Category: Barack Obama

Barack Obama’s speech “A More Perfect Union” is a powerful example of effective rhetoric, employing various strategies to address complex issues of race, history, and national unity. Through his use of ethos, pathos, and logos, as well as his skillful incorporation of historical references, Obama engages his audience and delivers a thought-provoking message on the significance of overcoming racial divisions in the United States.

Ethos

Obama establishes his credibility through ethos by referencing his own background and experiences. He mentions his mixed-race heritage and upbringing, aligning his personal story with the broader theme of racial harmony. By sharing his own journey, Obama positions himself as a relatable figure who understands the complexities of racial identity in America. This personal connection enhances his authority on the subject and strengthens his argument.

Pathos

Throughout the speech, Obama uses emotionally charged language to evoke empathy and create a strong emotional impact. He speaks of the struggles faced by both African Americans and white Americans, acknowledging the pain and history of discrimination that still affects many individuals. By appealing to emotions, he fosters a sense of shared humanity and encourages his audience to consider the perspective of others.

Logos

Obama employs logical reasoning to present his arguments and counterarguments. He addresses the history of racism in the United States and acknowledges the understandable frustration and anger it has caused in African American communities. He then transitions to a call for unity and a recognition that progress can only be achieved through dialogue and cooperation. By structuring his speech in this way, Obama appeals to his audience’s sense of reason and emphasizes the importance of finding common ground.

Historical References

The speech is enriched with historical references that add depth and context to Obama’s message. He draws upon the ideals of the Founding Fathers and the principles of the Constitution to underscore the notion of a “more perfect union.” By weaving historical narratives into his argument, Obama aligns his message with the nation’s founding values and emphasizes the ongoing struggle for progress and equality.

Repetition and Parallelism

Obama utilizes repetition and parallelism to emphasize key points and create a rhythmic flow in his speech. For instance, he repeats the phrase “a more perfect union,” highlighting the central theme of unity and progress. This rhetorical device reinforces his message and adds a persuasive rhythm to his delivery.

Addressing Controversies

Obama directly addresses controversies surrounding his former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, and his comments on race. He employs this moment to illustrate the complexity of race relations and to acknowledge the legitimate grievances felt by both sides of the racial divide. By confronting this issue head-on, Obama demonstrates his willingness to engage with difficult conversations and to navigate through sensitive topics.

Conclusion

In “A More Perfect Union,” Barack Obama employs a skillful combination of ethos, pathos, and logos to deliver a poignant message on the importance of unity and progress in overcoming racial divisions. Through his personal experiences, historical references, and rhetorical strategies, Obama engages his audience and encourages them to confront the challenges of the past while striving for a more inclusive and harmonious future. The speech stands as a testament to his ability to inspire and connect with people on a profound level.

People say that the Great Man Theory is made up off two assumptions: great man are born with traits that will help them to rise and lead. And second great man can rise when it’s time for them too. Leaders are born with the attributes necessary to set them apart from others around them. Great leaders are heroes, that accomplish great feats against the odds-on behalf of followers. The theory essentially implies that those in power deserve to lead because of the traits they’ve been endowed with.()

According to the Great Man theory leaders are born with a set of specific skills and traits that makes an individual destined for a leadership position. Also known as a trait perspective to leadership it suggests that “certain individuals have special innate or inborn characteristics or qualities that differentiates them from non-leaders”()

Obama attended catholic and Muslim schools in Indonesia “I was raised as an Indonesian child, Hawaiian child, Black child, and White child,” “and so what I life benefited from is a multiplicity of cultures that all fed me.” Barack was not raised in a religious household. Since he was being raised by his white grandfather ().Obama was a good but not outstanding student at Punahou. He played varsity basketball and, did drugs and alcohol like marijuana and cocaine. As for religion, Obama, his parents and grandparents were nonbelievers, “I was not raised in a religious household.” Obama’s mother, proudly proclaim herself an unreconstructed liberal,” deeply admired the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s and taught her son, he later wrote, that “To be black was to be the beneficiary of a great inheritance, a special destiny, glorious burdens that only we were strong enough to bear.” But, as culturally diverse as Hawaii was, its African American population was miniscule. With no father to serve as role model, he had to be raised by his white grandfather. Obama wanted to be raised as black man in America. So, him and his grandfather didn’t get along. When he went off to college he started to learn about political and international affairs.

Obama attended Harvard Law School, where he graduated magna cum laude and winning election as president of the prestigious Harvard Law. Although Obama was a liberal, he won the election by persuading the journal’s outnumbered conservative staffers that he would treat their views fairly, which he is widely acknowledged to have done. As the first African American president in the long history of the law review, Obama drew widespread media attention and a contract from Random House to write a book about race relations. The book, Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance (1995), turned out to be mostly a personal memoir, focusing in particular on his struggle to come to terms with his identity as a black man raised by whites in the absence of his African father.().

Obama began eyeing a 2004 race for the US Senate seat held by Peter Fitzgerald, an unpopular first-term Republican who decided not to run for reelection. Obama set himself apart from the other leading candidates for the Democratic Senate nomination, including Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, and John Edward. Obama’s initially unpopular antiwar stance worked to his advantage as the war became increasingly unpopular with the passage of time. Obama also used the phrase as the title of his second book, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream (2006), which became a national bestseller in the wake of his newfound national popularity. Describing his religious conversion, Obama wrote, “I felt God’s spirit beckoning me. I submitted myself to His will and dedicated myself to discovering His truth.”

When Obama left office, his impact was very unclear. He was and will always be the first African American president in US history. Obama’s big achievements were the Affordable Care Act, the Paris climate change agreement, and Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals. Obama’s job approval rating in polls rose during his second term. increasing 60 percent during his final months in office. The public also rated him highly in comparison with other recent presidents. A Quinnipiac University polls released in late January 2017 found that 29 percent said he was the greatest president since. ().

The Great Man theory assumes that the traits of leadership are intrinsic. That simply means that great leaders are born. they are not made. This theory sees great leaders as those who are destined by birth to become a leader. Furthermore, the belief was that great leaders will rise when confronted with the appropriate situation. The theory was popularized by Thomas Carlyle, a writer and teacher. Just like him, the Great Man theory was inspired by the study of influential heroes. In his book ‘On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History’, he compared a wide array of heroes. ()

Early life and Early Political career

Barack Obama was the son of Ann Dunham and Barack Obama Sr. His father was from Kenya and his mother was from Kansas. He lived in Indonesia with his mother and stepfather from age six to ten. His mother sent him to Hawaii to get a better education because she felt the Catholic and Muslim schools in Indonesia were not enough. His mother did not go back with him to Hawaii with him, instead, he stayed with her parents. He attended Punahou School from the fifth grade until he graduated. After High School, he applied to go to college in Los Angeles California at Occidental college. He then went to the University of Columbia. He majored in political science and graduated in the year 1983. Obama decided to stay in New York for a year afterward. He then began working as a community organizer. His job was to organize a Developing Communities Project funded by the church. After finishing his degree and the year in New York he applied to Harvard Law School. There he became the president of Harvard law review from 1990 to 1991. Obama was a liberal but he persuaded people to believe he would treat their views fairly. He was the first African American president of the law review. He grew very popular from social media. Random House wrote a book about his race relations. After his first year at Harvard, he took a summer internship in Chicago. There is where he met Michelle Robinson, in 1992 they got married. The two then settled down and had to daughters. His first Political Campaign was the year 1996 to become the Chicago state senator. In 2004 Obama ran for the state senate. He did not agree with president George W Bush’s decision to start a war with Iraq to get rid of the dictatorship. He then went on to run for the state senate. He beat Alan Keyes another black man by 70 percent.

Foreign Policy Iraq and Afghanistan

Obama did many things with foreign countries. Many of his policies were successful. Once taking office Obama was handed down two wars. One in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. A goal of Obama’s was to bring American troops back to America. As he believed starting the war in Iraq was unneeded in the first place. Obama sent an additional 21,000 troops to Afghanistan to try and defeat the Taliban. In June of 2009, Obama appointed General Stanley McChrystal as the new general in Afghanistan. The General requested 40,000 more troops to teach the Afghans to fight the Taliban themselves. Obama later gave a speech on December first where he approved the small surge. He then sent 33,000 more troops to Afghanistan with the promise of them slowly coming back to America in July of 2011. On May 2nd of 2011, American Navy SEALS killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda. He sent drones and special forces to a “secret war” against people who are suspected to be terrorists. Even though troops began to leave Afghanistan. The White House joined NATO which is the Northern Atlantic Treaty Organization. By joining they began to help the Libyan rebels succeed from the dictator Colonel Muammar al-Qaddafi. Obama did not have to tell congress he was sending troops to help the rebels. The President and his security wanted to create a new way to approach war. They did not want to send mass troops to go fight wars. Instead, he wanted to rely on multinational action and air forces to get the job done. In Libya they heavily relied on bombing to overthrow Qaddafi.

