Obama Utilizing Symbolic Gestures of Patriotism, Unlike Last Fall

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has given a variety of patriotic speeches recently during his campaign for the upcoming general election.

According to CBS News, Obama's speeches in New Hampshire, Missouri and Pennsylvania invoked a noticeable amount of emotion from those in attendance through the patriotic messages the Democratic presidential hopeful delivered.

Historian for Rutgers University, David Greenberg, gave his analysis of the Democratic nominee's usage of symbolism in recent weeks, saying, "All politicians, especially presidential candidates, traffic in symbols all the time. But Obama has given special care to his symbolic statements."

Obama had been widely criticized for comments that he made last fall in response to inquiries about why he had not been wearing a pin of the American flag on his lapel.

The Democratic candidate responded to the inquiries by stating that he would not wear the American flag pin and hoped the American people would see how patriotic he is through his speeches and proposed improvements to current policies.