Rachel Lauterbach Multimedia Writing and Rhetoric Dr.

Erin Dietel-McLaughlin 16 November 2013 The Obama Campaigns: How He Moved Forward in 2012 2008 was a year of Hope and Change in America, which resulted in the historic election of Barack Obama as the first African American to become President of the United States. The words Hope and Change, which were used as Obamas campaign slogans, became so popular that they transcended their function as a campaign slogan and became a large part of Barack Obamas persona (Comparing the Campaigns). Before 2008, Obama was simply a Senator from Illinois; leading up to and throughout the campaign in 2008 he became a new political celebrity. After serving as President for four years, the climate in America had changed, and Obama could no longer rely on his fresh image and the promise of something new and different for America. In response, Obama and his team adapted their strategy in order to be re-elected in the 2012 Campaign. It is important to first briefly examine President Obamas background, the events of the campaign, the factors that shaped the 2008 election, the strategies and techniques that were implemented, and what made him successful before being able to analyze the most recent Obama campaign. The 2012 Obama campaign continued using some similar strategies and relied heavily on continued support from the previous election, but had to adapt its tone, message, and style in order to be successful and win the drastically different election. Barack Obama was born in 1961 to a Caucasian mother from Kansas and an African father from Kenya, but he was raised primarily by his grandparents. He worked his way through college and later attended Law school at Harvard (President Barack Obama, The White House). Obama worked various jobs such as a community organizer and civil rights lawyer, before

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running for Illinois State Senator, his first political office. Then in 2004, Obama won a seat in the U.S Senate with seventy percent of the vote, the largest percentage ever in Illinois for an election for a U.S Senate seat (American President A Reference Resource). However, it was not this election but a popular speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004 that put Obama in the national spotlight (American President A Reference Resource). This speech set the tone for Obama and established his new prominent image. He spoke of a cohesive America and said There's not a liberal America and a conservative America. There's a United States of America. There's not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America. There's a United States of America (American President A Reference Resource). The message of hope and inclusion in this speech is similar to that used by Obama in his campaign for President in 2008. In 2007, Senator Obama announced that he would begin campaigning for the Democratic Party nomination for the 2012 Presidential Election. The election would follow the eight-year term of Republican President George W. Bush, who had become increasingly unpopular due to the poor economy and ongoing war in Iraq (14 The Obama Victory). Bushs unpopularity, which was never above a 43% approval rating in 2008, became a large advantage for the Democrats in the 2008 election (14 The Obama Victory). Building off the advantage they already had, Obama and his team began developing a strategy and tone for their campaign. Initially, Hilary Clinton and John Edwards seemed to have the early lead and looked like more promising candidates than Obama in the Democratic primary (American President A Reference Resource). Clinton was eventually defeated by Obama, in large part due to his effective use of Change as his campaign slogan and theme. Clinton

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focused her campaign on experience, but at the time America was looking for a fresh start. They favored Obamas message of a new kind of politics as a result, and he won the Democratic primary. (American President A Reference Resource). Change was what Americans were looking for at the time; they began to favor Obama because they were largely unhappy with the current president and what politics had become, so a promise of a new style was enticing (Obama Victory 33). This slogan also helped Obama against eventual general election opponent, Republican John McCain. McCain was a Senator from Arizona who was 72 years old, about 35 years older than then 47 year old Obama (Obama Victory 2).Obama and his team strategically highlighted this age gap. Obamas identity as a young, liberal, African American was the opposite that of McCains and President George Bush (Obama Victory 9). The Obama campaigns ability to use this slogan of Change helped highlight this difference and promise that with a new identity and type of person in office, new policies and reform would come as a result. With this promise of change came the slogan of Hope as well. One example of this is a campaign advertisement from 2008. The ad features Americans of all races holding up signs displaying the words hope and change and discussing what makes them feel this way. They discuss the feeling of hope that comes from seeing and experiencing people of all races uniting together to bring about a change. Obama served as a symbol for all Americans that their unique identities could be represented in our nations capital in a more meaningful way (Signs of Hope and Change). Prior to Obamas candidacy, the President had only been a white, middle-aged man; Obamas image as someone attempt to break that mold demonstrated that there is a place for everyone in our country. This gave people hope, and the Obama campaign was able to use that hope to unite Americans in support of Obama.

