Barackaganda

Barackaganda

A person whose work I respect very much recently wrote the following:

My own view is that attempting to manipulate perceptions directly, without recourse to the conditions that created those reputations in the first place, is a pretty good definition of propaganda, and what's more, it doesn't work.

The writer, Simon Anholt, is known for his expertise in national identity and reputation. He was not referring to President Obama's speech to America's children on September 8, 2009. He could have been, given some of the initial public reactions to the planned address.

A year ago, Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama was on the precipice of his historic ascent to the American presidency. Who can forget his Chicago victory speech the night of November 4, 2008?

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

As a non-partisan independent who did not campaign for either nominee, I was as
teary-eyed as any other American citizen who felt the weight of that moment. I felt the same emotions as I watched the presidential inauguration.

The Obama effect continued its brisk pace as I taught my Syracuse University graduate course about the Obama administration's first one hundred days. I wrote a very favorable profile in my short book, Persuader-in-Chief, which focuses on the mood of the country during the president-elect period from November 2008 to January 2009.

Obama has become over-exposed. Or at least that's the growing perception. Reputable polls from Rasmussen to Zogby tell us that the president's numbers are falling. Today's Rasmussen presidential tracking poll shows that 28% of Americans "strongly approve" of Obama's performance while 40% strongly disapprove. David Brooks calls it the Obama Slide. It's not electric.

We have moved away from the Obama effect (akin to the Oprah effect) and are now suffering from Obama fatigue barely seven months into this presidency. The president risks reinforcing that fatigue if he and his staff ignore the conditions that gave rise to it. These conditions have to do with the growing perception that the president is taking on too many agendas, too soon, and interjecting his opinion on some topics (the arrest of his Harvard professor friend) while not speaking out enough on other topics (Afghanistan).

When the White House announced that Obama would address the nation's school children, I immediately thought, of course. It's a safe topic. Who among us is against the education of children in America? There is not a politician in America who would run against that platform. Educating our children is not a public option we contest. But the importance of this subject--the proverbial and literal teachable moment--may very well be lost in the fatigue fog.

Brand Obama remains the most powerful brand in the world. But the omnipresident faces a citizenry that is finding its voice separate and equal from his own. And that gives us energy.

Dr. Nancy Snow ([e-mail]) teaches courses in war, media and propaganda and advanced public diplomacy at the Newhouse School, Syracuse University. Her book, Persuader-in-Chief, will be released in an expanded version later this month.

Follow Nancy Snow on Twitter: www.twitter.com/drpersuasion

Comments

[Charmed]

He's "so-called" over exposed because the RIGHT keeps talking about him day in and day out. Democrats and independents aren't the ones going on and on about him everyday. It does seem like the progressives have joined the republicans in complaining about every little thing he says (real are made-up).

The bottom line is, some people just don't like Obama and that's not going to change.

[caphillprof]

Actually, the bottom line is that day by day Obama is betraying his base so day by day more and more people, who voted for him, are disliking him and regretting their vote. That's the bottom line.

[progressivegreg]

Regret my vote? No I don't think so when I look at the options last November! It's called politics and you get some of what you desire and you give up some of what you want. It's only been 7 months to undo 8 years of a horribly corrupt regime!

[Aerows]

I don't regret my vote in the slightest. I do regret that there are so many in our nation that believe they will profit if he fails, without realizing that when our leadership fails, the whole country suffers. Look at the last 8 years and see what failed leadership does for the average American.

[seedypete]

I find it funny how many right wingers keep telling me that I regret my vote. Maybe they should try asking me first.

[Aerows]

Nancy Snow, the people doing the over-exposing are the ones that dig up new crap to throw at Obama every minute of the day, hoping some of it will stick. It's difficult to rise above the bile and vicious lies thrown at our President every day, for both our President and the Americans who voted for him.

If he is getting over-exposed, it isn't because everyone loves him too much. It's because there is a very vocal segment of bitter Americans who can't get over the fact that he won the election. They take every opportunity to insult those of us who voted for Obama by basically telling us we were stupid to vote for him. They take every opportunity to drag our nation into the gutter with vicious lies. They take every opportunity to come up with outlandish stories to keep America afraid and stirred up.

That isn't Obama fatigue you are feeling; that's hate-machine fatigue you are feeling. It won't last forever, and sooner or later, our fellow citizens are either going to wake up and realize it is childish and unproductive. I hope it is through enlightenment, and not because someone finally went over the edge with hate and caused a tragedy. We are headed for one or the other, so you may as well not bother to get tired, it isn't over yet.

[generationyes]

Amen.

[slg]

Polls are the chirping of birds. The attention span and fickleness of voters is akin to the life cycle of a fruit fly. The media knows this and adjusts accordingly. Meanwhile, on deck, adults have work to do.

[Beegood]

I find it a little distasteful that you write about Obama like he is a commodity. Isn't this part of the problem with our government and politics according to the media? There are no real people or issues involved just politicians who are treated like a bottles of shampoo or stock in a company. It makes me feel a bit queasy.

[runswithscissors]

"Who among us is against the education of children in America? There is not a politician in America who would run against that platform."

I suspect that Limbaugh, Beck, Hannity, etc. will paint the scenario as Obama attempting to brainwash the children of the US into supporting his evil future plans to destroy the world.

[Aerows]

It has already started. If I have to hear about Obama's "radical agenda" one more time, I'm probably going to be sick.

