Obama Speech Stage Resembles Ancient Greek Temple

I wrote the following in response to the ABC story about Barack Obama, and his "rock star" acceptance speech, headlined above.

Here are the leading paragraphs to set the stage - so to speak:

DENVER (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's big speech on Thursday night will be delivered from an elaborate columned stage resembling a miniature Greek temple.

The stage, similar to structures used for rock concerts, has been set up at the 50-yard-line, the midpoint of Invesco Field, the stadium where the Denver Broncos' National Football League team plays.

Some 80,000 supporters will see Obama appear from between plywood columns painted off-white, reminiscent of Washington's Capitol building or even the White House, to accept the party's nomination for president.

He will stride out to a raised platform to a podium that can be raised from beneath the floor.

Once Obama speaks, confetti will rain down on him and fireworks will be fired off from locations around the stadium wall.

My reaction:

So this is what it's come to . . . American Idol with the blessing of the Greek gods.

It's degenerated into nothing but show business. Regardless whether he wins or loses, Obama has set a new paradigm for running for President. From now on, GOP or Democrat, it will be all about celebrity and "star power."

How appropriate that this is ushered in at a rock concert spiked with an acceptance speech. The show is all that counts; the sheer uniqueness of the format will create an unheralded buzz for all time.

It is impossible to deny that this is the milestone marking the decline of America. Never in the worst nightmares of the Founding Fathers could they have imagined that their Electoral College, stripped of its independence to find the best of all Americans to execute government, woud be replaced by an electoral collage of instant celebrity, the message of the moment, and strong-arm brigades of First Amendment-stripping bullies who rip through the internet and shut down those voices who dare to challenge their power.

Mark 2008 as the end of America's Golden Era. Great minds have been replaced with great mimes. Substance has collapsed beneath spectacle. Our ideals are replaced with idols; we worship at the altar of popularity and fame, and cast aside the unbeautiful in favor of the unreal images photoshoped into our minds.

Yes, it has come to this. The art of illusion preceding the disillusion that will shatter its lie within our souls. Then, all that is fake will fall apart under the relentless gnawing of speculative bubbles bursting the very foundation of the lies that we chose to believe because the truth has too raw for anyone to handle.

Yes, it has come to this. Tune in America, and witness your demise. The nation is but painted plywood, the playmakers' creation replacing the Founding Father's concrete.
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