New Delhi: Four years ago, Barack Obama was politically unknown. But a brilliant, disciplined campaign has taken him to the world's top job.
Obama rejected federal funding for his campaign, but instead of huge donations from fat cats, he asked the ordinary Joe to power his campaign.
“We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give - $5 and $10 and $20 to this cause,” Obama said.
$650 million is what Obama finally raised – the most ever for a presidential election.
But it is noting surprising for someone who's got 1.5 million friends on MySpace and Facebook – six times more than John McCain.
With the help of Chris Hughes, a close friend, and one of the founders of Facebook, he developed a clean, simple and interactive website.
His army of campaign staff even bought ad-space in video games. Anyone who visited the Obama website was asked to contribute or volunteer, eventually attracting more than three million donors.
On Youtube, Obama has had two million hits in two days. In terms of Twitter or blogging on the phone, he has 45,000 users.
He sent e-mail updates explaining his policies in simple terms. No wonder 66 per cent of America's young, between 18-29 years, voted for Obama on Tuesday.
“It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy,” Obama said.
Brand Obama sold on a simple slogan – change. He promised change and Americans believed him. A rare personal charisma and some brilliant speeches complete the Obama package and his phenomenal run to the White House.
“This victory alone is not the change we seek, it is only the chance for us to make that change,” Obama said after his big win.
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