Is this History or just a good story?

First, I have to say that I'm glad and relieved that Barack Obama of The Bright Smile won...because it means that McCain/Palin ticket, that scary joke, failed. Lesser of the two evils, you know...

Obama was too much conservative and religious to be my cup of tea, even though I acknowledge the fact he sounds intelligent, level-headed, articulate, which is far better than what we've seen in the U.S lately (or than the silly President France elected last year...*sigh*). He does have qualities, so it's a breath of fresh air after 8 years of Bush administration, but, as a left-wing person I don't delude myself.

Obama simply revived a certain Democrat tradition(perhaps more F.D Roosevelt-like than J. F Kennedy-like), was obviously Wall Street candidate, and I doubt there will be much of a change for the poorest. To think that some ultra-conservative Americans considered him a leftie! From our standards in here, he's a centrist (no wonder that he got 95% in France!)leaning to the right. And he will serve American interests first and foremost. So I think that Obama is doomed to disappoint, especially outside of America.

It isn't that I want to rain on everybody's parade and play the cynic – after all the election of President Barack Obama may do some good in his country and abroad, if only by reconciling the world to America or changing some attitudes in our old European political parties–it's just that it's interesting to analyze what just happened.

Actually I am not surprised that he won. His campaign was good while his rival's was not. Obama played the card of the American dream, using all the key elements from the American mythology (the freedom, the frontier and the melting-pot)...which was exactly what America needed at the moment. Bush had become a shame, Obama could be an American pride. He's the spiritual son of an inspiring threesome, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Martin Luther King and Ronald Reagan !

One of my friends, commenting on how Europeans were into the campaign, said that watching the American election was like watching a good tv show. I think that her remark was spot-on.

There're several interesting books explaining very well how American politics is based on the principles of storytelling, and how our politicians in Europe are following the trend (Sarkozy, for instance, learnt it and put it into practice very well. ). Storytelling management is the new smart thing; for a few years it has been an important training in business schools. Stephen Denning, who wrote A Fable of Leadership Through Storytelling (2004) and co-wrote Storytelling in Organizations: Why Storytelling Is Transforming 21st Century Organizations and Management, is one of his gurus.

Actually storytelling is everywhere now, especially on the web, through social networks and blogs...where we are the story. But I'm digressing...

For years advertising executive, spin doctors, and, above all, Hollywood writers have been hired to work in politics, to use the storytelling methods in the political field, not only for campains but also for term of office, in order to conceal problems. Stories slowly took the place of articulate argument.

I believe it really started with Bill Clinton (but let's not forget that Reagan was an actor once upon a time, and came from Hollywood...).

"I grew up in the pre-television age, in a family of uneducated but smart, hard-working, caring storytellers. They taught me that everyone has a story. And that made politics intensely personal to me. It was about giving people better stories."

-President Bill Clinton

The problem with storytelling is that it may backfire (you know like the Irak episode, or lately the story of Joe The Plumber)...unless you have a fresh one to take the citizens' mind off the current issue. Media always need fresh meat, more stories (Chomsky, where are you?). One story must always chase the old one away.

In January 1985, Reagan talked about American heroes in his speech to the Congress, just like Obama in several speeches of his this year. Reagan used Jean Nguyen at the time, and started a pattern. In 1991, Colin Powel was introduced by Bush as « A great American story... »

For a long time, the Bush administration was a pretty efficient storyteller...until reality, finally, imposed itself and screwed its story up.

McCain, the wounded veteran, the Maverick, had a good story to tell but it was...dated, and he made the mistake of Bush-ifying himself during the campaign, the G.O.P not getting that that story was over. Palin also had a good story (there's a rumour that it was Obama's first words when he heard about her being picked, interesting...)but part of the story she told, scared some people out, making them switch over another programme.

Obama definitely offered, and is telling, the best story. He won because he was the best storyteller.

How long before reality screws it up?