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The Obama campaign used other techniques to unite supporters together; one way was by communicating directly with voters via social media and the internet. The use of social media to foster communication with supporters gave the campaign a grassroots style, which is defined as when communication occurs at the basic level and directly with the voters they are trying to reach (dictionary.com). One of the main ways the campaign communicated online was through a website called my.barackobama.com which was created in 2007. The site is described by Frederic I. Solop in Communicator in Chief as allowing visitors to create personal profiles, create blogs, share information with their neighbors, organize and advertise local events, and solicit donations (38). This site helped supporters make their own impact and feel like they played an important role in Obamas success. This grassroots technique fostered inclusion and made the connection between him and his supporters even stronger. In addition to this website, Obama also used the new popular social media site Twitter in his campaign to communicate with followers. This was a successful strategy because it allowed Obama to fine-tune his message to a technology-savvy population according to Solop (Communicator in Chief 40). Obama utilized Twitter to communicate with his followers and keep them updated on where he was campaigning and other important events. Obamas use of Twitter helped him appeal to the younger generation, who have become increasingly technologydependent in recent years. The campaign became more relatable and inclusive to the younger generation as a result of an effectiv Twitter campaign strategy. Yes we Can became another popular phrase used by that campaign to promote inclusion. It became the highlight of many speeches throughout the campaign and was an important factor in Obamas success. The use of we made Americans feel as though they were part of the campaign and suggests that with their support, he would be able to create the change

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that he was promising to his supporters. During a particular campaign speech in South Carolina, Obama said, Don't tell me we can't change. Yes, we can. Yes, we can changeyes, we can heal this nation. Yes, we can seize our future (Obama Speech). This phrase encouraged people to believe in him, and its effectiveness was evident during many different campaign speeches when the crowd would begin spontaneously chanting, Yes We Can! Obama defeated John McCain in the general election and took office. The techniques used by Obama and his team were successful in achieving the desired goal. During his first term as President, Obama faced many challenges and some successes. His time in office impacted the climate of the campaign for his re-election. In 2012, Obama would face Mitt Romney, the Governor of Massachusetts. According to sociologist Shayne Lee, Romney would be a much tougher candidate than McCain was, and that 2012 would be a much tougher road for Obama (Basu). Due to increased difficulty, Obama and his campaign would have to use new tactics in order to gain more supporters and maintain the ones from the previous election. The tone and message of the campaign had to change in order to adapt to his new situation. Obama changed his slogan, was more competitive, but continued to communicate directly with supporters and foster inclusiveness during his second campaign. The main shift in tactics was from Hope and Change to the new slogan for the 2012 election, Forward. This was an appropriate word to describe his new strategy because Obama needed his supporters to continue helping him so that he could have more time to make more of the changes he wanted. This was an invitation to voters to maintain their support of his candidacy in order to allow him to continue to make progress and slowly make changes in America. He could no longer rely on a promise for change since that change had already

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occurred; he had to use new techniques in order to gain support and maintain his following from the previous election. One way that Obama uses words to help inspire his supporters is by using the word we when communicating with Americans, similar to his use of Yes We Can during his 2008 campaign. One example of this is in the email that was sent to announce his intent to run for reelection to his supporters. In this message, sent by Obama for America, we is used frequently, while I is rarely ever used. He writes that we will begin forging a new organization that well build together in cities and towns across the countryit will succeed only if we work together, which effectively makes the reader feel as though they are directly part of the campaign and movement (Siegel). This made his supporters more driven to participate and help because they felt like an important aspect of Obamas strategy. Although he was still able to inspire supporters, being the incumbent candidate in an election added difficulty since he not only had to continue to run the country, but also had to run a full-fledged presidential campaign simultaneously. In order to be successful, Obama needed his supporters to help run the majority of the campaign. This is similar to the grassroots style that was used in 2008, since he had to reach out to them to directly in order for them to participate. In a campaign advertisement, these strategies are discussed by people who are continuing to support Obama and act as the driving force behind his campaign. A woman in the advertisement named Catherine discusses the importance of this strategy and how at the grass-roots level, it is individuals talking to other individuals and making a difference Obamas supporters realized that if they wanted the President to be re-elected, they would have to work themselves to help the President campaign. Another woman in the ad named Alice describes the difficulty by saying that, President Obama is one personplus hes got a job to do; were paying him to do a job.

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So we cant just say Hey can you take some time off and come and get us all energized, so we better figure it out, which describes the Presidents need for his followers to contribute to the campaign (Barack Obama 2012 Campaign Launch Video). His dedicated followers took on an attitude of responsibility for the success of the campaign; this philosophy is shown at the end of the ad when the words, It begins with us are shown. In order to maintain support, Obama had to attempt to keep his spark from 2008 alive and urge his supporters to keep their faith in him. The campaign however did not try to claim that his time in officehad been perfect and that all of the goals that were set had been accomplished; one ad says, Were not there yet, its still too hard for too many. But were coming back, which explains the importance of the word Forward for the campaign (Go). According to Glen Thrush, Obama said, Its still about hope and change, but Thrush believes that it would have been too difficult for Obama to reclaim that platform; therefore, it was necessary for him to move on from these ideas and move Forward in order to be successful (Comparing the Campaigns). This gave his followers a sense that there were still important changes to be made with Obama as president and he needed their continued support was needed in order to accomplish them. Another difference from the previous election was Obamas feelings toward his opponent. Although he disagreed with both men politically, it is evident that the President had a more personal, competitive distaste toward Mitt Romney during the 2012 campaign (Comparing the Campaigns). In 2008, his inexperience created a gentle fighter, who Glenn Thrush says was afraid to play hardball, but after serving as President for four years, this was no longer the case in 2012 (Comparing the Campaigns). Obama expressed his competitive nature, and in combination with his personal distaste, an overall more negatively-toned campaign

