I’d like to offer an alternative interpretation of Barak Obama’s recent reinvention of the presidential seal.

 

Even as an admitted Obama supporter, I’m not entirely thrilled with this new icon.  However, in support of my choice for president, I wanted to provide a little balance to Patrick Davis’ recent reading.

Many people feel that Obama’s ideas around change are a threat not only to entrenched special interest, but also the stability of our definition of the United States of America.  On the fringes of the political spectrum, some forecast his assassination, while others are stockpiling munitions and canned goods for the revolution that will take place shortly after his inauguration. 

Though extreme, these fears speak to power; millions of formerly apathetic Americans feel that everything is up for grabs in this election.  They are right, and Obama’s reinvention of the presidential seal reinforces this notion.

A seal carries with it the authority of an office and authenticity of the message.  Obama’s decision to go with a reinvented presidential seal sends a message that nothing is sacred.  In parody comes power.  Who owns these symbols, these seals?  Is the government not in service of the people?  If we own them, yes, we can change them.  It’s not play acting in the slightest, it’s an icon that represents the clear vision of where we’re going.

Changing the presidential seal is much different than changing the American flag.  While counter-culture groups and anarchists have enjoyed inversions and desecrations of the U.S. flag, Obama has instead focused on the seal of the office which has been associated for at least the past eight years with wholesale deceit, abuse of public trust, and a reckless consolidation of power.   

Compare Obama’s seal with the real McCoy: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The authority of the official seal, trimmed in gold and thick with navy blue, is replaced instead by a light blue and white reminiscent of those hues found in architectural drawings.  It suggests a blueprint, i.e. what our plans are for the future. 

The original seal features not a flag, but a shield which reads as defense from attack, or in more recent memory, the arrogant protection from scrutiny.  Obama’s seal has replaced this shield with his own campaign icon embracing transparency—the land fashioned from the flag’s stripes with an open view of the horizon.   

In Obama’s seal, “United States” has been replaced by “America,” a linguistic turn which trends towards a common nation, rather than aggregate territories. 

Is this move presumptuous?  Absolutely.  But those who tend to reach their goals often employ a strategy in which they act as if they are already living the life the aspire to have.  “Fake it ‘till you make it,” has pulled a number of people up the ladder in the bootstrap myth of America.  People naturally feel threatened by those who go after their goals with the sort of vigor that Obama has in this election. 

I expect there will be plenty of vocal critics ahead, and they are vital to democratic conversation.  But I’m also confident Obama will be able to walk the fine line between vision and arrogance.  Frankly, the sooner he’s acting like a president, the sooner he’ll be president.

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