Barack Obama and the Politics of Inclusion

Barack Obama may be able to appeal to a wide spectrum of voters. He is a man, and thus fits the patriarchal paradigm, unlike Hillary Clinton. He is neither black, nor white, but both, and thus, it would seem, he appeals to both. He is neither very young (though young by American presidential standards), nor is he very old, unlike his Republican counterparts: and thus, perhaps, appeals to both. He hails from none of the extremes of the country — the South, the East Coast, and the West Coast, all, in their own ways, radically different from eachother in attitudes, culture, and politics — but from the Midwest, that vast stretch of land that most East and West Coasters tend to think of as boring, but which perhaps strikes a delicate middle ground between what could be called the extremes of traditionalism and progressivism, liberal and conservative (although typically conceived of as the hotbed of farmer politik, it is also, many a liberal Midwesterner will be quick to remind you, the home of Chicago and Madison). Although he may be viewed as almost unusually liberal compared to most of what the Democratic party has churned out in the past decades, he speaks with a moderate tone, one that seems assured that harmony can be found between those in opposition.

Is this the new face of American politics? Whether Obama wins or not, the combination of he and Clinton seems to represent a water-mark in American politics. Neither candidate is typical, and both seem to differ from what has gone before in many respects. What both have in common is that they are appealing to a larger audience than the Democratic party has in previous elections; they represent, on some level at least, women, blacks, anti-war advocates. By extension, they strike a chord with the aching feeling that many Americans have been feeling — the feeling that a majority has been treated like a minority. That the oppressed has become the majority. That the voices of minorities no longer means just African-Americans, Mexicans, and that paradoxical majority-minority, women.

So, it would seem that Obama is including. But, is he transcending? Is he going beyond the stagnant political structures, or is he simply a mastermind strategist? Or is this all part of his master plan — to appeal to as many voters as possible, in order to clear a way for a more evolved political dynamic in the White House?