Obama 'Ad' Showcased Protagonist Turned Narrator

What was billed as Obama's 'ad' or 'infomercial,' was in fact a short documentary about the struggle to achieve the American dream.  More than that, the film switched the central focus of Obama's candidacy from his story to the story of voters, transformed him from protagonist into narrator, and reframed the last leg of this endless election as the denouement of our most fundamental national drama.  It was brilliant political theater.

For many months, now, the election has been returning from Obama's initial idea of the 'American story' to the more classical theme of the 'American Dream.'  His 30-minute film was the full realization of  that return.

Interestingly, Obama's success and struggle as a candidate have come from his decision in 2004 to reframe the more general 'American dream' as his particular 'American story.'  His 2004 Democratic Convention speech showcased this reframing.  In this oft-cited passage from the speech, Obama talks about his parents 'dreams,' but arrives at the idea of his success as the great American 'story':

They're both passed away now. And yet, I know that on this night they look down on me with great pride.  They stand here -- And I stand here today, grateful for the diversity of my heritage, aware that my parents' dreams live on in my two precious daughters. I stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger American story, that I owe a debt to all of those who came before me, and that, in no other country on earth, is my story even possible.

(B. Obama, 2004 DNC Keynote Address)

In that speech, Obama became more than a presidential candidate.  He became a protagonist in the progressive narrative about the promise of equality.  In a sense, the Democratic party had been nurturing that story for decades--planting it, growing it, cultivating it, but never quite moving it to the presidential arena.

When Obama's American 'story' put the value of cultural diversity to the center of the party, it inadvertently nudged economic opportunity a bit to the side.  It was not so much that Obama did not believe in the more classical, union-oriented roots of the Democratic party, but that the 'we' had given way to an unexpectedly powerful 'I.'  Obama was great at telling his story and the more he told it, whether in books or on the stump, the more people saw him as a national leader--a President.  And so a candidate telling his American story became the top challenger of a party known for pushing the American dream 'for all.'  

What happened next was a cognitive version of a generational clash.  The Democratic Party divided into two camps and those camps waged a bitter campaign against each other. Those drawn to the 'American story' framing went with Obama, while those tied to the 'American dream' framing ultimately sided with Hillary Clinton, who had articulated this theme already in 2006.

Well aware of Obama's 'story,' Clinton could have stepped up and made her candidacy about her 'story,' but instead she made it about 'Saving the American Dream':

For 230 years, Americans have been united by a simple, common dream that tomorrow will be better than today. The promise of American life, handed on through a dozen generations, rests on this basic bargain: All of us should have the opportunity to live up to our God-given potential, and the responsibility to make the most of it...Over the last five years we've taken a different direction -- one that offered the greatest help to those with the most wealth, under the mistaken belief that when the wealthy do even better, the middle class will eventually get their share. But this economic philosophy has shortchanged America and failed the middle class, too. For the first time ever, we've had four straight years of rising productivity and falling incomes. Americans are earning less, while the costs of a middle-class life have soared: In the past five years, college costs are up 50 percent, health care 73 percent, and gasoline more than 100 percent.

("Saving the American Dream," Jul 22, 2006)

Both Obama and Clinton set powerful themes for their campaigns, but when we look at Clinton's 2006 statement about the 'American Dream,' we see how much it contrasted with Obama's 'story.'  Obama's campaign was based on telling the story of a person who lived the American dream. Clinton's campaign was based talking about restoring the conditions by which the American dream was possible.  Clinton was a narrator, Obama a protagonist. 

At some point, Clinton must have decided not to craft her campaign out of her story, and as Obama gained, then overtook her in the primary states--she must have had sleepless nights wondering if that was the right decision.  Then the tables turned.

