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.Mypal Raymond Arroyo suggested "Razzle Dazzle" from the Broadway show Chicago.It was perfect.The lyrics--"Give 'em the old razzle dazzle.razzle dazzle 'em"--described precisely what Team Obama had planned forus.In Chicago, the defense attorney Bil y Flynn, in song, counsels a client charged with murder on the way to get around the jury.His advice is to "razzle dazzle" the crowd, daze and confuse them with so much glitz and hokum that they al ow the murderer to walk.So too for Barack Obama, whose PR team believed that an over-the-toppolitical spectacular would overwhelm the national audience to such an extent that they would ignore the tel -talesigns of his radical policies to come.The stagecraft used that balmy night in Denver established the tone for al the Razzle Dazzles to come.Somein the British press dubbed it "the Barakopolis": a plaster and plywood masterpiece meant to evoke the LincolnMemorial, the Parthenon, and the White House al in one backdrop.It was constructed by the same peopleresponsible for Britney Spears' concert stages--experts at creating diversions for those with limited talents.Theset was meant to create a feeling of intimacy in the sprawling arena and to convey a few other messages.Christopher Hawthorne of the Los Angeles Times described the set: "Obama's campaign produced a ful -onneoclassical facade: four imposing Doric columns and ten sizable pilasters al connected by a frieze andarranged in a gently curving arc.From the center of this colonnaded contraption extended a long peninsularwalkway, lined with blue carpeting and capped by a circular stage and wedding cake steps." Michel e, Sasha,and Malia would emerge from huge false windows "clearly meant to suggest those at 1600 PennsylvaniaAvenue.They were warmly il uminated, suggesting that a family was at home--Obama's." We should besuspicious of any candidate needing this much artistic reinforcement.Rocky Mountain News columnist Mike Littwin had no such reservations.He enthused: "Obama, standingbefore tens of thousands of people.joined under a Rocky Mountain sky, where possibilities seem as endlessand luminous as the many Bronco's skyboxes shining from above." And that was written before Obama haduttered a word.Behold the power of the Razzle Dazzle.Al hail the Emperor of Hope and Change!To prepare the way for the Messiah, there was enough entertainment for four Super Bowl halftime shows:Sheryl Crow, Stevie Wonder, wil.i.am, John Legend, Jennifer Hudson, and Michael McDonald al whipped up thecrowd before Obama took the stage.Of course, he started his speech by reveling in his favorite subject--himself.Then it was the usual references to the "failed presidency of George W.Bush," tel ing the enthral ed masses:"America, we are better than these last eight years.We are a better country than this." This from a man withvirtual y no real-world experience to qualify him for the most important job in the world.During Obama's rhetorical exercise in breathtaking narcissism and historical revisionism, the media treatedthe television audience with frequent cutaways of weeping girls and mesmerized young men.These were theloyal O-subjects who had waited for hours to see their king.The congregants of the Church of Obama offeredtestimonies to their faith."I cried my eyelashes off," Oprah Winfrey attested."I think it's the most powerful thing I have ever experienced." "It was amazing," exclaimed the "performer" Fergie of Black Eyed Peas fame.And that renowned philosopher, actress Jessica Alba, expressed her sentiment in words that wil be oft quoted andremembered."Incredible!" she gurgled.The Mile-High Razzle Dazzle had news anchors combing their the-sauruses for new honorifics to sustain theinterest of forty mil ion viewers who were watching on television.Yes, Barack Obama was the first African-American to accept a major party's nomination for president, but restating that fact only takes the marketing sofar.The $3 mil ion extravaganza--an Obamapalooza for the ages--was absolutely essential in the overal battleplan, which was to distract voters and divert their attention from the hard truth that they were on the verge ofelecting the most inexperienced and one of the most left-wing people ever to have run for the presidency.Howdid Barry Obama go from passing out leaflets on a Chicago street corner to standing a few feet away from thenuclear footbal ? Sheer Razzle Dazzle, baby.And this was only the beginning.One of the chief architects of the Obama public relations blitz was Desiree Rogers.A native New Orleanianand descendant of the voodoo queen Marie Laveau, the Chicago socialite was a close friend of the Obamasand a fund-raiser.She also enjoyed an intimate friendship with Valerie Jarrett, the president's senior advisor.Rogers was named Social Secretary and Special Assistant to the president, with privileges in the East andWest Wings of the White House.More than a party or event planner, Desiree Rogers saw herself as a brandmanager, a visionary executive on site to "promote the Obama presidency." She made herself indispensible tothe political and policy wing of the Obama White House and was only too happy to advertise her ingenuity on thepages of Vogue, the Wall Street Journal Magazine, and Capitol File.Of her Razzle Dazzle, Rogers said, "We are trying to do different types of things that can leave imprints in people's minds and show them that we can bethe best with some of the simplest things." By "simple," she meant, of course, sel ing Brand Obama by enlisting the ful force of the East and West Wing staff along with a parade of visiting Hol ywood celebrities.THE DIARY OF WHITE HOUSE SOCIAL SECRETARYDESIREE GLAPION ROGERSEAST WINGJanuary 19, 2009The People's House.That's what I've convinced Miche to call the White House.And I will be its custodian,so help me God.With its whitewashed elegance and stately manner, this home will bear witness to some ofthe most notable events in America's history--I am the maker of that history.Each time I walk up the drive, I can almost hear the limestone whisper, "Thank you, Miss D.Thank you."It's a wonder that this house survived those Bushes! I told the staff today: if I ever see Lee Greenwood orCharlie Daniels on an entertainment request sheet, expect the pink slips to start flying.We are going to make this truly the People's House--at least for the people we know! Ha-ha.Oh, we'll letthe average citizens roam around the property, and the president and First Lady have agreed to surprise thetourists once a year.(Miche and I spent half a day in the White House screening room, rolling on the floorwatching footage of those slovenly tourists gasping and giggling when they realized the Obamas were thereto personally greet them in the Blue Room.One man actually started to brush his teeth as he approachedthem.Lord, it's like our own West Wing version of Candid Camera.)My mission is to return a sense of art and elegance to this house not seen since the days of JackieKennedy.Of course, we'll put her amateur efforts to shame because we actually know how to have fun.OurEaster Egg Roll is going to be fantastic this year--and historic [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]