Death Of Osama Bin Laden

On May 2, 2011 the leader of al Qaeda Osama bin Laden was killed by US forces in Pakistan while he was hiding out. He was the person behind the 9/11 attacks. The US had been trying to hunt him down for almost ten years. At around 1 a.m. President Obama was in Washington watching the raid happen through footage shot by a drone. A U.S. helicopter crashed into a compound in Abbottabad where bin Laden was hiding. 23 Navy SEALs ran into the hideout. The raid took about forty minutes. Osama and one of his sons were killed by American gunfire and so were five others. No Americans were injured in the raid. Once bin Laden was killed he was flown to Afghanistan. After he was identified he was taken and buried in the Arabian sea, a location we still do not know today. After bin Laden was dead Obama gave the news that “Justice has been done” People cheered and crowds gathered in Times Square, ground zero, and the white house to celebrate the death of the al Qaeda leader. Based on files and other evidence itwas found that bin Laden had been planning to assassinate President Obama. While carrying out other attacks on the anniversary of 9/11. It was supposed to be one of the biggest attacks terrorists against America since 9/11. The C.I.A found where bin Laden had been hiding in 2010. Where he was had tall security walls and was located in a residential area. Many people believed that the Pakistanian authorities worked with bin Laden and kept him hidden for so long.

Syria and ISIS

During his second term he was determined to change the war strategies of the U.S. He felt the war tactics were fatiguing and needed changing. Democrats and Republicans were hesitant towards having more commitments in the Middle East. Even though Bashar al-Assad crossed the line by using chemical weapons against citizens, the president decided last minute not to send missiles to Syria. He did this because of how hesitant the Democrats and Republicans were toward it. Obama then went to congress about his late decision which they had little to no interest in what he had to say. A couple of days later Vladimir Putin suggested that the U.S. try to convince Syria to stop using chemical weapons, Obama took his suggestion and used it. In the fall of 2014 the people of ISIS were formerly part of al Qaeda. ISIS then took advantage of the civil war in Syria and gained territory from Syria. They also took land in Iraq because of the lack of power in their government. In the beginning, they did not know how dangerous ISIS really was to the U.S. and the people in Syria and Iraq. Obama did not feel that the ISIS fighters were very skilled. When ISIS released videos of them beheading two journalists from America it showed how much of a threat they really were to the American people. Two weeks after the videos Obama took action and gave a September 10th speech that stated that he sent missiles to Syria. Obama did not want the war against ISIS to be like the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He did not want American troops fighting on a foreign country’s soil. He instead wanted to use missiles but by 2016 there were over 5,00 troops in Syria helping fight ISIS. The President did not listen to the public when they wanted him to strike back at ISIS

Iran Deal

On January 16, 2016 President Barack Obama gave a speech about the deal between the US and Iran. In this speech, he spoke about how much uranium Iran had. They had an increasing stockpile of enriched uranium, this stockpile held enough uranium to create about ten nuclear bombs. Most has been removed from Iran, so they are incapable of making even one. The concrete then filled the core reactor so it could never be used again. Before no one knew the capability of Iran to build a nuclear weapon. Now international inspectors are now in Iran inspecting all of what they have for 24 hours a day 365 days of a year to make sure they never have the ability to create nuclear weapons again. Before this deal Iran could create a bomb in two to three months, with this deal it will take them close to a year to gather all materials. Now having inspectors in Iran 24/7 we will know if they ever have any intent in creating a bomb again. Now after the inspectors and the US have been monitoring and controlling the creation of nuclear weapons, the US has finally gave them access to their money that has been frozen. Also through this deal, American sailors and other captives of the Iranian government were released back to America. The US released six Iranian Americans and one Iranian who were under arrest but never committed of any crimes of violence or were considered a terrorist. Lastly, Iran was paid back some of the money that was frozen plus interest though it was much less than Iran wanted. This deal does not make the US and Iran the same. The US is still opposed to their behavior toward Israel and partners of the US in the Gulf, and their support toward Syria and Yemen. In conclusion, the US sanctions on Iran because of its support for terrorism and their human rights violations.

Domestic Policy

When Obama went into the office the unemployment rate was high at 10% and the economy was no longer growing. Obama came $700 billion dollars to TARP (Travel Asset Relief Program) this program gave money to banks all across America to keep them going. He also gave $60 billion of the funds to GM and Chrysler even though George W Bush had already given them $20 billion to keep them from going bankrupt. Though the government got more than $600 billion back from GM Chrysler and all of the banks. People felt that the money from TARP was a copout for all the major banks. The president built the economy stronger with all of his domestic policies and even prevented another Great Depression. He created 11.3 million jobs and lowered the unemployment rate to lower than 5%. Inflation and interest rates were low and major stock industries more than doubled. The economic recovery grew faster than ever before, though it was never greater than 2%. Inflation was growing much slower than the economic recovery which saved the US from a crisis. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was the first major idea he presented to congress. This act would use $800 billion to keep workers from being laid off or to reduce unemployment. One-third of this money cut middle-class taxes another went to highways and bridges. This act did not pass because no republican voted for it.

Obamacare

Obama wanted to do more as a president than take care of the economic problems. He wanted to help the common people because he and his wife were once part of the middle class in Chicago. This is when he made the health care reform also known as Obamacare. Obamacare was passed on March 23, 2010. There are three parts to Obamacare. The first was to make sure all Americans could receive health care. Secondly, it expanded Medicaid. Third was federal subsidies so that everyone can afford healthcare which is now required. Obamacare gave 20 million Americans health insurance. The result of Obamacare is that never in American history have so many Americans had health insurance. Under Obamacare preventive care is free and women receive mammograms at no cost. Doctors have also benefited from this by delivering healthy babies and people that were in the hospital did not have to be readmitted. Obamacare was very controversial. Even after it was passed republicans began to vote on the repeal of the act. It also made business owners with 50 or more employees provide health insurance to at least 95% of their employees. It does not have to be a lot but just a little bit. After the act was approved 54% of Americans did not agree with it. The cons of Obamacare was that the tax rate went up, people that did not get insurance were taxed by the ACA, instead of paying for coverage people paid the tax, and Pharmaceutical companies had to pay more. Pros were that it slowed the rate of healthcare costs, children could stay on their parent’s health insurance, and it covered pre-existing conditions. Obamacare benefited the middle class the most by receiving tax credits and by expanding Medicaid to 138%. For most Obamacare was great but three to five million people lost their company-based health insurance because of it. The tax rate increased from 1.45% to 2.35%.

Legacy

After leaving office many people did not know what Obama’s legacy would be. People argued that his legacy would not be very big and would slowly fade away with time. Others felt his legacy would last forever. One thing that everyone will remember was that he was the first ever black president. He will also be remembered for Obamacare and the stability of his administration. Obama grew up not having a lot of money. So he helped the middle class a lot with Obama care. He gave healthcare to those who could not afford it without Obamacare. In his second term his approval polls increased but towards the last few months rested at around 60%. He and President Ronald Regan were two of the highest percentages of people believing they were the greatest president since world war two. Reagan had 30% of voters and Obama was close behind with 29%. After a survey was done he was ranked 12th out of all presidents since Washington. The scholars that ranked him believed his overall performance as chief executive was good for America overall.

Conclusion

Barack Obama served two terms as the President of the United States. One thing he will always be remembered for will be making history for being the very first African-American elected for the office of the United States Presidency. He did many things that helped the US with foreign countries and took care of one of the biggest threats to America, in the location and death of Osama bin Laden. He did a great thing for the middle class and low income with Obamacare and in growing the economy and lowering the unemployment rate in America. When he left office in 2017 he left behind very strong economy. President Obama’s legacy will never be erased due to the many things he did for our great nation. America was proud at having him for our President, he taught us many things but one thing I think for sure he taught us most is too look out for your fellow Americans, dont judge others by the color of their skin or if they have a disadvantage from the rest of society. We are all proud, honorable, patriotic and American, no matter what our economic or social standing happens to be. President Obama made patriotism something we all wanted to show. He brought America together more than tearing it apart. He made us proud of who we chose to be our United States President, from 2009-2017.

