Certainly many people have written about Obama bringing about change that no centrist Dem is likely to bring about. That said, I went to both Palin and Obama rallies this weekend and failed to find much evidence for that on the ground so to speak. I milled about and struck up conversations with many people. I was struck by how delusional the McCain/Palin crowd was. They not only spoke of Obama as some sort of new Stalin but they spoke of McCain as some sort of savior. He was going to sweep in and chase out all the rascals and return the republic to the peoples control. In contrast it was hard to find anyone at the Obama rally who, while excited about the idea of a Black President, made it clear they only expected a return to 1995. I was both disappointed and relieved. Where were the starry-eyed Obamaniacs expecting a New Deal or new Great Society? Even the feel of the rallies was different. The Palin rally was a fantastical experience with waves of emotion and screaming ourbursts. The Obama rally in contrast was just a standard political rally, less manic than the Edwards rally I attended this spring. The Obama rally attendees were excited just not in the same manic manner. At least that was my impression. I now believe the Obamania phenomenon, while real, is much more limited in scope than I once thought. It was difficult to find at an Obama rally in Missouri anyway.
John Thornton