Obama the Orator: The Return of a Communicator

Image courtesy of Twitter.com/BarackObama

I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting. - Barack Obama

November 6th saw the re-election of President Barack Obama, and the return of a communicator reaching the heights of communication skills not much seen since 2008.

Four for You President Obama, You Go President Obama: Changing Immigration for the Youth of America

Image courtesy of White House Flickr stream

"Put yourself in their shoes. Imagine you’ve done everything right your entire life—studied hard, worked hard, maybe even graduated at the top of your class—only to suddenly face the threat of deportation to a country that you know nothing about, with a language that you may not even speak." - President Barack Obama, June 15th 2012.

President Obama issued an executive order to the Department of Homeland Security that will secure his place with the Hispanic demographic. In a struggling election year where Mitt Romney has recently outraised Obama for the first time in the race, it's a bold move for the President. The Romney campaign recently raised a total of $76.8m compared to Obama's $60m in May. The DREAM Act was initially part of President's 2008 campaign, and one of the promises he made before taking office. Since then, the United States has seen the deportation of over one million immigrants.

Quick Comment: Birth Certificates, Reptiles and Obama, Oh My.

Courtesy of White House flickr stream

You've heard them all before. Obama's not American. Obama's not human. Obama runs a secret balloon animal society with Bo. Okay, so I totally made that last one up, excuse the hyperbolic example but I think you're getting the point.

Quick Comment: Comeback Kids and the Women's Vote

Michelle Obama. Image courtesy of White House flickr stream

Politico published an article this morning which discussed Bill Clinton as the Obama campaign whisperer. Anyone who is surprised by this statement only needs to look at the popularity of both men to see why it makes sense. Clinton  understands the rhetoric that the Obama campaign need to use after disappointing  many of his original supporters during his first term. The former president also apparently understands that Mitt Romney's biggest vulnerability during this race is not his media hyped reputation of ideological flip flopping but the missing support within one crucial demographic: the women's vote. Politico point out that Hispanics and moderate independents are also an important factor to the Obama campaign. However, the gap within the gender vote is significant enough to look promising for Team Obama.

Quick Comment: Game Change

“It's not that she doesn't know the right answer, it's that she clearly doesn't understand the question." - Game Change, 2012

HBO's Game Change premiered in the UK on Sky Atlantic this weekend after a successful debut in the United States.

How to.. Blog & Get Noticed

The internet is a colossal space filled with blogs and aspiring writers, so how does one stand out in the mass of talent on a growing platform of user generated content? When I see my traffic increase I occasionally want to burst into song,  'Hello.. Is it me you're looking for?', I always wonder if they stumbled upon me or sought me out.

There are blogs on every and any subject, there are personal blogs, professional blogs, and academic blogs, so how do you reach your audience? It can all be done with a few simple steps in the right direction.

Nuts and Bolts: The iPad 3

Apple have launched a new model of the much loved tablet the iPad, so what's with all the hype? Read more for a deliciously quick and easy to understand overview of Apple's new addition.

Quick Comment: "Our alliance is essential."

What the US and British alliance can do for the Obama campaign

Photo courtesy of The Prime Minister's Office's flickr photostream 

"We Americans and Brits speak the same language most of the time. David, we are chuffed to bits that you are here."

- President Barack Obama, March 14th 2012. 

Prime Minister David Cameron and wife Samantha's first official visit to the White House comes on the heels of disappointing poll results for the Obama campaign. This morning, both President Obama and the Prime Minister addressed the press at a ceremonial event at the White House.

The visit has been widely covered across the media, highlighting Mr Obama's hospitality towards the British leader and illuminating a comfortable dynamic between the two to remove the stigma of a transatlantic relationship which was once hostile during Gordon Brown's leadership of the UK. The synergistic visit will surely be one of significance and strengthen both leaders image in both foreign and domestic opinion. Critics will claim that the visit suffers from glorified media coverage and forced anecdotes such as both men's comments on Mr Obama taking the Prime Minister to a basketball game during the visit.

Highs and Lows of the Obama Presidency (Timeline)

Highs and Lows of the Obama Presidency in Office and the Media

Image courtesy of White House Flickr stream

 "Now is the time to keep our foot on the gas, not put on the brakes. And I am not going to settle for a country where just a few do really well and everybody else is struggling to get by."

Tripling the national deficit, a decline in public approval ratings, and  failing to fulfil his major campaign promise of closing Guantanamo, Obama's first term has been rocked with turbulence and hostility, on top of an inherited economy crisis unseen since the Great Depression.

I've compiled a list of the highs and lows of Barack Obama and his reputation, including legislation, appearances and state visits, and a few things which show that Barack Obama finds the time even on a national holiday to think of the American people.

Quick Comment: Video Games

Photo taken from official trailer of The Road We've Traveled.

The trailer for The Road We've Traveled, the 17 minute David Guggenheim documentary chronicling President Obama's first term in office, was released yesterday.

Critics will claim that the documentary is an extended campaign ad in disguise, over hyped and brimming with sensationalism, glossy effects and forced interviews in favour of Barack Obama's record. Even the sceptics can't deny that it is a clever move at this point in the race where voters are bombarded with the dirty ads of the GOP candidates and the Republican electorate is at a clear divide. President Obama is pushing the positivity at this stage, before the gruelling race against the ultimate GOP winner begins and the gauntlets are thrown down, when that stage is eventually reached.

Quick Comment: Not So Super Tuesday.

Image courtesy of BU Interactive News Flickr

The votes are in, and the GOP candidates are no closer to the finish line.


