Hypnobamatist

October 31, 2008 4:14 AM

Fringe Friday: Obama is a hypnotic and entrancing public speaker. No, really, he's hypnotic and entrancing. [PDF] via
posted by Rykey (89 comments total)

You know who else is hypnotic and entrancing?
posted by yath at 4:20 AM on October 31, 2008 [17 favorites]

Anyone have Cliff Notes for this?
posted by gman at 4:25 AM on October 31, 2008

The footnotes alone are great. Finally, the academic minds at mychristiansite.com and crazymotion.net get the scholarly attention they deserve.
posted by shii at 4:33 AM on October 31, 2008 [8 favorites]

There were many hilarious links to use here, from the "via" alone, that could have made this better. A single link to a PDF is not very... accessible.

GMan, a taste:

The witches, warlocks and those involved in satanism and the occult get up daily at 3 a.m. to release curses against McCain and Palin so B. Hussein Obama is elected.

After reading what is below, and knowing what I know about mind control and what it is capable of creating, I now am wondering if we have TWO Manchurian Candidates running for President... McCain AND Obama?

The occultists are "weaving lazy 8's around McCain's mind to make him look confused and like an idiot"

So, lame post, but there's some pretty amazing stuff in there anyway.

Also, there's a great cat video.
posted by rokusan at 4:33 AM on October 31, 2008 [1 favorite]

My reaction to this was contrary to what the author expected. I feel that Obama's use of hyponotic techniques is a wonderful tactic which in no way makes him less desirable as a candidate, and provides a great case study for crowd hypnosis.
posted by LSK at 4:52 AM on October 31, 2008 [1 favorite]

My only question for you LSK, is how the fuck did you read 60 odd pages in that amount of time? Kudos.
posted by gman at 4:54 AM on October 31, 2008

He must have picked up the techniques from his seekret father Malcolm X.
posted by octothorpe at 4:58 AM on October 31, 2008

how the fuck did you read 60 odd pages in that amount of time?

Speed reading.
posted by pracowity at 5:00 AM on October 31, 2008 [2 favorites]

gman: this, I think, is where it all began - a press release from Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, who are apparently known for their, err, controversial stances on some issues. This Language Log post gives a nice summary of it.
posted by daniel_charms at 5:01 AM on October 31, 2008

It all fits now. You would expect the Antichrist to use hypnosis. We should be very scared.
posted by beagle at 5:06 AM on October 31, 2008

Obama is not the terrorist we're looking for. We can go about our business. Move along.
posted by Pollomacho at 5:15 AM on October 31, 2008 [6 favorites]

You know if you zoom in real close on his eyes when he speaks, you see one of those spinny twirly circle things.
posted by fungible at 5:17 AM on October 31, 2008 [3 favorites]

Somebody read the Illuminati Trilogy once too often while tripping on LSD.

Hail Eris!
posted by substrate at 5:18 AM on October 31, 2008 [1 favorite]

...yes...we...can...mnuhh...
posted by Pastabagel at 5:23 AM on October 31, 2008

So he's the Hypno Hustler?
posted by rokusan at 5:24 AM on October 31, 2008

Obama is a great candidate -- much better than McCain. I'm going to vote for him again and again.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 5:35 AM on October 31, 2008 [8 favorites]

The truth is finally revealed about why whites and blacks alike support "That One:"

"Obama’s grandmother sacrificed a black and a white chicken to the “goddess of the river” so both whites and blacks will vote for Obama. All Islam loves and worships Obama."

Coming soon to an outlet near you, inshallah: KFC's Black n' Wite™ Chicken Bowl
posted by rdone at 5:39 AM on October 31, 2008 [1 favorite]

Barack Obama is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life.
posted by shadow vector at 5:44 AM on October 31, 2008 [10 favorites]

OH, MY GOD, HE'S TRYING TO GET US TO TRUST HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
posted by Mental Wimp at 6:02 AM on October 31, 2008

I love Obama! Much better than Cats. I'd vote for him again and again and again...
posted by nicepersonality at 6:12 AM on October 31, 2008 [1 favorite]

I don't know, I just think he's bloody good looking. When he flashes that grin of his, I'm sold. If they'd picked him to play American President in a Hollywood movie, nobody would have believed it. You just don't have male model presidents. Not even in movies.
posted by Dragonness at 6:16 AM on October 31, 2008

The main secret here is to use your own intellect so you won't fall into Obama's hypnotic stare.

