Obama's logo

Yesterday afternoon, I waited at a red light behind a car with an Obama bumper sticker, and I was really impressed with Obama's logo.

The capital O in his surname becomes an encompassing circle, which symbolizes both social communion and the integration of the self.

The rising sun symbolizes birth and rebirth; the beginning of a season of growth; the banishment of darkness. Consider how fitting it is that the synoptic gospels state the women found the empty tomb at dawn in the springtime. The encompassing circle also fits with this, as it symbolizes the birth canal, through which new life enters the world.

The plowed field symbolizes nature's bounty (which obviously belongs equally to us all) and reminds us of our debt to those who work to bring that bounty to our tables. It evokes quiet pride in the hearts of small town and rural Americans and strikes a chord of back-to-the-land longing in the hearts of post-hippie environmentalists.

Obama's logo is especially powerful compared to Hillary's. Hers looks like a tired rehash of previous campaign logos, with the words "Kerry '04" or "Carter '76" photoshopped out.

Given its symbolic power, whether or not he wins the Democratic nomination or the general election, I am confident that Obama's logo will be studied by campaign managers for decades to come.