President Obama has had quite a busy year, and it has not gone unnoticed. For the second time, the POTUS has been chosen as Time magazine’s Person of the Year. The first time he received this honor was in 2008, after winning an election that will forever go down in history, as he became the first African-American president. Reasons for him returning this year also relate to this monumental election, as he won a second term with over 50 percent of the popular vote.
Time’s managing editor Richard Stengel unveiled who would grace the magazine’s most anticipated cover of the year on Wednesday’s “Today” show. Stengel’s post on Time.com revealed why the editors and the deciding panel thought President Obama deserved Person of the Year:
For finding and forging a new majority, for turning weakness into opportunity and for seeking, amid great adversity, to create a more perfect union, Barack Obama is TIME’s 2012 Person of the Year.
So who was the runner-up? Malala Yousafzai, the girl from Pakistan who was shot in the head by the Taliban for fighting for better girls’ education. Other notable honorees included:
- Bill and Hilary Clinton
- Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi
- Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer
- Apple CEO Tim Cook
- Three scientists who confirmed the Higgs boson particle.
When it came to people’s choice, North Korean heir Kim Jong Un was the winner with over 5.6 million votes, followed by TV host Jon Stewart (2.3 million+ votes), undocumented immigrants (1.5 million+ votes), and Olympic gold medalist Gabrielle Douglas (1.5 million+ votes).
Readers who were polled on Time.com thought Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, and even VP Joe Biden were “definitely not” contenders for Person of the Year.
BMWK – Do you agree with President Obama being selected as Person of the Year? Who was your choice?