You just don't have male model presidents.

He can even do pullups.
posted by pracowity at 6:22 AM on October 31, 2008

Part of Obama's attraction, of course, is by comparison with current and prospective occupants. And of course a large part of that is intellectual. You know, the policy initiative is the largest sex organ in the body politic.
posted by DU at 6:29 AM on October 31, 2008 [6 favorites]

The witches, warlocks and those involved in satanism and the occult get up daily at 3 a.m. to release curses against McCain and Palin so B. Hussein Obama is elected.

Man, I never get these memos. I guess I've got a huge backlog of cursing to catch up on.
posted by malocchio at 6:37 AM on October 31, 2008 [3 favorites]

So that's why McCain looks so confused and idiotic. It's those occultists weaving lazy eights around his mind. I always wondered.
posted by ook at 6:44 AM on October 31, 2008 [1 favorite]

I look forward to a revival of The Demon Headmaster as the Hypnobama Generation's 1984.
posted by No-sword at 6:45 AM on October 31, 2008 [1 favorite]

As always, if things do not go their way when they are in power, they're being destroyed by secret enemies within. Any explanation, any explanation, makes more sense to them than the idea that they've screwed up.
posted by adipocere at 6:50 AM on October 31, 2008 [3 favorites]

As always, if things do not go their way when they are in power, they're being destroyed by secret enemies within.

No. Republican enemies are always from without. It's all about the other.
posted by rokusan at 6:59 AM on October 31, 2008

Good thing they didn't use Helvetica or some other Sans-Serif font on the titles, because then I might have to take them seriously.
posted by hellojed at 7:05 AM on October 31, 2008

Great! How can this not be an advantage when sitting down with foreign leaders?
posted by greta simone at 7:06 AM on October 31, 2008

The first footnote is all you need to read:

¹ “The only thing you need to do to break a negative hypnotic spell that has been cast on you is begin to think rationally, to begin to think critically. And if you decide that you choose this message as one that’s good for you, by all means sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. But, if you decide that this is not something you want to have in your life, just simply analyze it, criticise it, ridicule it, and say “Hey, that’s not how the world works.” And you’ll have protected your mind from taking on board something which you really dont need.” The Power of Conversational Hypnosis, Clifford Mee and Igor Ledochowski, re the section entitled “The Dark Side of Hypnosis.”

Me? I'm enjoying the ride. Immensely.
posted by pmbuko at 7:10 AM on October 31, 2008

Obama hypnotized my baby and all I got was this lousy tee shirt.
posted by Sailormom at 7:14 AM on October 31, 2008

Goddamn it--it worked. BHO commanded me to go vote early, and I did it! Damn you, BHO! If only I had listened to such clairvoyants as Joe the Palumbo.
posted by beelzbubba at 7:18 AM on October 31, 2008

The captivating cadence that echoed through millions of American radios and televisions was entirely gone, replaced by a cold, deliberate monotone. "Make it quick. I'm writing another of the speeches, the ones that the infidels lap up like dogs returning to their own sick."
posted by Iridic at 7:20 AM on October 31, 2008

A++++++!!!11!! WOULD VOTE 4 AGAIN!!
posted by The Bellman at 7:22 AM on October 31, 2008 [3 favorites]

Make History
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:29 AM on October 31, 2008

Oh, it is to laugh!

My main emotion reading this is one of bemused mild pity. These poor folks put a lot of work into this thing and seem very earnest. When I was a kindergarten teacher I used to watch some kids with poor motor development doggedly working to finish some sort of tissue-paper-gluing art activity, tongue thrusting for concentration, so they could have something to be proud of on Parent Night. I get the same feeling reading this.

