cristyli.blogspot.com
#1 Show me the money
Like all Presidential candidates money is a huge factor in the political campaign and this was just as true for Obama. According to Street “Obama received 13.2 million form “lawyers and law firms” between January 1,2007 and January 31,2008”(pg.15).
The amount of money that Obama spent on his campaign and much of the spending he has done thought his presidency is pretty much a censored story because although you are able to find how much he did spend, little media attention is given to the amount and it’s not easy to find exactly who was contributing. in Censored 2011 it stated that "president Obama's decision to increase military spending this year and in the future will result in the greatest military spending since World War II" (pg.67) This just proves how unaware we are about the amount of money being spent by Obama as well as the amount of money he raises during campaign's. The fact that he is currently in California raising money for his upcoming campaign and not a single person in our class knew what he was doing there says a lot about just how censored it is.
#2 Up for Interpretation
“For the huge majority of black voters who have chosen Obama, the decision has been a simple (and understandable) matter of racial pride”. Since Obama is our first African American president many people voted for him because it is something new and different and it represents change which is exactly what Obama was going for.
Race does not only affect the way in which people vote but also the way in which news is perceived and interpreted .In Media and Society it discusses a study done by Darnell Hunt that analyzed the way in which different racial groups interpreted television news. Hunt found "white viewers were much more comfortable with the way newscast covered the event" (Croteau,Hoynes 280). So when Obama is seen giving a speech on T.V his fellow African American viewers will see something different than that of white American viewers.
#3 Obama the nice guy
In chapter 2 of Street's book it discusses the idea of citizens as spectators and talks about how Obama is being voted for solely on his "likability". Noam Chomsky said about a NPR (national public radio) program that he was "listening to see if the report would say anything about his position on the issues-any issue. Nothing." (Street,68) The information about what the candidates are actually planning to do is beginning to be somewhat of a censored story and we are focusing more and more on image or "likeability" than anything else.
Postman makes a good point in his book by saying "television does not reveal who the best man is" (pg.133). T.V commercials (especially for politicians) do not allow you to actually find out who the best person is for the job so for someone to vote based on a commercial of his image on television would not be wise. Postman also goes on to discuss how we do not look for the best person when watching these commercials but instead a way in which to relate to them and how certain aspect's of their lives may match our's. This ad called "mother" by Obama is a great example of this.
#4 The blank sheet
Obama said that he was almost seen like a blank sheet and that people projected their ideas onto him and this could ultimately lead to disappointment and I think that this really did happen. I think that Obama is often criticized for the image he portray's but I also think that he does not mean to deceive anyone and truly is trying to get his message across and people just seem to only see and hear what they want.
In Media and Society it stated that "candidates have complete control over media images when they produce their campaign commercials" (Croteau,Hoynes 237). Campaigns seem to run according to media appearances and fund-raising exposure. If the image can be controlled by Obama then he should be firm with what he believes and plans to do and not allow himself to be seen as a blank sheet.
#5 American Amnesia
Street mentions multiple times in his book that Obama is not acting that much different than previous president's. Andrew Ferguson stated that in american politics "everyday is groundhog day, bringing shocking discoveries of things that have happened over and over again" (pg. 178). We seem to forget things of the past and only focus on what we are hearing at the time.
I think that Nicholas Carr would agree with the fact that American's live in the moment so to speak and seem to forget things of the past. Carr says that the way we learn and read is directly affected by this new world of evolving media and we now seem to have a hard time paying attention for long periods of time or just sitting and reading a book. he states that "Our ability to interpret text, to make the rich mental connections that form when we read deeply and without distraction, remains largely disengaged" (Carr). Therefore the fact that we forget what other presidents have said is no surprise.
#6 What about Iraq?
Obama made his opinion about the war in Iraq very clear in the beginning of his campaign by saying things in speeches like "Iraq mess"and "should have never been authorized" (Street 136). This was the one issue that many American's were passionate about and truly wanted what he claimed would happen to really come true, which was to end the war in Iraq.
As addressed in Censored 2011, Obama has actually done quite the opposite and was clearly persuading his supporters with a big lie. He has actually increased spending on the war and in Censored it stated that "runaway defense budget's get passed each year without a single "town hall" meeting, next to no media coverage, and virtually no debate in congress" (Huff,Phillips 70). It is crazy to think of the massive amount of media attention Obama received during his campaign and all of the talk about healthcare and there was absolutely no debate about what we are spending in defense, which is more than we spend on healthcare for ten years.
#7 Guantanamo Deception
Censored 2011 talked about the abuse that goes on in Guantanamo bay and how prisoners are brutalized and treated unfairly. It stated that specialized teams called IRF's are called into handle emergency situations. These situations have been something as trivial as praying or refusing to eat.
Street touches upon this as well when discussing Obama and other presidential candidates ability to hide issues like this and possibly for good reason. He states that one Senator addressed the issue at Guantanamo bay after hearing about abuse from and eyewitness who was an FBI agent saying that "you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazi's" (Street 154) . After he made this noble and truthful address military personnel and others were outraged and he ultimately ended up apologizing. He should never have to apologize for addressing the truth and this is exactly why issues like this are not spoke of by our trusted leaders.
#8 Let the Media decide
"Having internalized the basic concerns and considerations of the corporate world, dominate media managers tend to let "money flows" dominate their coverage of candidates and elections" (Street 60). This is something that people should be aware of when watching news programs from large media conglomerates because it is likely that they contribute to Obama (as well as other candidate's) campaigns.
In Media and Society It talks in depth about the regulation of media and some of the struggles we have to regulate the media and to try to limit the amount of corporate consolidation. It stated that "the FCC serves the public interest by attempting to balance the interest of various groups,suggesting that there is no single public interest" (Croteau,Hoynes 86). The fact that media corporations are censoring what they do broadcast based on money is something that the FCC should really look at.
#9 He's so dreamy
Obama's entire campaign was focused on image and this is what some American's based there vote on. Street proves this when he goes to Iowa and talks with college student about to attend one of Obama's talks. They were quoted saying things like "He's just so cool. He's on television all the time and hes just really excellent", "I can listen to him all day", and "he's really handsome" (Street 168). This all play to the limbic brain when really who you vote for should be more of an experience for the neocortex.
Postman would not be thrilled about the fact that people vote based on image and has said in his book "the selling of a president is an astonishing and degrading thing" (Postman 126). The fact that you can even refer to it as the "selling" of a president is disturbing enough. We should not have to sell a president, selling is for products not people.
#10 Smarty Pants
Even with all the criticism that Obama as received over the years he does have the qualities that we should be looking for when voting for a President. Obama is a very intelligent man with intelligent things to say (even if he is not always portrayed that way by the media). Street states that "he would perhaps be the most officially intellectual U.S president since Woodrow Wilson. Displaying a notably "professorial" style in town hall meetings, he has made a point of reaching out to and surrounding himself-on the model of JFK-with numerous intellectual "stars" (pg.170). His intelligence is also an important part of his campaign and a part of the image he wishes to portray. He is able to become a step ahead of the competition and use a straw man persuasive technique to convince voters he's smarter than his fellow candidates.
This intelligent man he wants to portray may be either played up or down when addressing different classes of people. In Media Society, it discusses how class can determine what types of advertisements or media content are displayed and to whom. It states that "class permeates media content, and it is useful to examine both the class distribution of people in the media and the roles given to characters of different class status" (Street 216). A big part of Obama's success was how he presented himself to different classes of people.
