Until President Obama was first elected in 2008, every President of the United States had been white, but somehow Obama was able to turn this fact on its head in 2008, but how? While we must give obvious credit to President Obama for his intelligence, his persona, his commitment, his education, his adult background, and his political team, he would not have become our 44th President of the United States, if it had not been for those that helped to blaze the trail for him.
For instance, the first black presidential candidate for office, that was at least accorded some mainstream respect was the 7-time congresswoman from New York, Shirley Chisholm, who took a run at the presidency in 1972, to which her campaign really never got much traction, yet she was noticed, received 28 delegates in total, and at a minimum was a voice that was heard. In 1980s, the Reverend Jesse Jackson with his rainbow coalition, twice made valiant attempts to take down the Democratic nomination for the presidency, to which in 1988, after his Michigan primary win, he was frontrunner in delegates pledged, ahead of Michael Dukakis, further Jackson consistently polled either first or second in delegation contests, winning outright 11 states, and although Jackson would ultimately fall short of becoming the Democratic presidential nominee, yet his run proved the legitimacy of his candidacy.
Another factor that was very important to Obama and to his ultimate success was his media coverage, but not just your traditional television news programs, newspapers, and the internet, but the media also of films and mainstream television. For example, in the 1990s there were two successful films that portrayed the President as being black which were the Fifth Element and Deep Impact. In 2001, Fox brought out its very successful television series, 24, with Kiefer Sutherland in the lead role, while the black actor Dennis Haysbert played the President with a commanding voice, who was also seen as decisive, determined, fair, and effective. These positive commercial media portrayals of blacks in the position of the Chief Executive for the United States were of incalculable benefit for breaking through preconceived barriers.
Finally, there is the general fact that women are more likely to vote in general, more likely to vote democratic and are consequently more liberal in not only their general viewpoints, but are also more liberal in seeing the character of a person, as opposed to the simplicity of judging a person by the color of a man's skin. Additionally, as time has marched on, the complexion of the voting population has seen declines in the percentage of white voters, and increases in the percentage of minority voters in general, and in particular, people of color. Also, for many years, blacks have been significantly underrepresented as voters in America, but over the last two generations, their registration numbers have increased significantly.
All of these factors are plausible reasons as to why Obama was first elected President in 2008, and together these were the base that Obama was able to build upon to create and to become our first black President. Now President Obama, by virtue of having become our first President of color, has for all-time opened up new vistas for people that do not fit the traditional color or complexion or creed that is identified with America. Instead he has impressed upon us, that this is a country for all Americans, and helped America to live up to its high principles that we are all created equal by our Creator.