Mark, first, congratulations on picking Obama as the winner back in May. Why did Obama Win?

Romney never really had a chance because the Obama brand, created from 2004 to 2008, became one of the most powerful political brands in US history—built on a religion-like faith that’s more powerful than political or economic reality. His campaign received “Advertising Age’s” coveted “Marketer of the Year” award in 2008.

What about the stalled economy, Hurricane Sandy, or the alleged administrative missteps that led to the Benghazi killing of a US ambassador late in the campaign?

Only joblessness significantly tarnished Obama’s brand. About 40% of voters were going to support Obama regardless of the economy. So Obama told the additional 10% of voters that he needed for victory that the economy was improving. He preached hope, calling followers to continue to have faith in him. In my academic field, that’s known as “priestly propaganda”—telling people what they want to believe regardless of its veracity.

So the Obama victory was all about political branding?

Absolutely. Obama resurrected his pseudo-religious brand from 2008 and asked voters for more time to work his economic miracles. His criticisms of Romney late in the race were not designed to gain independent voters so much as to turn out Obama’s base. Obama needed to clarify that he was the godly candidate and Romney was the devilish candidate—hence, the class-warfare rhetoric about poor vs. rich.

What does 2012 teach us about presidential branding?

Both 2008 and 2012 show that presidential campaigns are increasingly “religious”—that candidates need a compelling creation story (where they came from and what they overcame in life), sacred words (like hope and belief), revival-like rallies, sacred icons (reverential images of the candidate), and saintly supporters (like Hollywood celebs and rock stars who publicly endorse the candidate) who testify to their faith in the candidate. I wrote “Charisma: Why Obama Will Beat Obama” in May, when it was clear from the primary battles that Romney’s campaign didn’t understand the religious aspects of presidential branding.

Interview with Mark Edward Taylor, author of Charisma: Why Obama Will Beat Romney, published in May 2012. Interviewed by Quentin J. Schultze, Professor of Communication at Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI.

“And from the heart of the Power of Life, when the time was expedient and the time was right, about 2000 years after the birth of Jesus. . .there came the fulfillment of the hopes and dreams of centuries: Barack Hussein Obama, born of a virgin, young in age. The virgin’s name was Ann. and the man she was betrothed to was from the east of Africa. And the child they had was given the name The One, the Blessing, the One who Confronts and wins the victory: Barack Hussein Obama, a Blessing for all peoples.” Excerpt from Mark  F. Bozzuti-Jones, The Gospel of Barack Hussein Obama According to Mark.

Spike Lee said President Obama “was a savior, black Jesus” when he first ascended to the Oval Office. When CNN’s Don Lemon asked him if Obama has lived up to his promises, Lee replied, “Look, I don’t care who it was. Expectations were way too high.”  The diminutive director added, “Look, the man’s not perfect. Who’s perfect?”

“We’re facing a tidal wave of anonymous, unlimited spending,” the e-mail read. “It’s unprecedented.”

But this message wasn’t about Obama racking up $5 trillion in new debt. And it wasn’t from another Romney CPAC hoping to raise money for the Republican challenger. The missive came straight from former president Bill Clinton warning that the GOP was out of control with their spending.

Clinton cautioned: “The other side has pledged to throw more than 1 billion dollars into tearing down our president.” The language echoed earlier Republican predictions about Obama’s campaign war chest.

Clinton wants me to donate to win a chance to join “An Evening with Two Presidents.” He says he ”can’t wait to meet” me.

Team Obama tweeted this photo of the president tossing a football in Chicago’s Soldier Field above the words “clear eyes, full hearts” on Monday. The tweet was a reference to the now defunct television show Friday Night Lights. On the show, a Texas high school football team routinely cheered “clear eyes, full heart, can’t lose!” before the start of each game. Many supporters tweeted back “can’t lose.”

Since the Obama campaign did not release a video of the pigskin toss, others responded with inevitable comparisons to the president’s pitching skills.

The kitchen table chat is a staple visual metaphor for politicians. In this photo, President Obama appears to be making a point to Val and Paul Keller. The couple recently refinanced their underwater mortgage under a federal program. The Kellers remain undecided about who to vote for—unlike their fruit basket forming Obama’s “O” logo in the background.

NBC has a 66-image photostream of Obama doing “regular guy” stuff: bowling, biking, and eating burgers. It’s titled “Just Your Average Joe-bama.”