Mitt Romney stood victorious in Ohio, although he beat Rick Santorum by a slim margin. He won 37.9% of the vote compared to Santorum's 37.1%. The delegate numbers are solid, and mathematically speaking, Romney is speeding ahead as front runner, but this race leads me to believe that despite all the over spending and investing in the campaign, he is continuing to fail at connecting with many voters. I doubt his talk of Ann Romney's numerous Cadillacs did much to salvage his reputation with blue collar workers. In the same respect, Santorum is suffering the same predicament, as voters may feel his religion dominates his views for the Presidency and his vision for America. The clash of extreme religious views and politics is a combustible coalition, as it creates issues with groups such as women voters and the right to birth control.

Happy Super Tuesday!

It's arrived, and my money's on Mittens for Ohio.

Meanwhile, outside of the knife throwing circus, Barack Obama is holding his first news conference since November. One has to love the President's timing.

Politico has produced the article 10 Things to Watch on Super Tuesday, which I recommend for anyone interested in making sense of the contests today.

Quick Comment: The Vulture Tactic - Attack Ads

It has been revealed today that ad spending for Super Tuesday alone has reached $10million. Mitt Romney has spent approximately $6.3million on negative ads, and it is estimated that $16.4million has been invested  on negative ads alone by the Restore Our Future campaign, a Super Political Action committee overseen by former Romney advisers. Super PACs have the freedom to spend an unlimited amount on advertising under the condition that they do not directly converse with the candidate. Although it has been pointed out that Clinton and Obama viciously attacked each other in the Democratic race of 2008, the harshest of comments are usually saved for the general election. The  'Restore Our Future' campaign has chosen to attack fellow Republicans, sending out messages which claim that 'Newt Gingrich has more baggage than the airport'.  The aggressive style of the Romney campaign has been on display in several made for Web videos discussing Barack Obama's leadership, it has also created trending topics on Twitter to attack Gingrich such as #grandiosenewt. 

How To.. Make Sense of Super Tuesday

As Super Tuesday looms on March 6th, the race for the Republican presidential nominee heats up as the candidates prepare for this make or break event. I have found that for a non American, big voting days can be a puzzling matter and can quite frequently result in a massive brain ache.

To understand Super Tuesday and to make sense of it's results, it's best to kick things off with the basics. You need to know who's in the race and what they stand for, you never know, it may come in handy for a pub quiz one day. Although I'm going to whip up a quick overview on the candidates, I recommend looking here for details on where the candidates place themselves on the big issues.

Quick Comment: Can Obamamania be resurrected?

Image courtesy of White House Flickr Stream

After immersing myself in over four hours of the Clinton documentary on PBS, I got to thinking, what if Barack Obama could work the same 'Comeback Kid' rhetoric that Bill Clinton was so talented at? Both are gifted speakers, both can connect themselves with their voters through speech, and like Clinton, Obama has a fiercely strong First Lady at his disposal.

Bill Clinton asked forgiveness time and time again, and the American public would oblige. Throughout the long winded palaver of the Lewinsky scandal and the witch hunt for Clinton's impeachment, the public would forgive him. What if Obama could claim to be the comeback kid? What if optimism in the President would provoke optimism in his voters, and revive passion in an unsettled electorate? This strategy could soon backfire if the economic state worsens or Obama suffers a setback, the GOP candidates would soon be ready to dig their teeth into the vicious rhetoric of failure. Unlike the GOP candidates, who have yet to reach the Presidency, their campaigns are based on promises. Barack Obama's campaign will have to be based on reality, not a hopeful narrative but a record of achievement. I began to wonder, if he admitted to his failings during his first term, would the American people forgive him? Or were the grand expectations that were once thrust upon Barack Obama too great for him to be granted forgiveness?

Imagine my not so surprise when I logged on to see several articles claiming that comeback is the buzzword, that it is a theme which will encapsulate Obama's re election campaign. Clever little campaign workers, I thought. Such a shame, imagine what could have happened if I had written this a few days earlier. C'est la vie, there's always next time.

Shelley-Marie Phillips

Quick Comment: Family Matters

President Barack Obama has come under intense scrutiny following the use of the First Family in an online ad for the 2012 campaign. The family photograph, released last week, has come under fire following criticisms that the family are being used as a political asset despite Obama's own reluctance to use his family during the 2008 general election.

Family members being used in a campaign is hardly a new tactic, it was seen used by Sarah Palin in 2008, and the 2012 candidates are reeling in their families as political props. Mitt Romney's five sons have all been included in his race for nominee, and new favourite Rick Santorum temporarily abandoned the trail and cancelled press appearances in Florida in order to stay with his ill daughter. Humanizing and softening a politician through the use of family is no new ground breaking tactic (David Cameron's newborn baby pictures in 2010 anyone?), yet why does Barack Obama suffer criticism of this standard tool? Or is it that the average American voter believes he should rise above the typical campaign ploys?

A user of the Washington Post online commented on this article  claiming 'Even the crude Clintons had more class.' In all the negative ads currently being pushed with Mitt Romney throwing his fellow Republican candidates to the wolves, a pleasant family photo is an anomaly in the mass of slaughtered Republican egos. My only question is, where is Bo? What better way to take a dig at the infamous Mitt Romney dog owner story than by using Bo in a campaign ad? Bark for Barack, Bo, Bark for Barack.


Shelley-Marie Phillips

Review: Race of a Lifetime

Race of a Lifetime
John Heilemann & Mark Halperin
Penguin, £9.99
Shelley-Marie Phillips
Race of a Lifetime is the ultimate and savage chronicle of an election that gave America it's first black President, based on the 2008 election campaigns. Written by two political journalists whose resumes include TIME and New York Magazine, it provides a fast paced and almost gossipy account of the campaign. Based on hundreds of interviews, it provides the reader with exclusive revelations regarding the candidates who unlike many before them, had a celebrity stature.