Doc T, we are being weaned away from thinking and reasoning on our own. We are taught to memorize information and regurgitate it as needed, which on Jeopardy may be useful, but in the real world, when we turn on the TV and hear the confliction information, which without research and thoughtful investigation brings on confusion. Unfortuntely, it requires a lot of time and effort to separate the half-truths, lies and distortions from truth and reality. In the end it causes you to look for the box to check of for "none of the above".

but there is a difference between passion for a candidate and cult worship. Evangelicals were passionate for Bush in 2000. He was "one of them", they prayed, they cried and they volunteered. They were clueless as to who Bush really was, but only knew that here was a chance to overturn Roe v. Wade, return prayer to schools, etc. That was scary also, but as passions die and reality sets in, they got a candidate who helped them on social issues to a degree and gave them 2 hard right supreme justices. I think the "cult" label with Obama is more a creation of Rush ("the Messiah") and his friends. Sure, a lot of folks don't know the issues, but, truth be known, that has always been the case. Palin has a cult following too, that to me, makes little political sense, but she appeals to many folks for many reasons. The folksy touch exploited by Republicans since Reagan appeals to many who know nothing else, but that he/she is "one of us". I think any fear of Obama is created by the right...which is their specialty, BTW.

My concerns about a 'cult of personality' are more about a subset of Obama's supporters than about the candidate himself. Even the commies learned their lesson about such cultish hero worship of a leader with 'Papa Joe' Stalin.

I talk to a lot of people as a result of my profession, from all political points of view, and more than ever before, I see passionate, even fanatical support for a candidate by people who have no clue what his position on the issues entails.

I watch TV news and see people come to tears listening to Obama say some of the most vapid and meaningless catch phrases ever spoken by a presidential candidate.

That kind of personal devotion to a politician without a basis in reason should be frightening even to Obama.

"This is getting scary"? As compared to what? The previous 8 years of fantastic leadership? Are you also frightened of Mrs. Palin? She is no different than Obama in that she has generated a huge base of admirers, with the added bonus of an almost daily dose of making either outrageous or incomprehensible statements. Since you such a staunch and sincere defender of our great constitution I am curious as to how you view her recent statements regarding the role of the vice president and what branch it falls under, her curious interpretation of Roe V Wade, as well as her excellent opinion on the suppression of First Amendment rights. Do these things scare you? I believe they probably should.

may be a bit over the top. But his attraction to many people is based on more than oratorical skills. The middle class have not had much representation since Clinton, and that was with a hard right Congress most of the time. Bush was from the silver spoon crowd, despite his ranch act. Rich family from the Northeast, all the right schools via legacy. Obama comes from a broken home, raised by grandparents who cared enough to get good schooling, then his academic success. He comes from the middle class and made it. The wage earners have not seen much change in the paycheck in 30 years, and now the economy is putting them further and further behind by overwhelming health care costs, and education mostly out of reach. Obama may not solve all these issues, as a matter of fact, I am sure he will have to really pick and choose his priorities, but he is addressing them with more emphasis on the middle class than anyone else right now. Messiah, of course not, panacea, still silly thinking, but he is more of a Washington outsider, from the middle class and with great intellect. Something we haven't yet tried.

I find it very sad that the 80-year-old lady would wait till she could vote for someone of her own race. People have bled and died to give her the vote, especially during the Civil Rights era. But it was her choice, ultimately. I never realized till the charts the VP ran yesterday that only 20 million people voted in the Bush vs. Gore contest. That would be about one tenth of the population at the time, if I correctly recall. Cheers, MGM

I was not at the rally. I watched WAVY TV the next morning. A lady ws interviewed and said she was at the rally. She said her grandmother was 80 and had never voted but was voting this time. It is a shame that American citizens have not voted in elections. I believe Obama will win on people that have not participated in our political process and are choosing to now because there is a reaonable man of the same race running for office.

Some folks will grasp at anything to bolster their beliefs. This can bring on buyers remorse. It is better to thoughtfully consider who best can lead our country and its citizens with todays crises.

Saturday morning infomercials are just as inspiring. They all place you in a dream world where your every desire is provided free of cost. The only difference is the infomercials want you to buy a book or tapes to learn how to expedite your entry into utopia. Oh wait, NObama has an infomercial too!!!

I have a serious problem voting for anone who can't come down here to our great community and get a job requiring a security background check, In this case Nobama fails miserably due to hhis associations with hate groups and known Terrorists. This is just one of many problems with the Democratic Ticket this yr. So come Wed I will be handing out kleenex to the Liberals in this area just let me know so I can share my part of the wealth and also help stop all the whinning and crying by Democrats who failed to recognize that Nobama and Biden are just another pair of slick snake oil salesmen who gives a good speech.You can fool some of the people some of the time but most people have a brain and will vote McCain. Gotta run and stock up on Kleenex bye bye

We all have our preferred candidates, but going beyond preference to hero worship is a road you might want to think twice before traveling.

Take a detour to Wikipedia.com and read up on "cult of personality" and look at where that has led before.

This is getting scary.

I must be missing something since none of the candidates inspire me to drive or walk one foot to see or hear them in person. None of them make me feel all warm and fuzzy or send a thrill up my leg or spine. Maybe it's because I am a cranky old senior citizen independent and don't like crowds. I did drive yesterday to vote and it wasn't for the man who can teach people to repeat change.

It will be more like a NIGHTMARE!

with those dolts (congressmen), he has a rough road to get anything done! Most americans are looking for a free ride -- thus a huge budget defecit. To stay in power the dolts must give in to every whim in wish. Only if they all stand up at once and face the music will anything get done. Doesn't matter what pres is in office.

I hold to the McCain-Palin positions, I must say I am glad for a day when a black man can viably run for president at last, and esp for the fact that Barack Obama is so articulate about his positions (I believe Sarah Palin will be there someday soon, too!). He is a good orator. I only wish I agreed with the positions he outlines. Cheers, MGM

Obama will not lead any penguins over a cliff, just ask any of his lemmings...

I'm not sure I believe Mr. Obama when he says he will lower 95% of taxes.

Why do I get an image in my mind of penguins grouping up at the top of a tall cliff when I read this?