It strikes me as though the activist Left (particularly the progressives) are not so much negative at quenching racism (as with Hillary Clinton's supporters and sexism), something pretty much dead anyway (it's not just anti-PC; it's considered wrong by society, period). Instead, it's a positive view of Obama and adulation progressing to the extent I described it before. Obama's appearance and slick speeches only help him. (The #1 goal since the 1960s has been to be telegenic; this is more important than being a great orator was in the pre-television and pre-radio days.)

The hype will probably die down as this campaign continues. There will be an explosion again after Obama is (likely) elected and inaugurated, but this may not simply be more Obama hype per se but a combination of celebrating his success and celebrating an end to the Bush Nightmare [tm] and a takeover of Washington by the Democrats. I remember the Texans coming to DC in 2000 after the election and I believe Washington will actually be much more crowded with young people when Obama is inaugurated. (It's the young and the white progressives who are the most fervent supporters of Obama, not the black American community. I hope the latter don't feel displaced or upstaged now or in Washington next January.)

You're letting your imagination run away with you again, Elrod. Had you been discussing the resentment of Clinton fans during the Great Liberal Switch from Clinton to Obama, you would have been accurate. And Silhouette is still here.

Shaun, T-Steel has just given you some competition in the photo selection game.

It goes beyond the Tiger Woods analogy with many of his fans. And you will notice, there is no widespread fear or negative hype about Obama from non-liberal voters; only the paranoid fringe reach the levels of abnormality that you see with so many of Obama's _supporters_. This also illustrates something that may indicate that Obama's celebrity is also circumstantial and that he's not “to blame” for this. It's a phenomenon of the Left. We not only see the child-like adoration of Obama, but it's at a level similar to the pathological hatred we have seen (including on this site) for President Bush, as well as in the past for Ronald Reagan. It's a tendency toward extremism we see on the Left consistently here, or a lack of self-control or personal development. We see gushing over Obama but little strong opposition to him by the Right. We see normal to weak opposition by the Right to Obama (this has been the general rule; the Right is defensive about being negative because of media and other left-side overreaction to it) that is nothing like the Left's hatred for Bush (and Reagan).

Sorry, T-Steel, but it goes beyond the golf links and Obama's similar set of achievements and fast rise since Chicago*, but it is much more like American Idol, as a number of us have observed since before Super Tuesday (Obama's most fervent core of white “progressives” was campaigning for him from the very start, as I saw in the multi-person-staffed office in Iowa where I was at the time).

Like it or not, that is what Obama and Obama fans have to face. Time and Obama's own efforts dispel this (in my and some others' case, reading about Obama's past is instructive as well), but it will always be there.

* “fast rise”: As I've said, Obama's past should be made more widely known and Obama fans should exploit a slogan in Toronto as the campaign's own bandwagon appeal: “Ride the Rocket.”

T-Steel said: “…although I don't feel Obama is a lightweight but to each his own).”

For the record T-Steel, I think Obama is heavier hitter than McCain.

Altho I am not an Obama supporter, I also share Elrod's view that Obama is far smarter than McCain (just my opinion).

I was referring to the perception the ad created…not the reality, which is something different.
I think most of us would really enjoy a conversation with Obama about issues…even those opposed to him.

Marlowecan, you pick up on my point excellently (although I don't feel Obama is a lightweight but to each his own). You can become a celebrity immediately IF the media (and the adoring public) make you one. Obama's “first-i-tude” makes it very easy for the media (and the adoring public) to make him into a celebrity.

Personally, I like Obama and McCain from a “they seem like cool dudes” perspective. Obama reminds of the “high school teacher everyone likes” and McCain reminds of the “cool and folksy high school football coach”. And if anyone had both of those types in high school, you know they don't see eye-to-eye at all many times!

And George, I just kept beating up on Disqus to add the feature!

Being on a talk show . . .or even Hollywood's token GOP (because of his opposition to Bush, natch) . . . does not make one a celebrity. Famous, but not a celeb.

But the Wiki T-Steel links illustrates how the new revisions of “celebrity” support McCain's brilliant ad:
“The new stardom that doesn't require paying any dues. . . . for “most of man's history…people of talent would work to create something–something written, something painted, something sculpted, something acted out. . . the alleged stars of the reality shows “Survivor” and “Big Brother,”have become famous not for doing, but merely for being.”

McCain's ad does not link Obama to an A-list, recognized talented celebrity . . . but to two icons of the new definition of celebrity. Celebrity vacuity.

Obama is a light-weight, the ad suggests.

Do folks on the Left not recall how the Mondale used a similar lightweight strategy with great success against pretty boy Gary Hart in the 1984 primaries, with “Where's the Beef?” . . . taking off a hamburger ad.

McCain is cleverly echoing HRC's bitter criticism of Obama's resume . . . in a very stylish fashion.

He looks like a jealous has-been 13-year old girl watching the newbie with the “developing body” get all the attention.

PS–T-Steel, I am loving the ability to go back and correct my own spelling errors. You are AWESOME!!!!1!!!

He'll be the talk of every little town all across America.

And he had a movie made about him.