Obama's "If you" Campaign Message

Being a responsible American citizen, I often read President Obama's speeches that he posts online for the voting public's reference (White House: Speeches & Remarks). Recently, I've noticed that the phrase:

"If you ..."

appears very often. Wondering if there is a common theme, I read through the past 100 speeches posted from July 4, 2012 to - July 26, 2012 and looked for occurrences of this phrase. The following is a summary of my findings.

Of the 100 speeches listed, 56 were titled as campaign speeches. Mr. Obama delivered 41 of them, and Michelle Obama delivered 15. Of the others, the topics were broad, ranging from wildfire and shooting visits, to sports, picnics, and awards. Two of the speeches were delivered by others: VP Joe Biden, and Mr Geithner.

All of the campaign speeches presented "if you" messages to the audience. The most frequent of these were:

• 107 times - "if you work hard ..." (variations: if you "are willing to work",  "apply yourself", "put in enough effort" ) 
• 31 times - "if you try ..."
• 26 times - "if you act responsibly ..." (variations: if you "take responsibility",  "are responsible", "meet your responsibilities" , "show responsibility" ) 
• 19 times - "if you've got health insurance ..." (variations: if you "are paying your policy" ) 
• 14 times - "if you don't have health insurance ..." (variations: if you "can afford",  "did have" )  
• 11 times - "if you get sick ..." (variations: if you "get a serious illness",  "got a preexisting condition", "are a senior" )  
• 15 times - "if you still believe (in me) ..."
• 6 times - "if you’re willing to stand with me ..." (variations: if you "stick with me" ) 

Other less frequent topics touched on:

• 5 times - "if you’re hurting ..." (variations: if you "have been unlucky", "have a string of bad luck", "don't have a job" )
• 2 times - "if you don’t want to help yourself ..." (variations: "if you’re irresponsible" )
• 3 times - "if you earn $250,000 or less ..." (variations: if you "are one of the 98%" )
• 4 times - "if you’ve been successful ..." (variations: if you "are wealthy",  "fortunate enough to be the other 2%" )
• 3 times - "if you can change .."

While there are many more "if you" references, most of those have been presented only once.

From this information, we can identify the Obama re-election campaign speech strategy.

Little of President Obama's message is definitive, highlighting his accomplishments or stating his vision and intentions. Instead, it is focused on the individual listeners. His message is that of a pastor, a fatherly shepard who is leading his flock. Do as I say. Live right, work hard, be responsible and try. 

If you do that,

"I will be re-elected".

Then, I can continue to live in the White House, travel on Air Force One, host extravagent parties, and take luxurous vacations.

If you do the right thing, the economy will get better. It's your fault that the economy is not in better shape. That is because you are not trying and working hard enough.

I am giving you hope. That is all the country needs.

SDS Port Huron 1962 Statement may reveal much of the Obama Agenda

Reading the "Port Huron Statement of the Students for a Democratic Society, 1962" may help to identify many of the governmental initiatives that President Obama has sought to implement and thereby change not only government, but American society as well.

Background
A great deal of quieted talk has touched the ties between President Barack Obama and Bill Ayers. Since we didn't know much about Ayers, we did some research. We found that that he is married to Bernardine Dohrn, and both were leaders of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). Ayers and Dohrn were then part of a group that split off of the SDS and was called the Weathermen (Weather Underground).  With that organization, they helped to facilitate arson attacks, explosions, and bombings in the early 1970's. They were arrested but all charges were later dismissed. The two are still married and live in Chicago.

Somewhere in the 1990's and early 2000's President Obama met David Axelrod and others who were friends and associates of Ayers and Dohrn.  With the help of David Axelrod, Mr. Obama became a community organizer, then Senator, and finally President of the United States.

So what about the Ayers / Dohrn connection I wondered? The SDS sought to change America and promoted a socialist agenda. And, President Obama is trying to fundamentally change America. Is there any connection?

Well, interestingly enough, we found the "Port Huron Statement of the Students for a Democratic Society, 1962" posted online by "Courtesy Office of Sen. Tom Hayden".

This is quite a lengthy dissertation asserting the beliefs, objectives, and goals of the SDS. You may read it by following the above link.

Excerpts
In this document, we read many of the concepts and policies that the Obama Administration is promoting.  As the President is running for re-election this year, he keeps repeating that his work is not complete. He does not reveal all that he intends for the United States, but perhaps the SDS Port Huron Statement will give us a hint. Below are a list of excerpts which we organized into various categories. These are all direct quotes from that document and were simply copied.