1. “Barack Obama: Life Before the Presidency.” Miller Center, 30 May 2018, millercenter.org/president/obama/life-before-the-presidency.
2. nelson, m. (2019). Barack Obama: Foreign Affairs | Miller Center. [online] Miller Center. Available at: https://millercenter.org/president/obama/foreign-affairs [Accessed 26 Sep. 2019].
3. “Iran Deal.” National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, 2016, obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/issues/foreign-policy/iran-deal.
4. Cheney, Kyle. “Judge Tosses a Trump Lawsuit to Keep His Taxes Secret.” POLITICO, 2019, www.politico.com/news/2019/10/07/lawsuit-trump-tax-returns-037121.
5. “Iran Deal.” National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/issues/foreign-policy/iran-deal.
6. Kamarck, Elaine. “The Fragile Legacy of Barack Obama.” Brookings, Brookings, 6 Apr. 2018, https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2018/04/06/the-fragile-legacy-of-barack-obama/.
7. “Improving Health for All Americans.” National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-record/health-care.
8. Zelizer, Julian. “Obama’s Legacy: He Sparked Hope — and Got Blindsided.” CNN, Cable News Network, 11 Mar. 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/09/opinions/obama-historian-legacy-roundup-opinion-zelizer/index.html.
9. Amadeo, Kimberly. “10 Pros and Cons of Obamacare.” The Balance, The Balance, 16 Apr. 2019, https://www.thebalance.com/obamacare-pros-and-cons-3306059.
10. “Osama Bin Laden Killed by U.S. Forces.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 29 Aug. 2011, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/osama-bin-laden-killed-by-u-s-forces.
11. Nelson, Michael, et al. “Barack Obama: Impact and Legacy.” Miller Center, 16 Sept. 2019, https://millercenter.org/president/obama/impact-and-legacy.

What were the differences and who had a greater impact of Obama and Trump’s presidential reign and how did they approach things differently?

In this essay I will be talking about America is a very large wealthy country that has been dominant for many years. The people who Run America have a substantial role in keeping the country together and keeping it strong. I am going to be talking about who has had different effects on it and how the people have handled having corrupt leaders. The main topics I will be talking will be the election, economics Laws, and education

Firstly, Donald trump. Donald Trump was the president of the Usa from 2016 until 2020. The way he did this was tactics, he was very confident in himself and what he believed in and he has many talents such as emotive speaking. This has had a massive effect on his success and how he won the election against Mrs. Clinton. When he speaks he is punctual and persuasive he does this by being

Loud and has very strong opinions that he is very passionate about. Another key thing about him is that he takes people on and is confident in himself and what he does when he speaks. He has tried to use lots of different tactics to gain the presidency and we will get on to that later but the votes were as it stands. The votes on the night that trump won where 306 on trumps side and 232 for Clinton`s side. He won by quite a big margin. Against a weak but persistent side he came out quite victorious and was very happy with his success. He celebrated on becoming America’s 45th president and after election night celebrated with his wife Melania.

Barrack Obama. Obama reigned from January 20 2009 until January 20 2017. Clearly, he reigned for a long time so he was very successful, and America like him very much. He did this by making excellent decisions but not so much and also by tactics. Barrack Obama and how he won the election in short explanation. Some of the tool Obama used were things like marketing tools, somehow he transformed himself from a tiny politician no one really knew about until 2008 when he was ruling America and had everyone`s vote. He captured the eyes of frustrated Americans with his inspirational speeches which grasped the attention of the public and also the whole nation in general. He also used social media to advertise his presidency which gave a good impression to the public that he was good in an online way and also in the eye of the public physically plus if any problems came up it also made him look well prepared to tackle problems in this 21st century. The social media aspect also meant that he could interact with millions of fans and supporters which is another great tactic to his plans for the election and the future to come.

They have things in common that have benefited them. But how do they do things differently, for example, in healthcare?

Firstly, Obamacare. The aim of Obamacare which was called the patient protection and affordable care act was to improve the quality of the healthcare provided, along with access to everything then the affordability because that`s one of the main reasons Obamacare was started and finally health insurance. All these factors that were taken into consideration were all in all make America a better fairer healthcare system. The laws took place almost immediately, the major laws went into effect in 2014, and the rest continue and keep slowly adding to the process until 2022. The law itself is very long and was going to take a while to complete. Aimed at less than substantial things like making the quality of care at hospitals better or getting rid of waste in Medicare, curbing costs over time, and putting calorie counts on the menu at fast-food restaurants so that people could easily track how much they were eating. Some of the things that Obamacare does and has helped with are: stops insurance companies from a few different things, e.g stops them from dropping you when you sick, and they also stop them from denying your coverage costs based on pre-existing conditions, it also protects people from gender discrimination, it improves medical coverage and also expands free preventative services. So in general that idea has clearly helped a lot of things in different ways.

Trump’s version of a healthcare system was very much different to Obamacare. It was very different in the fact that he didn`t think the state should provide for everything so he thought to make healthcare very expensive. So what did he do to make it that way. Firstly he signed an order to allow health insurers to sell cheap plans and ideas away from the marketplace. Association health plans were based on the idea that small companies could come together and to get much better rates from other different companies. The second thing that he did was took away the subsidies that the government provided so that if someone had to pay a certain amount of money the government wouldn`t be able to fund for any of it like it used to be like with Obamacare where the government was involved and paid a chunk of the money so he made healthcare twice as expensive. He did this by announcing in court when the Obama administration left and he announced to make subsidies illegal. These were some of the things that he did that he changed in the presidency, he thought it was a good thing but technically it affected 12.7 million people who could have been poor, sick, older people who had to face higher costing insurance and even small companies so his strategy of how he approached healthcare was very controversial and a lot of people had lots of different opinions about it both good and bad.

Next, I`m going to be talking about laws and education like usual trump and Obama did things differently so I will look at both sides.

Firstly Obama, when he took up office in January 2009 the country was in a state they were on edge. The federal education which at the time was known as No child left behind was in need of new staff, teachers, parents, and even schools. In 2009 Obama and the education system announced that they were going to re-invest and spend some time working on the system and how to make it better with a reasonable chunk of money. As more money arrived in many states and most schools were very grateful by the great recession however some state schools didn`t want the money but they physically needed it and agreed to lots of big changes and 46 big states apply. This was Obama`s education strategy and it was called the race to the top. In his career, Obama passed on 147 bills from the space of January 2005 until November 2008 and only 2 became law which gives the impression that something has to be very smart and thought through to become law.

For Donald trumps case, he said he would change education by cutting the department of education altogether. However, he didn`t do that because it would be nearly impossible because of how much the education system compromises. 5000 employers and a 73 million annual budget which is clearly a massive income and that 73 million is responsible for the 98,000 in the country so it`s safe to say that the education system is firmly staying in place and not going anywhere in that direction. For laws, in the space of his four years trump has taken away major climate policies has altered more rules on clean air, water, wildlife and toxic chemicals which are big changes for us and the environment. Nearly 100 environmental rules were rolled back which is a big step in the wrong direction at all if we are going to have a successful future and a successful world. He has made less of Obama-era and has gone in the opposite direction from Obama`s plan to limit planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions and to also limit cars and other big pollutants has taken a turn for the worst. Trump’s plans are predicted to significantly increase greenhouse gas emissions from coal to big power plants and more.

In conclusion, I believe Obama`s plans had better outcomes on lots of different levels and had big impacts on America at the time, for example, America were heading in the right direction from an environmental point of view and when trump had taken over it all went downhill. It was clear trump was not a fan of any of Obama`s ideas that were brought into the country including healthcare which Obama had put so much work into it and tried to make it work when trump stepped in he said no and disagreed and went and made It more expensive. Overall I think that Obama was heading in a better direction than trump.

In this essay, I am going to look at intertextuality through propaganda and looking at the artist Shepard Fairey. Shepard Fairey’s work that I am going to look at is the poster called ‘Hope’ for the Obama Election campaign. I will also be looking at other artists who produce propaganda pieces and how they differ from Fairey’s piece. In addition, I will be viewing what intertextuality is what propaganda is, and its origin. How Fairey shows hope and peace within his design rather than war. The reason I choose Fairey is that he’s a contemporary artist and shows a different view from other propaganda art I’ve seen this will be discussed later in this essay.

