Current Presidential Candidates - Essay Example

Current Presidential Candi s The fact that the United s is one of the most democratic nations in the world is nearly incontestable. The United States has over the decades developed gradually towards being the most democratic nations by embracing and upholding the elements of democracy such as constitutionalism, tolerance, consent, freedom, and equality among others. The presidential system of government has been synonymous to democracy and constitutionalism in the United States (Alter 19). Periodic presidential elections and limits of presidential terms, as well as the actual and perceived free and fair elections are some of the factors that have served to place the United States as one of the countries that are democratic and uphold the constitutional provisions to the later. Due to the significance of the presidency as defined by the constitution and the history of the United States, presidential elections have been one of the most significant process and event in the nation. Presidential candidates have been working very hard to ascend to the office of the president. Since the country’s electoral process operates within the democratic tenets, presidential candidates are required to campaign in ways that promote constitutionalism and democracy (McClelland 44). Mainly, the campaigns revolve around the individual candidate’s own political vision for America; party affiliation; political ideology; religious affiliation, and the general personal life and history. This is an election year and currently there are five presidential candidates: Barrack Obama, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, and Rick Santorum. This paper will focus on Barrack Obama, the incumbent President and who is seeking re-election to the office of the president in this year’s elections. He was born on August 4, 1961 in Hawaii to a white American mother and a black Kenyan father. He attended Columbia University and later on Harvard Law School where he became the Harvard Law Review’s first African-American editor (Mendell 31). Prior to pursuing a political career, Obama was a civil rights lawyer mostly representing employment discrimination and housing victims, as well as working on rights of voting legislation. Besides, he taught at the University of Chicago Law School. He is married to Michelle and has two children. He is a Christian. In regard to his party affiliation, he is affiliated to Democratic Party and was elected to the United States Senate as a Democrat, representing Illinois. After only four years experience of national experience, he ran for presidency in 2008 and won. He was sworn in January 2009 as the United States’ 44th President. He holds liberal political ideology and articulates and pushes for policies from the liberalist perspectives. While party affiliation and political ideology will play critical role in determining how people vote for Obama, his track record over the last four years of his presidency will also be a determining factor (McClelland 56-57). Barrack Obama has had quite a remarkable political career as evidenced by his political history. He started his political career as a state senator of Illinois from 1997 to 2004 (Dave 67). Chicago political circles knew him as using hard political tactics. During his stint as a state senator he is credited for being instrumental in passage of several bills and reforms such as reformation of campaign finance, elimination of racial profiling, and allocation of tax credits for the poor. In 2004, he was elected to the Congress as the United States Senator for Illinois. During his stint as a Senator, he served in several Senate Committees. His keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention in Boston was well-received and this enabled him to gain national attention and is touted as one of the springboards that propelled him to presidency in 2008 (Remnick 82). His mannerism has been useful in his leadership and as a presidential candidate. So, what are the factors behind Obama’s political success especially in 2008 presidential elections? Political scientists have argued that his physical characteristics and his mannerism serve him well in his political endeavors. His mannerisms are appealing to voters; his physical characteristics tend to convey not just his physical behavior but also convey his attitudes towards what he believes in and towards the United States in general (Alter 75). He talks tough and likes to make promises, demands, and sometimes threats, traits of which appeal to voters so easily because they see high possibilities of actions. His manner of posture, talking, and personal expression have not only appealed to voters in most cases, but also to other politicians as well. His keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention in Boston in 2004 that was well-received and started speculation about his future presidential future proves how mannerism can be useful in politics (Dave 67). As has been noted, this keynote speech is what raised his bid as a potential presidential candidate. His mannerism was so useful that it enabled him transcend other topics of contention about him such as experience (Mendell 33). He has also portrayed himself as a calm and even temperament earning him the tag of “unflappable” and “cool” among the voters and various media sources; actually this feature presented him as better than John McCain who was perceived to rate lower than Obama in this respect. It is agreeable that most people join politics for different reasons, some of which have very little or nothing at all with improving the overall