Cross-Cultural Blog

I absolutely agree that the percentage of Obama supporters in the Middle East where far greater than those of McCain and that was due to the messages and promises they each transmitted to people through their campaigns. But November fourth has passed and Obama won and he is now “president elect” Barack Obama whose slogan was: “In change we believe”. As much as I would like to believe in change for us I don’t think that Obama’s main concern would be the Middle East, but rather his own country of course. With America currently going into a recession, which is something that will affect the entire world, my guess is that Barack Obama’s change would concentrate on internal rather than external affairs. However, I think that Obama’s slogan hit a nerve with the American public; because the Americans were for eight years numbed by Bush’s actions and decisions, a change then was all they wished for, so let us hope that the change they seek is the change Obama will give them. McCain on the other hand had a slogan that did not appeal to me as much “country first”. As much as he wanted to transmit his love for his country to people, it seemed more of a controlling stand that didn’t involve the people, but involved the U.S.A as a name and power. Although I was not with McCain’s campaign, I do not agree about the point that “McCain could make an irrational war decision because he stayed in war after he was injured”. Being a war hero doesn’t make you bad or irrational, because if it did then we wouldn’t all be proud of our war heroes. Our president in Egypt is a war hero; however, he insisted on more than one occasion that he hates war and during his very long time span as president, Egypt has not gone into war except to support Kuwait in 1990’s gulf war. John McCain’s whole campaign was based on the hero figure he strived to be and the “I will do anything for my country” vibe, it was supposed to bring him popularity among the American people, but apparently not as much as he wished.

First, i want to thank you for that nice analysis of the two slogans. then, i have some comments about what i felt when i saw these slogans.
About MaCain's slogan, it is short and the mission statement seems to be wide. Also, it shows a new J.W.Bush with the same mistake about thinking firstly in the US without considering any relations and the image of the country all over the world.
Obama's slogans was just so perfect, it touches every one and shows the clear vision of Obama. he sees that the Country needs a real change supported by believers. And I believe in change.

I totally agree with what you say as it is a great controversial issue concerning the American presentational elections. The logo reflects the strategy that this certain president will pursue if he wins the elections. Obviously, McCain, as being a former war veteran, totally believes that his country is in the first rank and for its sake he would do any thing. On the other hand, Obama loves the Middle East, as it appeared in his speeches, and he would put the problem of the occupation of Iraq in consideration and would settle some peace negotiations between Palestine and Israel. However, we did not see any new steps done until this moment, but we will wait and see

I totally agree with what you say as it is a great controversial issue concerning the American presentational elections. The logo reflects the strategy that this certain president will pursue if he wins the elections. Obviously, McCain, as being a former war veteran, totally believes that his country is in the first rank and for its sake he would do any thing. On the other hand, Obama loves the Middle East, as it appeared in his speeches, and he would put the problem of the occupation of Iraq in consideration and would settle some peace negotiations between Palestine and Israel. However, we did not see any new steps done until this moment, but we will wait and see

I totally agree with what you say as it is a great controversial issue concerning the American presentational elections. The logo reflects the strategy that this certain president will pursue if he wins the elections. Obviously, McCain, as being a former war veteran, totally believes that his country is in the first rank and for its sake he would do any thing. On the other hand, Obama loves the Middle East, as it appeared in his speeches, and he would put the problem of the occupation of Iraq in consideration and would settle some peace negotiations between Palestine and Israel. However, we did not see any new steps done until this moment, but we will wait and see

Now after Obama won, it is clear that McCain’s slogan did not attract many people’s attention. People want peace by now, it was obvious that after everything they went through while Bush was the president, they won’t vote for someone who supports Bush’s policies. When McCain used the slogan “country first” he didn’t think that people will be against him since he was a soldier before and didn’t want to leave the war even when he was extremely injured. This leads to the conclusion that he is a supporter of wars and that’s not what the people want right now.
It was also obvious that Obama will win the elections because people are not only looking for peace but looking for changes too. Obama promised that he will make changes in the country and he used the slogan “In change we believe" as a support. He gave hope to the people and that is what the people need to hear after facing 8 years of Bush. He chose the right words to use to win the people’s attraction and interest.

