“Hope” was the promise on which Obama ran his 2008 presidential campaign—a message that was both evocative and emotionally loaded for a nation engulfed in war, recession, and environmental crises. “Hope” shot a strong enough current through the American public to propel a candidate forward in an election year when change was wanted and desired. But how did a campaign founded on the inspiration of “Hope” convey that simple idea to a country at large?
