Obama:The First of The New Age Celebrity Presidents
In light of the advertisement which we viewed last week, I decided to discuss the so called ‘celebrity
status’ of a president. This is so
unique to the United States which makes it of great fascination to me.
Barack Obama made history when he was elected but many feel
as though he has not lived up to the ‘hype’.
There were many expectations of Obama and differing views say whether he
successfully achieved his promises. All
the politics aside, another essential part of being a president is your public
opinion. This has become increasingly
more important over the past years.
Whether or not popularity is taken too seriously, or if it should even
be aimed for, is another thing. For the
purpose of my argument, that the president is a celebrity, I am going to agree
that it is important.
In an ideal world of politically educated, objective people
public opinion would theatrically be based on policy work, achievements and
improvements for the country. This is
true, for many, but one must remember that not all people have the interest,
time or education background in the political area. Some people purely based their options on
what they see on television, or what they skim from the newspaper at
breakfast. Little people actually take
the time to delve deeper into a political agenda. So in order to maintain popularity (because
let’s be honest a political campaign is seen to some as a major popularity
race) a president has to be well known.
This has not always been the case, but for the 21st century
presidents including Obama and those who will follow him, it clearly is.
During President Obama’s term thus far he has clearly risen
as a celebrity worldwide. It is almost
as if Obama has embraced his celebrity status.
This is not only due to his foreign polices but also the fact that he
can be seen on all the hit talk shows, magazines and the like. He was the first sitting president to go on a
late night talk show. This may make him
appeal to the younger generation, but does it get him creditably?
Mark Styen, a political columnist and blogger, wrote an interesting
article in June for the National Review Online, addressing this issue. Styen clearly thinks that the newly rising
status or a president is uncalled for and disagrees with it. He does however, make some interesting points. He states that Obama’s lifestyle has changed
(and that too of a president) dramatically over the past four or so years. Obama is now wining and dining at some of the
fanciest restaurants in the most affluent of places.
Even though I, personally, see no harm in a president embracing
their celebrity like status, they still need to be good at the other aspects of
their jobs. It is no secret that Obama
has had some great success during his presidency; if you just look here you will see his top fifty achievements (as according to the Washington
Monthly). One of which is the task of
improving the image of American’s abroad, which I believe a celebrity status
enabled him to do.
In the previously mentioned advertisement (the one we viewed
in class) Obama is criticized for embracing his celebrity status. He is labeled an ineffective leader and
focused on the small amounts of entertainment media which Obama has
participated in. However, this is not
the first time Obama has been criticized.
During his 2008 campaign John McCain also came out with a similar video. The video's main argument is that Obama is not ready to lead.
Obama has also used his celebrity status for good and to get things done. This is expected of all celebrities no matter
what field. I don’t see the constitution
change the state the roles of the president to read “Head of State and Government,
Chief Legislator, Commander-in-Chief of the US Armed Forces and Celebrity”, but
it is something that new age presidents will have to be aware of. It is now like an unwritten part of the job
description.
posted by Unknown | 3:45 PM
8 Comments:
As Saint Mary's girls, we are sometimes criticized and stereotyped. People don't often visit our campus and see us in an academic setting. They do, however, see us when we are out and about having fun and being classy/fab. Similarly, the American public does not see a president when they are doing presidential things. We see them when they are behind a podium or desk speaking to cameras. Sometimes we even see them when they are enjoying fine dining. Boy, that's a real treat and probably why these situations are documented as well as they are. People can criticize presidents for having a good time, but SMC girls are people too and we don't appreciate that criticism either.
I agree with Sarah that being a president does mean that you will be in the spotlight but I think Obama is making it into almost a requirement to be a celebrity. President have always been famous and even President Reagen was an actor making him a celebrity. I just think that Obama's new brand of celebrity of a president is different than those who came before him. Most presidents in the past have made celebrity connections and even friendships. You could even compare America's obsession with the Kennedys to Obama. But still he is very unique in how he is famous and uses that fame. It could be possible Obama has done something others have tried to do before but have failed. This could be the new way of campaigning and Obama has merely just been the first to succeed and others will soon follow. But I wonder what this will mean for who will start to run and what merit those candidates will win on. It is interesting to think about what this celebrity of a president could mean for the future of politics.