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than the previous one resulted. One example of this was the constant ads seen and heard on television, the radio, and the internet. Both campaigns produced large numbers of ads created solely to attack the other candidate. Obama himself also used several opportunities to directly attack Romney and his credibility in his speeches; one example of this was during a speech in Iowa when Obama said, Governor Romney has experience owning companies that were called 'pioneers' in the business of outsourcing" (CNN Wire Staff). Since Romeny was a tougher candidate, Obamas increased competitiveness and harsher attitude may be justified and considered necessary by some; regardless, this competiveness helped Obama defeat a tough opponent in order to maintain his position in the White House. Similar to 2008, another way that Obama was able to defeat his opponent was through the use of social media. According to Sam Graham-Felsen, who was the chief Blogger in Obamas 2008 campaign, social media is no longer an option, having a sound social media strategy is
critical to winning a presidential election, and in the 2012 election, Obama was far more successful on social media platforms than Romney (Video: Graham-Felsen). In a New York Times Article, Jenna Wortham discusses how each candidate used different sites and examines the number of followers they had on each. In comparison, Obama had a drastically higher number of followers on every site, most importantly Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube. Not only did this allow Obama to reach more followers- he had over 20 million Twitter followers while Romney had only 1 million-but also his effective use of a multitude of social media platforms allowed him to be more successful in achieving the goal of social media, which is to appear more human and relatable (Wortham).

Overall, it is clear that many changes were made from the tone of the 2008 election. During the first election, Obama used effective slogans to create a tone of hopefulness and inclusion, and utilized grassroots techniques such as websites and Twitter to unite Americans

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behind his platform and get him elected. In order to win a more difficult election, Obama had to be more competitive, more direct, and use new tactics to inspire Americans to continue to support him in 2012. By creating a new tone for his campaign, he was able to maintain the approval of a majority of the country and defeat Romney by winning 52% of the vote (American President A Reference Resource). These changes produced a victory for Obama and allowed him to continue to move forward with his intended vision for our country.

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Works Cited "American President A Reference Resource." American President: Biography of Barack Obama. Miller Center University of Virginia, Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia, 2013. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. BarackObamadotcom. Barack Obama 2012 Campaign Launch Video It Begins With Us. Online Video. Youtube. Youtube. 3 Apr. 2011. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. BarackObamadotcom. Go. Online Video. Youtube. Youtube. 7 May 2012. 13 Nov. 2013. BarackObamadotcom. Signs of Hope and Change. Online Video. Youtube. Youtube. 1 Sept. 2008. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. Basu, Moni. "Obama Makes History, Again." CNN. Cable News Network, 08 Nov. 2012. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. "Comparing the Campaigns of 2012 Obama to 2008 Obama - The Takeaway." Takeaway. WNYC Radio and PRI, 23 Aug. 2012. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. Communicator in Chief: How Barack Obama Used New Media Technology to Win the White House, Chapter 3: RT @BarackObama We just made history: Twitter and the 2008 Presidential Election, by Frederic I Solop (37-49). "Graham-Felsen Says Social Media `Critical' for Election." Interview. n.d.: n. pag. Print. "Grassroots." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. Obama, Barack. "Obama Speech: 'Yes, We Can Change'" CNN. Cable News Network, 27 Jan. 2008. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. The Obama Victory: How Media, Money and Message Shaped the 2008 Election Kate Kenski, Bruce W Hardy, and Kathleen Hall Jamieson. "President Barack Obama." The White House. Thewhitehouse.gov, n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.

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Siegel, Elyse. "Barack Obama 2012 Campaign Officially Launches (VIDEO)." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 04 Apr. 2011. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. Staff, CNN Wire, Paul Steinhauser, Ashley Killough, Kevin Bonn, Jim Acosta, Tom Cohen, Deirdre Walsh, Gregory Wallace, and Shannon Travis. "Claims of Lies and Counter-lies Dominate Campaign Rhetoric." CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. The 2008 Presidential Campaign: A Communication Perspective Chapter 11: The Web, Campaign 0708, and Engaged Citizens: Political, Social and Moral Consequences (228-243) Edited by: Robert E Denton, Jr. "Video: Graham-Felsen Says Social Media `Critical' for Election.(Video File)." Bloomberg Television Video Content (2011). Wortham, Jenna. "The Presidential Campaign on Social Media." The New York Times. The New York Times Company, 2012. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.