Martin Dupuis co-authors book

Martin Dupuis smiled as he explained that the food and water bowls outside his office, tucked away in the corner of the Burnett Honors College, belong to a feral cat he feeds. He admitted that he spends too much time away from home to own a cat there, particularly since the release of his new book, Barack Obama: The New Face Of American Politics.

In addition to bestselling author, Dupuis serves many roles. He is an associate professor of political science, assistant dean of the Burnett Honors College, a member of the Florida Bar and a faculty adviser for Students for Barack Obama. However, his book has been in the spotlight since its release in December 2007.

Dupuis' book is about Obama's historic national Senate race. Dupuis started the book when Obama was an Illinois state senator.

"It is the story of an underdog beating big money. It is the story of an underdog beating the Democratic Party's favorite candidate."

Obama's landmark campaign against his opponent, Blair Hull, who spent $26 million of his own money in the primary, and lost, is very important to the American people.

"It is good because it shows that our candidates can't just be purchased and our vote is not for sale. The Obama campaign and its strategic use of limited resources [was impressive]."

Obama spent $6 million in the primary. His ability to mobilize grassroots organizers, appeal to young people, raise large amounts of money and harness the power of the Internet are things that Dupuis said would serve him well in his presidential campaign.

"There is probably no campaign to date that has shown such great specificity with the use of the Internet."

John Martino, deputy state coordinator for UCF Students for Barack Obama and former president of College Democrats at UCF, knows firsthand the important role young people play in Obama's campaign.

"Students for Barack Obama is actually part of Obama for America, meaning we are an official part of the campaign. We attend conference calls and give our input," said Martino.

This direct involvement was important to Martino. He, like many of his peers, said that politicians often forget the 18-25 voting block and dismiss them as apathetic due to their low turnout at the polls.

Martino said, "I think the majority of young people just had to hear his message, and it resonated. We are tired of the same old politicians ignoring us, so we are fighting for someone we believe in. It's amazing."

Due to the faith and confidence Obama's campaign has put in young people, Martino feels they have given back with unrivaled hard work and dedication.

"I have made hundreds of calls, volunteered at many events and tried to spread the message on campus and in my local community," said Martino.

Dupuis also said that he was amazed by the success of UCF Students for Barack Obama in their fundraising and events around Central Florida. He accepts no credit as their faculty adviser, stating that they did all the hard work.

Though the book is a case study of Obama's Senate race, Dupuis made a few predictions about the presidential race, many of which have come true.

"I think I am the first to say we may have a brokered convention," Dupuis said.

Dupuis wrote the book with a former colleague, Keith Boeckelman of Western Illinois University. They both predicted that national polls would be incorrect.

Dupuis said, "Polls were saying he was down all across the country. We said we can't go by national polls because the nomination is done state by state. We dismissed the trend to look at national polls and said to look closely at the states. Sure enough, the pollsters predicted wrongly."

But Dupuis does not have a crystal ball. His comparisons and predictions were the result of years of careful study.

Dupuis was teaching at Western Illinois University when he first met state Sen. Barack Obama.

Dupuis said, "He was a great orator. He spoke with a lot of passion and eloquence, and I thought, whoa, this is really someone to watch. And sure enough, when he started to run for the United States Senate, I jumped on the bandwagon."

Martino also was extremely impressed with Obama the first time he saw him, and he continues to be impressed by the movement he has sparked.

Martino said, "For the first time in my life I feel like I actually believe in something worth believing in and am excited to be part of this."

While he volunteered for Obama's Senate campaign, Dupuis compiled his case study.

Dupuis said, "It is an academic text. It is a thick, thoughtful analysis about his senate campaign. It was not written as an easy summer read. It is not about his personal life or Obama the man. It is about Obama the senator. I did not expect anyone to take it to the beach."

Dupuis said that Obama's message is the same now as it was in his senatorial campaign: "pragmatic politics, reaching across the aisle, solving the real problems and work in civil rights."

According to Dupuis, Obama's message is the themes that unite us and not what divides us, which has been what polarizes Americans. The unity is what resonates with voters.

Martino was also impressed with Obama's ability to unify.

Martino said, "It literally put chills down my spine."

Dupuis' book will soon be published by a Korean publisher.