‘Epochal day’ for gushing pundits
The pundits are calling it “history in the making,” “the realization of a dream,” “a watershed moment,” “the end of politics as usual,” “an epochal day,” and “the event of the century.”
Barack Obama, the “voice of a new generation” and “cultural icon,” officially takes his “charm offensive” to the White House, where experts predict he will “change Washington,” “destroy the status quo,” and usher in a “new global era.”
Yes, after months of escalating hope and change, Inauguration Day is upon us. And if nothing else, I think we can agree on this: After Obama is sworn in this morning as the 44th president of the United States, the political pundits deserve a rest.
That’s right. You, Loud Guy in the gaudy spectacles at MSNBC, go to Tahiti for a few weeks to decompress.
You, Overwrought Fellow on CNN, it’s now safe to dial down the gushing praise. You, Lady in the Tweed Skirt on BBC, we get it: This is an unprecedented time.
For months, a roving cast of telegenic experts and insiders have emerged from along the Potomac to drench Obama with buckets of superlatives: “phenom,” “dynamo,” “genius,” “awesome,” “magnificent,” “stately,” “untouchable,” “cool.”
During the presidential campaign, Obama also inspired many colourful similes. He was “like a BMW,” “like a summer blockbuster,” “like a rock star,” “like a celebrity,” “like a prime rib,” “like a relief pitcher,” “like a drug,” “like a UFO,” “like a new iPhone,” “like a doctor finishing a surgery,” and most curiously, “like a scone.”
As Obamamania spread like a viral contagion, some TV personalities exhibited bizarre symptoms. After Obama’s rousing victory speech, MSNBC’s Chris Matthews said he could feel something going up his leg.
In the summer, ABC’s Terry Moran was reporting from the Democratic National Convention when he was so overcome by the moment, he rewrote history and assigned Obama to a same-sex household:
“The Democratic Party gave their presidential nomination – and, it seemed, their heart and soul and the muscle and bone and sinew of their[.