As the late Nobel laureate Elias Canetti observes in his great book, “Crowds and Power” (first published in 1960), the crowd is based on an illusion of equality: Its quest is for that moment when “distinctions are thrown off and all become equal. It is for the sake of this blessed moment, when no one is greater or better than another, that people become a crowd.” These crowds, in the tens of thousands, who have been turning out for the Democratic standard-bearer in St. Louis and Denver and Portland, are a measure of American distress.

On the face of it, there is nothing overwhelmingly stirring about Sen. Obama. There is a cerebral quality to him, and an air of detachment. He has eloquence, but within bounds. After nearly two years on the trail, the audience can pretty much anticipate and recite his lines. The political genius of the man is that he is a blank slate. The devotees can project onto him what they wish. The coalition that has propelled his quest — African-Americans and affluent white liberals — has no economic coherence. But for the moment, there is the illusion of a common undertakin>>>>Read the Full Article

According to the New Hampshire Union Leader, the Obama people dumped the Star Spangled Banner to make room for another speaker.

“We regret the miscommunication with Zach about today’s event, but we are pleased that several other New Hampshire residents were able to speak at today’s event where thousands of voters in both parties gathered to hear Sen. Obama discuss his plan to bring the change we need to Washington,” Sandra Abrevaya, communications director for the Obama campaign’s Manchester office told the Union Leader.

Bencal, who the Union Leader explained sings the anthem for a number of school events and is actively involved in local community theater, had been contacted by the Obama campaign to sing the anthem.>>>>Read the Full Article