In Obama’s visit to Michigan’s capital city on Monday, when the crowd began to sing “Happy Birthday” to the 47 year old, it was evident that he had reached a celebrity status no other political candidate had achieved before him.

But can the hype surrounding Obama be beneficial to his campaign or will it potentially hurt his image?

McCain negatively depicts Obama’s celebrity status in his campaign ads. The fact is, Obama’s involvement in this presidential race has spurred people who might not care about politics to suddenly take the time to inform themselves about what’s going on in this election. That can be regarded as a positive effect of his popularity.

Obama represents many demographics. He’s a young biracial male who attended both an Islamic and Catholic school as a child. He can relate to the average person in more ways than previous presidential candidates have done. It’s easy for people to get excited about someone who might be a reflection of them.

It’s unlikely that Obama entered this presidential race with the intention of becoming a celebrity. If McCain wants someone to blame for the way things are playing out, he should look no further than his counterpart President Bush.

The past eight years have been a sort of emotional roller coaster for Americans. If it had been a Democratic president in office or if the economy wasn’t suffering and we weren’t engaged in a seemingly endless war, voters might have reacted differently to Obama. Right now, people are desperate for a change and Obama is a glimmer of hope for the future. With that being said, it’s not surprising that people are excited about his campaign.

Critics talk a lot about how inexperienced Obama is compared to McCain, but experience doesn’t guarantee success. People referred to President Theodore Roosevelt as inexperienced when he took over the presidency at the age of 42, but today, he’s regarded as one of the best presidents to reside in the White House. Who’s to say Obama won’t be looked at in the same way 20 years from now?

It’s been said that Obama is out of touch with what Michigan needs but maybe it’s Michigan that needs a briefing on what the world needs in terms of energy. In addressing the crowd of cheering supporters in Lansing on Monday, Obama pitched his U.S. energy strategy in which he called for $4 billion in aid for auto companies to produce more fuel-efficient vehicles, especially electric cars. Obama also mentioned the idea of a $7,000 tax credit for consumers who buy plug-in electric vehicles.

If he’s come up with innovative ways to solve our energy crisis and relieve our dependency on foreign oil, he might not be as out of touch as critics make him out to be.

Obama might not be as experienced as McCain, but his celebrity status has made his ideas more noticeable to people who might not have otherwise cared.