Obama and The Cult of Personality

I guess I'm perhaps a bit behind, but lately I heard the term "cult of personality" used to describe Obama's baffling yet meteoric rise to the Presidency. This term has finally given me the words I need to comprehend and describe how this woefully underqualified and horribly inexperienced man got to the Oval Office.

Wikipedia defines "cult of personality" thusly:

A cult of personality or personality cult arises when a country's leader uses mass media to create a heroic public image through unquestioning flattery and praise. Cults of personality are often found in dictatorships.

A cult of personality is similar to general hero worship, except that it is created specifically for political leaders. However, the term may be applied by analogy to refer to adulation of religious or non-political leaders.

...

Purpose

Generally, personality cults are most common in regimes with totalitarian systems of government, that seek to radically alter or transform society according to (supposedly) revolutionary new ideas. Often, a single leader becomes associated with this revolutionary transformation, and comes to be treated as a benevolent "guide" for the nation, without whom the transformation to a better future cannot occur. ...

I heard this term last night when I caught Sean Hannity's interview with journalist and bestselling author Bernard Goldberg as he promoted his new book: "A Slobbering Love Affair: The True (And Pathetic) Story of the Torrid Romance Between Barack Obama and the Mainstream Media." This looks like a book I need to run out and buy! (I've read his other bestseller "Bias", which I highly recommend!)

Here's an excerpt from his book's backcover:

"Never in my memory were so many journalists so intent on effecting change as they were during the campaign of 2008. Sure, mainstream journalists always root for the Democrat. But this time it was different. This time journalists were not satisfied merely being partisan witnesses to history. This time they wanted to be real players and help determine the outcome. This time they were on a mission, a noble, historic mission, as far as they were concerned. In fact, I could not remember a time when so many supposedly objective reporters had acted so blatantly as full-fledged advocates for one side--and without even a hint of embarrassment."

"...Make no mistake: this is not the same old liberal bias we have witnessed for years. In 2008, the mainstream media crossed a line. As a result, their credibility is in tatters. Hardly anyone trusts them anymore. This is not good for them, of course. But it may be even worse for us."

Goldberg's other bestsellers are:

• Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How The Media Distort The News

• Crazies To The Left of Me, Wimps To The Right

• 110 People Who Are Screwing Up America (And Al Franken Is #37)

• Arrogance: Rescuing America From The Media Elite

I've read Bias and Crazies .... great reads. I'm looking forward to Slobbering Love Affair! I'm sure you'll soon see it appear in my list of "Recent Reads" in the side panel.

UPDATE: Cool! I just found the interview with Goldberg. Unfortunately, the embed codes didn't copy well (errors). So, here are the links:

Part One

Part Two