The New New Frontier and the media
President elect Obama has been the new JFK for some time now, but the media’s rah-rah attitude over the New New Frontier is reaching stratospheric levels. Here are some excerpts from Howard Kurtz in the Washington Post, describing the media’s hard hitting coverage of the incoming administration in a piece entitled, “A Giddy Sense of Boosterism“:
NBC News is coming out with a DVD titled “Yes We Can: The Barack Obama Story.”…ABC and USA Today are rushing out a book on the election…HBO has snapped up a documentary on Obama’s campaign…the Newsweek commemorative issue — “Obama’s American Dream” — filled with so many iconic images and such stirring prose that it could have been campaign literature. Or the Time cover depicting Obama as FDR, complete with jaunty cigarette holder…
“The Obamas’ New Life!” blares People’s cover, with a shot of the family. “New home, new friends, new puppy!” Us Weekly goes with a Barack quote: “I Think I’m a Pretty Cool Dad.” The Chicago Tribune trumpets that Michelle “is poised to be the new Oprah and the next Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis — combined!” for the fashion world…what the New York Times dubbed “Generation O”…”OBAMAISM — It’s a Kind of Religion,” says New York magazine. “Those of us too young to have known JFK’s Camelot are going to have our own giddy Camelot II to enrapture and entertain us,” Kurt Andersen writes. The New York Post has already christened it “BAM-A-LOT.”
“Here we are,” writes Salon’s Rebecca Traister, “oohing and aahing over what they’ll be wearing, and what they’ll be eating, what kind of dog they’ll be getting, what bedrooms they’ll be living in, and what schools they’ll be attending. It feels better than good to sniff and snurfle through the Obamas’ tastes and habits…Who knew we had in us the capacity to fall for this kind of idealized Americana again?”…”Obama is a figure, especially in pop culture, in a way that most new presidents are not,” historian Michael Beschloss says. “Young people who may not be interested in the details of NAFTA or foreign policy just think Obama is cool, and they’re interested in him. Being cool can really help a new president.”…
USA Today’s front page. “Poll: Hopes soaring for Obama, administration,” the headline said, with 65 percent saying “the USA will be better off 4 years from now.”…MSNBC…is running promos that say: “Barack Obama, America’s 44th president. Watch as a leader renews America’s promise.”…Web worship of Obama is nearly limitless. On YouTube alone, the Obama Girl song, “I’ve Got a Crush on Obama,” has been viewed 11.7 million times.
It turns out that Charles Krauthammer was correct, and the infatuation has lasted through election day. As far as the media are concerned, the “re-branding of America” appears to be well underway.
November 18th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
This has an expiration date of Jan 20, so let them enjoy it until reality intervenes.
November 18th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
Sorry Folks !
Americans of the year 2008 have to be the least discerning voters in the history of the planet ( that is polite speak for saying that they are the dummest!)
If the USA wants to be considered as the greatest country in the world, I wish its citizens would act it and understand who is watching America and stop thinking that it is 1932 or 1965, depending what day it is.
Perhaps more discerning than the Quebecois who vote for the Bloc Quebecois like pavlovian dogs
I still admire and respect and think that they are a fine people as compared to the euros or the arabs and feel very fortunate to have the USA as my neighbour. But,
Obama will be either Carter II or Clinton III – the only name on the list of names from the Clinton era not yet chosen in the Obama Admin is Monica Lewinsky!
Nader is right- the Obama campaign was the greatest con-job in the history of US politics; change change cahnge, etc. and 52% of the electorate and the brain dead US media fell for it and still are falling for it.
November 19th, 2008 at 8:33 am
Much as the esteemed commenter from Canada observed above, from down South it looks pretty much the same, i.e. WTF!
I guess I just too far away to sample the Kool Aid that 52% of U.S. voters consumed. As a retired Foreign Service Officer it is stunning that someone – a first class fellow I’m sure – was just elected President of these United States who couldn’t have passed a top secret security clearance for an FS-03 position at State.
Are we the “dummest”[sic] people on earth? Maybe. We’re sure in the running. Although it looks like down here the voters may elect the same FMLN that murdered and pillaged and generally wrecked the Salvadoran economy during the ’80s. But, hey, they’re bored with the same old, same old here also.