Hope and Change Motto

• ... the cheerful emptiness of people "giving up" all hope of changing things ...
• ... refusal to hope ...
• A new politics must include a revitalized labor movement; a movement which sees itself, and is regarded by others, as a major leader of the breakthrough to a politics of hope and vision.
• But fundamental social change -- that would ...
• The American political system is not the democratic model of which its glorifiers speak. In actuality it frustrates democracy by confusing the individual citizen, paralyzing policy discussion, and consolidating the irresponsible power of military and business interests.
• A new left must transform modern complexity into issues that can be understood and felt close-up by every human being. It must give form to the feelings of helplessness and indifference, so that people may see the political, social and economic sources of their private troubles and organize to change society. In a time of supposed prosperity, moral complacency and political manipulation, a new left cannot rely on only aching stomachs to be the engine force of social reform. The case for change, for alternatives that will involve uncomfortable personal efforts, must be argued as never before. The university is a relevant place for all of these activities.

On Building Infrastructure

• America should agree that public utilities, railroads, mines, and plantations, and other basic economic institutions should be in the control of national, not foreign, agencies.

On Health Care

• the Federal government should guarantee health insurance as a basic social service turning medical treatment into a social habit, not just an occasion of crisis, fighting sickness among the aged, not just by making medical care financially feasible

On Prisons

• Our prisons are too often the enforcers of misery. They must be either re-oriented to rehabilitative work through public supervision or be abolished for their dehumanizing social effects. Funds are needed, too, to make possible a decent prison environment.

On the Fair Share and Equality and the 1 percent

• The wealthiest one percent of Americans own more than 80 percent of all personal shares of stock. From World War II until th
• Freedom and equality for each individual, ...
• More important, the new emphasis on the vote heralds the use of political means to solve the problems of equality in America, ...

On Organizing

• The organizing ability of the peace movement thus is limited to the ability to state and polarize issues.

On Education, Liberals & Socialists

• Any new left in America must be, in large measure, a left with real intellectual skills, committed to deliberativeness, honesty, reflection as working tools. The university permits the political life to be an adjunct to the academic one, and action to be informed by reason
• A new left must include liberals and socialists, the former for their relevance, the latter for their sense of thoroughgoing reforms in the system. The university is a more sensible place than a political party for these two traditions to begin to discuss their differences and look for political synthesis.
• A new left must transform modern complexity into issues that can be understood and felt close-up by every human being. It must give form to the feelings of helplessness and indifference, so that people may see the political, social and economic sources of their private troubles and organize to change society
• ... Equal educational opportunity is an important part of the battle against poverty. ...
• Education is too vital a public problem to be completely entrusted to the province of the various states and local units.

On Disarmament

• Disarmament should be see as a political issue, not a technical problem
• Disarmament means a deliberate shift in most of our domestic and foreign policy
• - It will involve major changes in economic direction. Government intervention in new areas, government regulation of certain industrial price and investment practices to prevent inflation, full use of national productive capacities, and employment for every person in a dramatically expanding economy all are to be expected as the "price" of peace.
• - It will involve the simultaneous creation of international rulemaking and enforcement machinery beginning under the United Nations, and the gradual transfer of sovereignties -- such as national armies and national determination of "international" law -- to such machinery.
• - It will involve the initiation of an explicitly political -- as opposed to military -- foreign policy on the part of the two major superstates. Neither has formulated the political terms in which they would conduct their behavior in a disarming or disarmed world. Neither dares to disarm until such an understanding is reached.
• A - crucial feature of this political understanding must be the acceptance of status quo possessions. According to the universality principle all present national entities -- including the Vietnams, the Koreans, the Chinas, and the Germanys -- should be members of the United Nations as sovereign, no matter how desirable, states.

On Politics

• The American political system is not the democratic model of which its glorifiers speak. In actuality it frustrates democracy by confusing the individual citizen, paralyzing policy discussion, and consolidating the irresponsible power of military and business interests.

These are just excerpts from that document. We recommend that you read the entire document if you wish to learn more. Remember, these were written in 1962, forty years ago. However, they are just now being implemented.

References:

Weather Underground
Weatherman (aka Weather Underground)
Bill Ayers
Bernardine Dohrn
David Axelrod, Lefty Lumberjack