I was young when Barack Obama first came into office. I remember in fourth or fifth grade as a learning opportunity, our teacher sorted us into groups and we each acted as members of either McCain or Obama’s election campaign. We made slogans, researched their beliefs on topics, wrote speeches, and made posters. And the entire class knew that Obama was going to win because of one simple reason- John McCain was so old that if he got voted into office he would die and then we would have no president! Looking back now the concept was comical and juvenile, and also highlights how much I didn’t understand the election. But to the credit of younger me, it also acknowledges something I did understand- elections aren’t only about policy. Two people could have identical policies, and vastly different outcomes. It’s about the individual, their personality, their leadership.
Obama was a leader. Just watching interviews of him it’s clear. He is well spoken and articulate when he speaks, and the way he talks makes it apparent that he is well educated. Interpersonally he is friendly and charismatic, and even if you don’t agree with his policies it is harder to have a problem with the man. He was a model husband and father, and seemed like he got along with everyone. It is clear that Obama was a fantastic leader, but a key identifier of his leadership was his followership. Election season is always analyzed in the United States, and broken down by demographic, and while Obama had the demographics common with his party he also had African Americans supporting him in waves. He fought stereotypes, and he and his wife both were powerful influences during their time in office. He got reelected and his charm never wavered.
Then Donald Trump was elected. Trump seemed to highlight everything Obama was not. Obama has a traditional nuclear family, while Donald Trump is on his 3rd wedding. Obama is polite and charming, Trump is outgoing and does not follow social rules. Where Obama speaks eloquently, Trump is inarticulate. But he was elected, and for the same reason Obama did- followership. Partly because of the hole left by Obama, and partly by his own follower-base.
As stated early Obama was a force. Besides his traditional credentials, he was a candidate who was young, cool, and energetic. And for African American voters, he brought hope and created faith in a system that wasn’t created to benefit them and often victimized them. It would be hard for anyone to replace him, but the fact that he was replaced by a more serious middle-aged white woman who was constantly criticized for her inability to seem ‘hip’ made the already growing deficit even deeper.
Donald Trump, in turn, was everything for the white lower class that Obama was for African Americans. For elections because of the electoral system, political parties tend to focus on highly-populated urban areas, and the rural lower-class got overlooked. Hot topics for urban areas like terrorism, immigration, sustainability, and social rights weren’t issues that often oversected with more isolated rural areas. Trump focused on this, giving a voice to those who felt overlooked. His less than educated speaking style worked well for a population of people who on average were less educated. He focused on the fact that he was an outsider in politics and instead knew how to run a business, which was appealing to those who felt taken advantage of and unrepresented by the more-than-wealthy governing class. He created a follower base that rivaled that of obama’s, and the Democrats didn’t have an answer. He took the presidency in 2016, and almost took the presidency in 2020, this time beated not by the followers of an opponent but in protest of himself.
While morality should always be the first thing considered, lessons can be learned from both of these men. Namely, that while leaders are a special type of people, functional leaders are only the product of their followers. There have been leaders that are Kings who have no followership that very quickly lose their crown. The relationship between a leader and their followers are invaluable, and while the flip from Barack Obama to Donald Trump in 2016 seems bizarre, the theories of their leadership and in turn the followership were actually more similar than you would think.
References
Hamel, R. (2021). Lesson 3: Followership
Wow! Great introduction, I really appreciate your take on this week’s content and also your personal anecdote of a very influential election. Obama was definitely a very charismatic and kind with a strong sense of power and influence throughout the US. He broke through the glass ceiling with his election and reelection and in some regards just by being a prominent African American in office. It was interesting to read your contrast between these two presidents, and you are absolutely right, Obama and Trump are clearly opposites in many ways and really their dynamic represents who we are as a country. These two opposing forces created a lot of change, both good and bad, within our boarders with power that comes from their enormous followership. I appreciate that you analyzed both of these presidents equally and shared their strengths as well as their limitations. Overall, you nailed this post! I really enjoyed reading this because you were concise and focused on how these leaders affected others and how their power grew in different ways. The subject of politics is always a slippery slope, but you found how to maintain your trajectory while focusing on the leadership aspect of these presidents.