Intertextuality is a term that was coined by Julia Kristeva in 1966, she explains that “literary work redistributes earlier texts in a single text, so it is necessary to think of it as an ‘intertext’” (Mozdzenski, 2013). Intertextuality is the meaning that one text has from another text, and these texts are to influence and give depth to the text for the reader. Text can be influenced by each other, referenced, quoted, drawn from, or inspired. “As Kristeva wrote, any text can be considered a work of intertextuality because it builds on the structures that existed before it” (Literary Devices, n.d.). This tells us that any work we see can be a form of intertextuality, as that nothing is unique and has been taken from something to create something new. So, when I’m looking at Shepard Fairey, I’m going to be looking at the inspiration that made him create his ‘Hope’ poster and whether texts or visual references played a part in his design. “The concept of intertextuality can also be expanded to music, film, advertising, and so on in the way that everything produced now is influenced by what came before. References to pop culture in advertising, films that are made from books” (Literary Devices, n.d.). The idea of an artist getting influenced by whatever was produced before them that work for Fairey, he says he got inspired by several images, this is a use of intertextuality. “Images are never free of context” (Ilan, 2014) this means that images are not original and that other images or texts have an influence on them. Intertextuality and images have a connection this can be shown through artist work and how they get inspired or influenced by other artists.

“At its most basic, propaganda is biased or misleading information circulated via some form of mass media with the intent of promoting a political agenda or viewpoint” (Bergstrom,2019). Propaganda is information that is not objective, it is used to influence people to an agenda through text and images. Throughout the year modern propaganda uses media to convey messages through radio, television, websites, posters, and paintings. The term propaganda originated with the Roman Catholic Congregation de Propaganda Fide (Committee for the Propagation of the Faith) it was established in 1622 by Pope Gregory XV “to promote the faith in non-Catholic countries. The group’s name was often informally shortened to “propaganda,” and the name stuck” (Tavistock Books, 2014). In the 20th century, propaganda was used as a powerful tool in world war 1 where the propaganda was on such a large scale through Germany and Britain. “the extreme power of propaganda was apparent. The word “propaganda” soon developed a negative connotation, one that it still carries to this day in the English-speaking world” (Tavistock Books, 2014). Propaganda is used to influence people’s attitudes, opinions, emotions, and actions, these are shown in the present day through paintings, posters, television, films, websites, and also press. A few examples of propaganda are the ‘I WANT YOU’ by James Montgomery Flagg, the poster was produced to be a recruitment campaign. With the illustration, Uncle Sam created a more or less elder figure with his pose, look, and clothing, and with his eyes looking straight forward and his finger pointing towards the viewer, and with the ‘YOU’ in bold red it makes it look like he’s talking to you and trying to engage with you. In 1917 this was a famous propaganda poster and was used during World War 1 and World War 2 to recruit soldiers for the U.S Army. The ‘I WANT YOU ‘poster used the inspiration of the graphic artist Alfred Leete on the illustration cover for the London Opinion Magazine. Another example of propaganda is the ‘We Can Do It’ poster by J. Howard Miller “is an image that can simultaneously be interpreted as a champion of women’s empowerment as well as a dictator of the nature of womanhood” (Blaylock, 20170. This image shows a symbol of motivation, and strength and is also connected with feminism. The poster “was not popular at all during World War II it was hardly seen. The poster rose to fame, years after the war was over, more specifically in the early 1980s” (Alex. A., 2016). This poster shows the striking and bold figure that is relatable as a factory worker for both men and women. The colors used such as blue, red, and yellow create an exciting and engaging piece. The yellow background makes the figure stand out and be the focal point making the poster be seen from a distance. The reason for looking at examples is to see what the propaganda within posters achieves and the impact it has on the society of the time. A lot of the propaganda posters that I have been looking at are war-related either from the Russian Revolution, World War 1, or World War 2. This is why I am looking at Shepard Fairey’s work doesn’t suggest anything about war but more of hope and peace within the society.

Shepard Fairey’s full name is Frank Shepard Fairy, he was born on 15 February 1970 in Charleston, South Carolina. He is a contemporary muralist and graphic design artist. “Shepard Fairey’s work has been used in screen-prints, stencils, stickers, masking film illustrations, wheat paste, collages, sculptures, posters, paintings, and murals” (street art bio). He is also the co-founder of OBEY Clothing a popular company founded in 2001. “Fairey has constantly shifted between the realms of fine art, commercial art, street art, and even political art” (Street Art Bio). Fairey is also a social activist and is part of the street art movement with other artists like Banksy. Fairy has had several successful art pieces such as ‘Andre the Giant’, the obey trademark, and also the ‘Hope’ poster which I’ll be looking at. “Fairey has constantly shifted between the realms of fine art, commercial art, street art, and even political art” (Street Art Bio). We can see this with his ‘Hope’ and also the ‘We are People’ posters. The work I am going to look at from Fairy is the ‘hope’ poster, “Fairey’s art reminds us that Americans of all colors, creeds, nationalities, identities, races, beliefs, classes, locations, and lifestyles” (Caruso, 2008, p.4-5) This is shown throughout his work. During the 2008 presidential election, Fairey said “I didn’t want to hurt Obama’s cause so I did reach out to some people in his campaign and say I would like to make a poster on my art” (CNN, 2015). He also explained that he wanted the poster to show “a leader with vision and conviction and was a patriotic image” (CNN, 2015). The leader aspect can be seen in the poster from the position of the way he is standing it’s a three-quarter profile looking into the distance. The Obama pose that was used was based on a photograph taken by Manni Garcia in April 2006. Fairey saw that Obama and he had the same point of view on politics. Fairey has created work on political issues in the past and thought that creating a poster for Obama for the presidential election would be a great way to support him, he thought it would make sense to create a piece of art for him that helps with the campaign. The way I feel intertextuality is used in this poster is that even though Fairey doesn’t say at all if he had got inspiration for his illustration, I feel intertextuality was used as according to (Scott, 2017) “The iconic “three-quarters view”… Fairey used, was inspired by the well-known JFK portrait” “after looking at the portrait I notice the similarity with the close up of the face to capture the emotion and to create a sense of an important figure and the eyes looking in the distance and not at the viewer’s eyes. According to (Jordan) the poster is “very reminiscent of the Che Guevara poster”. Fairey says the pose for Obama “was a classic political pose” (Scott,2017). This created him to be an icon in people’s views, “Fairey’s style is said to be mostly influenced by Constructivism and Social Realism” (Scott, 2017). The word Hope which the piece of art is called was placed at the bottom of the artwork in large capital letters, the text used is a slab sans serif called Gotham. “The use of Gotham in this work creates a sense of authority and a bold assertive statement in which there is no uncertainty” (Camjordan0, 2018). This also symbolizes that Obama can give people hope. With the text and the image as a whole of Obama, it might suggest that his vision is to lead the country into a better future. Fairey had several hundred posters to sell and put up on the street but it was it didn’t originally say ‘HOPE’ “Yosi got feedback from the campaign saying they wanted to push the “Hope” message so I switched it to “Hope” for the next ones” (Arnon, 2017) Yosi Sergeant was a publicity and helped Fairey with the posters for the campaign. Within the poster, Fairy uses the colors red, blue, and white these colors are chosen to represent the American flag and to show Obama’s patriotism. Some people have said that it is not white he uses but beige, for me, I feel it is white as you can see white within the poster. All the colors play a part in the illustration to create a sense of purpose and to create context within the piece. The color red used within the poster shows passion, desire, strength, and power these are feelings I get when looking at the poster. This could have also been a reason for Fairey to use red in his design not to represent the United States of America flag but to influence are feelings towards the piece of illustration. The blue influences the feeling of Peace, unity, trust, and security, the blue in the poster defines the face of Obama and creates depth within the poster. The white is shown as a cream but is meant to represent white placed on the face of Obama this could have been done to show that race does not matter and that people should not define someone by race but by the qualities that they show and represent to people. The two colors red and blue are split in the middle behind the illustration of Obama not sure what this could represent but it might be referring to America as a whole. These color characteristics show Fairey’s perception of Obama and also let us the viewers connect with the piece and have our feelings towards the poster. When this poster was used for Obama’s 2008 Election campaign it made it such an iconic image and popular within the country. Fairey’s work had such an impact on people it allowed them to create similar posters with their interpretation of society. Fairey says “The poster symbolizes something really important and its grassroots activism and the return to people believing in democracy, not with the people with the most power to manipulate democracy for their ins” (CNN,2015). These shows want I said previously that the colors in the background could be referring to America as a whole. Grassroots Activism is “a group of people who feel strongly enough about an issue to actively campaign to make a difference” (Crystal, 2018).The reason I chose this work to look at is that it portrays a different view from what I have looked at and shows peace, hope, and an important icon within society. Also, the piece has a lot of context within it, and thought it was good to explore what meaning of the work and how Fairey wanted to represent Obama. His work allowed people to view Obama in a way they thought Obama should be shown. Shepard Fairey created three “We are People” posters to protest against Trump for the Amplifier Foundation, “aim to give a face to groups who are frequently the target of hatred and racism” (Silva, 2017). In his posters, he styled it the same way as the ‘Hope’ poster. Photographs were taken of a Latina, Muslim, and African American woman for these pieces with the colors red, blue, and white to represent America. This was to show just like Obama’s poster that race didn’t matter and that everyone is equal. “Fairey said his ‘Hope’ posters and the ‘We the People’ posters are driven by the same impulse: to encourage those who feel powerless and deflated” (Gelt, 2017). At the bottom of each of Fairey’s posters, it says, ‘Defend Dignity’, ‘Are Greater Than Fear’ and ‘Protect Each Other’ he has done this to say the different types of Americans and what they stand for. ‘What we wanted the public to know was that others believe the same things they do,’ Huey tells TIME. ‘And that these beliefs are not defined by political party, but by a set of values that are unassailable.’ (Silva,2017). Aaron Huey was the man who launched the ‘We Are People’ protest.

