Getting to Know Barack Obama: A Benefit of Two-Year Campaigns

Have I become so addicted to polls, pundits, and projections that I will actually miss them after the polls close on November 4?

What will we talk about?

There will always be the results to dissect, who won, who lost, where and why? And the down ticket races will move into the conversation: Senate, House, and Governor's races.

But the suspense will be gone. Right now, about two days before the results will be known, I say to myself, "Thank God." I can't bear to wait much longer.

Many complain that the campaign has been too long, too expensive, and too vituperative. And they are right. American elections, unlike elections in Parliamentary systems, wear out both the candidates and the voters. In a Parliamentary system, the Prime Minister, who is also the head of the party, can "call" an election between four and six weeks before the vote. That's it. Campaigns -from start to finish--take place in a matter of weeks, not years. There are no primary campaigns in these countries.

It is our process, intensified by the hunger of the media to report on the next election years before it occurs, which results in an almost endless campaign season.

On the plus side, as I look back on a year ago, when we were just warming up for the primaries, I conclude that there is a strong chance that Barack Obama would not have won the Democratic nomination if the process had been more shorter and more efficient. Neither would Hillary Clinton have come in second place.

These were two non-traditional candidates, compared to the usual cast of white men who had won Presidential primaries throughout our history. We had to take our time to get to know them.

I remember my impressions during the early debates when I was a Hillary Clinton supporter. Some bias crept into my reaction to Barack Obama, but I felt he was not ready. He did not seem Presidential, compared to the others in the Democratic Primary line-up.

In a year's time, we have had the opportunity to watch him grow, in stature, in competence, and in confidence--both his and ours. This long election season has given the voters an opportunity to get used to the different portrait of an American President.

The qualities that once jumped out to us--that he was African American and that he was young--have disappeared for many voters. Not only has he changed; we also have changed. We feel, over this period of time, that we have gotten to know him, and he, in turn, has gotten to know the American voter, in all his and her permutations.

Yes, there is a silly side and a nasty side to campaigns which we would like to forget. The process is not always fair, the press is sometimes lazy or biased or both. The endless commercials grate on our nerves and insult our intelligence.

But in 2008 that is the price we had to pay to nominate and quite possibly elect, a non-traditional candidate.

As a woman who has been elected to public office nine times, I know I learned my most valuable lessons on the campaign trail. The people I met in their homes, factories, farms, and in the streets, educated me. Their stories did not just become sound bites in the manner of Joe the so-called Plumber. They gave me insights into why I was running and what I hoped to accomplish.

On a different scale, that is what this long campaign has done for Barack Obama. All those crowds, all those handshakes, all those living rooms, helped to educate him, to combine soaring rhetoric with specific substance. And the long primary battle with Hillary Clinton, as he himself has said, made him a stronger candidate and will, if he is elected, make him a better President.

We, the voters have traveled on a steep learning curve as well. This man is no stranger to us any more. The 30-minute paid political commercial enabled us to cultivate a longer attention span. The fact that 33 million Americans watched it is testimony to both the candidate for giving us depth and breadth instead of a few sentences, and to the voters for giving him their full and serious attention.

Barack Obama could not be where he is today, on the brink of a projected victory, without the blessing and the burden of this long campaign. So I will be patient for a day longer, believing that it will have been worth the wait.

This was originally posted at Chelsea Green.

Madeleine M. Kunin is the former Governor of Vermont and was the state's first woman governor. She served as Ambassador to Switzerland for President Clinton, and was on the three-person panel that chose Al Gore to be Clinton's VP. She is the author of Pearls, Politics, and Power: How Women Can Win and Lead from Chelsea Green Publishing.

Comments

[BottomLine2008]

Ah, no.

[Beckinspate]

I am ready for this to be over and have often longed for parliamentary system--that being said, Obama beat Hillary for the same reasons he is beating McCain--he offers "change", which both opponents then adopted as their own once the stick of "experience" didn't work, he offers a fresh, more centrist view of a younger generation, he has a great, inclusive ground game. Did he learn from the primaries? Of course, but you neglect the high negative ratings concerning all the things we did know about Hillary, which also made him a more attractive candidate. Iowa was very very early. So, please don't credit her with making him the candidate he is today--patronizing.