My favorite part: The hypnotic logo.

Obama adds to this by giving a visual point of fixation – his logo. No doubt that one intended meaning, of many, is that the circle is also an “O” for “O”bama. By itself that is not all that significant.

Obama’s logo is highly hypnotic, because unlike any other logo in presidential history, you do not look at it, but through it. One subconsciously looks though the circle to the light inside, like the light at the end of the tunnel, without consciously realizing it. This visual point of focus is helpful in multiple ways to focus one’s attention, as well as to distract the critical factor. Notice how it is always there on the podium – a small one in the middle, just enough for your conscious mind to miss, but for you to see subconsciously.

Additionally, Obama’s logo looks very much like a crystal ball. Notice how it looks like it is shiningbrightly. Crystal balls are used by hypnotists as one of their favorite focus points for aiding in trance induction.

I don't know if I'd make sweeping comparisons to "all logos in history" -- I mean, you know, the cross is pretty hypnotically powerful, and so is the Star of David -- but the one thing I don't love about Obama's extremely good branding is the logo. From the day I first saw it, I compared to sort of an All-Seeing Eye, Big Brotherish in its hovering stare. It creeps me out a little. Most of my fellow Democratic running dogs like it, though, and I can live with it. It's a taste thing. They definitely went for a lot of power in designing it, though.

I like this guy's reading of the O logo. It certainly makes more use of depth and three-dimensional space than any other candidate's logo, though it's certainly not the only logo in history to appear in three dimensions or to use a 'window' idea. Look at this blog, where you can see how they've evolved the logo to match different "People" or identity groups and to fit into the name of each state. Here's a story about the creators of the logo.

Lots of anti-Obamans are citing his "smoothness" and branding and packaging as negatives for Obama. I'm sure I'm not alone in counting them as huge, huge positives. This is a candidate for the 21st century - someone who understands that to get the people's attention, he needs a comprehensive strategy to reach them where they are, and someone who understands that in our media-saturated culture, when even children younger than two can recognize logos for Disney and McDonalds, using visual language is absolutely necessary to gaining the people's attention and making them feel interested in personally adopting the indentity message.

Someone showed me a new iPod touch the other day - it comes with a pre-installed Obama application that loads up a nicely formatted platform page, with clickable links on all the issues, lets you find your nearest campaign office, and other stuff.

This stuff is just smart management for an organization with an important message. It may feel hypnotic to these whiners, but I would love to follow them through a typical day as they drink their Starbucks and Cokes, relax in their Dockers, eat their Whoppers, and swipe their local-baseball-team-logo credit card at the nearest big box outlet. 'Oh my God! You've been hypnotized by the free market and its image-driven culture! To the barricades!'
posted by Miko at 7:30 AM on October 31, 2008 [6 favorites]

My main emotion reading this is one of bemused mild pity... these poor folks put a lot of work into this thing...

When I said "amazing stuff" above, that's what I was trying to say.

This is why I love so much conspiracy work (or for that matter, Nicholson Baker or David Foster Wallace books). It's how they document the most minute of widely-overlooked "connections", and with such passion and attention to detail. And often there's powerful truth wrapped up inside even the craziest theories.

For example: it is a great logo, for many of the precise reasons these folks are afraid of it.
posted by rokusan at 7:37 AM on October 31, 2008 [1 favorite]

McCain may have already lost Colorado and New Mexico
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:39 AM on October 31, 2008

how the fuck did you read 60 odd pages in that amount of time? someone create a 67 page document on this?

FTFY
posted by chugg at 7:39 AM on October 31, 2008 [1 favorite]

I was going to say that this is not fringe and compare it to the John McCain was reprogrammed by the Jewish-Communist Conspiracy* while a prisoner in North Vietnam after blowing up the USS Forrestal accidentally on purpose page I saw the other day. Then I saw Rokusan's quote.