Conclusion

To summarize, this essay was to show how intertextuality was used within Shepard Fairey’s work in propaganda, and the purpose of the piece was to create hope and say that the United States of America is whole and that everyone is equal. My thoughts on the piece are is that the image that Fairey portrays of Obama is a strong iconic image and lets the people understand the kind of man that he is and going to be for their country. As previously said Shepard says that Obama and he relate to the same things and he has seen one of his speeches this could have been the inspiration for Fairey’s work to portray the views that Obama says in his speech to his ‘Hope’ poster and this is how intertextuality relates to his poster and was used. His work was to create an important icon that portrayed a leader with vision and could represent him as a patriot. I feel this was portrayed well and the ‘Hope’ poster gave inspiration to others to create their points of view within the country with the style of Fairey’s work. With the ‘Hope’ poster being such a popular and successful image, I looked at the ‘We Are People’ poster and how the style he used in the ‘Hope’ Poster to create such a powerful message within the country of America.

Introduction:

The presidency of Barack Obama was marked by significant policy shifts and initiatives that shaped the United States during his tenure. However, no presidency is without controversy, and Obama’s tenure was not exempt from criticism. This critical essay aims to evaluate the allegations surrounding the laws that Obama purportedly broke during his time in office. By examining these claims in a fair and balanced manner, we can gain a clearer understanding of their validity and impact.

Immigration Policy:

One of the most contentious issues during Obama’s presidency was immigration. Critics accused him of overstepping his authority through executive actions, particularly the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. They argued that Obama bypassed the legislative process and unilaterally changed immigration policy. However, supporters countered that his actions were justified in the absence of congressional progress on comprehensive immigration reform.

Affordable Care Act:

The passage and implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) faced staunch opposition and allegations of constitutional overreach. Critics argued that the individual mandate, which required individuals to obtain health insurance or face penalties, violated personal liberties. The Supreme Court ultimately upheld the ACA as constitutional, deeming the penalty a tax. While opponents may disagree with the policy, it does not necessarily constitute a clear violation of the law.

Drone Strikes:

Obama’s administration employed drone strikes as a counterterrorism measure, sparking debates regarding their legality and adherence to international law. Critics argued that these strikes violated due process rights, as they targeted individuals outside of active combat zones without a trial. While the use of drones raises important ethical and legal questions, it is crucial to acknowledge that these actions were carried out under the framework of national security and the authorization of the use of military force.

Executive Orders:

Obama faced criticism for his use of executive orders, with opponents claiming he circumvented Congress to push his agenda. However, it is essential to note that executive orders are a longstanding presidential tool used by previous administrations. While the number of executive orders issued during Obama’s presidency may have drawn attention, their content and impact on the rule of law should be evaluated individually to determine any potential violations.

Surveillance Programs:

The revelation of extensive surveillance programs by the National Security Agency (NSA) during Obama’s presidency raised concerns about privacy and civil liberties. Critics argued that these programs violated the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches and seizures. However, it is important to recognize that these surveillance programs were authorized under the USA PATRIOT Act, which was passed before Obama took office. The debate centers on the balance between national security and individual privacy, rather than a specific violation committed by Obama himself.

Conclusion:

Examining the allegations of law-breaking during Obama’s presidency requires careful analysis and a balanced perspective. While critics may assert that Obama exceeded his authority in certain areas, it is essential to consider the broader context and legal justifications behind his actions. Some allegations may stem from policy disagreements rather than clear violations of the law. It is crucial to separate political rhetoric from legal scrutiny and engage in a nuanced discussion that acknowledges the complexities of governance. By critically evaluating the claims against Obama, we can gain a more accurate understanding of his presidency’s legal implications and the ongoing debates surrounding executive power and the rule of law in the United States.

In this essay, I am going to look at intertextuality through propaganda and looking at the artist Shepard Fairey. Shepard Fairey’s work that I am going to look at is the poster called ‘Hope’ for the Obama Election campaign. I will also be looking at other artists who produce propaganda pieces and how they differ from Fairey’s piece. In addition, I will be viewing what intertextuality is what propaganda is, and its origin. How Fairey shows hope and peace within his design rather than war. The reason I choose Fairey is that he’s a contemporary artist and shows a different view from other propaganda art I’ve seen this will be discussed later in this essay.

Intertextuality is a term that was coined by Julia Kristeva in 1966, she explains that “literary work redistributes earlier texts in a single text, so it is necessary to think of it as an ‘intertext’” (Mozdzenski, 2013). Intertextuality is the meaning that one text has from another text, and these texts are to influence and give depth to the text for the reader. Text can be influenced by each other, referenced, quoted, drawn from, or inspired. “As Kristeva wrote, any text can be considered a work of intertextuality because it builds on the structures that existed before it” (Literary Devices, n.d.). This tells us that any work we see can be a form of intertextuality, as that nothing is unique and has been taken from something to create something new. So, when I’m looking at Shepard Fairey, I’m going to be looking at the inspiration that made him create his ‘Hope’ poster and whether texts or visual references played a part in his design. “The concept of intertextuality can also be expanded to music, film, advertising, and so on in the way that everything produced now is influenced by what came before. References to pop culture in advertising, films that are made from books” (Literary Devices, n.d.). The idea of an artist getting influenced by whatever was produced before them that work for Fairey, he says he got inspired by several images, this is a use of intertextuality. “Images are never free of context” (Ilan, 2014) this means that images are not original and that other images or texts have an influence on them. Intertextuality and images have a connection this can be shown through artist work and how they get inspired or influenced by other artists.

“At its most basic, propaganda is biased or misleading information circulated via some form of mass media with the intent of promoting a political agenda or viewpoint” (Bergstrom,2019). Propaganda is information that is not objective, it is used to influence people to an agenda through text and images. Throughout the year modern propaganda uses media to convey messages through radio, television, websites, posters, and paintings. The term propaganda originated with the Roman Catholic Congregation de Propaganda Fide (Committee for the Propagation of the Faith) it was established in 1622 by Pope Gregory XV “to promote the faith in non-Catholic countries. The group’s name was often informally shortened to “propaganda,” and the name stuck” (Tavistock Books, 2014). In the 20th century, propaganda was used as a powerful tool in world war 1 where the propaganda was on such a large scale through Germany and Britain. “the extreme power of propaganda was apparent. The word “propaganda” soon developed a negative connotation, one that it still carries to this day in the English-speaking world” (Tavistock Books, 2014). Propaganda is used to influence people’s attitudes, opinions, emotions, and actions, these are shown in the present day through paintings, posters, television, films, websites, and also press. A few examples of propaganda are the ‘I WANT YOU’ by James Montgomery Flagg, the poster was produced to be a recruitment campaign. With the illustration, Uncle Sam created a more or less elder figure with his pose, look, and clothing, and with his eyes looking straight forward and his finger pointing towards the viewer, and with the ‘YOU’ in bold red it makes it look like he’s talking to you and trying to engage with you. In 1917 this was a famous propaganda poster and was used during World War 1 and World War 2 to recruit soldiers for the U.S Army. The ‘I WANT YOU ‘poster used the inspiration of the graphic artist Alfred Leete on the illustration cover for the London Opinion Magazine. Another example of propaganda is the ‘We Can Do It’ poster by J. Howard Miller “is an image that can simultaneously be interpreted as a champion of women’s empowerment as well as a dictator of the nature of womanhood” (Blaylock, 20170. This image shows a symbol of motivation, and strength and is also connected with feminism. The poster “was not popular at all during World War II it was hardly seen. The poster rose to fame, years after the war was over, more specifically in the early 1980s” (Alex. A., 2016). This poster shows the striking and bold figure that is relatable as a factory worker for both men and women. The colors used such as blue, red, and yellow create an exciting and engaging piece. The yellow background makes the figure stand out and be the focal point making the poster be seen from a distance. The reason for looking at examples is to see what the propaganda within posters achieves and the impact it has on the society of the time. A lot of the propaganda posters that I have been looking at are war-related either from the Russian Revolution, World War 1, or World War 2. This is why I am looking at Shepard Fairey’s work doesn’t suggest anything about war but more of hope and peace within the society.