[threegoal]

This is a well-written article. Obama had to cross a bunch of thresholds, and a lot of tests, to get to where he is today. His campaign has been a big part of showing his ability to lead, and he has weathered it well.

There were a lot of loyal supporters that he started with, but nowhere near enough for either the nomination or the election. He has steadily gained the support he needed and has come out of the long campaign journey with a lot of respect and a reqal chance to make a difference as a special President.

[BlueAsh]

This article is all pointless speculation, really. "Sour grapes" is another way of putting it.

Obama beat Clinton. Now he is about to beat McCain and the Republican machine.

What other proof do you need? Do you really need to cut him down to size in the end?

[j0em0mma]

I don't think it's fair that all comments I post these days to guest articles are deleted. This is abuse of power and says a whole lot more about you than it does me. You might want to look in a mirror some day and try to make this leap of consciousness. Otherwise, I fear, you are in danger of becoming exactly what we've been struggling against, well, basically my whole life (Most of my life (born 1973) has been under the conservative thumb).

The headline opinion is EXACTLY the place where dissenting points of view should be allowed expression. You're making yourself look incredibly bad. Please stop. Thank you.

[fairmedia1]

DontJustFollow: I support Barack Obama because he is honest, intelligent, he has common sense, he is reasonable and his vision for the future of this country is sound and will restore our standing in the world. He is inclusive in his vision. He is not just about government, he is also about people. He will hold us accountable as well as government. He is able to speak to a diverse group of people without talking over their heads. He doesn't think he is "above" people. He doesn't play on fears. He admits he isn't perfect and that is a big plus. There are some in powerful positions who cannot admit this and they certainly wouldn't admit when they are wrong. These people scare me. (some are running for high offices) I don't have time to write his biography but Senator Obama graduated from Columbia University in New York and received his law degree, graduating magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School. Those of us who do our own research don't believe the lies that are being tossed around. So get out there and do some research and choose the obvious candidate on election day.

[j0em0mma]

I believe this is incorrect. The writing was on the wall early in the primaries, in Iowa, and crystal-clear by Super Tuesday.

[kayatarms]

Madeline, such a encouraging and supportive article! Very good read! Eased a bit of my nervousness! Well for the last 15minutes or so!

[NorCalNative]

Madeleine, while there is a lot of truth to your statement, in my mind the cost is simply too high. We are disfunctional in the way we select our candidates. Far too much money and resources are raised and spent on television time.

Anyone who thinks this two-year marathon is reasonable or smart or a good idea is sick! Our elections are nothing but a way to make money for established media. I won't give one penny to a candidate who uses it to buy television time.

In addition, don't you really think the reason for this extra-early start was to avoid talking about IMPEACHMENT?

[seppoyank]

It amazes me that one of the most common complaints many McCain supporters have about Obama is that they "don't know him." Where have they been living? Under a rock?

I don't see how, after all the time on the campaign trail, Palin can make her "he needs to answer these questions for the American people" arguments and not be laughed off the stage. She is the one we know nothing about. McCain/Palin are the ones who refuse to release medical information. She has never once spoken about her husbands involvement with a secessionist organization that hates America or her own involvement with religious figures who persecute women they decide are "witches."

Obama answered the questions about Wright and Ayers. We know where he stands.

And yet, in spite of that, people at McCain/Palin rallies, I keep hearing that people "don't know him."

I keep wondering if "I don't know him" is just another way of saying he is the feared "Other" with his dark skin and uncommon name.

Tomorrow we find out if America is better than a few loud fear mongers.

[LiberalDemIda]

When one wishes to be a good chess player, one plays against superior, not inferior opponents - and in Barack Obama's case, who can be a more superior, more politically savvy, more formidable opponent than Hillary Clinton?

We should never, EVER forget Hillary Clinton's incredible contribution in helping shape the strong candidate Barack Obama has become (even though it infuriated his supporters in the process, including me).

