Free Republic

Here's what Republican leaders are up against. Right now, Barack Obama is a global marketing phenomenon, a brand much cooler than the iPhone. Catch a taxi in DC, the receipt will advertise a DVD on the new prez "the man and his journey". Turn a corner and someone will shove a card in your hand trumpeting a "Classic and Limited Edition Bronze Bust" of Obama "masterfully crafted by renowned artist". When Dee Dee Myers asks whether Obama "is the Most Famous Living Person Ever", it's one of those questions that doesn't really need an answer. You can scoff but who...

The Rio Theatre is located in east Vancouver, so it is not surprising that yesterday morning the movie theatre opened to broadcast the inauguration of Barack Obama. It's also not surprising that over 300 people in this left-leaning part of town mostly filled the Rio, according to Ethan Baron's column in today's Province newspaper, to watch as Obama was sworn in. I was a little dismayed--but perhaps should not have been surprised, given the sort of coverage the new President has received in the U.S. press--to read this observation from Mr. Baron. I've added some emphasis:

... [R]esearchers have documented what they call an Obama effect, showing that a performance gap between African-Americans and whites on a 20-question test administered before Mr. Obama’s nomination all but disappeared when the exam was administered after his acceptance speech and again after the presidential election. The inspiring role model that Mr. Obama projected helped blacks overcome anxieties about racial stereotypes that had been shown, in earlier research, to lower the test-taking proficiency of African-Americans, the researchers conclude in a report summarizing their results. “Obama is obviously inspirational, but we wondered whether he would contribute to an improvement in something...

Celebs letting Obama know he is not alone in his fight for what's right. The video appears on the left margin on the MSN.com web page.