Barack Obama: A most superior person has been elected President

Senator Barack ObamaBarack Obama’s historic landslide victory by 364 electoral votes to 162 for Senator John McCainJohn McCain, with 12 votes undecided as of Saturday Nov 8, will make him the 44th President of the United States on January 20, 2009. This event is without precedent in the history of the United States. For the first time, a person of African-American descent has been elected to the highest office in the land. Barack Obama’s success is due in large measure to his manifestly superior qualities—his ability to excel in ways that appealed to the 65.3 million Americans who voted for him as against 57.3 million who voted for Senator McCain. Even his opponents tried to use his star qualities against him—Hillary ClintonHillary Clinton in the primaries and John McCain in the presidential campaign—in efforts to project him as being above the concerns of the ordinary folk.

Post World War II leaders of Western democracies have no doubt included in their ranks those who were competent and intelligent. Very few qualified for the sobriquet “great”, as President Charles De Gaulle did, or had the “star” quality, which was evident in President John F. KennedyJohn F. Kennedy.

President George BushGeorge Bush has certain admirable personal qualities, such as loyalty to friends and equanimity, yet nobody has accused him of erudition or inspired leadership. During his watch, the United States became embroiled in the most disastrous war since Vietnam and the most severe financial crisis since the great Depression of the 1929 – 33. During the past two months alone, global stocks and shares tumbled in value by an astronomical $4.5 trillion.

Leaders of modern democracies may be competent enough managers, bureaucrats or party leaders. Collectively they can be a mighty force for change and progress, but for some reason this writer cannot fathom, as individuals they tend to lack charisma. Their ability to inspire their people is limited in scope and duration.

An exception to this trend appears to be Barack Hussein Obama. During the primary campaign against Hillary Clinton, Obama showed rare qualities of intellect, foresight and determination. As his epic struggle for the White House got under way, he honed his impressive organizational skills, used his eloquence with telling effect to win over his critics, especially white voters who may have felt uncomfortable at the idea letting an African American reside in the White House, and brought out a powerful message for change that resonated with the electorate.

Barack Obama’s contest against Hillary Clinton was a cliff-hanger as compared to the presidential campaign against John McCain. Obama’s greatest quality, apart from his sheer eloquence and self-discipline, was his ability to inspire support at the grassroots level, which translated into personal commitment and millions of small financial contributions on an unprecedented scale.

Obama’s “yes we can” campaign was almost flawless; it had to be because by descent he was one-half Kenyan African and one-half Caucasian American, he bore an exotic Muslim name (although he was not a Muslim) and he was almost brand new in Washington, having served just two years in the Senate.

Obama capitalized on the political environment where the American people had turned against George Bush and the Republican Party. His message calling for change fell on receptive ears. Through his unmatched eloquence he was able to energize the have-nots, the youth and the racial minorities.

As Americans became increasingly worried about their future prospects, Mr. Obama’s message of hope for the middle class and promise of steady leadership gradually won over the white, working-class voters. He succeeded in saddling John McCain with the discredited policies of the Bush administration, first relating to Iraq and then trickle-down economics which favored low taxes on the rich.

That Obama had raised at least four times as much campaign money as his opponent gave him much greater flexibility to campaign in states Bush had carried. In the end, he was able to win over many white voters and to build support in Republican strongholds like Virginia, and defend swing states like Pennsylvania. But money was only part of the story. If money were everything then every billionaire could aspire to the presidency.

As the walls of white resistance to his message crumbled, Obama became a phenomenon transcending race. This was evident during Obama’s post-election night speech in Chicago, when many white Americans could be seen shedding tears, along with African Americans, so moved were they by the historic nature of the moment, made more vivid and memorable by Obama’s soaring eloquence.

To sum up, Barack Obama has shown incipient signs of greatness during his well-crafted election campaign. That does not mean, of course, that he will necessarily make a great president. He faces daunting challenges at home and abroad. His brilliance and intelligence are weighed down by his lack of experience. One can only wish him well in the difficult months and years ahead even before he commences his term in January 2009.