Being completely biased since I have never wanted to see Bush in office from the beginning, Obama's slogan was much more powerful and effective than McCain's slogan. It has now been 8 years that I have wanted to see a change. I also felt his slogans were more effective because they were aimed for the people, really sparking a sort of revolution for the sad state of affairs we are currently facing and have gotten ourselves into, being that his slogans focused on hope and change. McCain's slogans just focused on "Country first" which in my mind completely ignored the international community. We do need to focus on our country, true, however, it also led me to believe that the next 4 years with him would be dreadfully similar to those past 8 years we just survived. Those past 8 years of doing what we want and what we think is best, instead of considering the consequences on others by our actions, which in turn also hurts our country.
I also think Obama's "Yes We Can" really helped to unite people in a manner that McCain's slogan just could not do. Clearly, with the results of the election, Obama's uniting and promising slogans were more effective in bringing people out to the elections to vote for him. This was also an interesting election because this election had the highest voter turnout the United States in recent history. Now its only a matter of time to see if Obama will make his slogans a reality.

Being completely biased since I have never wanted to see Bush in office from the beginning, Obama's slogan was much more powerful and effective than McCain's slogan. It has now been 8 years that I have wanted to see a change. I also felt his slogans were more effective because they were aimed for the people, really sparking a sort of revolution for the sad state of affairs we are currently facing and have gotten ourselves into, being that his slogans focused on hope and change. McCain's slogans just focused on "Country first" which in my mind completely ignored the international community. We do need to focus on our country, true, however, it also led me to believe that the next 4 years with him would be dreadfully similar to those past 8 years we just survived. Those past 8 years of doing what we want and what we think is best, instead of considering the consequences on others by our actions, which in turn also hurts our country.
I also think Obama's "Yes We Can" really helped to unite people in a manner that McCain's slogan just could not do. Clearly, with the results of the election, Obama's uniting and promising slogans were more effective in bringing people out to the elections to vote for him. This was also an interesting election because this election had the highest voter turnout the United States in recent history. Now its only a matter of time to see if Obama will make his slogans a reality.

The differences between the slogans that you have pointed out seemed to have had decisive ramifications as far as the election outcomes were concerned. "Change" and "believing" were things that everyone could (and still can) latch on to and relate to. "Change" is also a vague enough term that different people can interpret it in different ways--maybe Obama means change for the U.S., change for the Middle East, change in healthcare policy, or change in all of the above. McCain's slogan, on the other hand, was much less open to interpretation, and so restricted his support to those who specifically believe in putting the United States first. Not, it seems, the best way to gain international support (or even support from Americans).

I agree with the original poster and some of the commenters that Obama's more generalized slogan was a wise choice. John McCain apparently failed to realize the potential negative associations with "Country First." In the months after September 11, this would have been a more apt slogan due to the dramatic increase in nationalism and outward patriotism.
However, times have changed and many Americans are humbled and embarrassed by their government's actions in promoting this "Country First" policy. At this point, we are looking to regain international respect. To do that, we have to be willing to relinquish some sovereignty and pride in order to cooperate globally (ratifying the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, anyone?). In these circumstances, the slogan "Country First" seems boarheaded and stubborn - a continuation of the failed Bush ideology. The McCain campaign would have been wiser to adopt a slogan that did not carry connotations of zealous nationalism.

While I understand that Obama's slogan would be more appealing to an international crowd than a patriotic slogan like "Country First," I think it's a slight overreaction to be worried simply because of his campaign motto. While I certainly agree more with Obama's foreign policy than McCain's, I don't think McCain's slogan reflects negatively on his foreign policy. While Bush said thoughtless things like "crusade" when referring to the invasion of Iraq, McCain does not have religious motivations (or excuses).

McCain's slogan also applies to more than our country's national security. In the economic crisis we face today, both candidates called for all Americans to come together to overcome our troubles, in a kind of patriotic act. In addition "Country First" was meant to contrast with Obama, whom the McCain campaign portrayed as unamerican and dangerous.

Finally, and possibly most importantly, McCain's slogan was meant to remind voters of his past military service. While the posters here seem to consider his heroism a sign of insanity, claiming "a man who volunteered to stay an fight instead of going back home could at any time engage an irrational decision and provoke a war at any time," I see this as a gross exaggeration and oversimplification. Bravery in battle does not indicate mental instability.

Again, while I do agree with Obama's foreign policy, and I see how a motto like "Country First" can be scary to people outside the United States (especially considering the last presidential administration), I disagree with the statement that this slogan shows how dangerous John McCain would be for the international community.

As you all knew that Obama won the American elections, there is no doubt that his slogan works. His slogan was "In change we believe" .It is better than McCain's one as no one hates change. Change is needed everywhere. The generalization of his slogan helps Obama to attract many people to vote for him which is completely different from McCain's one which just attracted few people because his slogan was so specific and did not have varieties. The slogan was "Country first". Of course, every president likes to see the country that he is ruling in the best situation. However, there are other issues that are also crucial to be looked at and that is what Obama did. Some of these issues are supporting women and giving them their rights and I think that this is one of the main reasons that enabled Obama to win.