In 2008, an unexampled event took place in the United States. For the first time in the history of the country, the Presidency was taken by an African American candidate. This became a great victory in the fight of the black population of the United States for the vindication of their rights and freedoms. Also, this was a time, when America made a great step ahead in the area of racial discrimination. Obama’s victory was not a mere coincidence. He won it using several serious efforts. In the following passages, the bases of power, used by Obama to win the Presidency in 2008 will be addressed in detail.
First, Obama’s presidential company relied on his inimitable charisma as the base of power. Obama made important steps on his road to the desired position without a fail. After his victory, Obama confessed that he thought about the office of the presidency even in kindergarten. Even while in law school, Obama started talking about running for high office (Walton and Smith 154). Thus, his ambitions were of high level even in youth. When he was in Harvard, he was chosen as “the first African American elected president of the law review” (Walton and Smith 154). After he graduated from Harvard, he decided to continue realizing his potential in politics even though he had a great opportunity to choose a place in a business that guaranteed high levels of annual income. In 2004, when Obama won in “the fight for the Senate”, he became a new star in American politics (Walton and Smith 154). Since that moment, more and more political analysts started believing in the possibility of his victory in the presidential election. They were not mistaken as in 2008, Obama’s unparalleled charisma served as the base of power helping him win the office.
Next, the appeal of this candidate to the public is a special phenomenon in American politics. His authority among the voters is based on special foundations. Obama is not only a politician, but he has a lot of remarkable character traits and skills, enabling him to win the race for the presidency. For instance, he is an incredible spokesman and a skilled writer. He used these skills to write a book about his biography that left a trace in the very heart of every voter. The book Dream from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance became Obama’s platform, in which he represented himself as a new kind of politician. He explained his innovations as the gift to be a “transracial” leader, who was able to lead the country past the racial discrimination issues. In his manifesto to the nation, Obama explained why he was so sure in his future success as the President of the United States and the new kind of a leader:
I chose to run for president at this moment in history because I believe deeply that we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together, unless we hold common hopes; that we may not look the same and not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction: toward a better future… I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins of every race and every hue scattered across three continents. And for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on earth is my story even possible (Walton and Smith 155, 156).
Thus, Obama’s authority among the people of the country played a key role.
Finally, Obama’s campaign had one of the biggest budgets in the history of the United States. The fundraising for this campaign was insignificant dependent on the Internet recourses such as Yahoo, Google, and Microsoft search engines. Multiple donors of small size donated $100 million through these services (Walton and Smith 156). That was the biggest amount from such sources in history. During the whole campaign, the future President was able to collect $240 million (Walton and Smith 156). The money was used for the unprecedented election campaign in the United States. Obama’s opponent, Hillary Clinton, had only $195 million. To be able to compete, she had to borrow $20 million from her recourses (Walton and Smith 156).
In conclusion, in Obama’s election campaign many bases of power were used to provide him with the victory. First of all, this is his incredible charisma. He was sure to become the President even in the early years of his life. Secondly, this is Obama’s authority among people. He was able to persuade millions of Americans that he was “the one” due to the peculiarities of the situation in the country. Finally, the other important base of power in Obama’s campaign was money. Obama was able to raise $240 million. This amount of money was one of the best performances in the United States. With such an election capital of her opponent, Hillary Clinton was not able to effectively compete in the race.
Works Cited
Walton, Hanes, and Robert Smith. American politics and African American Quest for Universal Freedom, (6th ed.), New York: Pearson, 2011. Print.