Obama disappoints me...

[LittleGrizzly]

Hardly. As I said, I don't think the "Messiah" level of hysteria has been seen since perhaps JFK.

Sure he's fairly popular, in Europe this is only because he replaced the lord of darkness, in America he isn't even that popular if you compare him to Reegan...

They did have the snazzy marketing campaign, better soundbytes, and a better speaker,

So did Bush vs Gore... partys with the better marketing campaign and better off the others often win... our politics is based to much on charisma but this isn't a new Obama problem...

The right didn't create the Obamamessiah perception...

Well 95% of the time i heard that phrase used it is by a right winger, the other 5% would be some sarcastic leftys...

The thing some people see Obama as a symbol of hope for the future... in other words they are optimistic about what he can do for the country...

Like people often are when they elect politicians close to thier political views...

The whole Obamessiah is the creation the right who can't fathom any other reason how they could have lost...

[Spino]

Hardly. As I said, I don't think the "Messiah" level of hysteria has been seen since perhaps JFK.

This is true. But Kennedy's popularity is that much more impressive when you consider he barely beat Nixon in the 1960 election (a razor close popular vote, especially in key states) and he didn't have a mammoth mass marketing machine working overtime for his campaign like Obama.

The whole Obamessiah is the creation the right who can't fathom any other reason how they could have lost...

Uh, sort of, not really, maybe. The messiah tag is certainly a label given to Obama by the right but most conservatives know why they lost; the low popularity of GW Bush, the economic implosion and the 'blah' effect McCain had on conservative voters are what sealed the deal for Obama. McCain might have been able to pull it off had only one, perhaps two of those factors been in play but all three? Not a chance. The fact that the overall voter turnout was roughly the same in 2008 (60.7-61.7%) as it was in 2004 (60.6%) is also a telling statistic how unenthusiastic conservative voters were about McCain. I also believe the fact that some nobody of little note or experience with questionable associations like Obama could just take the short cut to the Presidency is what unsettled many people, it certainly made me question the sanity and intelligence of my fellow Americans (then again, so did the two presidents prior to Obama).

The cult of personality surrounding Obama has come as a shock to many moderates and liberals as well (of the latter particularly those who were big Hillary supporters). The show staff I work with here at CNN is fairly liberal (from what I can tell not rabidly so) and there were many times on the campaign trail when they were either amused or in absolute disbelief over the 'acute' Obamamania that afflicted people. This was especially apparent when Obama visited Europe and gave that speech in Berlin. I mean seriously, like most Americans most Europeans had no clue who the hell Obama was prior to the presidential campaign and yet there were throngs of overly enthusiastic people, sheeple and wacked out loonies scrambling over each other for a handshake. The snickers and comments from our staff were plentiful. I mean typically there's always a few overzealous fans or loonies in a given crowd for any political candidate but Obama seemed to attract them in droves.

[LittleGrizzly]

Yeah i would pretty much agree with what you said there...

I would like to point out that most of the reason europeans like obama so much is because they disliked bush so much... add in the fact he wants to sort out global warming and believes in more cooperation with european allies and that is the majority of the reason they like him so much...

Then the fact he is charismatic and good looking just add to the effect...

To explain it from a personal point of view...

I would be intrested in any American president giving a speech

I would probably not go to see Bush give a speech as american president as i disagree with his views strongly...

I like Obama's policys a bit more so i would be more likely see him...

After Bush I would be far more likely to go see Obama as its something much better imo...

Obviously there are people who have been carried away by his personality and charisma but isn't that just true to different extents for plenty of political candidates though history...

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Sure he's fairly popular, in Europe this is only because he replaced the lord of darkness, in America he isn't even that popular if you compare him to Reegan...

Is it really because he replaced "The Lord of Darkness"? I'm not too sure about that. I know about his popularity in America, and I didn't say that the whole population thought of him in that way - just Europeans, Canadians, and the occasional American lefty.

So did Bush vs Gore... partys with the better marketing campaign and better off the others often win... our politics is based to much on charisma but this isn't a new Obama problem...

I didn't say it was a problem. You said that Obama hadn't won because he had the better marketing campaign, soundbytes, and speaker. He did, at least in part.

Well 95% of the time i heard that phrase used it is by a right winger, the other 5% would be some sarcastic leftys...

We may have created the phrase, we did not create the attitude (but if you're curious, there is video on YouTube of hardcore left-wingers hero worshipping Obama and calling him the Messiah - non-sarcastically).

The thing some people see Obama as a symbol of hope for the future... in other words they are optimistic about what he can do for the country...

The difference between optimism and adulation?

The whole Obamessiah is the creation the right who can't fathom any other reason how they could have lost...

Answered at least in part by Spino.

[Lemur]

We may have created the phrase, we did not create the attitude (but if you're curious, there is video on YouTube of hardcore left-wingers hero worshipping Obama and calling him the Messiah - non-sarcastically).

I don't know what you're talking about ...



... oh. Um. Well.

You want to know why we worship the Obamessiah and scatter rose petals before his feet? Because he sleeps with a frickin' UNICORN. When's the last time we had a Prez with his own pet unicorn, hmmmmmmm?

[LittleGrizzly]

Is it really because he replaced "The Lord of Darkness"?

Yes, the slightly less evil lord of greyness would seem like a good guy compared. So Obama because he talks a good game seems like a saint next to Bush

I didn't say it was a problem. You said that Obama hadn't won because he had the better marketing campaign, soundbytes, and speaker. He did, at least in part.

what i said was

Those damn opposition we had the better ideas but they had the snazzy market campaign or the better soundbytes or more advertising or a better speaker...

I was simply imagining what a republican may think of Obama's election, i said nowhere that this wasn't true

Infact in my next post i said....

So did Bush vs Gore... partys with the better marketing campaign and better off the others often win... our politics is based to much on charisma but this isn't a new Obama problem...

What i was saying is that people choosing politicians based on thier charisma, speaking ability or simply because they see more adverts from one candidate is a problem in our democracys most of the time. It is not a new Obama problem and plenty of candidates could have the charge levelled at them that they won purely because of charisma, speaking ability and a bigger advertising budget...

We may have created the phrase

yes

we did not create the attitude

The attitude porbably exsits with most politicians new on the scene, as spino said typically there's always a few overzealous fans or loonies in a given crowd for any political candidate. What you/the right did was take the few overzealous loonies and try to make it seem like a far bigger portion than it actually is and overplay its effects on the elections...

The difference between optimism and adulation?

This is pretty simple...

Nani manchester united's young winger... im optimistic he will become a great winger.. i don't adore him as a great winger...

I answered the part that spino referred to about europeans... if thats the part of spino's post you refer to ?

[PershsNhpios]

Hmmm,

yes I think it is time that nations started worshipping their leaders as deities again.

In this way, everything they do can be ascribed to a higher and immortal wisdom which we can not grasp.