Throughout Obama's campagin, hope has been the headline of his ideas. I see an average of 5,432,980 shirts a day with the word "HOPE" printed under Obama's face. But what does he mean by "hope"? Is no hope at all better than false hope? Studies show that prisoners who are sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole are generally happier and more successful than those who have a chance for parole, most likely because they know they have to make the most of it. Does hope just make people lazy?

As Obama told New York Times reporter Michael Powell “Hope is not blind optimism.” Pause. “Hope is not sitting on the sidelines or shirking from a fight.” Pause. “Hope is that thing inside of us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that there is something greater inside of us.” 

Hope is not just assessing a situation for what it is, but assessing it for what it can be. That is the flagship of Obama's campaign. This is also a major theme in many religions, especially Christianity, from which Obama hails. Hope and finding happiness is also a cornerstone of Buddhism. In fact, the primarily Buddhist country of Bhutan measures its "Gross National Happiness", much like America measures Gross National Product. Perhaps Obama hopes for a new America that is centered around happiness and success measured by the people rather than by the economy.

Obama's ideology of hope was first recognized when he gave a speech addressing the Democratic National Convention in 2004.

"Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or a politics of hope? John Kerry calls on us to hope. John Edwards calls on us to hope. I'm not talking about blind optimism here -- the almost willful ignorance that thinks unemployment will go away if we just don't talk about it, or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it. No, I'm talking about something more substantial. It's the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs; the hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores; the hope of a young naval lieutenant bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta; the hope of a millworker's son who dares to defy the odds; the hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too. Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope!"

From this speech and idea came Obama's popular book The Audacity of Hope. Obama's promise of hope has spanned from books to speeches to campaign slogans, and he has built up enthusiasm and optimism in the American people: an idea which has especially inspired young people. In doing this, Obama has set himself up both for success and failure. His promises of hope could help him win the election, but if he wins and fails to deliver all he has pledged, the American people will be very let down. Part of this has been built up even more by celebrities and advocaters of the Senator. Artists such as Will.i.am and John Legend produced the song "Yes We Can", with lyrics overlapping words from Obama's speeches:


 

 

But to either affirm his success or failure, Obama must first get into the White House, and we'll see how that goes on November 4th.

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