So, I've got an axe. If I can get a priest to give me a cup of of blessed communion wafers, can someone else get a couple stakes and a mallet and meet me at Carl Rove's house?

*I'd almost like to ask someone who holds this world view how they explain the '73 Arab Israeli war, but I'm afraid it wound be one of those Lovecraftian gaze into the gibbering maw of madness kinds of things.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 7:40 AM on October 31, 2008

Someone showed me a new iPod touch the other day - it comes with a pre-installed Obama application...

Miko, I don't think that app is really pre-loaded. It sure didn't come on my iPhone or my workmate's two-week old Touch.

I mean, Apple is pretty progressive, but I don't remember them ever getting that partisan.
posted by rokusan at 7:42 AM on October 31, 2008

I'd almost like to ask someone who holds this world view how they explain the '73 Arab Israeli war, but I'm afraid it wound be one of those Lovecraftian gaze into the gibbering maw of madness kinds of things.

And it would be beautiful!
posted by rokusan at 7:42 AM on October 31, 2008 [1 favorite]

McCain also gets an iPhone app
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:43 AM on October 31, 2008 [7 favorites]

You know after reading this thread and others and seeing a lot of the pro-Obama videos (like the "Make History" one linked above, I'm reminded of something a professor told me once. The problem isn't the propaganda you don't believe, the problem is the propaganda you do believe.

I have a hard time "believing" in Obama even though I'm going to vote for him. I don't know him, and I've never met him, so I have no reason to trust him. He hasn't earned my trust, to put it another way. Furthermore, he wants to be President, so that's a big reason NOT to trust him.

But as I said, I will still vote for him because I believe he is the better candidate. But in the end he's just a politician like any other.
posted by Pastabagel at 7:50 AM on October 31, 2008 [2 favorites]

Oh man, I know why I'm voting for Obama --- I failed my saving throw vs. charms!
posted by m0nm0n at 7:51 AM on October 31, 2008 [4 favorites]

The woman who showed her Obama iPhone app to me said "it came with the phone!" I guess she meant that you could browse the application and put it on your desktop, or whatever apple calls it.
posted by Miko at 7:55 AM on October 31, 2008

Eh. I only skimmed the beginning, but I see where they're coming from. Obama *does* that stuff. Any effective speaker does. "Hypnosis" isn't an on or off kind of thing, it has gradations. An effective public speaker (or poet, or storyteller) speaks in a way that gets the audience involved, makes them feel what he's saying, etc, etc, etc... Nothing particularly unusual about it, and certainly not enough for a 60 page whackjob fest.
posted by Narual at 8:02 AM on October 31, 2008

Aha, Miko, I bet that was it. Yes, the store is very integrated, so she probably found it while browsing through the millions of "Free Apps to Download". Installing things is so ridiculously simple on those things that it's easy to imagine someone non-technical not even realizing they've just "purchased and installed" a (free) application from the Internet. You even get a receipt in your e-mail later for $0.00.
posted by rokusan at 8:05 AM on October 31, 2008

Why would I find that McCain iPhone app video so intriguing and watchable? When he went to sleep, I looked at his peaceful little face and his darling little night cap and went, "Ahhhhhh, isn't he cute?"

Something is very, very wrong with me.
posted by leftcoastbob at 8:10 AM on October 31, 2008

WitchcraftHypnotism is the only possible explanation for this commie muslim beating McCain. Let's throw him in water and see if he floats.
posted by fleetmouse at 8:24 AM on October 31, 2008

This is just nonsense.

Now, would you kindly kick the Republicans out of the White House?
posted by naju at 8:26 AM on October 31, 2008

I failed my saving throw vs. charms!

Jacket of Charisma +10
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:28 AM on October 31, 2008

Hypnotoad '16
posted by Pollomacho at 8:41 AM on October 31, 2008

Somewhere outside L.A., a secret cadre of Republicans are hiding a cache of sunglasses. Very special sunglasses. And waiting for just the right man to come along.
posted by Shepherd at 8:41 AM on October 31, 2008 [3 favorites]

One thing I've noticed -- and this seems to have escaped everybody's attention because they're so hypnotized by the Obama Lazer -- is how often Obama uses the word "the" in his sentences. This is clearly a dark magic/hypnotic technique. Obama doesn't use the word the way you and I use the word. It is a trigger word to put his listeners into a trance.

