It can be a powerful drug. I’ve seen many of my media friends swept off their feet by its incredible power and influence. Hopeium. Oh, the mere sight or sound of the junk can cause the most callous and caustic reporter to wither and melt like Nancy Pelosi during a free Botox party.

The first time the media heard Barack Obama use the phrase “Hope”, they were hooked.

It explains what caused NBC’s Chris Matthews to get the “thrill up going up my leg”, as Barack Obama spoke. It explains why ABC’s George Stephanopoulos and his wife cried on Inauguration Day. Maybe it explains what Evan Thomas of Newsweek was thinking when he proclaimed Obama is, “sort of god.” Here’s the full quote so you have the context:

I mean in a way Obama’s standing above the country, above – above the world, he’s sort of God.

Timothy Leary would love this. That’s some powerful stuff. High on hopeium.

obama-hope

The first step towards rehab is recognition. If you don’t KNOW you have a problem, how can you begin to solve it? This is where Scott Brown comes in. The new Senator from Massachusetts might have caused a few media people to drop the needle, flush the pills, or at least think about it. Paul Krugman, lib writer at the New York Times even said the other day, “I’m pretty close to giving up on Mr. Obama.” Wooooah! Calm down Paul, don’t go cold turkey on us!

Krugman is mad that Obama is not moving fast enough on his liberal agenda, but whatever the reason, we’re trying to save lives here. CBS asked the question on its Evening News Wednesday night, “Does Obama lack a political identity?” What? Could they have not asked that question during the campaign? Guess not, but we are trying to get them off the junk with baby steps. Baby steps.


This rehab for the media, if it ever happens, will be long and hard. Rehab is always hard, and most will never make it through. Keith Olbermann is Keith Olbermann. He mainlines hopeium during commercial breaks.  Matthews puts it up his leg. I’m guessing the nightly news anchors each have a hopeium flask at the news desk. Ed Schultz said he was sick to his stomach after Brown’s victory. It’s not pretty watching people start coming down from a two year “high.” But, it’s important to note, the media has become the dealer of this smack and that is not likely to stop any time soon.

There is some good news here, polls show the people are putting down the pipe. Like all dangerous drugs, Hopeium had its hold because of shallow promises of ecstasy, but thanks to a heavy dose of the internet, doctors of talk radio and Tea Parties, the spoons are being kept in the drawers, users are kicking the habit.

A warning here, some dealers may try to push the junk even harder as they get more desperate for a fix, but the market for hopeium is drying up. The dealers will be the last to know.