This build up toward inauguration is simply unprecendented. Seriously, what other leader in all of human history has received this type of hype? Even the greatest leaders of all time have received almost no hype compared to this man. People are acting like he will be a greater leader than Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Reagan, and Churchill. I can guarantee you, that will not be the case. The press is simply falling over themselves praising Obama for whatever he does. We will simply not be getting a fair assessement with this press that is brazenly pro-Obama and has dropped any pretense of objectivity. One actually has to watch Fox to get the entire picture. Most of the press is simply afraid to criticize him because he is black. Is this an example where the expectations are so gargantuan, that Obama will inevitably fail to fulfil them? If the new president were white, would he would be getting anywhere near this kind of attention? Not a chance. Have people lost their mind? I have to wonder if this isn't one of the mass delusions Charles Mackay was talking about.
"Hype" is what we've had for last 8 yrs. Now we have HOPE. That's what this nation needs. A kinder, gentler nation.
I totally agree Obama will be a better president than Bush was (which isn't very hard), or McCain would have been. What I am talking about the enormous scope of the hype surrounding Obama, which any longtime observer would agree is unprecedented. What is the reason for it? Is it even warranted? Here we are, 2 days before inauguration, and America is acting like it's waiting for the Second Coming. Does anyone else see the mass delusion in all of this?
Following 9/11 Bush had one of the highest public approval ratings in history, well over 90%... Was that a case of mass delusion? Or is it the same human nature that drives the markets to extremes? Americans build up their heroes, then they tear them down...that's the American way... However, the country is probably in worse shape ever in many ways, and the people know that, so they invest all their hope in a new president, forgetting that it was their own actions, or inaction that placed them where they are. As a country Americans on the whole have divested themselves of personal responsibility and put all the credit and blame on leadership. Politicians play to this, they continually place the blame on the other politicians...never directly on the people who voted in the politicians, as doing so will cause them to lose the election. This allows people to feel good about themselves and bad about their government...never having to make the changes necessary to assume full responsibility for being the major part of the problem. Obama or any other president/government will never be the solution, as Americans as a collective group of individuals are nearly always the major part of the problem...
Bush's 90% approval was obviously temporary and undeserving, and brought on by an extraordinary circumstance. Sure there was some mass delusion, but there was also a feeling of people wanting to rally around the president against a common foe. I am not a person that will be defending President Bush for anything. He is the president that has started America's decline. All superpowers decline at some point.
No, as much as I have pointed to the problems of Bush the past eight years, the abuses and mistakes by the present administrations, the ultimate responsibility for the mess he has left us is still at the door of "We The People." Not until people assume this responsibility and take it personally will our course really change... The aftermath of 9/11 was a brief and shining moment for the American people as they collectively rallied against an external agent, allowing us to feel innocent and victimized. What followed was the abuse of power invested in "Daddy GW" to save us from the big bad terrorists... Which allowed the abuse of power by Bush, and the abdication of responsibility by the legislative branch by passing legislation that allowed Bush to act like a king... The people want change from what we are now facing, they want to hope that things will change, and they want to blame someone for their problems... Sounds like children, doesn't it?
However, the country is probably in worse shape ever in many ways, and the people know that, so they invest all their hope in a new president, ------------------------------- Sounds like pre ww2 Germany, when hitler rose to power. I'm only comparing peoples reactions not comparing Obama to Hitler. On the flip side though, this media "branding" has gone a bit too far. I would compare Obama to Paris Hilton. They both have the style and the looks, and a buzz word, "That's hot" = "Change".
The candidate promoting "change" is very frequently successful at getting elected. I've noticed it many times in the past. I'm not exaggerating when I say this, but people actually think Obama is gonna singlehandedly save America. It will be very interesting to see what happens.
"Sounds like pre ww2 Germany, when hitler rose to power. I'm only comparing peoples reactions not comparing Obama to Hitler." Agree in as much as the potential exists, and we should never forget this, or say it could never happen in America. Republicans are very fearful, for if Obama is a baaaad man, he will have the precedent set by Bush/Cheney for the usurpation of power, expanding the power of the executive branch and acting against the spirit of the Constitution in the name of national security.