Obama 'Hope' Campaign Poster

I have chosen the 'Hope' campaign poster from Barack Obama's 2012 campaign for President.

When Obama was elected President of the United States in 2008, he was the first black man to ever hold that position. He was born to a father from Kenya and an American mother, exemplifying De Crevecoeur's idea of an American as a "new man", as he has a "strange mixture of blood" - here meaning that he is of multi-nationality ancestry - but has come to be an American. As President, he is the public face of America. Obama has left behind whatever ancestry he has to become wholly American. That he could become President supports the idea of De Crevecoueur's of America as a "melting pot", in which nationalities blend together to become a whole under the banner of Americanism.

As Obama is the first black man to become President, he supports De Crevecouer's portrayal of America as a place of the new and exceptional. By electing Obama, America can be seen to have lead the way in innovation and the taking down of racial barriers. This can be seen in an opinion poll carried out by the Wall Street Journal, which revealed that 70% of Europe thought that America's political influence would be better after the election of Obama. This showed how faith in America was restored after Bush, when Europe saw America being innovative and new.

The slogan on the poster, 'Hope', is also a typical American expression of freshness. There can't be hope without the promise of something better, something newer. This is something that De Crevecouer promises immigrants to America - "New laws, a new mode of living, a new social system. Here they are become men." He states that America is a place where man can remake himself and 'be who he was always meant to be'. By using the word 'hope' in his campaign, Obama is suggesting all these things to the Americans who will vote for him, offering them something new and for the better.

Sources:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/president-obama
http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/WSJ_AmericaSurvey_090618.pdf
Letters From An American Farmer, J. Hector St John De Crevecoeur