Charm and Charisma Don't Run a Country

Charisma and good looks can take you far in the race for the presidency of the United States, as John F. Kennedy showed us during the televised debates against Richard Nixon in 1960. Today, "Obamamania" is sweeping through the nation as the 45-year-old Illinois senator, Barack Obama, captures the hearts and hopes of many Americans who believe he is the answer to everything they have hoped for in a presidential candidate. Charisma and good looks, however, cannot run a country, and those who support him should take a second to ponder why they support him.

Obama has been labeled "the savior" by a Chicago Tribune reporter, who happens to be writing a book on the senator with the same title. Many compare him to John F. Kennedy and some have even likened him to Jesus Christ. Comparison to another president, OK. Comparison to Jesus Christ and viewing a political figure as the savior, however, is dangerous. Elevating a political figure to this level of praise and expectation can only end in disaster. What attracts so many people to this young, and, when compared to other presidential hopefuls, rather inexperienced politician and why does he garner so much approval and adoration?

"People don't come to Obama for what he's done in the Senate," says Bruce Reed, president of the centrist Democratic Leadership Council in a February 2007 Rolling Stone article entitled "Destiny's Child," "They come because of what they hope he could be." It is Obama's character that attracts most of his supporters, not his short history in politics. This is what many critics of Obama are quick to point out.

Many questions surround Obama's qualifications, or as many view it the lack thereof. Barack has a short track record when it comes time to look at his history in politics, as David Ehrenstein of the Los Angeles Times was quick to point out in his article, "Obama: The 'Magic Negro.'" Ehrenstein says, "Obama's fame right now has little to do with his political record or what he's written in his two books, or even what he's actually said in those stem-winders (speaking of Obama's speeches). It's the way he's said it that counts the most. It's his manner, which, as presidential hopeful Sen. Joe Biden ham-fistedly reminded us, is 'articulate.'"

Ehrenstein's article also addressed one of the hottest issues surrounding the senator's popularity with the white crowd, accusing that very niche of supporting him "out of guilt." Ehrenstein labels Obama as "the magic negro" who is "there to assuage white 'guilt' over the role of slavery and racial segregation in American history." Although bold, this statement seems to hold some truth, pointing out that some white Americans will support and vote for Obama simply due to the fact that he is black. From the extreme liberal side, voting for the black man is the right thing to do, right?

While Ehrenstein's article may not be the most articulately structured reason why supporters of Obama should take a second to step back and look at the reasons why they are supporting him, it does raise some important points. As voters, the American people should judge candidates on their principles and political standings accordingly. Although Obama is tremendously revered, there seems to be a lack of judgment based upon these very criteria, and this is not completely due to the voting population.

In the Rolling Stone article, an Obama aide is quoted saying, "I'm not surprised you're having trouble categorizing him...I don't think he's wedded to any ideological frame." The article itself sharpens this point by saying, "With Obama, there is only the man himself -- his youth, his ease, his race, his claim on the new century. His candidacy is essentially a plea for voters to put their trust in his innate capacity for clarity and judgment. There is no Obama-ism, only Obama."

Yes, Obama is a very charismatic and articulate man and there is no problem with seeing some glimmer of hope in him as a presidential candidate. The danger comes when we as the public elevate Obama to a level at which he, or any other politician, would never be able to perform at. It is dangerous to vote for a president based on the aura of charisma that surrounds them instead of how they have performed politically. Was it not a certain allure that attracted some voters to President Bush because he "spoke like the common man?" If not that, his charisma and attitude post-9/11 sure catapulted him into re-election. When it comes time for the 2008 elections, vote on principles, not the glimmering good looks of a candidate.

Dale Wilsey is a senior

English/Professional Writing major