Highlights:
"Let's be honest. Barack Obama is not on the verge of clinching the Democratic nomination because of his policy positions--whatever his most evangelical supporters might tell you. If policy was all that mattered this year, Hillary Clinton would've won five or six of the last 11 contests instead of losing them all... But watching Obamamania over the past few weeks, I've become convinced that there's something more subtle at work. It's not just the message and the man and the speeches that are swaying Democratic voters--it's the way the campaign has folded the man and the message and the speeches into a systemic branding effort. Reinforced with a coherent, comprehensive program of fonts, logos, slogans and web design, Obama is the first presidential candidate to be marketed like a high-end consumer brand."
Brilliantly put.
Many many thanks to Joey for this one.