If Obama's 'American story' was the key to winning the early primary states, Clinton's 'American dream,' was the key to winning the late ones.  Granted, the debate also brought in some extraneous rough stuff, but both sides knew clinching the nomination was never really about racism or sexism.  It was about the question spreading throughout the middle class about the American dream.  As Arthur Miller once put it, had the American dream become a 'rusting ship tied up at pier, its voyaging days over' or was it still afloat, despite all the bad things that had happened, a ship that 'had not yet made port'--that was still en route to 'somewhere wonderful' (Timebends, p xi)?

If Obama had one weakness, it was his inability to convince voters in Ohio and Pennsylvania that he empathized with their fear of rusting at pier.  Belting back a few shots of rye whiskey, Clinton made them feel she did.

The truth was always that they both did and do empathize deeply.  Obama just had to work harder convincing voters of it, which meant spending less time on the stump telling his story and more time narrating theirs.   He managed to do it enough--barely--to clinch the deal. 

Arguably, however, it was not until the commercial paper markets seized up and the talk of the day turned from Iraq and healthcare to the Great Depression 2.0 that Obama really began in earnest to reframe himself as narrator rather than protagonist in this election.  And this brings us back to last night's film.

Without question, Obama's film succeeded at the levels of politics and drama, but above all else it showcased the new voice of the Democratic candidate as narrative of other people's struggle with the American dream first, successful protagonist of the American story second.  

Having started his presidential campaign introducing himself, Obama concluded it by introducing others:  the hockey mom, the retiree, the autoworker.  The Obama we had heard so many times talk about himself as a product of a diverse family struggling to give their own child the opportunity to achieve--opportunity because the American dream is real and alive--became the Obama who walked us through the struggles of other families whose success had been interrupted, defaulted, bankrupted. A candidate who explained how his mother gave him confidence became the voice of confidence for families who had lost theirs.

Over and over again, the film showcased this exact same dynamic:  Obama the narrative of the American dream. 

If we look back over the themes of Clinton's 2006 statement about the American Dream, however, we notice how successfully Obama's campaign and film have reconnected with the classical economic themes of the Democratic Party. 

As John McCain buckles under his own inability to unfold a consistent narrative and Sarah Palin's xenophobic nationalism, Obama has quietly become the narrative voice of our national drama--steadily convincing more and more voters that the American ship is not rusting at pier, and that he is best suited to captain it to a promising future.

While the Republican end-game manages to nudge the national polls a few points closer, the real story is playing out in the states where Obama struggled in the primary:  Pennsylvania, Ohio--even Indiana.  These are places where Obama could not close the deal by telling his story in the primaries, but where he has taken the upper hand in the general election by narrating our story. 

McCain, for his part, has gone in the opposite direction.  Despite all the jabs and mud slinging from the McCain campaign, they have not been able to convince voters to see McCain as the narrator of voter's problems--let alone as the voice of confidence ready to lead them to real solutions.  Instead, McCain has become the voice of shrill politics--the leader of a ragtag team of extremists whose followers have given rise to a kind of politics that makes Democrats and Republicans alike shuffle nervously and think of Europe in the 1930s.  Whether or not John McCain is that man (he likely is not), he has failed repeatedly to manifest the kind of voice capable of dispelling those fears.

So we arrive at the end of the 2008 election with one candidate heralding change with a confident voice resonating throughout the country, the other hawking fear in a voice drowned out by the din of a campaign he cannot control.  The war hero becomes the captive of his own, radicalized followers.  The progressive protagonist becomes the narrator of the American drama.

One film.  Two years.  Five days to go.

Crossposted from Frameshop.

Follow Jeffrey Feldman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JeffreyFeldman

Comments

[lagumbo]

BARACK OBAMA is who we have been waiting for. We need this man to lead us out of this ditch we are in. I don't just mean financially.We need him to bring us togeather as a country. One big community where we are all responsible for each other. That is the only way we will make it. We have
to all become brothers and sisters. ALL OF US.

[aHamilton]

"The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries."

A claim for equality of material position can be met only by a government with totalitarian powers.

