Barack Obama: The Rebirth of the Cool
There will be countless essays, columns, and blog posts in the days and weeks ahead, analyzing and deconstructing Barack Obama’s victory in the presidential race this week. We want to grasp the magnitude of it all, the surreal enormity of this change to the American political and societal landscape. Capturing it in words? Well, it’s a big job.
So let me focus here on just one cultural element of what it means to America and the world to have Barack Obama as our next president:
Cool is back.
Cool. The catch-all term for anything really good. Everybody uses it. (I think it was the third word my little twin boys ever said, right after mommy and daddy). The new iphone is cool. Those boots are totally cool. Your mom is really cool for letting you go to that concert.
But when I talk about Barack Obama, I’m going back to a different kind of definition of “cool.” Here are a few internet definitions for the term I came across:
“Cool is an aesthetic of attitude, behavior, comportment, appearance, style and Zeitgeist.”
“..marked by calm self-control (especially in trying circumstances.)”
And from a glossary of jazz terminology, cool is:
“The style of the early 50’s.. the basis was bebop, but the fastest tempos were not used and the sound was quiet and understated. Miles Davis was one of the main originators.”
Hmmm.. Put those three together, and it sounds like Barack Obama to me.
There aren’t many presidents who would wear the “cool” label very well. Bill Clinton was charismatic as president, but he wasn’t cool. John F. Kennedy is the most obvious choice, but he came from a rich and powerful family, and his public persona arguably came more from celebrity than it did coolness.
But Obama? He comes from regular folks. His “aesthetic” seems to stem from his intellect and his experiences, not as an adjunct to being suddenly famous. We’ve had 19-months to judge his behavior, comportment, and self-control in trying circumstances, and I think he passed. Even on appearance and style, he finished with a kick. The man wears a leather jacket well, and if he was tired last night after two years of non-stop traveling and non-stop pressure, I sure couldn’t tell.
In one sense, Obama’s cool could also be seen as one of his weaknesses. After all, “cool” is colder than “hot,” and I think some voters didn’t connect with him because his calm came off as aloof. We also want to see some raw passion, sometimes even some anger, in our leaders. There will be plenty of time for that in the next four years, I suppose. But even his placid and cool façade melts when you see him with his wife and daughters, and I think being smart and composed doing your business, and then delighted and happy when you’re with your kids is…. well, very cool.
But the jazz aspect of cool applies best to Obama. Read it again: the fastest tempos not used (I’m personally sick of the fast tempos of the past eight years), and the sound is quiet and understated. Miles Davis popularized it, with his late 40’s masterpiece album, “The Birth of the Cool.”
Quiet and understated. Calm self-control. The ability to keep an even keel in a crisis. Sounds like a promising prescription for these times. I was so impressed by the way he took the stage last night for his victory speech in Chicago. In the white hot spotlight of the world, after a stupendous victory that was unimaginable six months ago, he was completely self-possessed. It’s almost like a football player who just scored a big touchdown. I half-expected an end zone celebration, an in-your-face to all the people who said it couldn’t be done. But that didn’t happen at all. President-elect Obama, to keep the touchdown metaphor for a moment longer, didn’t do a crazy, attention-getting dance. He calmly flipped the ball to the referee, and got ready for the next play.
Cool is reborn. This is going to be interesting.
Comments: 14
Hello Jim,
I really like this blog. I agree Obama is surely cool and I think he does wear that label well. I am so glad he won the election because now America will see a change.
Hello Jim,
I really like this blog. I agree Obama is surely cool and I think he does wear that label well. I am so glad he won the election because now America will see a change.
Hello Jim,
I really like this blog. I agree Obama is surely cool and I think he does wear that label well. I am so glad he won the election because now America will see a change.
Hello Jim,
I really like this blog. I agree Obama is surely cool and I think he does wear that label well. I am so glad he won the election because now America will see a change. I too loved the speech he made. You could just see the happiness and passion in his eyes for this ooportunity.
Hello Jim,
I really like this blog. I agree Obama is surely cool and I think he does wear that label well. I am so glad he won the election because now America will see a change. I too loved the speech he made. You could just see the happiness and passion in his eyes for this ooportunity.
Perfectly stated! Great analogy!
I'm ready for a cool change!
Very well said. As I watched last night, first in complete jaw-dropped awe of the entire evening, I thought look at this man's walk. They say you can tell a lot from a man's walk. It was confidence and humility and power and wisdom and victory and, and... You said it cool. I considered what a nice balance is represented in this one being. After reading your blog I can certainly understand the reference to Miles Davis' Birth of A Cool.
why there were three same posts??
Anyway, although I don't like him as an "ultra liberal", I got to admit this is indeed a historical moment for a black guy to be a president, since America's political area had long been a mostly white people's place. I still don't quite use to seeing a black guy as president, since it has always a white guy's place until now.
But, despite this, don't get too excited. It is still a mostly white people's place. This situation may change, but will take a long time.
On the other hand, I don't think McCain lost because of his age. I think he lost is because of the Reps messed up, big time. So they are not only lost the president's seat, but also lost huge in congress to the Dems. Back in 06 they lost a little, but this time they really screwed up. For McCain, not only Bush is a dead weight (he is not hidden for no reason), but also for the whole Reps.
Also, like some others said, Obama has a clear theme: "change" right in the beginning, McCain got none.
Hi Jim,
I think you nailed the essential ingredient of the cult of personality that surrounds Mr. Obama! He is already known as THE COOL PRESIDENT and he's not yet even in office! I have read today of Vladimir Putin's possible return to full power within the next year. Our new President's demeanor could then be put to good use in negotiation with that old KGB guy - known for his own deadpan brand of "cool". Hey, that should be one COOL summit!
So much for objective journalism.Jim you are another media cheerleader.How disapointing.
Word!
Dylan, thank you for reading the blog and responding.
You'll have to tell me what it is you perceive as "cheerleading" to note the persona of a public figure. I don't necessarily think it's a partisan act to comment that Barack Obama carries himself in a calm and low key way... fitting some of the definitions of "cool" as that term became popularized 50 years ago.
When George W. Bush became president, commentators widely noted his informal bearing and nature. At that time, many observers and supporters found that to be one of his strong suits.
they weren't wrong, and neither were they necessarily partisan. It suited the times. Now things feel different, and I'm just saying it's interesting seeing how time and change (that's a shout out to my Ohio State-loving mom and dad!) have shifted the public's mood, making a candidate with Obama's exterior qualities more electable.
Having said that... yes, I said it sounded like a "promising prescription for these times." And I'll stand by that.
He's cool because:
He's about class not crass!
It's been a long time since I have felt 'joy' - what an exhilarating feeling!
Dylan, this is a blog. Why wouldn't Jim be able to state his opinion even if he wanted? I presume like yourself he's a taxpaying citizen of the United States entitled to opinions.