Regarding why he won, my reference was more to his overall campaign, mainly the primary. In the general election, I think party affiliation was probably the biggest factor, for obvious reasons. But if you look at the initial part of the campaign (where it is easier to discern), my point was that a lot of the attention was focused on who Obama was, as opposed to what he stood for. I mean, how many people fainted at Kerry rallies? Obviously there are many facets to the equation, but I think the fact that people so readily identified with, and projected ideals on Obama aided him tremendously.

As far as the other comment, I would say it's a mix of 4 and 5, and which in my mind are totally (or perhaps mostly) unrelated. Regarding 4, it saddens me that people have a desire (or compulsion/urge/draw) to compare themselves negatively with someone such as Obama. I suppose the examples with his fellow Harvard Law students are a bit more palatable, but even so, to let one elite person define your own relative success is unfortunate.

As far as transitioning into 5, which I suppose has only a tangential relationship to the article, my concern is that people have the WRONG feelings about Obama, not necessarily that they aren't complex enough. While trusting one's president is important (as is feeling good about him, believing in him, etc.), voting is still a political decision. I feel like many people became engaged in the civic political process because they liked the guy, not because they actually have a concept of the issues. Hopefully, this translates into a broader political awareness, and participating by people in the process. It is concerning though that so many are hanging so much on someone who, when it comes down to it, is still a politician. He's captured a lot of people on a personal level, but does that renewed vigor carry on past him?

One final point I'd make is on the meaning people put in his election (as witnessed by the feelings in the article). My friend teaches in the Bronx, and many of her kids now have a tremendous belief that the racial barriers they have faced are weakening, and that more doors are open to them as a result of the election. Clearly this is a beneficial effect, but I worry that it clouds the reality of what happened. For all the intrigue of his story, Obama is still 'elite'; he went to a rich private school, eventually followed by two Ivy league institutions. While his election certainly has some meaning, I think it will mean more for society when one of the kids from the Bronx becomes President.

I apologize if that went off task a bit, and if the midweek grind affected the cogency of any part of that rant. I also don't want it to seem like I resent Obama or the feelings surrounding him; quite the opposite in fact, as I'm personally glad it helped him. And while I'm happy he's President, I worry about the expectations and feelings (such as those discussed in the article) that are put on him.

-- AaronShepard - 11 Feb 2009

Andrew, I'm not disagreeing that that was the point of the campaign; I think it clearly was, and it worked brilliantly (with a nice helping of fortunate timing). But I think it's unfortunate that people are necessarily led to regret their own decisions as a result of the candidacy, and this perhaps speaks of the danger such a candidacy poses. People can get over movie stars, but Obama might be a bigger hurdle.

-- AaronShepard - 11 Feb 2009