wellbeing of the citizens. Obama joined politics with the main purpose of making the American society better. This is evidenced by his aspirations since he joined politics as a state senator in 1997 where he was instrumental in passage of several bills and reforms such as reformation of campaign finance, elimination of racial profiling, and allocation of tax credits for the poor (Remnick 106). Similarly, while serving in various committees, he undertook his assignments with determination, including the additional assignments that he undertook. His aspirations in politics are informed by the values he inculcated while growing up, especially the realization that education and hard work are the means to get ahead. His has continued to ensure that the American society improves and the government meets its obligations to the citizens. His push for policy changes in healthcare sector, response to economic crisis, and determination to withdraw American troops from Iraq and Afghanistan shows that he joined politics to contribute in making America a more safe and prosperous nation (Dan 1). Obama was greatly involved in local politics especially at the city and state levels. He served as a state senator and practiced civil-rights activism in Chicago City (McClelland 40). This was important as it earned him necessary experience and skills for politics at higher levels, namely, at the Congress and Presidential levels. Obama has had numerous political achievements as a state senator, United States Senator, and as the President. Most of his notable political achievements include: passed legislation to improve the environment and curb greenhouse gases; brought the Iraqi war to an end by reducing the number of troops from 170,000 to 50,000; repaired United States’ image abroad; reformed financial reform; passed universal healthcare; and appointed tow supreme court justices. Unlike some of the former presidents and presidential candidates, Barrack Obama did not serve in the army. While in some cases serving in the army may increase one’s chances of becoming president, this aspect does not seem very important as was shown on the preference of Obama over a former army commander, John McCain, in the 2008 elections (McClelland 61). As already has been mentioned, Obama is running for the presidency with the sole aim of making the United States a more safe and prosperous nation. In particular, his running for office in this year’s elections is informed by the desire to complete the unfinished “projects” and to implement new policies that can make America safer and more prosperous (Dan 3). His policies include change of fiscal policy to ensure it remains stable after economic crisis and push for foreign policy that resets the policy to break from the policies of the Bush administration. Just like the other candidates, Barrack Obama needs to mobilize resources in a way that is consistent to the constitution in order to fund the campaigns. Since Obama announced his re-election bid on April 4, 2011, his candidacy has began to receive donations for the campaign. Most of the donations are done online and the online donation has been active since the day he announced his candidacy. Sometimes he attends fundraiser at different locations across the United States. The campaign receives donations from individual, institutional, and corporate donors as well (Kavanagh 2012). Recent surveys indicate that Obama is enjoying support from nearly, if not all, section of the population. According to recent Gallup survey, Obama enjoys more support in both genders but more support among the women than men compared to other candidates especially his closest rival, Mitt Romney. He also enjoys more support among the minority communities, enjoying the highest support among the Indian-Americans (85%). Obama also enjoys majority of support among the union members. Additionally, Obama enjoys a sizeable lead among the minority groups such as among the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community (Gallup 2012). Obama is firmly in the race for the office of the president in this year’s election. I choose him over the other candidates because he vividly expresses the aspirations of the majority of the Americans especially in regard to economic, domestic, and foreign policies. It is clear that his policies are not only aimed at promoting the short term safety and prosperity of the United States, but also aim at making them sustainable and beneficial in the long run. Furthermore, he provides a break from the policies of the previous Republican administration that caused some of the problems that the nation is experiencing (Dan 2). Works Cited Alter, Jonathan. The Promise: President Obama, Year One. Simon & Schuster, 2010. Print. Dan, Balz. Obama’s 2012 Re-election Team Gets Moving. Washington Post (March 5, 2012). Print. Dave, Koltun. The 2004 Illinois Senate Race: Obama Wins Open Seat and Becomes National Political "Star”. Nova Science Publishers, 2005. Print. Gallup. Daily News, Polls, Public Opinion on Politics. 2012. Web. 12 Jun, 2012. < http://www.gallup.com/home.aspx> Kavanagh, Tom. Obama's 2012 Campaign Fundraising Could Top $1 Billion. 2012. Web. 12 Jun, 2012. < http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/12/13/obamas-2012-campaign-fundraising could-top-1-billion/ McClelland, Edward. Young Mr. Obama: Chicago and the Making of a Black President. Bloomsbury Press, 2010. Print. Mendell, David. Obama: From Promise to Power. New York: HarperCollins, 2007. Print. Remnick, David. The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barrack of Barrack Obama. Knopf, 2010. Print. Read More