President Obama is worth as much as $10 million, according to his annual financial disclosure statement.

President Obama was nicknamed “Black Jesus” by his former senior campaign adviser David Axelrod, according to Edward Klein’s new book, The Amateur (p. 59).

The Obama painting above—entitled “The Truth” by Michael D’Antuono—was scheduled to go on view in New York’s Union Station on the president’s 100th day in office in 2009, but the artist cancelled the showing after receiving a barrage of angry e-mails.

President Obama has routinely assumed the personas of former U.S. presidents. In this photo, Obama is channeling an iconic image of John F. Kennedy known as “The Loneliest Job.”
Now the Obama White House has “amended” JFK’s online biography—and the bios of many other of the past century’s U.S. presidents—with a closing “Did You Know?” section in an attempt to link their respective accomplishments to those of President Obama.

The Forrest Gumping of Obama immediately inspired a new Twitter hashtag craze: #ObamaInHistory. Additional visual “evidence” of Obama’s role in key historical events is available at the website Obama In History.

Edward Klein’s new book about Barack Obama, The Amateur, takes its title from an alleged quote by former President Bill Clinton. Calling Obama an “amateur” is only one of many stunning claims offered in Klein’s unauthorized biography.

But Clinton’s criticism of his wife’s earlier presidential rival is minor compared to allegations made by Rev. Jeremiah Wright during a three-hour interview recorded with the author. Here are a few of the allegations made by Obama’s former pastor, mentor, and close friend:

• Wright was offered $150,000 by a close Obama associate in exchange for his refusal to preach until after the 2008 election.
• “Church is not their thing. It was never their thing,” Wright said of the First Couple. He agreed with Klein’s observation that “the church was an integral part of his politics…because he needed that base.”
• Camp Clinton was complicit in capitalizing on Wright’s fiery rhetoric and paying black pastors to openly attack Wright.
• Obama “was selected before he was elected” and is now “accountable to the ones who selected him and who paid for him to be the president.”

Sean Hannity has interviewed Klein on his Fox News show and posted audio clips of the Wright interview up on his website. And Glenn Beck has offered Wright $150,000 for the cardboard box in which he apparently keeps more of Obama’s secrets.

Newsweek visually punctuates Obama’s support for gay marriage by updating his ubiquitous 2008 halo. The increasingly sensational periodical merges the divine floatation device with the rainbow colors of gay solidarity. Andrew Sullivan attempts to make the case that ”Obama’s life as a biracial man has deep ties to the gay experience” in the accompanying article.

President Obama launched his first official reelection campaign event in a half-empty arena at Ohio State University—the largest college in the crucial swing state—on Saturday. Mitt Romney’s campaign spokesman Ryan Williams released a view from the floor on Twitter and commented: “Not the ‘overflow’ crowd he promised.” The photo may have felt like payback for an embarrassing Romney rally pic at Michigan’s Ford Field that Obama supporters drew attention to back in January. Not surprisingly, the official Obama campaign video (see below) never pans the empty seats.

“Obamamania” swept college campuses four years ago when Obama’s 2008 campaign juggernaut developed a sense of community for voters through participation in its rallies and social media outlets. Team Obama expected the same level of excitement the second time around at OSU and Virginia Commonwealth University, according to ABC News. Organizers for Obama 2.0 had been ”touting the level of volunteerism and voter registration on the campuses ahead of the events.” They also integrated social media into the rally experience “much as they did at Invesco Field in 2008, by broadcasting selected tweets, Facebook posts and Instagram images on the big screens to boost interactivity and participation.”

Obama’s launch rally numbers—14,000 at OSU and 8,000 at VCU—were weaker than his early campaigning in 2008 and nowhere near the last months when attendance hit the stratosphere, spiking at 100,000 in Missouri three weeks before the election. Skeptics question whether Team Obama can repeat the phenomenon and invigorate that same level of enthusiasm and participation in the crucial months ahead.”You have to admit that four years ago he was exciting,” observed one GOP operative. “But now people have seen him in action for years, they are disenchanted.”

“I told you in 2008 I wouldn’t be a perfect man,” Obama reminded the faithful this weekend, “and I wouldn’t be a perfect president.” Many supporters, though, had expected perfection of the then-messianic candidate—which may be why Obama beseeched the crowd, ”I still believe in you. And I’m asking you to keep believing in me.”