We should never forget that it was Hillary and her campaign that hardened Obama and immunized him against the right-wing attack machine perpetuated with the power of corporate media by disarming potential disastrous swift-boating before they got out of hand.

The LONG 21-month campaign has not only taught us who Obama is, but we fell in love with this man in the process, and much like fear, love is a powerful driving force as we witness today in those long, long lines and the enthusiasm people have for Obama.

[DennyCrane]

Excellent point. As much as I despised the things Clinton said about Obama during the campaign, he withstood it and showed that he didn't have the glass jaw so many of his critics thought he had. But what's really funny is that after seeing how Hillary failed to defeat Obama, McCain ran the same campaign. That alone shows what a lousy President he would make. It's bad enough when you can't learn from your own mistakes, which is something George W. Bush is guilty of. But it's really bad when you can't learn from someone else's mistakes. The McCain campaign will be remembered as one of the worst, in large part because they ran the campaign of someone who had just lost only a few months prior.

[DontJustFollow]

I understand how many people have "fallen in love with this man" but what I don't understand is why?

I am an undecided. Still. I ask McCain supporters why they like McCain and they tell me why and then answer back-up questions. I am not saying I believe them or even trust McCain, but they do have information and facts at their fingertips.

I ask Obama supporters the same questions and I get blank stares - Simple questions like what kind of grades did he get? What kind of charitable giving has the Obama family done? Why are the reps able to link so many radical left people but dems not able to link radical right people to McCain? What has Obama done in the Senate? In Illinois? How is he going to give a tax break to the 30-45% of the people that dont pay taxes? Why doesn't the military want Obama to win? If McCain voted with Bush 90% of the time and Obama voted with Reid 97% of the time, who is better suited to bring change to DC?
Do you think that Obama would give 45% of the record 700 million dollars he collected in his campaign to the McCain people?
I will most likely vote for him because of the babe that keeps knocking on my door asking me to support him. But I can't say that I know him or anything about him.
Do we need more than HOPE or is that enough?

[RonNYC]

What I always tell people is that do you want to chance it that Sarah Palin could possibly become President in case of illness on the part of John McCain. If McCain was not so old and did not have the cancer history, I might think differently.

[RonNYC]

What I always tell people is that do you want to chance it that Sarah Palin could possibly become President in case of illness on the part of John McCain.

[scrutiny]

Without sounding mean or cavalier; I encourage you to read. There is a plethora of information available on Obama's accomplishments and his background. No one can or should spoon feed you information on candidates (McCain or Obama). This country needs individuals to educate themselves and not be subject to the opinions of others. Without doubt, there is a treasure trove of information (negative) that Obama could have leveled against McCain -- but to what end? This is about governance, which requires a strong congress and executive branch.

[DamianG]

Blank Stares...

Hmmm.... Why I support O.

1) Education system. No Child left behind is a Joke. My kids are in this system and it is terrible. We need funding and strong accountability. Barrack Offers both. By the way I turn off the TV and read to my kids and check their homework.

2) Taxes. O tax plan is far better than McC. McC is the same as Bush's. O's puts us back to what it was in the 90's.

3) Energy independence. We can not drill our way out of this. O is not just going to talk about energy independence he is going to invest to get it going. Thus his plan for, Solar, Wind, bio fuels, fuel efficient cars etc.

4) Pragmatic demeanor. A leader inspires and sets the tone for those who work for him/her.

While in the military I lived by a simple philosophy. Leadership. “is the ability to influence people in such a way to obtain their loyal confidence and cooperation in order to accomplish something” by all accounts O has demonstrated great leadership
I have more but I think this is enough to demonstrate that all of us will not give you a blank stare.

[IndyReader]

I'd like to know why you think Obama should give the McCain campaign anything? McCain wanted them to take the $84 million in election funds. Obama would have agreed if 527s and outside organizations of that nature weren't included in the campaigning. McCain wouldn't agree to that as we've seen with this Rev. Wright ad now, and 2 more in the wings that are apparently even nastier. So, Obama turned to the American voters to fund his campaign.