Shepard Fairey’s full name is Frank Shepard Fairy, he was born on 15 February 1970 in Charleston, South Carolina. He is a contemporary muralist and graphic design artist. “Shepard Fairey’s work has been used in screen-prints, stencils, stickers, masking film illustrations, wheat paste, collages, sculptures, posters, paintings, and murals” (street art bio). He is also the co-founder of OBEY Clothing a popular company founded in 2001. “Fairey has constantly shifted between the realms of fine art, commercial art, street art, and even political art” (Street Art Bio). Fairey is also a social activist and is part of the street art movement with other artists like Banksy. Fairy has had several successful art pieces such as ‘Andre the Giant’, the obey trademark, and also the ‘Hope’ poster which I’ll be looking at. “Fairey has constantly shifted between the realms of fine art, commercial art, street art, and even political art” (Street Art Bio). We can see this with his ‘Hope’ and also the ‘We are People’ posters. The work I am going to look at from Fairy is the ‘hope’ poster, “Fairey’s art reminds us that Americans of all colors, creeds, nationalities, identities, races, beliefs, classes, locations, and lifestyles” (Caruso, 2008, p.4-5) This is shown throughout his work. During the 2008 presidential election, Fairey said “I didn’t want to hurt Obama’s cause so I did reach out to some people in his campaign and say I would like to make a poster on my art” (CNN, 2015). He also explained that he wanted the poster to show “a leader with vision and conviction and was a patriotic image” (CNN, 2015). The leader aspect can be seen in the poster from the position of the way he is standing it’s a three-quarter profile looking into the distance. The Obama pose that was used was based on a photograph taken by Manni Garcia in April 2006. Fairey saw that Obama and he had the same point of view on politics. Fairey has created work on political issues in the past and thought that creating a poster for Obama for the presidential election would be a great way to support him, he thought it would make sense to create a piece of art for him that helps with the campaign. The way I feel intertextuality is used in this poster is that even though Fairey doesn’t say at all if he had got inspiration for his illustration, I feel intertextuality was used as according to (Scott, 2017) “The iconic “three-quarters view”… Fairey used, was inspired by the well-known JFK portrait” “after looking at the portrait I notice the similarity with the close up of the face to capture the emotion and to create a sense of an important figure and the eyes looking in the distance and not at the viewer’s eyes. According to (Jordan) the poster is “very reminiscent of the Che Guevara poster”. Fairey says the pose for Obama “was a classic political pose” (Scott,2017). This created him to be an icon in people’s views, “Fairey’s style is said to be mostly influenced by Constructivism and Social Realism” (Scott, 2017). The word Hope which the piece of art is called was placed at the bottom of the artwork in large capital letters, the text used is a slab sans serif called Gotham. “The use of Gotham in this work creates a sense of authority and a bold assertive statement in which there is no uncertainty” (Camjordan0, 2018). This also symbolizes that Obama can give people hope. With the text and the image as a whole of Obama, it might suggest that his vision is to lead the country into a better future. Fairey had several hundred posters to sell and put up on the street but it was it didn’t originally say ‘HOPE’ “Yosi got feedback from the campaign saying they wanted to push the “Hope” message so I switched it to “Hope” for the next ones” (Arnon, 2017) Yosi Sergeant was a publicity and helped Fairey with the posters for the campaign. Within the poster, Fairy uses the colors red, blue, and white these colors are chosen to represent the American flag and to show Obama’s patriotism. Some people have said that it is not white he uses but beige, for me, I feel it is white as you can see white within the poster. All the colors play a part in the illustration to create a sense of purpose and to create context within the piece. The color red used within the poster shows passion, desire, strength, and power these are feelings I get when looking at the poster. This could have also been a reason for Fairey to use red in his design not to represent the United States of America flag but to influence are feelings towards the piece of illustration. The blue influences the feeling of Peace, unity, trust, and security, the blue in the poster defines the face of Obama and creates depth within the poster. The white is shown as a cream but is meant to represent white placed on the face of Obama this could have been done to show that race does not matter and that people should not define someone by race but by the qualities that they show and represent to people. The two colors red and blue are split in the middle behind the illustration of Obama not sure what this could represent but it might be referring to America as a whole. These color characteristics show Fairey’s perception of Obama and also let us the viewers connect with the piece and have our feelings towards the poster. When this poster was used for Obama’s 2008 Election campaign it made it such an iconic image and popular within the country. Fairey’s work had such an impact on people it allowed them to create similar posters with their interpretation of society. Fairey says “The poster symbolizes something really important and its grassroots activism and the return to people believing in democracy, not with the people with the most power to manipulate democracy for their ins” (CNN,2015). These shows want I said previously that the colors in the background could be referring to America as a whole. Grassroots Activism is “a group of people who feel strongly enough about an issue to actively campaign to make a difference” (Crystal, 2018).The reason I chose this work to look at is that it portrays a different view from what I have looked at and shows peace, hope, and an important icon within society. Also, the piece has a lot of context within it, and thought it was good to explore what meaning of the work and how Fairey wanted to represent Obama. His work allowed people to view Obama in a way they thought Obama should be shown. Shepard Fairey created three “We are People” posters to protest against Trump for the Amplifier Foundation, “aim to give a face to groups who are frequently the target of hatred and racism” (Silva, 2017). In his posters, he styled it the same way as the ‘Hope’ poster. Photographs were taken of a Latina, Muslim, and African American woman for these pieces with the colors red, blue, and white to represent America. This was to show just like Obama’s poster that race didn’t matter and that everyone is equal. “Fairey said his ‘Hope’ posters and the ‘We the People’ posters are driven by the same impulse: to encourage those who feel powerless and deflated” (Gelt, 2017). At the bottom of each of Fairey’s posters, it says, ‘Defend Dignity’, ‘Are Greater Than Fear’ and ‘Protect Each Other’ he has done this to say the different types of Americans and what they stand for. ‘What we wanted the public to know was that others believe the same things they do,’ Huey tells TIME. ‘And that these beliefs are not defined by political party, but by a set of values that are unassailable.’ (Silva,2017). Aaron Huey was the man who launched the ‘We Are People’ protest.

Conclusion

To summarize, this essay was to show how intertextuality was used within Shepard Fairey’s work in propaganda, and the purpose of the piece was to create hope and say that the United States of America is whole and that everyone is equal. My thoughts on the piece are is that the image that Fairey portrays of Obama is a strong iconic image and lets the people understand the kind of man that he is and going to be for their country. As previously said Shepard says that Obama and he relate to the same things and he has seen one of his speeches this could have been the inspiration for Fairey’s work to portray the views that Obama says in his speech to his ‘Hope’ poster and this is how intertextuality relates to his poster and was used. His work was to create an important icon that portrayed a leader with vision and could represent him as a patriot. I feel this was portrayed well and the ‘Hope’ poster gave inspiration to others to create their points of view within the country with the style of Fairey’s work. With the ‘Hope’ poster being such a popular and successful image, I looked at the ‘We Are People’ poster and how the style he used in the ‘Hope’ Poster to create such a powerful message within the country of America.

Introduction:

The presidency of Barack Obama was marked by significant policy shifts and initiatives that shaped the United States during his tenure. However, no presidency is without controversy, and Obama’s tenure was not exempt from criticism. This critical essay aims to evaluate the allegations surrounding the laws that Obama purportedly broke during his time in office. By examining these claims in a fair and balanced manner, we can gain a clearer understanding of their validity and impact.

Immigration Policy:

One of the most contentious issues during Obama’s presidency was immigration. Critics accused him of overstepping his authority through executive actions, particularly the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. They argued that Obama bypassed the legislative process and unilaterally changed immigration policy. However, supporters countered that his actions were justified in the absence of congressional progress on comprehensive immigration reform.

Affordable Care Act:

The passage and implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) faced staunch opposition and allegations of constitutional overreach. Critics argued that the individual mandate, which required individuals to obtain health insurance or face penalties, violated personal liberties. The Supreme Court ultimately upheld the ACA as constitutional, deeming the penalty a tax. While opponents may disagree with the policy, it does not necessarily constitute a clear violation of the law.

Drone Strikes:

Obama’s administration employed drone strikes as a counterterrorism measure, sparking debates regarding their legality and adherence to international law. Critics argued that these strikes violated due process rights, as they targeted individuals outside of active combat zones without a trial. While the use of drones raises important ethical and legal questions, it is crucial to acknowledge that these actions were carried out under the framework of national security and the authorization of the use of military force.

