The 'Obamameter'--A Gauge of Political Hysteria

Apparently many of our former friends across the Atlantic in the EU have been overcome with a worse case of mass political hysteria than we find even here at home.

No sooner had Barack Obama announced that he would be visiting Europe, Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Middle East than the bandwagon jumpers in the EU were planning to throw a massive party for the man some in the European media are calling 'the John Kennedy of our time.'

Obama-worship has hit Europe--that land of our forebears where supposedly cooler heads and more rational minds prevail.

Just look at what's being said across the pond of the wannabe rock star who somehow found himself in politics: he represents a new openness to the 'European Way,' his race and color make people feel he is 'more open to multiculturalism,' he is a breath of fresh air because he is against 'Bush's war,' he is 'charismatic' and 'photogenic,' and other such fluffy nonsense that has no more to do with how effective a person can be as President than Hitler's mustache was an effective gauge as to the leader's potential for driving Germany into the ground.

These sorts of irrelevant considerations apparently are more than enough for Europeans to overwhelmingly elect Obama as the U.S. President, if they were allowed to vote here. The only island with a semblance of rationality was Great Britain, which showed a preference for Obama at 49%--high, but still not a majority.

A more telling gauge, however, is inherent in the reaction of Europe to the Obama visit. I call it 'the Obamameter,' and it's a pretty doggone good indicator of the level of political hysteria one finds in Barack Obama's wake.

Hysteria as a medical diagnosis has its basis in an irrational overreaction arising from highly unrealistic expectations.

If ever there were a definition that more perfectly fit a situation than that of hysteria to the Obama phenomenon, it has yet to be found.

A perfect example here in the U.S. is the reaction of the mainstream news media to the Obama candidacy. For instance, all 3 major network news anchors, Katie Couric, Brian Williams, and Charles Gibson will be traveling with Obama on his trip to the Middle East and Europe in order to provide on-the-spot coverage.

When Obama's GOP rival for the Presidency, John McCain, made the same trip not long ago, not a single one of the 'big 3' went along.

Why?

In fact, a major organization that monitors balance and fairness in media coverage of the two candidates has found a terribly lopsided bias in the amount and nature of coverage given to Obama as opposed to McCain.

The Tyndall Report found that since June, the 3 major networks, ABC, CBS, and NBC, spent a total of 114 minutes covering Obama while spending only 48 minutes covering McCain during their nightly news broadcasts.

In addition, a video surfaced not long ago which showed a group of female news reporters on Obama's plane ogling, giggling, and commenting on Obama's rather tight blue-jeans. The display was not only highly unprofessional but indicative of a vocation that has taken leave of its intelligence in lieu of succumbing to hormones and hysteria.

Thus, here in the U.S., the Obamameter has reached the fringes of the dreaded 'red zone,' which indicates that the nature and level of coverage of Obama have gone over the top and out of the normal range into the danger area.

In Europe, however, with news reporters and those within the halls of government gushing forth with accolades for Obama without knowing a thing about his record, his lack of accomplishments, his background, his philosophy, or his ability to lead effectively, the dial on the Obamameter has just about reached its limit in the red danger zone.

Europe may well cause the demise of my little gauge as it explodes under the weight of the irrational.