'Emergencies' have always been the pretext on which the safeguards of individual liberty have been eroded.

[AZ4thatone]

So, what's YOUR opinion??

[aHamilton]

i suppose tha above makes sense then...why be dependent on governement...and to give governent more power is inviting corruption.

provide everyone equal opportunity but to try to make us all equal is impossible as we all put the energy into our "production" that makes us happy...happy at work and at life.

we have plenty of work to do to make this country better, and to provide true equal opportunity but a larger government does not solve everyone's problems.

[dizmo4]

The upshot of all of the campaigning and advertising of the Obama campaign and the final grade upon its effectiveness is determined solely upon how he does in the election.

Current polls show him up in just about every major battle ground state. But polls can be deceiving if people don't actually show up to vote. The biggest concern democrats should have is complacency. If dems don't show up, Obama won't win.

Vote!

[jingles01]

What the polls show, but what the media do not express, is that these results show a McCain surge. A week ago, these same polls showed a comforatable lead for Obama. His lone "unscripted" moment with Joe W (cannot spell the last name) has caused him tremendous problems. This, combined with Joe Biden's response in the Orlando interview, have caused people to question Obama's intent. By the way, a week earlier, this same Orlando reporter jumped all over McCain with difficult questions. He answered them, Biden did not.

Frankly, I am surprised the Obama campaign even responded to the Orlando interview. CBS, ABC, NBC, CNN et.al. were ignoring this until the Obama campaign made an issue of it. Had they just let it go, it would have ben a regional issue, now it's a national one.

[athomeinidaho]

I have been in for Obama since my name hit the public record in the Idaho caucus. That bias aside for a moment, last night's performance was as brilliantly themed, structured and produced as any advocacy message I've ever seen. I found myself thinking "how can anyone NOT vote for this man?" Everything I saw in the production reinforced my belief that he can and will lead our nation out of the wreckage of the Bush administration and restore the country's respect around the world, and for all the right reasons. His ability to think and to frame issues of substance to the American people and connect with them is profound. His campaign, its direction and substance are testimony to his ability to find people of talent and direct their work and that is the strongest indication to me that he will do likewise in the selections of his councils of advisors and cabinet officers. As the McCain campaign disintegrates before our eyes, I am now sensing a swell of public opinion unlike anything seen thus far. The half hour seen by more than 22,000,000 people may have been the tipping point. I believe Obama's connectivity with the needs of the people and his genuine believability have obliterated any bogus charge or smear put out there by the bankrupt McCain campaign. On Tuesday, I want the American people to rise up and give Barack Obama the strongest mandate that "by the people, for the people" can be.

[SharonAustinTX]

As an Obama supporter, I was moved to tears at times. I pray every day that the American public is able to see what a blessing it would be to elect Obama/Biden next Tuesday.

There's an 86-year-old lady who is a wonderful friend (a lifelong Republican) and has listened to me talk about the election since it began. She doesn't have a computer, and doesn't want one. I call her every day to check on her, take her grocery shopping, etc. and earlier this week I took her to early voting. She thanked me for keeping her 'so well informed about what's happening' and voted for Obama and straight democratic ticket.

I asked her to watch the 30-minute spot last night and she phoned me afterwards and said "How could anyone not vote for that man. He's incredible."

Unfortunately her grown son and his wife like Bush and feel he has been unfairly blamed for the Iraq war. I gave my friend the Obama "Change We Can Believe" book to read and then give to her son. She offered and was told firmly he didn't want to read it. She doesn't understand why he is so sold on Bush and now supports McCain/Palin. She thinks McCain is a disaster.

Four days to go.

[rubinoff]

I was moved to tears last night during his Obamamercial....far too many of us are struggling today in what was the land of 'milk and honey.'