You know who is doing the over-exposing? Look no further than our friends on the right. They are willing to do absolutely anything to get back in power, and they don't care what they have to do to accomplish it. That, more than anything, should tell Americans that we should not let them.

Things will settle down once health care reform passes, but it has got to be a strong passage. That will likely finally convince the right wingers that their candidate lost, and they are done for now. They need to be sat down *hard* or they are going to ruin Obama.

[mdlw]

A National Sick-Out so kids won't have to hear President Obama's speech is being planned.

[soisay]

I laughed out loud to hear a hate radio call-in "concerned mother". She complained that Obama's speech would comsume "precious classtime" so she was considering keeping her child home ALL DAY! She then wanted to know if a "opposing view" would be presented afterward, like after the weekly address, state of the union, etc. I'm curious what exactly is the Repub "differeing view" would be to kids on the importance of taking education seriously, taking responsibilty for your own education, and that education is important to your lifetime of work? Do the repubs want a spokesman to come on and say that this is indoctrination, keep out of prison camps, do not volunteer for socialist programs (like feeding the homeless and voluteering in nursing homes) and kids should only study to pass those "no child left behind" tests so their schools and teachers can get more money? What a joke!

[conguy777]

RULE 4: "Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules." If the rule is that every letter gets a reply, send 30,000 letters. You can kill them with this because no one can possibly obey all of their own rules. (This is a serious rule. The besieged entity's very credibility and reputation is at stake, because if activists catch it lying or not living up to its commitments, they can continue to chip away at the damage.)

RULE 5: "Ridicule is man's most potent weapon." There is no defense. It's irrational. It's infuriating. It also works as a key pressure point to force the enemy into concessions. (Pretty crude, rude and mean, huh? They want to create anger and fear.)

RULE 6: "A good tactic is one your people enjoy." They'll keep doing it without urging and come back to do more. They're doing their thing, and will even suggest better ones. (Radical activists, in this sense, are no different that any other human being. We all avoid "un-fun" activities, and but we revel at and enjoy the ones that work and bring results.)

[conguy777]

RULE 7: "A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag." Don't become old news. (Even radical activists get bored. So to keep them excited and involved, organizers are constantly coming up with new tactics.)

RULE 8: "Keep the pressure on. Never let up." Keep trying new things to keep the opposition off balance. As the opposition masters one approach, hit them from the flank with something new. (Attack, attack, attack from all sides, never giving the reeling organization a chance to rest, regroup, recover and re-strategize.)

RULE 9: "The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself." Imagination and ego can dream up many more consequences than any activist. (Perception is reality. Large organizations always prepare a worst-case scenario, something that may be furthest from the activists' minds. The upshot is that the organization will expend enormous time and energy, creating in its own collective mind the direst of conclusions. The possibilities can easily poison the mind and result in demoralization.)

[conguy777]

RULE 10: "If you push a negative hard enough, it will push through and become a positive." Violence from the other side can win the public to your side because the public sympathizes with the underdog. (Unions used this tactic. Peaceful [albeit loud] demonstrations during the heyday of unions in the early to mid-20th Century incurred management's wrath, often in the form of violence that eventually brought public sympathy to their side.)

RULE 11: "The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative." Never let the enemy score points because you're caught without a solution to the problem. (Old saw: If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. Activist organizations have an agenda, and their strategy is to hold a place at the table, to be given a forum to wield their power. So, they have to have a compromise solution.)

RULE 12: Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it." Cut off the support network and isolate the target from sympathy. Go after people and not institutions; people hurt faster than institutions. (This is cruel, but very effective. Direct, personalized criticism and ridicule works.)

[conguy777]

"Rules for Radicals" Saul Alinsky

RULE 1: "Power is not only what you have, but what the enemy thinks you have." Power is derived from 2 main sources - money and people. "Have-Nots" must build power from flesh and blood. (These are two things of which there is a plentiful supply. Government and corporations always have a difficult time appealing to people, and usually do so almost exclusively with economic arguments.)
RULE 2: "Never go outside the expertise of your people." It results in confusion, fear and retreat. Feeling secure adds to the backbone of anyone. (Organizations under attack wonder why radicals don't address the "real" issues. This is why. They avoid things with which they have no knowledge.)
RULE 3: "Whenever possible, go outside the expertise of the enemy." Look for ways to increase insecurity, anxiety and uncertainty. (This happens all the time. Watch how many organizations under attack are blind-sided by seemingly irrelevant arguments that they are then forced to address.)

This is Obama's playbook.

[Pyrum]

Don't worry. There will be a crisis, either real or manufactured, that will boost Obama's ratings again, just like there was with Bush. Obama's too good of a puppet to for his handlers to allow him to become a single term president.

[Beegood]

How cynical. So who do you think his "handlers" are?

[larry278]

Have you ever heard of the USA's establishment, aka power elite? The establishment annointed BHO as the Democratic party's candidate for POTUS in April, 2008. They contuned their support & contributions to insure that BHO was elected POTUS on 11/4/08. It is necessary that a candidate for anything give the establishment control of his/her life to get the establishment's support & money. Cynics call that selling out.
The establishment can & will do anything to see that Pres Obama has 2 terms in office.
The establishment has put in an extremly, large amount of money to buy the Presidency for BHO.
If Pres Obama becomes OTO, One Term Obama, the establishment will have to contribute truly immense sums of money to whom ever replaces Pres Obama as POTUS to buy the new POTUS. That could be in the neighborhood of trillions of dollars.
The USA has the finest leaders that money can buy.