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View Full Version : Inflated Expectations, and Ego, Hurting Obama



red states rule
08-21-2008, 05:50 AM
Looks like the voters are starting to realize the messiah, known as Obama, can't live up to all the hype




After Barack Obama hype, a backlash
Tuesday, August 19th 2008, 7:42 PM

The headline conveyed urgency: "Obama Ready to Announce Running Mate" said a breathless New York Times. In language worthy of a Madison Avenue pitchman, the paper reported Obama had "all but settled" on his choice and would launch "an elaborate rollout plan" of events.

Holy hype, Batman. Another day, another inflated report on the routine doings of The One.

John McCain's mocking nickname for Obama came in an ad comparing Obama's grandiose promises to Moses parting the Red Sea. It was funny, but I'm starting to think it wasn't a joke. The Obama campaign and its media handmaidens are taking their candidate way too seriously.

So much so that they could be setting up a backlash against the hype. No human being can meet the wildly inflated expectations that accompany the rookie senator's every move. It can't help that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Obama "a leader that God has blessed us with at this time."

That's the kind of remark that can turn voters into problems. Most Americans famously resent being told an election is over months before the polls open or that God is taking sides.

Maybe that's why recent surveys show Obama underperforming. Although Democrats enjoy a 10- to 12-point generic lead over Republicans, Obama and McCain are essentially tied.

The dead heat is a concern to many top Democrats, given the national mood. Although polls at this stage can be notoriously fickle, the anti-Republican sentiment is clear when 81% of voters say the nation is on the wrong track. Such a lopsided finding should be an impossible hurdle for any candidate seeking a party's third consecutive term in the White House, as McCain is.

While McCain has complained about media favoritism toward Obama, most recently about NBC News' tilted coverage, maybe he ought to encourage it. Resentment over the media love affair with Obama might be McCain's most powerful weapon.

The fawning coverage exaggerates even routine Obama events, and when he fails to meet giddy expectations, the excuse machine warps into overtime. That, in turn, creates another unappealing layer of media-imposed conventional wisdom.

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2008/08/19/2008-08-19_after_barack_obama_hype_a_backlash.html