The year 2008 is very different from 2012, or at least that’s what pundits who channel the zeitgeist this election season seem to think.

Given this so-called “enthusiasm gap” what does Team Obama do to rekindle or at least reignite the feeling millions of voters had pulling the lever for the first black president?

Hip-hop artist will.i.am says those questions miss the point. The Black Eyed Peas member says the 2008 campaign was, in part, a hyped affair that television networks promoted because it was good for ratings.

“We need more than enthusiasm. We need concerned dedication. Just being enthused for the hoopla, a lot of that was plastered all over the TV. You couldn’t run from it. There was business behind why people were tuned in. It was every, single television station. They treated it like the Super Bowl because it made money for networks. So let’s not ignore the difference why the hoopla then and the hoopla now. What need is every single person to care about their community.”

will.i.am recorded two songs for President Obama, one before he was elected called “Yes We Can” and another called “New Day” after his November victory.

He was one of the more omnipresent celebrities at the first night of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, making multiple media appearances (which kind of makes him part of this year’s hoopla, too).

 

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