THE == To Hussein Everything

So for example when Obama says "the world" what he really means is, "to Hussein everything [in the] world." Similarly, Obama invokes the economy a lot and what he really means is "to Hussein everything [in the] economy."

It's so obvious!
posted by contessa at 8:53 AM on October 31, 2008 [2 favorites]

Does anyone really think that if there were a vast conspiracy to put a mole/manchurian candidate/islamist extremist/demon spawn/hewhocannotbenamed into the highest seat of power in this country that they would have chosen a black guy named Barack Hussein Obama?

If the antichrist does come to America, people he will probably look more Tom Brady than Barack Obama.

It is to laugh my friends, it is to laugh.
posted by psmealey at 8:54 AM on October 31, 2008 [1 favorite]

I posted this in one of the giant election threads a while back. It's a ton o' fun.
posted by Bookhouse at 8:59 AM on October 31, 2008

Does anyone really think that if there were a vast conspiracy to put a mole/manchurian candidate/islamist extremist/demon spawn/hewhocannotbenamed into the highest seat of power in this country that they would have chosen a black guy named Barack Hussein Obama?

That's exactly what they want you to think, Psmealey. Come to think of it, what sort of nickname is psmealey anyway?
posted by Pollomacho at 9:04 AM on October 31, 2008 [1 favorite]

Ah, Shepherd. That movie is worth watching and rewatching just for the 30 seconds in which our hero first puts on the glasses. Especially for the money.
posted by rokusan at 9:04 AM on October 31, 2008

Yes, almost all of the "hypnotic" elements the author of this tract points to are just the basics of effective public speaking. Slower than average speaking, pausing, repetition of phrases...

And insofar as "pacing" goes: this is a NLP trick where the therapist mirrors the speech patterns and body language of the patient, not something a public speaker can do.

And look over some of the past issues of The Penny Press, worth every penny. A sloppily produced right wing Las Vegas rag. Jeez. I can't believe I wasted time with this shit. By the way, what is this "sparkly eye make-up" the Master Hypnotist wears? I guess I was too deep in a "trance state" to notice it.
posted by kozad at 9:15 AM on October 31, 2008

The real problem is that real tin foil is not common at all any more, and we have all been making hats out of aluminum foil. Which, as we all should realize, actually attracts alien thoughts from obamaspace and plants them in our heads.
posted by Xoebe at 9:18 AM on October 31, 2008 [2 favorites]

He hasn't earned my trust, to put it another way.

You haven't been watching the campaigns?
posted by DU at 9:20 AM on October 31, 2008 [1 favorite]

I've never admitted this to anyone, but after I watched Obama on the Ellen show, I was suddenly and fully naked, with my index finger knuckle deep in my right nostril. Damn you and your wily charms, Obama!
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 9:23 AM on October 31, 2008 [3 favorites]

Touche, Bookhouse. Sorry 'bout that-- your link didn't come up on my preview page thing. Let's chalk this up to "wanting your link to have the attention it deserved," shall we? ;)
posted by Rykey at 9:34 AM on October 31, 2008

No worries, Rykey - anything posted in those giant threads is likely to be missed by the majority, and it's a fun link.
posted by Bookhouse at 9:39 AM on October 31, 2008

McCain may have already lost Colorado and New Mexico...

And if I am reading this map right, Democratic voters are ahead in not just those, but in every state shown... other than Nebraska and Cheny-oming.

(Of course, this early data has not yet been adjusted for evil hijinks.)
posted by rokusan at 9:40 AM on October 31, 2008

I've never admitted this to anyone, but after I watched Obama on the Ellen show, I was suddenly and fully naked, with my index finger knuckle deep in my right nostril.

