional team and machinery. But others were outside forces which favoured him. Just like George W Bush's presidency got a "boost" from the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington DC. The 2001 attacks defined the Bush presidency around the war on terror. He even got reelected in 2004 because of this issue.
The following are some, but definitely not all the reasons why Obama won. They are key in understanding the so called "Obama Effect"

1. Organising Communities
Barack Obama started his political career as a community organiser in the suburbs of Chicago. He worked with people at grassroots level and understood what the common person feels and goes through and he has never lost that touch with the masses. Obama knew that it is the grassroot people who make the biggest voting majority. His early experiences helped him sympathise and empathise with the common man on the street and when he told people the that he understood what they were going through, they believed him. This experience helped shape his campaign. The Clinton Machinery was up to now regarded as the most efficient election machinery in US history. It had been designed during the Bill Clinton campaigns of the 1990s, and was used in the Democratic party primaries to support Hillary Clinton. But it could not match the Obama organisation of communities.

2. A High-Tech Machinery
The Obama Campaign refused to take state funding for the elections, which would have limited them to how much they could spend. John McCain took the state money and was now restricted to that amount. Obama raised, through small donations so much money that he could afford in the end to "waste" some of it on 30 minute campaign programs on the major American networks. Air time on these networks is so expensive and buying 30 minutes of it shows how much money he had. But it wasn't just the money. The fact that small people, college students, housewives and factory workers could donate $5 or $10 or $25 towards Obama Campaign gave them ownership of the project. They were shareholders of the movement. It was not a lot of money to give, but add the millions who can afford a $5 donation, you suddenly have lots of money.
Using the Internet to communicate with people, and asking for small amounts made people feel special. The emails sent by the Obama team to all who registered on the website, were addressed to each person by their name. Of course we know there is technology for that and an email with your name on it doesn't necessarily mean the sender knows you, but it gives you a heck of a good feeling.

3. Obama's Oratory
Great speakers have always inspired people. They make people dream and develop a vision about their future. Two of the greatest speakers in modern history were Adolf Hitler (in Germany) and Martin Luther King. They both used their amazing gift of oratory to mobilise people, to create images of where they wanted to take the people and inspired people. Of course Adolf Hitler's vision led to disaster, but it doesn't take away the fact that he was amazingly eloquent. Martin Luther King spoke of "being on the mountain top and having seen the promised land." And that was in 1968. He has always been considered to have been a prophetic voice. Obama has this gift to speak and move people. He broke into the limelight during the 2004 US presidential campaigns as a speaker at the Democratic Convention. After that he became one of the most sought after speakers at Democratic Party events. The world and Americans will never forget his amazing speeches, eloquence and ability to inspire people during this campaign. The daughter of the late US President John F Kennedy said, as she endorsed Obama during the primaries, that she has heard how her father inspired people (she was too young then to remember) and she believes Obama inspires people just like her father.

4. A New Generation of Americans
Obama does not come from the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. He about 7 years old when Martin Luther King was assassinated. There is some racial polarisation in some sections of the US population, with some blacks viewing whites as racists and having an agenda to keep blacks down. Some whites "fear" the black "anger, revenge and militancy". There is suspicion about the intentions of the "other side". An African American running for a high office in America can not avoid having to confront the dark past and the issue of race. It is always difficult to deal with it. One can't ignore it (one would lose the black vote) but one can't overplay it either (one could lose the white vote). That has always been a challenge and analysts believe, that was the downfall of Jesse Jackson when he ran in the primaries of the 1988.
Obama resisted that issue and he worked hard not to be seen as a black man, but as an American man. This is because, he doesn't have the family and historical baggage of the average African American. His black father came from Kenya to the USA on his own free will and by plane and not in chains on a ship. When Obama traces his roots, he doesn't have a great-grandfather who worked in the cotton fields of Georgia and the South as a slave. He could therefore be able to articulate an American vision for all without the white population running scared of a black president who would make them pay for the sins of their fathers. The early numbers indicate that about 45% of white voters voted for Obama in this election. What an endorsement! That means there are things they see in him which go beyond his skin colour.

5. The US Economic Crisis
This, unlike any other factor, was the significant game-changer. Up until September/October the election polls where very tight. After the Republican Convention with the temporary Palin boost, John McCain was ahead in the polls. And then came the Wall Street collapse, leading to Main Street collapses. The theme on people's minds changed from security issues, war in Iraq, military experience to the economy. Just like Bill Clinton said when he decided to run in the 1992 against a very popular incumbent President George Bush Senior "it's the economy stupid." Bush had won the Gulf War I and he had approval ratings beyond 65%. Very few Democrats were willing to run for fear of being humiliated. Bill Clinton realised that the economy will be the issue in 1992 and he ran and won. This time Obama had a huge stroke of "luck". The financial meltdown changed the focus and McCain's own admission that "he had little knowledge about the economy" was a disaster for McCain. The people believed that Obama was more competent to deal with the crisis and they have given him the mandate. Add the theme of "CHANGE" which has been Obama's from the start, you begin to have a nation inspired.

There will be lots of studies on the so-called "Obama Model". A number of organisations, companies and institutions are already beginning to look at what lessons can be learnt about organising people and creating communities. I am sure there are PhD candidates who are already working on the frameworks for dissertations about this model.

Whether we will ever get to the bottom of all the reasons and factors for the Obama victory is doubtful, but the world will indeed be different from the one we have known till now.
The entire world will have to look at the USA with different eyes.

Obama will definitely be a better bridge-builder in the global village. America's north Atlantic alliance partners adore Obama. Most citizens of Europe adore him as evidenced by the "rock-star" reception he received when he visited Germany earlier this year. In Japan there is a town which coincidentally is called Obama and they love him there. Africa claims him as its son, since his father is from the Luo tribe in Kenya.

We are very likely standing at the brink of something we are barely beginning to grasp. We surely haven't understood the full impact of the Obama movement, his victory, and what that means to the role of the USA in world. We will just wait and observe.