Obama is a Celebrity President

[BakedAtAMileHigh]

This is why there is so much fawning over what he and Michelle wear to the balls, what he looks like with his shirt off, etc. This is why there is so much new support for the "war" in Afghanistan here at DU: if Obama does it, I support it without question, etc, etc. It's pathetic: I don't like hero worship, even when it is of a politician I voted for.

We cannot stop corporatism and militarization from killing the heart of our social fabric if we do not engage our politicians with a spirit of honest critique. I'm glad he won; it was one of the most important elections in this nation's history: if we want real change, however, we cannot put this man on a pedestal.

[Jennicut]

1. Perhaps we just live in a celebrity culture. Obama never asked to be that type of President.

The media fawns over all kinds of nonsensical fluffy stuff these days.

[blues90]

35. Crips , yes we live in a celebrity culture. That's the problem.

But make no mistake , Obama ran on that platform and his entire campaign promoted this to the point of insanity, it was embraced. Star power to the max.

There has never been a time this was not the case since JFK. It has never helped and it is a prime example of how dumbed down this country has become.

[Jennicut]

36. Obama never ran on that kind of "platform".

He never said, "elect me, I'm a star". Sarah Palin is cornering that market.
He had actual ideas. On his website. That many people never really looked at.

[blues90]

37. Obama did not have to say it.

When I asked Obama supporters during the campaign what Obama stood for I was always refered to his two books and no were on the internet was much info on Obama just his limited experience and a brief life story.

Yet during his entire campaign many of his supporters on this site wrote in stories of their experience the rallies and how they broke into tears over a few lame songs ad how they cried after voting out of happiness. Some fainted . Many up until this day post photo's and ramble on how great the Obamas look.

What do you define this behavour as?

[Jennicut]

38. Some people fawn over Sarah Palin too. But Obama never caused that.

It was a reaction to the Obamas, not something they did. I grew up in the 80's and remember hearing constantly about Nancy Reagan's fashion too. Perhaps the Bushes were just dull?

[blues90]

41. All I'm saying is Obama did run a campaign based on

Youth and energy and the people who bought this were the ones who ramped it all up but the Obamas went along with it and played on it. They used it as a tool. The campaign set the stage on this idol figure and making history.

[thereismore]

2. Your concern is duly noted. nt

[Fire1]

I know what that means! lol!!! n/t

[JohnnyLib2]

27. Please, not that phrase again.

Please, please, please.

[Lost-in-FL]

3. Hero worshipers are unrec your message. nt

[emulatorloo]

6. People who don't like strawman arguments might unrec it too. nt

[Lost-in-FL]

7. Why is this in your opinion a strawman argument? nt

[emulatorloo]

8. Because it creates a strawman (Celebrity Obsessed DU'er) n/t

[Lost-in-FL]

10. Forgeting the tabloid-like title and the first paragraph

You don't think there is a valid points in his statement?

[Javaman]

17. None.

ce⋅leb⋅ri⋅ty  /səˈlɛbrɪti/ Pronunciation –noun, plural -ties for 1.
1. a famous or well-known person.
2. fame; renown.

Origin:
1350–1400; ME < L celebritās multitude, fame, festal celebration, equiv. to celebr- (s. of celeber) often repeated, famous + -itās -ity

Synonyms:
2. distinction, note, eminence, stardom.

>all people in the public eye are celebrities<

it is a strawman.

[cali]

4. yes, there's some hero worship of Obama here. There's also hero worship

of Hugo Chavez- though I've never seen a post about what he looks like with his shirt off. Your claim that there's "so much new support" for the war in Afghanistan is unsubstantiated. There's always been a degree of support for Afghanistan here.

But by and large there's far more criticism of Obama here at DU than praise. I have no problem with that. I have a problem with people claiming that the opposite it true. It isn't.

[BakedAtAMileHigh]

12. yup, I will take that too

there is indeed worship of Chavez here as well. That's actually my point: this type of nonsense is common on both sides of the political aisle. It doesn't seem to matter if it is Palin, Obama or Chavez.

[MisterP]

30. well, most Chavistas like him for his politics, not because he grins or hugs children or draws big

rallies

they know what the policies are, and why they're good ones

with the obtuse Dem boosterists, whenever someone complains about the Afghan escalation (which'll kill thousands), they just repeat how it's irrational to demand that Obama balance the budget and "clean up" Bush's mess in only N months

or just import a big picture of him hugging a child and yell "I believe in Him!"

[emulatorloo]

5. I remember the McCain campaign trying to get some mileage out of the "Celebrity" meme

Obama never asked to be a "celebrity"

A miniscule % of Du'ers "fawn" over him. If any.

I think you are pretty much making a strawman argument

[jpak]

45. (((((shhhh))))

Obama bashing is all the rage ya know

you will be properly flamed for your insolence

[cliffordu]

9. Too much herb??

Chronic???

[BakedAtAMileHigh]

14. yes, you could use a bit more!

There's a reason it has been used by visionaries and mystics for centuries. Nice try at an ad hominem, though.

[cliffordu]

15. Just riffin' on that rad username and icon you use, sparky.

Sorry about harshing your mellow.

