We have all seen the old movies where a traveling peddler hypnotizes and hoodwinks half a town into buying snake oil or a magic tonic which restores beauty, health, peace of mind and cleans pots as well. We have also seen those horror movies where legions of victims decide that hitchhiking on a lonely stretch of road or running toward that eerie mansion is a good idea. Most likely, we sat there grinning, munching on our popcorn and wondering who thought portraying such utter mass stupidity and naïveté was a realistic effort. Judging from this election season, we should wipe that grin off our faces.

I will spare the reader the long lists of problems with Barack Obama’s qualification to be POTUS. Simply put, Obama lacks the experience, background and resume to even be considered for such an office, much less be elected to it. If that were not enough, his associations with radicals, racists and corrupt individuals would normally be enough to sink any chance for the brass ring in a heartbeat.

Given the above, one has to wonder how and why anyone within a time zone of sanity would seriously consider voting for this man. After watching the media and the Left ( is there a need to distinguish these two?) cast a spell on the collective flock of fawning fools drooling in awe of the Illinois Flash, we must come to the conclusion that Barack Obama is simply the Messiah of the Misinformed and Mesmerized.

Roughly half of Barack Obama’s drooling drones hail from the land fondly known as foolish. These people have found that thinking for oneself is a bothersome and annoying duty best avoided during waking hours. Why actually form thoughts, beliefs and conclusions in your mind when you can let the liberal media tell you what to think, when to salivate and when to nod yes? Why actually consider the weight of a candidate’s experience and qualification when you can marvel at his family’s bright smiles and polished pretend personas?

We are living in a society, after all, that actually worships stupidity as some twisted badge of honor or normality, that has allowed ignorance to spread across its disastrous public schools like an epidemic and that actually buys the fertilizer sold by the media as reality and truth without question, debate or analysis.

I once read that if Abraham Lincoln ran for The White House today he would never win because he was not an attractive or charismatic man. It is an indictment of this superficial, dumbed-down society that the greatest leader this nation has ever had could not convince enough airheads to vote for him today. If the liberal media is to believed, we are to elect Barack Obama because he smiles a lot and could write great greeting cards. We are to vote for Obama because, after all, he is a regular guy with a regular wife and family who, for goodness sakes, sometimes actually spill things and buy things on sale.

If half of Barack Obama’s supporters think Michelangelo was a Ninja Turtle and Plato discovered clay, the other half could be hypnotized by a traffic light. These people have been so indoctrinated in the liberal media and entertainment industry’s fictionalized spin of truth, priorities and values that they are now mere robot consumers ready to buy any tale or sales pitch on cue. Such people will easily swoon at the slightest serenade by this sultan of suave sophistication.

As a student of psychology interested in what makes people tick, I am fascinated by the way that ideas, beliefs and courses of action are marketed in today’s society. Style has completely replaced substance right under the noses of a public with no more capacity to reason than a fan at a concert fainting before its idol. Anyone doubting that candidates can be sold like toasters or laptops is not paying attention, and Barack Obama is being peddled as the sexy, cool item to purchase.

We all know, of course, that any vestige of reason remaining in a brain evaporates once its owner becomes spellbound by the latest fad, the flashiest gadget and the most sophisticated sales pitch. Simply put, Barack Obama is being presented as the flashy sports car pulling us from a tired past while his opponent is portrayed as a station wagon on its last legs.

Much has been written about Barack Obama’s penchant for whining at the slightest question of his experience, background, qualifications, associations and value system.

It is clear that his camp’s strategy includes portraying any attempt to shed light on his weight as a viable candidate as mere racism or intolerant elitism. Apparently, it is evil and sinister to ask whether this man has the chops to handle such an important job.

As far as I am concerned, it is racist for anyone to hide behind his or her race when questioned as to qualification, background and experience. A truly color-blind society is one where a person’s race has nothing to do with his or her qualification and right to any position or role. Racists like Jeremiah Wright and Al Sharpton believe that race is a one-way, selective hammer to use on opponents which can be converted into a shield to brush away valid criticism when convenient. In a sense, these people want to have their cake and eat it too; telling others to both ignore and consider their race depending on what is convenient at any given moment.

Racism is evil and destructive all the time and when used by all people, and not less so when waved when hypocritically convenient. Likewise, Mr. Obama seems quite allergic to criticism and confrontation despite the fact that being able to defend and answer for one’s past and positions is nothing to sneeze at.

In a perfect world, Barack Obama’s relative inexperience, controversial associations and questionable positions would be enough to render his candidacy for the most important position in the world a pipe dream. In a perfect world, his or anyone’s race would have nothing to do with an objective, rational and realistic appraisal of his qualifications for such a position.

Sadly, we are living in a world and society which is far from perfect. This is a society where flashy smiles and media kisses weigh far more than serious dialogue, rational debate and disciplined discourse. More than ever before, the fate of our world and our nation rests at the feet of those who worship fluff and idolize style. A society that has increasingly perpetuated stupidity and superficiality now stands in a position to elect its messiah.

Copyright by Gabriel Garnica