[ConcernedAboutRFuture]

Great story!!!!! Sad to see the seed go

[TRIATHLON]

THE CLEAN UP BATTER

The final bottom line is that no matter who is the next occupant of the Oval Office, they will have the pleasure of being the Clean Up Batter, in the last inning of a lost game. The Era or Pax Americana is over, and the new Era belongs to the New Russia, and Dmitry Medvedev and Vladmir Putin. The next shoe to drop in the Stockmarket will drop it by (50%), and drive the economy into a (21st) Century Depression, The Carmin Dollar is a joke, Treasury Note (IOU's) aren't being excepted by Red China or Japan they want interests in Captial Assets, ownership of American Companies and Properties. The Armed Forces of The United States are Broken, and the Federal Government is past being a Joke.
Churchill governed over the end of the British Empire, the next Oval Office resident will oversea the end of the Republic of The United States of America.

[fedupwiththis]

Not the end of the Republic, just the end of delusions of grandeur and empire. The drunken binge is over folks and it's time to face up to who we really are, or more accurately, who we have become. My hope is that this is the beginning of the new, improved Republic. A Republic whose actions reflect its beliefs about itself. We can still achieve greatness. We just cannot achieve it by being a thug.

[ConcernedAboutRFuture]

Great story!! But sad to see the seed go awry.

[Emlyn]

If, God forbid, McCain becomes President, we will see the end of the USA. And we will know who to blame - the dirty Republcans.

[DQKennard]

It was the Obama-as-narrator structure that most struck me. I can't recall anything remotely like it. When the principal politician -- the *point* of the piece -- speaks, he's on camera. Period. Yet, there he was, narrating from offscreen. I thought that an amazing, and amazingly confident, thing to do, and was extremely well-structured to encourage people to connect their own stories to those shown (and *everybody* has stories, as he said), and *through* those stories, connect to Obama. I thought it a core part of the "reassuring" part of the message he was putting out.

[lifeisart]

As an English major --- I'm still whirling from the images and the authentic emotion the film evoked, both spoken and visual. While watching I was saying " I JUST LOVE MY NEW PRESIDENT !!! I haven't felt so wonderful about our American Leader--EVER !!! IFYI: I've voted for a few presidents and I'm not a Black American. As Obama points out--I'm an American, not a color, nor a party, or ethnicity!! 5 DAYS!!!

[tedbear]

I can't believe what you just wrote. I felt the exact same way when I was watching it!
I felt happy, proud, the way you feel after a good cry, you know. I know what it was, I felt RELIEVED. I TRUST HIM. He is marvelous!

i was 12 or 13 years old when Kennedy became President, and I was enthralled by him and Jackie. I have always loved politics and Obama is the first person in all these years who has enthralled people like Kennedy did - I guess that is why Caroline supported Obama.

[shaytoonee]

I agree it was very well done. esp for ppl who have not been following this election. I have heard that the ppl who are really into politics found it boring. duh of course it did. why? bc this ad had nothing to do with them it had to do with the middle class and making sure the middle class is comfortable with him being president.

[LeonBNJ]

This 'infomercial' by Obama was a carefully made, generally positive and soft sell, much like Reagan did ("Morning in America"). It used examples of real life, working class Americans who are getting ruined by the many years of Republician rule and control, not just under GWB. It showed that 'he felt their pain' like Bill Clinton did (and HRC didn't until too late and McCain never did). He kept to basic concepts that voters can grasp and make him more attractive to them. He gave a short bio of him, his family history and his current family to make him 'more like one of them'. One important issue mentioned was as to his opposition to the War in Iraq and how that has hurt Americans, mainly on the economic side.
This 'informical' will be looked at in the future study of Presidential Campaigns and probably be seen a the closing the deal for him as it was intended in attracting the undecided voters.