[Bicoastal]

11. I hope our next president is an 90 year-old ascetic who lives in a cave...

...and whispers his judgment to the outside world through a crack in the ceiling.

Sheesh. :eyes:

[goclark]

23. Sheesh from here too nt

[raccoon]

13. I think we've had celebrity presidents for a long time. nt

[Captain Hilts]

20. Yes, we have. This is not new. I'll trace it back to the Roosevelts.

It really got going as national media expanded.

We usually vote for the taller, prettier and more charming. It's been going on a long time.

The worship of JFK here, by some, borders on creepy.

[Taitertots]

16. You have to be a celebrity to get elected

Who else can get millions of people to vote for them?
The corporate media hides anything with content and fawn over him for the Almighty dollar. Where has there ever been honest critique? The majority of people I have met would neither understand it or want to even try.
Why do you think we haven't seen "real change"? He didn't even campaign to change much of anything. Why do you think he needed all those change signs? No one running on a platform of real change and strong reform needs to be surrounded by giant change signs constantly. It is only to sub-consciously make people think that he supported some vague and essentially meaningless concept of change.

[Captain Hilts]

18. Yes, I really like FDR, but I'll fry him for several things he did. I don't worship him or any pol.

[Cant trust em]

19. Don't try to blow off people's opinions.

Yoru claim that people here support the escalation because Obama is a celebrity president isn't much more than ad hominem attack. We need to be more respectful of people's thoughts than this.

[spanone]

21. i've not seen much 'fawning' over President Obama by the media.

[countingbluecars]

22. Another post like this

was badly needed.

Unrec

[kestrel91316]

24. Thank you for your "concern". He is hardly on a pedestel. He is being

critiqued half to death, in case you hadn't noticed, lol.

[JohnnyLib2]

28. Please don't revive the "concern" line again.

Please, please, please.

[kestrel91316]

31. Kindly STFU and don't presume to tell me or anyone else here what to

say or think.

You'll be much happier over at FR. They don't let anybody say anything.

[JohnnyLib2]

42. LOL!

Good one! :thumbsup:

[blogslut]

25. All presidents are celebrities

To ignore the personal magnetism of chosen leaders is to ignore the dynamics of the situation. Jimmy Carter won because the country needed a president who was the antithesis symbolization of Nixon's snaky cynicism. Reagan won because he appeared more resolute than Carter. Bush senior won because he represented a continuation of Reagan and was painted as more manly than Dukakis. Clinton won because he was a fresh alternative to a tired old man. Bush Jr. won because, well, he won because he stole both elections and Americans weren't ready to see themselves as complicit in corruption. Obama won because we finally looked at ourselves and realized it was time to change.

I stated during the primaries that if I were to vote along the lines of my dreams and wishes that I would have voted Kucinich. I also stated that I wanted to win and that is why I supported Barack Obama. As well, I said that all politicians make grand promises during a campaign and that if Mr. Obama fulfilled 1/3 of what he promised, that would be 1/3 more fulfillment than any other president I've ever known.

AFAIK, he's producing at at least (if not more than) one third fulfillment. I am satisfied. I knew what I was getting by voting for him and in many ways, he has surpassed my expectations.

Throw terms like "celebrity" around all you want. Invectives are meaningless and solve nothing. As someone else here said, too many of us have become accustomed to leaders who do our thinking and acting for us. Barack Obama expects us to work for what we want instead of demanding he shoulder all. I am quite delighted to finally have a president who leads by getting out of the people's way.

You want change? Make it yourself.

[ecstatic]

26. Thanks for the lecture. Enjoy your weed, oh wise one nt

[NYC Liberal]

29. Nice.

- Right-wing talking points (McCain used the "celebrity" crap)
-A strawman (claiming people who support Obama's exit plan for Afghanistan are saying "if Obama does it, I support it without question, etc, etc.")



So. That is quite odd for someone who then claims we need "honest critique."

[treestar]

32. Quit calling it hero worship just because you disagree

You're just name calling. Make your case against Afghanistan. If you can't do it without calling names, you don't have much of an argument.

[Vickers]

33. There, now...feel better?

:rofl:

[Bobbie Jo]

34. Error: You've already unrecommended this post.

:banghead:

[FrenchieCat]

39. The President has been knocked off his "pedestal" so many times

with "honest" critique, till it ain't even funny.
The man's feet has been held to so much fire, he can barely walk
us to the finish line on the agenda that we elected him to get done.

You don't have to personally like this President, or you can,
but It seems to me that in a free country, you don't get to tell
other people how they should feel. The media does that everyday....
which is why I don't even bother to watch them anymore.
why would we need you to do it some more?

[debbierlus]

40. You can bet blood or money, if McCain was in the White House and announced troop escalation

This board would be UNITED in opposition.

The beauty of Obama - they hit the reset button.

What people would no longer tolerate under Bush and the Republicans, they are letting slide under the Obama brand....

Only so long until that won't work, either.

When the democratic party splits in two, we will have real change...

[jpak]

43. Wasn't that an anti-Obama GOP TV ad during the campaign?

yup

:puke:

[branders seine]

44. beware the modsquad

and their celebrity-loving locks of death.