Obama, the Youth and the Web

Many have already given their thoughts about how and why Barack Obama won, so let me cover the victory from a slightly different perspective. We'll make it relevant not just to the Philippines, but especially to our youth. Let's begin by comparing the mood between Obama's victory night and the day George W. Bush was re-elected, four years ago.

One caused buoyant cheering all around the world; the other made everyone shake their heads and wondered whether democracy still worked.

When George Dubya got re-elected, young people like California student James Zetlen erected websites like Sorry Everybody to say sorry to the world. “I wanted to apologize for not doing enough for the election,” said Zetlen in a news interview. The youth remembered their mistake this time and made sure that it would not be repeated in 2008.

Where Bush's win deflated our mood, Obama's victory gave our flagging spirits a much-needed boost. His rise to the Presidency is inspiring because of the obstacles he had to hurdle in order to win. More important for us, his victory is a demonstration of how the youth could make a difference.

Obama is the fifth youngest American president. His being "young" and "inexperienced" was a major issue raised against him, first by Hilary Clinton and then by John McCain. Both opponents failed on this strategy. What they did not realize was that young, educated Americans resonated with Obama's ideas. Obama had audacious plans for solving America's problems. He wanted to pour money on businesses that will develop alternative energy. He wanted to give health care for everyone. He emphasized peace rather than war. And he said that change began from each and every citizen.

These strategies were brash, unpopular to the status quo and therefore needed lots of courage to say out loud. It probably explains why Republicans and other traditional thinkers stayed away from them. Yet, ironically, they were just what the youth and "the New America" were looking for.

Inspired that change could actually be done, young people went out, contributed money and volunteered their time for the Obama campaign. They knocked on doors and talked to people about important issues and how Obama planned to solve them. They were active on the web and other new forms of communication. Young people were living the change.

I teach a Leadership course to MBA students at Ateneo. And I often point out to students that leadership is about inspiring people so that they will rise up and take control of their own destiny. The Obama campaign clearly demonstrated this. Obama's speeches focused on issues and delivering inspiring messages (one of their slogans was "Yes, We Can!". On the other hand, McCain constantly tried to attack Obama's personality (he kept on asking, "Do we really know Barack Obama?"). Observers have also commented on how McCain's campaign machinery broke down due to infighting, while Obama's volunteers slowly marched on from a seemingly impossible start to a glorious finish.

Just chew on this: McCain was a highly popular Senator who was known for surviving a Vietnamese prison, a constant guest of Jay Leno and had a well-oiled political party. Obama was an unknown Senator with low chances of winning (Clinton was the more popular Democratic candidate).

But he inspired the youth and the youth responded and acted. Our history reflects this lesson. Andres Bonifacio, Jose Rizal and other Filipino revolutionaries were all in their 20s at the peak of their lives. When young people set their minds to something, no amount of obstacles and nay-saying can stop them.