[larry278]

Obama's 1/2 hour presentation on Wed night was an infomercial. Infomercials for charities, businesses, churches, etc are common. Some of these infomercials are well produced & interesting which don't do hard sell tactics. Other infomercials, such as Ronco promotions, are hard sell, dull, overblown ads. We could call broadcasting sermons & other religious programs infomercials such as CBN presentation. CBN aims to make its viewers into Christians & has many on-air fund drives, aka begathons, to raise money for a particular Christian activity. Begathon was 1st used by a TV critic to describe the on-air fund drives PBS stations use to get donations to cover their operating expenses. These begathons often last more than 7 days. The spend 1/2 or more of program time to beg for funds. They are the nadir of dullness. They to badger viewers to make donations by laying a heavy guil trip on those who watch PBS but don't send a donation to a PBS station in their area.
Obama did an infomercial.
I missed seeing it because infomercials bore me.

[AZ4thatone]

Larry, he never asked for money, not once.

[walkthewalk]

When Obama says that we will come out the other side of our economic and national security crises stronger, united and purposeful, I believe him. When McCain says that he knows how to win wars, fix the economy and catch Osama bin Laden, I shake my head and wince.

It's these contrasting emotional responses to the candidates that I believe will determine the outcome of this election and make Barack Obama our next president.

[girlwild]

The success of Obama's message and campaign management is told by images: 1) the wide angle camera shots of Obama crowds, showing his amongst thousands and thousands of cheering supporters; and, 2) the tight telephoto camera shots of McCain "crowds", focusing narrowly upon the Republican candidate(s) and about 10 supporters directly behind them.

The McCain campaign had to bus in 4,000 school children (not of voting age) to fill a 5,000 seat venue. That leaves less than 1,000 actual supporters who could vote, not counting all the campaign staff.

If somehow the vote count shows that McCain wins the Electoral College votes to win, there is something really wrong with the picture and it should be investigated immediately, the election challenged. After all, that's what would happen in 3rd world countries. However, most 3rd world countries have direct election of their chief executives, and don't have an outdated Electoral College.

[RussellH]

I must hope that Rachel Sklar reads or has read this post. It is a true critique by a thoughtful and articulate writer. Thank you, Mr. Feldman! Brilliant!

[robbie44]

A-

[Pfellah]

i was one of the millions who watched this. an obama supporter, i was skeptical about the use of an "infomercial" because of the negative connotations that word has. i was curious to see whether there would be any mention of "operators standing by" or "special, limited-time free gift."

right off, i noticed the backdrop's similarity to the oval office. i recognized much of what he was saying from recent speeches. i winced when he said $200,000, because this is a different figure than the $250,000 he's been heralding, and he's going to get called out on that.

what spoke louder than anything else in the ad, for me, was watching the old black man put on his wal-mart tag and head back out to work. if obama wins the election (and i have never been more convinced that HE'D BETTER), THAT will be why...he's paying attention to things like this. was the ad effective? well...because i was skeptical but found myself emotionally affected by it, i would have to say yes.

[robbie44]

Did you notice how Senator Obama didn't have a negative thing to say......could you imagine what a thirty minute mccain info would look like?

[BroMan]

When one is self-confident and perceives themselves to be a leader, and are self-assured in the autheticity of their policies, they don't have to "stoop" to dirty tactics. McCain and Palin have nothing left to throw.

[YB]

CNN has spoken to this after McCain brought it up. This is what has been said consistently by Obama - less than $250K no tax increase; less than $200K receive a tax cut. He hasn't changed. These are considered 2 separate components of his tax plan.

[Roamoff]

Obama has said that families making more than $250,000 will have a nominal tax increase and those making under $200,000 will have their taxes cut. The inference is that those who make between $200,000 and $250,000 will see no change in their federal taxes. He has been consistent with those figures. McCain already previously tried to claim Obama is changing his figures, the same mistake you made.

[mapleaforever]

Individuals making less than $200k = tax cut.
Husband and wife combined making less than $250k = tax cut

Confusing? No.

[robbie44]

"Despite all the jabs and mud slinging from the McCain campaign"...................Isnt it more like cheap shots and mudslinging from the McCain campaign ?

[robbie44]

Mr. FeldMan.......... May we call it infoPresidential ?