Politico: "The Everywhere President"

Andie Coller writes an interesting article for Politico titled "The Everywhere President." 

In the piece, Coller writes: 

"In the midst of a severe recession, with two wars overseas, a new president is unavoidably going to be at the center of the news universe. Obama has taken this intense public interest to a new level -- encouraging a highly personalized, uncommonly intimate presidential image"

The article then presents several of the dangers of having a president who wants to be "the Oprah of politics", such as overexposure, or failing to balance the dignity of the highest office of the nation with the ordinary humanity of the individual holding the office. 

While those critiques are reasonable, one could also argue that in a democracy in the public diplomacy age, elections and policy-making are highly dependent on successful personal branding. 

In that sense, Obama and his team ought be concerned about effectively dominating the fluid public perception about him and his policies through every medium possible. If that requires having his image appear on everything from Men's Journal, to T-shirts, to Twitter, then so be it. 

More so, one could also argue that in the age of public diplomacy, leaders that are elected democratically will always have to be concerned with how they are personally perceived. Obama, for instance, cannot simply be understood by global audiences through his policies. The way individuals around the world consume and respond to his public image will always be influenced by his own personal narrative. 

Nonetheless, President Obama must be careful. As Public Relations teaches us, building a good reputation and personal brand can take a lot of effort, resources, and time; destroying that reputation can take only a second.