Executive Orders:

Obama faced criticism for his use of executive orders, with opponents claiming he circumvented Congress to push his agenda. However, it is essential to note that executive orders are a longstanding presidential tool used by previous administrations. While the number of executive orders issued during Obama’s presidency may have drawn attention, their content and impact on the rule of law should be evaluated individually to determine any potential violations.

Surveillance Programs:

The revelation of extensive surveillance programs by the National Security Agency (NSA) during Obama’s presidency raised concerns about privacy and civil liberties. Critics argued that these programs violated the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches and seizures. However, it is important to recognize that these surveillance programs were authorized under the USA PATRIOT Act, which was passed before Obama took office. The debate centers on the balance between national security and individual privacy, rather than a specific violation committed by Obama himself.

Conclusion:

Examining the allegations of law-breaking during Obama’s presidency requires careful analysis and a balanced perspective. While critics may assert that Obama exceeded his authority in certain areas, it is essential to consider the broader context and legal justifications behind his actions. Some allegations may stem from policy disagreements rather than clear violations of the law. It is crucial to separate political rhetoric from legal scrutiny and engage in a nuanced discussion that acknowledges the complexities of governance. By critically evaluating the claims against Obama, we can gain a more accurate understanding of his presidency’s legal implications and the ongoing debates surrounding executive power and the rule of law in the United States.

Obama, from an early age, knew that he was destined to help change the nation and in order to do so needed to focus on ending corruption from the ground up. I believe this sparked his move to Chicago, which was one of the most racially segregated cities in the US at the time. His desire for changing our nation’s destiny was only matched by his desire to learn who he is, and becoming an organizer seemed like a way that he could use his analytical style of thinking to help understand his own personal journey in life. During Obama’s time as an organizer, he grew as a person, a leader, and a social justice influencer, and did so with values that aligned with the effective agenda-setting principles presented in Ch. 5 of “Stand & Deliver.”

The first principle, which involves using democratic practices for social change and equality, and in society as a whole, is directly in line with the core of Obama’s work as an organizer. Obama and the leadership team gathered the community on street corners, in auditoriums, and at churches in order to foster an environment where people could discuss their issues and goals in life and spark a passion for change. The discussions made between the people at the meeting did not just affect the lives of those in attendance but influenced change in the community as a whole. One example of this was when the leadership took the word and actions of the people and started to make a change for The Gardens by influencing Ms. Alvarez to install MET within the area.

The second principle outlined is to use ideological pluralism where viewpoints from multiple sides of the situation are included. This is clearly evident in Obama’s partnerships and discussions with Rafiq. Rafiq had his own idea of how blacks in Chicago, particularly Roseland, can support each other during business and keep all profit within the black community. Though Rafiq’s plan for the city did not directly align with Obama and the leadership’s goals, they were willing to work with Rafiq to have a symbiotic relationship. This inclusion of multiple viewpoints represents ideological pluralism because it allows the coexistence of both plans and allows each one to continue in hopes of success.

The inclusion of women in the leadership of the movement was a principle that clearly aligned with Obama’s organizing. Many of Obama’s closest relationships were with women – Toot, Maya, and his mother. This gave him trust and reliance on women in his life. Angela, Shirley, and Mona were three of the first women he met who truly appreciated, followed, and lead alongside Obama when he got to Chicago. He also had Mary, who helped organize the gatherings in the church, a white woman who wanted change for her daughters. With them by his side, he conducted interviews and listened to countless stories from women about their struggles and hardships in their daily lives. And in the end, they took this information to a woman of power, Ms. Alvarez. Women were clearly represented and played a large role in helping Obama not only achieve change but stay grounded and remember the meaning of his work.

Incorporating the contribution of each generation was not as explicitly clear, but was still involved in Obama’s organizing. To Obama, the children are the future, and his efforts were performed in order to give them a better life than he had. He wanted to make the streets safe, provide access to education, and break down racial barriers so they won’t have to deal with them. The adult generation was the generation to lead the change, gather to talk, then act. The older generation is whom he learned from. He learned what they’ve done wrong, such as turning their anger inward, and what they excel in, such as their resilience and not backing down.

The coalition of blacks and whites was extremely prominent in Obama’s organizing, particularly because a white man was the main leader of the whole movement, Marty. Marty is the one who encouraged Obama to move to Chicago, paid him to be an organizer, and mentored him through decisions and actions he made during his efforts. He followed under the leadership of Marty, a non-black because he believed in Marty’s efforts to join blacks and whites together in Chicago to provide jobs. He knew that this grass-roots effort to understand the wants and needs of the community and make small changes could lead to something much larger. This dynamic with Marty also aligns with the next principle, which is the accountability of those who claim to be Black leaders. Obama struggled with other blacks in the community to follow the leadership of Marty but knew that by proving their dedication to the black community through listening to the people, the community would join with them. In one way, Marty’s hiring of Obama is accountability itself for his representation of Black leadership. He knew to truly influence the lives of people he wanted to help, he would need someone who looked like them.

And lastly, the principle of collective leadership does not repress individuals, nor elevate their interests over the collective need. This is beautifully personalized in Obama’s relationship with Will. Will was strongly opinionated and definite in his ways, such as wearing a Clergy collar though others did not believe he should have the right. One of Will’s movements was to hold street corner meetings, which Obama was very hesitant about. But in order to not repress his leadership, Obama agreed and helped put on the events. In the end, the street corner meetings were many of the most successful events, because they were a comfortable and familiar spot for the people of Chicago. Obama was also worried when Will began an impromptu reflection portion of one of the meetings. This was most likely because of how uncomfortable Obama was with sharing his own story. But soon, Obama saw how much people were willing to open up, and the powerful moment truly compelled everyone in attendance. He was proud of his fellow leader, and at that moment understood his motivations.

Obama’s leadership and work within the movement helped instill power, community, and most importantly change within the communities he was involved with. But, Obama did not and could not have done it alone. His use of these principles, whether he intended to or not, allowed him to be a successful leader within the community. By incorporating more and more of these principles over time, he developed his network of support and learned new ways to gather and understand the needs of the community, in order to have the most impact. His goal was to perform grass-roots movements to impact the community on a larger scale, and in turn, it impacted him deeply to give him the experience needed to move into higher positions in politics later in life.

Summary

Barack Hussein Obama, the 44th President of the USA and the first African American president, has been an exemplary leader in the political sector. Obama served two presidential terms from 2009-2017. He identifies as a person with collective leadership values.

Obama possesses several qualities that make him a good leader, his personal traits such as humbleness, friendliness and his warmth proved him to be a Charismatic leader, and known as a talented speech expert, Obama conveyed his message to the people quite clearly. He is known to adapt his speech to suit the community and society’s needs. He faced a challenging 8-year presidential period that was characterized by serious events, tensions, and crises. A critical analysis of his characteristics and personal traits along with an elaborated discussion on various leadership styles and behavioral theories brought to the conclusion that Obama is a Transformational Leader.

Obama’s personal traits attributed him to be a good leader. His personal traits identify him as one to be ambitious and self-confident. He exhibited traits that classify him as a confident conciliator. Under the skills theory, a leader must possess proficiency in certain areas such as effective communication and relationship skills. Obama has been well known for his skills, having practiced as a civil rights lawyer, and he is well-versed with the legislation of the country. The behavioral theory analyses and discusses the behavior of leaders during the decision-making process and it identifies three types of behavior, including that of an Autocratic, Laissez-Faire, and Democratic leader.

Obama identified as a Transformational leader, as his decision-making was influenced by his leadership style and personality traits, however, he faced criticism for some of his decisions, and due to fierce opposition, he struggled to acquire the support he needed. The analysis and study conclude that Obama’s transformational leadership style was not enough to gain the necessary support unless his leadership involved democratic behavior.

Introduction

This report discusses the leadership style of Barack Hussein Obama, as the President of the United States of America. It discusses how his leadership style was influenced by his personal characteristics, affecting his decisions and how it impacted him when he required support.

This report briefly explains the different leadership style and behavioural theories to Obama’s leadership style. The report also analyses the advantages and disadvantages of his leadership style, his personal traits, and characteristics and how it made him a good leader.

The aim of critically analysing the leadership and personal traits of Obama during his presidential term and compare it with his leadership style to identify his leadership style and why Obama was a successful leader.

Why Barack Obama is a leader?

