Where can I find information about the public view of Barack Obama before the election?

October 25, 2011 11:39 PM

Where can I find information about the public view of Barack Obama before the election?

It has been three years since the election of Barack Obama and now we know a lot more about him as a president. But I have almost forgot how he was perceived before he was elected. I have looked in Time magazine and found some articles but I do not know if they are a good representation ( I am not American). I would be grateful for any further suggestions.

posted by furisto to Society & Culture (5 answers total)

You could look in the Metafilter archives - earliest post tagged with "Obama" there is from 2004.
posted by bubukaba at 11:47 PM on October 25, 2011

Wikipedia has a page for Obama's public image. You could skim the version from October 2008 for a generally evenhanded view.

Also, I posted a comment on election day rounding up Metafilter links to Obama's major public speeches -- you can browse those for the site's reaction to him at various turning points (announcing candidacy, the Reverend Wright rebuttal, accepting the nomination, etc.).

Some other in-depth articles to peruse:

Obama's Profile Has Democrats Taking Notice (Washington Post, June '06)

Obama, a first-term Democratic senator from Illinois, seems to be hitting the right notes these days. During Senate recesses, he has been touring the country at breakneck pace, basking in the sudden fame of a politician turned pop star. Along the way, he has been drawing crowds and campaign cash from Democrats starved for a fresh face and ready to cheer what Obama touts as "a politics of hope instead of a politics of fear."

Dreaming of Obama (NY Mag, September '06)

The junior senator from Illinois might take the country to a place it’s never been, past the baby boom, beyond race. To many Democrats, and even a lot of Republicans, the prospect is thrilling—but is it for real?

Goodbye to All That: Why Obama Matters (The Atlantic, December '07)

Is Iraq Vietnam? Who really won in 2000? Which side are you on in the culture wars? These questions have divided the Baby Boomers and distorted our politics. One candidate could transcend them.

The Obama Phenomenon (NY Times, January '08)

I was surprised all day Thursday, before the results of the Iowa caucuses were in, by the apparent serenity of the Obama forces here in New Hampshire. The stakes were enormous, but the campaign staff members and volunteers seemed as cool as the candidate. The students, veterans, middle-aged moms, retirees and others working steadily to make Barack Obama president seemed to accept as fact that the country is ready for profound change and that their job is to help make it happen.

And, of course, there are the political cartoons.
posted by Rhaomi at 12:27 AM on October 26, 2011

You might look for information from dates immediately following his keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention on July 27th. I remember becoming aware of him in the media for the first time after that appearance.
posted by illenion at 12:39 AM on October 26, 2011

The DNC speech in 2004 was what really convinced many people that he could be president. (A friend of mine who's a Republican told me Obama would be president someday after watching that.)
posted by miyabo at 6:33 AM on October 26, 2011

Look at the history of Wikipedia edits to his article. You will be able to trace his article from its very beginning. Here is the first article, when he was running for US Senate.
posted by massysett at 2:13 PM on October 26, 2011