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The Identity Circle Blog
An identity for Obama
Posted By: Larry Ackerman on May 07, 2008 @ 02:50 AM
“What identity could Barack Obama choose that will be both sincere and successful?” This is the opening line of a recent article from Chron.com entitled, The Search for an Identity that works for Barack Obama.My answer? The one he was born with. Politics labors under the weight of its obsession with “becoming” something or someone other than who you already are. Why? What’s wrong with being yourself?
Whether it’s Barack Obama, or Hillary Clinton or John McCain, these people have identities that are at the core of how they might create value as president of the United States. It would be a gift to us all, if they’d share these with us. They should be themselves and show themselves. It would change the nature of the race and, broadly, writ, the nature of politics. (It would also put a lot of polling people out of business.)
Absent such courage, politics remains the land of no integrity—a place where what “you” want is what “I” must become in order to succeed. I have often imagined a system where the dynamics of genuine identity played a central role. But, then, maybe such a system would have to be branded something other than “politics.” Maybe such a system would spark, in fact, the next American revolution.
Comments
Absolutely true! I would also add that our current political trends are not driven by the candidates. They are driven by the people and the media. Most candidates who do not play the political game and who are unguarded and open about their identities end up cutting room floor. Why? Because the other candidates go after them and the media covers it more than they cover the genuine candidate. And why do they do that? Because too many of our citizens love drama more than truth. They want to be entertained, not educated. And that, I believe, is a growing epidemic that will be tough to turn. But if it is to turn, it must begin with each group - the people, the media, and the candidates.
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About Me
Name:
Larry Ackerman
Location:
Connecticut, United States
My career has been about helping organizations and individuals discover their uniqueness and potential,and then bringing that potential to life in ways that dramatically enhance their performance, impact and reputations.
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Agreed. Until the candidates become adept at making their own identities clear, the public, through the generally wretched filter of the media, is forced to try and guess at a candidate’s identity. ADVICE TO CANDIDATES: If you don’t get to that immutable part of yourself, your identity as Ackerman has so brilliantly explained, and make it explicit to others, then your voters will be obligated to making their best guess about what your identity really is. And I guarantee, they will get it wrong most of the time.