(Image source: Time Magazine ) BY JASMINE BAILEY Time Magazine has named President Obama its 2012 Person of the Year for being the - quote - “ architect of this new America .” Here’s WNYW’s Good Day New York with more. “They're calling him not only a political figure but a cultural figure, a transformative figure. They said his embrace of gay marriage, his offering of work permits to many young undocumented immigrants.” The magazine also notes the Democratic president won 50 percent of the popular vote in consecutive elections, making him the first to do so since FDR. But Obama wasn’t an obvious front runner - The Washington Post reports there were a few close seconds, including...   Malala Yousafzai Apple CEO Tim Cook Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi Physicist Fabiola Gianotti The road to ‘Person of the Year’ begins with the “Time 100”— the original one hundred people nominated for the award. Then an online poll is opened for the public for a vote. But ultimately, a panel makes the final decision. This year the panel included Today Show’s Matt Lauer, Breaking Bad actor Bryan Cranston, Newt Gingrich, Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter. This will be President Obama’s second time being honored with the title. He was also named Time’s Person of the Year after he first won the election in 2008. According to Time , that award came after... “...one of the craziest elections in American history, [when] Barack Obama overcame a lack of experience, a funny name, two candidates who are political institutions and the racial divide...” But a writer for Hypervocal isn’t impressed, saying it’s really not a surprise that President Obama won the award, since Time Magazine seems to have a trend of putting presidents on the cover. “TIME Magazine awarded George W. Bush its Person of the Year twice... Bill Clinton won it twice... George H.W. Bush graced the cover, Ronald Reagan earned it twice, even Jimmy Carter was named Person of the Year when he assumed the office of the presidency in 1976. Presidents and TIME go hand in hand...” The 2012 Person of the Year issue is already available for download and is set to hit store shelves Friday.