Being a leader does not mean having your name in the limelight, making speeches, or confining the power given at the top. It means being able to unleash that power and serve its purpose. Obama identifies as a person with collective leadership values. Obama has been driven by the common threads of empathy and compassion for others as well as a willingness to empower others.

Obama has been working to identify the talent of others and harness it collectively, using the force of his values to attract and foster such talent. Through the Obama Foundation, he and his wife Michelle are working to realize, support and network young leaders globally. (Cameron, 2020)

Profile

Barack Hussein Obama was born in Hawaii on 4th August 1961 to an American mother of European descent and an African father. Obama is an American politician and an attorney. He was a member of the democratic society as well as a U.S Senator and later became the first African American president. (Biography.com, 2020)

He was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States of America in 2009, after a decisive victory against the republican candidate John McCain. Obama was then re-elected in the 2012 elections to serve his second term, defeating republican candidate Mitt Romney. Obama served as the U.S President for 2 terms from 2009-2017.

Some of Obama’s first term actions addressed were the ‘Global Financial Crises’ which included a major stimulus package, a partial extension of the ‘Bush Tax Cuts’, legislation to ‘Reform Health Care’, and a major ‘Financial Regulation Reform Bill’. During his second term, Obama took steps to combat ‘Climate Change’, signing a major ‘International Climate Agreement’ and an ‘Executive Order’ to limit ‘Carbon Emissions’. He also presided over the implementation of the ‘Affordable Care Act’ and other legislation passed in his first term.

Why Barack Obama is a good leader?

Speech Expert

The next superiority that Obama has is his ability as a speech expert. He was often nicknamed as a ‘Talented Speech expert’ who raised the spirit of the people. For example, many people are interested in their ability to make speeches, and also a compilation of speeches and Obama’s statement, “Change We Can Believe In” that compiled by Obama’s campaign staff. Besides that, he is also often said to be a great “Star Power” that is able to attract investigators easily. This is because Obama has advantages such as extraordinary charisma, such as tenacity, friendliness, warmth, and also attraction.

Obama posses several qualities that make him a good leader:

As a speech expert, he was often nicknamed as a ‘Talented Speech Expert’ who raised the spirits of the people. He was also often known to be a ‘Star Power’ because he had advantages such as extraordinary charisma, tenacity, friendliness, warmth, and attraction.

Obama showed awareness through approaches that were appropriate to its environment. He would carefully adjust the way he spoke like his accent depending on the locations and even used slang, adapting to the community and society (Zahra, A. 2019 The Leadership of Barack Obama). He accepted all criticism’s and suggestions regarding the problems that the people of America face, and is analytical and cautious in his decision making. His personal traits also attributed to be a good leader. His personality is identified as being a humanist, intelligent and humble.

Critical Analysis

Barack Obama emphasized on his readiness to advance and become the next president of America; this self-confidence described him as a leader who was awaited by the society. Obama had a rational approach and made decisions based on non-emotional information. He had a thought process where he always discussed and negotiated in comparison to other officials who preferred a simpler approach to conflict resolution. This caution and deliberation in decision making was criticized as he took so much time in deciding on conflicts such as the war in Afghanistan. Despite being well known for his friendlier and humble approach, his positive representation began to decline due to his partiality towards countries such as Israel, where his political attitude was not different to the previous U.S president. Obama is known as one of the great presidents derived from the African American race, as his leadership affected the U.S. into a greater country. He has had the advantage of carefully and maturely discussing what he would do, or when he would issue a policy and action.

Leadership styles

Obama’s leadership styles including its advantages are summarized in the following theoretical frameworks:

1. Transformational Leadership:

A leader who encourages, inspires, and motivates others to innovate and create change to help grow and shape the future of their people is a classic example of a transformational leadership style. Obama’s personality is marked as a charismatic figure, which brought the attention of Americans, as well as foreigners, where he has the highest ability to bring others to his side and to accomplish tasks efficiently (Popa, Hazel, Whatley, Andenoro & Crandall, 2011). Obama has been regarded as a transformational leader, because of his ability to bring change to the electoral game, from party representative to a party leader, because of his ability to guide the will of the public, and shake up the internal and external affairs (Takala, Tanttu, Lamsa & Virtanen, 2013).

2. Cross-Cultural Leadership:

Obama has adopted different approaches to bring him closer to other cultures. He worked to improve United States image abroad, by visiting many foreign countries, focusing on the cultural standards and norms of those peoples. He gave more interest to improving America’s relations with the countries through consensual policies. His personal traits played an important role to approach to people of other countries (Hanson, 2014).

3. Global Leadership:

Obama had a global vision and was able to effectively create an independent strategic environment. He created a balance between the major powers in the world with a control of differences and contradictions and served the global ideology of equal humanity as well as co-ordinated various regional parties to a common framework. He had a strong management of internal crisis and a control over it, at the same time he had awareness of the existence of common development factors amongst countries. (Hanson, 2014)

4. Internal Leadership:

Obama’s leadership at an internal level was characterized by his effectiveness to resolve an accumulated problem of the economy such as unemployment, health insurance, and public security, in addition to global problems that reflected a bad image of America around the world. (Popa, Hazel, Whatley, Andenoro & Crandall, 2011).

Disadvantages of the same leadership styles are summarized as follows:

1. Transformational Leadership:

A transformative leader often faces the difficulty to obtain necessary support to pass his ideas, which is where Obama presented with new values to adopt in the presence of strong opposition from within and outside the political party (Wright, Moynihan & Pandey, 2012).

2. Cross-Cultural Leadership:

Many considered it was the weakness in Obama’s leadership which caused the conflicts in the Middle East and the spread of terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria, as the United States have given up most of their leadership roles for the benefit of Russia (Hanson, 2014)

3. Global Leadership:

During the international crisis in Iraq, Libya, Syria, Gaza and Ukraine, Obama found himself under criticism by lawmakers where he seemed to stand back and not do anything to make the congress into acting on the border crisis beyond giving speeches. Public had lost confidence in the President’s leadership (Mataconis, D. 2014).

4. Internal Leadership:

Obama’s internal leadership skills was by resistance due to his strict leadership personality. Although he lined up many American people with his ideas to bring a comprehensive change, he could not gather the necessary political support for the changes that he believed in. (Green & Roberts, 2012).

Concepts and theories

1. Behavioural Theories

This theory analyses and discusses how leaders behave during the decision-making processes. The theory identifies three types of behaviour where leaders are:

i. Autocratic

Under this style, leaders do not care about others’ opinions and determines the goals and ways to achieve them (Tourish, 2014)

ii. Laissez-Faire

This leadership style is where the leader allows his followers to take decision, draw goals and their implementation methods. The leader focusses on giving information to his subordinates rather than taking the lead in directing them (Tourish, 2014).

iii. Democratic

This leadership style obtains their follower’s views, express their ideas, provide them with the necessary information and support. (Tourish, 2014). Democratic leadership style enables leaders to get the cooperation and support needed under the presence of a strong opposition.

2. Traits Theory:

Barack Obama’s personality profile reveals that he is ambitious and confident. Traits like being accommodating, compatible and diligent to a certain degree classified him as a “Confident Conciliator”. He exhibited traits where he gave importance to tasks over relationships as well as giving preference to gathering information from different sources rather than relying on his officials. (Analysis Of A Present Day Leader Barack Obama Commerce Essay, 2020)

3. Skills Theory:

Like the trait’s theory, the skills theory places its attention to the leader. It illustrates that there are certain skills that leaders must possess or develop to carry out their job effectively. The skills that a leader must possess include proficiency in certain areas, effective communication and relationship skills, and ability to conceptualize, analyse situations, and craft strategies.

Obama is well known for his skills; he obtained his law degree from the Harvard University and was awarded the honour Juris Doctor. Before entering politics, he taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago for eight years, and practiced as a civil rights lawyer, making him well-versed with the legislations of the country. He served as a state senator and has supported several bills on the reformation of health care and ethics laws. (Analysis Of A Present Day Leader Barack Obama Commerce Essay, 2020)

Conclusion

As Obama took charge of the presidential office and stepped into the leadership role, he worked hard during his eight years to fulfill his promise to his voters. His two terms where characterized by great tensions, serious events, crisis and overlapping changes at both internal and external levels. Characterized by his personal traits, Obama’s ambitiousness, and self-confidence, identified himself as a transformational leader however due to a fierce opposition, in some cases struggled to acquire the support he needed. His decision making was influenced by his leadership styles and personal traits, as a result some of his decisions were criticized. It is found that the transformational leader must get the full support to achieve an effective leadership and need to be flexible in dealing with others. To conclude, Obama’s Transformational leadership style is not enough to earn the necessary support and unless the transformational leader involves a democratic behavior.

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