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August 28, 2008

Obama's GenY Appeal

Posted at 2:37 PM

This evening, Barack Obama will deliver his acceptance speech for the Democratic nomination at Denver’s Invesco Field to a roaring crowd of 75,000. Not since John F. Kennedy’s nomination acceptance speech at the Los Angeles Coliseum in 1960 has a candidate stepped outside the convention venue to address the masses. It’s daring, it’s confident, but is it also risky? After all, it’s a grand and wildly expensive stage upon which Obama hopes to portray himself as a man of the people, so you can expect to hear some grumbling.

I’m betting that you won’t hear many complaints from his younger supporters, though. GenY is highly communal; they want to feel that they’re part of something big and the more like-minded people they can gather around them, the happier they are. Take note: Obama’s Facebook page now has over 1.4 million supporters (compared to McCain’s 226,000); on the official campaign website my.BarackObama.com, the largest single group is Students for Barack Obama. Let’s face it the guy’s a rock star.

But there’s something else going on here as well. Obama’s speech in Denver will resonate with young voters because the very grandeur of it will touch a cord of what Newsweek’s Jon Alter calls “imaginative nostalgia” for the days of JFK and Martin Luther King. “This longing for an emotion they never experienced, but feel they missed, is part of what brings them out in such numbers at [Obama’s] events,” Alter wrote in a recent column. “Having come of age in the '70s, '80s or '90s, they see Obama not only as a ticket to the future, but a means of transporting them across the years to a mythic past, where politics could be a force for good.” But Obama’s challenge tonight will be to convince voters – young and old alike – that they’re not just voting for the mythic past that his extraordinarily well-branded image invokes, but for a future that GenY’s children might also look back upon with imaginative nostalgia. Will he succeed? Weigh in tomorrow.

2 Comments

Posted by: David Mullings at August 29, 2008 10:58 AM

I agree with everything Jon Alter said.

As someone born in 1981, I have been extremely nostalgic when it comes to JFK, the goal to put a man on the moon, Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech, the student activism and a period in American history where the citizens seemed to actually care about the future of America by taking the time to learn about the issues facing the country.

And I grew up in Jamaica!

Obama is the political equivalent to Truth, the movement to stop smoking.

Gen Y gravitated towards that because it seemed very grassroots and of the people, instead of coming across as being lectured to by older people who think that "age" is equivalent to "smarts".

It doesn't hurt that his platform is one that most young people agree with - we see the widening income gap, absurd bonuses for bankers that caused a huge mess, understand that deficits do matter, all read George Orwell and see too many similarities, and generally think that egalitarianism is what our generation will stand for.

It is interesting that some people live by the Bible yet do not seem to follow the simple lines that say you should be your brother's keeper and "What you do to the least of your brethren you do to me"

BTW, the speech was amazing.

Posted by: Liz at August 31, 2008 9:00 PM

While the speech catered to many people's emotions, it should be noted that that is the point of this type of speech. It hit upon major themes that are supposed to get the crowd hyped up (though I will admit Obama took a page from Pres. Clinton and went through a laundry list as well... something most presidents save for a State of the Union address).

I don't think that Obama is a bad guy by any means, but beware the speaker that tugs at your emotions because you may get caught up in the grandeur rather than thinking about logic.

This country was not founded by people who wanted a government to do everything for them, but rather great individuals that believed in the power of each voice to add to the debate and do what is right, not what seems politically popular.

Beware of false solutions and look to where the problem starts. The government can't hold your hand every day, we need to stand on our own feet, help our own communities (as the other comment noted the bible says to do), and stop looking for easy solutions.

Think carefully about the issues this year. If you believe in capping the American Dream just because a few may not be able to reach it, thats fine. If you believe in government dealing with all of our problems, thats fine too.

But realize that there are limitations to their effectiveness. It may sound like they have great plans and new ideas, but how likely are they to be implemented by anyone?

Vote with care this election.

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