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 Two
years ago few Americans recognized the
name "Barack Obama," but now
it's synonymous with change in America
and the World. As the new president-elect,
Obama will be stepping into the White
House with a long list of global challenges
that await his action. He'll be the 44th
president of the United States and is
inheriting not only national economic
concerns, but also global financial crisis,
two wars, and worldwide climate change.
Throughout his campaign, Obama has promised
hope and encouraged a strong and prosperous
future. But it's not his promises that
have landed Obama on the front page of
TIME magazine, but his persistence to
act on his word.
Obama seemingly burst into the spotlight
with the bid for his nomination for the
Democratic ticket. Few people had heard
of him, but everyone seemed to get caught
up in his charisma and energy. He gained
support from every level of society and
used every technology to reach voters
and connect with a skeptical public.
Even
after the fanfare of the election was
over, Obama seemed to carry the weight
with strength. Apparently this politics
were more than just rhetoric as Obama
has quickly proven that he's ready to
act on his promises. While most president-elects
organize their teams quietly under the
radar, Obama quickly jumped into his role
and began collecting staff from all backgrounds
and from all levels of science, business,
and politics. He managed to put together
a team of respected Democrats and Republicans
that both Washington and the public admired.
Obama even put together a survey for voters
to take in 2010 to assess his performance
as president.
Recent
years and troubles proved that American
politics needed change. Too many politicians
were caught up in Washington spilling
useless speeches in Congress or making
phone calls from across the country to
try and solve problems on the opposite
coast. After Hurricane Katrina, Americans
demanded more from their leaders. They
needed people and politicians who could
act and produce results from those actions.
Past leaders had failed and, when Obama
stepped into the spotlight and promised
real change, Americans were ready to embrace
it.
Obama's
attitude towards politics and leadership
has revolutionized the way American's
feel about their leaders. Instead of assumed
treachery and hypocrisy, Obama has taught
Americans to start trusting their politicians.
With a strong team of intelligent people
aiding him in the transition to the White
House, Obama openly admits that most of
them are smarter than he, and trusts in
his ability to hire competent individuals
he can trust to do a good job. He even
gave open access to campaign data during
his run for office, a policy almost unheard
of in American politics. But his seemingly
strange plan made his election team accountable
to themselves and the public and encouraged
everyone to do the best job possible.
The
idea of accountability carried over to
his transition. Faced with the decision
of keeping low or making his transition
more public, Obama realized that Americans
needed to trust their incoming president
now more than ever. With a gloomy economy
and two wars, Americans needed hope. Obama
immediately jumped into preparations and
made his transition months open to the
public. By exposing his every move and
giving voters insight into his life and
decisions, Obama immediately started building
rapport with his fellow countrymen. Where
he made his staff accountable for their
actions, Obama was giving Americans and
the world a full account of his actions
as incoming president. With months before
his inauguration, Obama began preparing
both the public and Congress for his actions
as the new leader. He wanted to be open
and make the transition as smooth and
seamless as possible for everyone involved.
Most
importantly, Obama has proven that his
words are backed by true action that is
both new and revolutionary in government.
He has made it clear that he is willing
to redefine the role of President of the
United States and create a position of
strong leadership that represents and
supports every member of the public. He
has promised hope and action and has so
far delivered both. Let's hope the next
four years continue on the same path.
Time magazine says the Person of the Year
goes to "The person or persons who
most affected the news and our lives,
for good or for ill, and embodied what
was important about the year, for better
or for worse." Runners up for person
of the year at Time magazine were American
Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson,
the French President Nicolas Sarkozy,
Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin, and Chinese
filmmaker Zhang Yimou.
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