In this day and age, giving a person with even a small amount of fame a “celebrity status” is to be expected. The media focuses on what interests the largest number of people, and not necessarily the most critical issues which could only be understood by a select few. The president has to find a way to connect with the people. FDR used fireside chats broadcast on radio to speak directly to the people, much like presidents have been using TV for important speeches over the last few decades. Television has become more segmented, with audiences easily choosing to watch a (non-news) cable channel if they don’t want to listen to a speech from the president. In the past, the small number of networks available didn’t allow this possibility. In order to reach a major audience, the president (as well as candidates) are scheduled to appear on talk shows to reach different crowds of people, especially those uninterested in sitting through an entire speech or debate. The internet also plays a huge role in making politicians into celebrities. We can watch a portion of a campaign rally, watch a new music video, and learn the latest makeup tricks all by staying on one website-Youtube. The internet, in a way, equalizes information by providing us details into whatever we seek, be it the intricacies of a proposed policy or the public’s reaction to a football game. It is important to remember that, compared to other countries, the U.S. has a unique history and is a society that has launched the TV, internet, Facebook, and Twitter, among other communication media. Politicians are nearly required to stay up to speed with the latest technology, having their own Twitter feed and Facebook page. It has become what many Americans, and people worldwide, can relate to, and the attention span of our society leads us to remember snapshots of stories. Portraying the president as a celebrity, while not necessarily helpful to his political issues, is a way to keep his name in the news and be recognized well outside the U.S.
Wow, really interesting and thought-provoking post, Sarah, and all three of the commenters raise useful points that I hope will be brought up again when we discuss entertainment as political communication.
I brought up in class a while ago the "fishbowl" idea...the fact that no matter what, somehow, someway, people will always know what you're doing. Whether you're a resident advisor or the president of the USA, your actions will be criticized. None of this want this to happen, obviously, but the sad truth is that it will probably only get worse. With social media updating us about the election path and candidates constantly, we are always in the know...and always criticizing. At some point this could become very unhealthy and change the way the election or our president is viewed/run.
I agree with Lauren, Obama is not the first president to be considered famous. But while Reagan was previously a famous actor in Hollywood and JFK had celebrity friends and supporters, I think Obama is the first to use celebrity to reach out and connect with the country. While Reagan and Kennedy kept their celebrity and presidential parts of their lives separate, Obama has combined them to capitalize on where Americans, especially young adults, are greatly influenced - late night television and social media.
It will very interesting to see how future presidents will interact with things like social media and talk shows and if they will utilize them in the same way Obama does.
Obama is embracing his celebrity status and has taken it to a whole new level. He represents change in our culture because he is the first black president to ever be elected and our generation helped put him in office. This change was seen as a very positive change and we helped give him his "high-life" status. I don't really see a problem with it, but I kind of blame our society for turning him into a celebrity figure. Yes, he did agree to make appearances on top entertainment shows, but I think the public enjoys seeing him on a personal level. There is a novelty about his presidency and the era that we are in. I do believe he works very hard behind the scenes. Other presidents lived the high life, too. They were just more private about it because the media didn't blow it out of proportion.
I agree with you Chrissy. I think society as a whole is to blame (if we're actually handing out blame) for making the modern day presidency more of a "celebrity" role. I am part of the younger generation and I think it is unprofessional of the President to appear on late night talk shows. Michelle Obama is constantly in tabloid magazines for her wardrobe and what not. Not to say this hasn't happened in the past. Yes, JFK and Reagan were of a celebrity status and even Jackie O's went down in history for her clothing style. But I think now a days it's been built up so much more. But I don't think the president himself is to blame for that. We live in a very technology driven and media consumed society and things like this are to be expected.
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