Is "nostril" some sort of euphemism you're using for polite company?
posted by rokusan at 9:41 AM on October 31, 2008

Hypnotoad '16

Heh. I was gonna suggest that someone who knows what they're doing make a Hypnobama by putting three-pupiled googly-eyes onto a picture of Obama, so that we could chant ALL GLORY TO THE HYPNOBAMA.

And, maybe, a brain slug for McCain. Oooh -- you could put a vaguely Palin-shaped brain slug on him!
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:43 AM on October 31, 2008 [1 favorite]

I like this guy's reading of the O logo. It certainly makes more use of depth and three-dimensional space than any other candidate's logo, though it's certainly not the only logo in history to appear in three dimensions or to use a 'window' idea.

I like the observation about his logo someone else somewhere pointed out -- it looks kinda like a donut and some bacon.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:44 AM on October 31, 2008 [1 favorite]

McCain may have already lost Colorado and New Mexico

ha ha ha, "may have"! "May have"! I mean, I guess they need to say that, but realistically, New Mexico is so goddamned Blue this year you could easily mistake us for toothpaste, what with that lil' red stripe down the side. I've lived here almost 15 years, ever since Clinton vs. Dole, and have never seen anything even remotely like it. The Obama signs and especially bumper stickers outnumber McCain stuff 3 to 1, even outside the traditionally super-liberal North. More than 40,000 people came to hear Obama speak in Albuquerque last week. Note: that is about 10% of the total population of Albuquerque, in one place, to listen to one man. It was totally insane, probably the biggest event I've ever seen or heard of in ABQ, barring the balloon fiesta and the state fair -- and by that I mean not just political events, but in general. In contrast, McCain attracted "fewer than 1,000 supporters" in a rally in the same city the same week. Same thing in Espanola a month earlier: Obama got almost 10,000 people, which is actually slightly more than the entire population of Espanola; McCain: all of 70. And I expect that probably 10 of those got counted when they wandered over from the Lotaburger just to see what was going on.

I work in Los Alamos, one of the most conservative cities in the state, and where people were standing in the streets waving "Viva Bush" signs four years ago, there is naught but crickets today. Crickets which, if you listen closely, are chirping "o-ba-ma! o-ba-ma!"

Hypnotically, of course.
posted by vorfeed at 9:47 AM on October 31, 2008 [3 favorites]

I can't wait for Obama to take office and instruct us to destroy the houses of McCain/Palin supporters. I love tearing shit up!
posted by strangeleftydoublethink at 9:48 AM on October 31, 2008

Rationally he is an unaccomplished man with shady connections

OK, this is where I quit reading because my bullshit meter sprang off the dial and bent the needle. I mean, Obama was president of Harvard Law Review, graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law and taught law at the University of Chicago - all before he entered politics. What the hell is this guy's definition of "accomplished?" Whether you like Obama or not, I mean really, this is just assertion without evidence - the essence of bullshit. I wish I was that "unaccomplished."

Also, I looked up Erickson on Wikipedia just to see if he actually existed (he apparently did but this is Wikipedia so in another forum I might double-check) and I read a couple of paragraphs that were word for word the same in the PDF and the Wiki article. Somebody is plagiarizing somebody. Or, possibly, editing Wikipedia to match his bullshit tract.

All that said, though, all the paper is saying (up to the point I stopped reading) is that Obama is a really good public speaker. Apparently some people find that scary. Personally, I find it refreshing.
posted by lordrunningclam at 9:49 AM on October 31, 2008 [1 favorite]

obambo.com: you can hope anything at obambo.com
posted by blue_beetle at 9:53 AM on October 31, 2008

What the hell is this guy's definition of "accomplished?"

"White."
posted by contessa at 10:10 AM on October 31, 2008 [2 favorites]

Heh. I was gonna suggest that someone who knows what they're doing make a Hypnobama by putting three-pupiled googly-eyes onto a picture of Obama, so that we could chant ALL GLORY TO THE HYPNOBAMA.

