Prof. Daniel Drache Speaks at IIM Indore on Barack Obama's Stunning Victory

Prof. Daniel Drache Speaks at IIM Indore on Barack Obama's Stunning Victory

Mr. Daniel Drache is Professor of Political Sciences at York University, Toronto, Canada and also the Associate Director of the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies. author of the recently released book, "Defiant Publics: The Unprecedented Reach of the Global Citizen",

Professor Drache spoke to the participants and faculty at IIM Indore about Barack Obama's stunning victory in the recent US presidential elections.

Prof. Drache focused mainly on the importance of Web 2.0 and Facebook in the path to Obama's success. He spoke about the growth of managerialism in politics and how people across the world want a leader like Obama for "change". Speaking about the importance of discussion groups, chat rooms and virtual organizations on Facebook, he explained how Obama's campaign allowed people to get involved actively and how they became the generators of ideas and suggestions. These virtual modes of communicating with the public, helped create a clear choice for the Americans. Technology helped Obama reach the critical voters below the age of 30, and to win their hearts. This process was coordinated by paid staff across about 780 regional offices in the US. The campaign also included texting through cell-phone networks and e-mails as an important promotional component.

Prof. Drache described, with the help of empirical data, how public opinion had shifted over the past decade. The American population clearly felt that they were worse off from 8 years ago, when Bush had taken over the administration. Online polls had proved that Americans felt that Obama was the most probable candidate (even in comparison to ex-presidents) to bring about change and prosperity to USA. Prof. Daniel termed the public as defiant, which boldly resisted authority, and came to question it. It was the true rise of an egalitarian mind-set. He also mentioned that the recent victory of a black candidate proved the existence of politics of inclusion and diversity.

During the Q&A session, Prof. Drache mentioned that expectations from the public can never be "high" for a person like Obama; however, they may be "unrealistic" in terms of time-frame. His discussion touched upon how Obama would be able to address the ailing economy and whether the US president would eventually have to nationalize American banks. He also stated that one of the greatest litmus tests for his success would be whether he can deliver good healthcare services for US residents.

Prof. Drache felt that Obama was a true cosmopolitan from a diverse cultural background and a person who can grapple with complexity. However, he did feel that it would probably take a couple of years before we can actually comment on his performance.

Concluded.

Contributed by -
Media & Public Relations Committee,
IIM Indore.

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