Yeah, I've had this up on my cube wall since mid-July... I didn't have the heart to replace it with an actual sticker once he announced Joe Biden.
posted by Mayor West at 10:17 AM on October 31, 2008 [1 favorite]

OK, this is where I quit reading because my bullshit meter sprang off the dial and bent the needle.

Yep. It's also an affront to suggest that a multiple college dropout and eventual mayor of some hick town with less than 10,000 (and who somehow lucked into getting elected governor of a tiny population) as MORE qualified than Obama. The "shady" connections thing is a trope (not to mention dogwhistle racism). That being said, if you are involved in any community at any level, you probably know and are friendly with people that others might not approve of (even though they can go fuck themselves).

Having had lomg associations myself with the University and the Hyde Park neighborhood dating back to 1985, I have never met Barack Obama, but I know many, many people that have, and have worked with him at the Law School, in the Illinois State Senate and in the neighborhood. I have never heard anyone say anything other than that he's one of the nicest and most obviously intelligent people they've ever met.

Not that people should accept my experience as I'm just some anonymous guy on the internet, but the crap I have heard about Obama from people that have no association with him nor any knowledge of Chicago is so deeply at odds with people whom I trust deeply, that its difficult for me not to conclude that it's borne of bias or hate.
posted by psmealey at 10:21 AM on October 31, 2008 [1 favorite]

This seems like the best place I can find to post the news that Obama's pretty much pulled even in at least one poll in Arizona.

I find this significantly more surprising than the news that people who believe that the insidious powers of mass satanist hypnosis techniques are anywhere on the list of the thousand greatest threats to the health of the American republic are also virulently anti-Obama.
posted by gompa at 10:29 AM on October 31, 2008

He turned me into newt!
I got better
posted by RussHy at 10:48 AM on October 31, 2008 [2 favorites]

Pff. I knew this way back on '04, when his DNC speech started with: "Look into my eyes look into my eyes the eyes the eyes not around the eyes don't look around the eyes look into my eyes *snap* you're under..."
posted by rusty at 11:16 AM on October 31, 2008 [1 favorite]

RussHy, didn't we learn in another thread that jokes like that mean you'll die alone?

It wasn't that perilous!
posted by maxwelton at 12:26 PM on October 31, 2008

I went to vote this morning. There was a line! I live in the Texas 11th district in a small village. It took over half an hour to vote. I have been on election day the past and there was no line. Did not discuss with any of the people there since they several big signs telling you not to talk in line about anything to do with the election. I am just amazed that there was a line!
posted by bjgeiger at 12:33 PM on October 31, 2008 [1 favorite]

Hmm, where did I see this last week? Was it reddit, DailyKos or Huffington Post?

I really, really want Obama to win, but any spell he might start weaving with his hypnotic powers is broken whenever he says "you know". Just an obsessive pet peeve of mine. To me, the phrase seems intellectually lazy, because the speaker lacks the words for expressing his/her thoughts, and expects you to read their mind to divine the correct word.

I wish I could get over the peeve, because "you know" is ubiquitous. Y'know?
posted by Araucaria at 12:52 PM on October 31, 2008

Araucaria: next thing you know, someone will claim that Obama's "you know" is further proof of the use of hypnosis: I mean, he's telling his audience that they already know what he's saying is true.
posted by daniel_charms at 1:24 PM on October 31, 2008

Ack!
posted by Araucaria at 3:01 PM on October 31, 2008

Friends, you know we can put an end to these peeves.
posted by cairnish at 3:52 PM on October 31, 2008

Must...vote...for...Obama...vote...Obama...Obama...
posted by Mental Wimp at 6:46 PM on October 31, 2008

My eight year old daughter refused to trick or treat at a house with a McCain/Palin sign in the yard tonight. I was like "Come on honey, ring the doorbell." But she said "No. They can keep their candy."
posted by Sailormom at 7:47 PM on October 31, 2008 [13 favorites]

His phone bankers aren't too bad, either
posted by milkrate at 9:37 PM on October 31, 2008 [1 favorite]