He's not arrogant. He's prematurely president.

I was reading this article, by the AP, on Barack's Chicago headquarters, when I noticed the 8 foot tall portrait of Obama in the background. It was so big, so overwhelming, that I felt a need to blog about it.

But I haven't quite covered all of my feelings about it, so let's recap.

From the begginning, the big criticism about Obama is that he's arrogant. So let me start by saying that I understand that candidates will often have posters with their image around their headquarters.

That doesn't bother me, or freak me out. They are selling a product, and it doesn't hurt to have photos of your product all around you. But Obama has a long history of doing things that kinda look arrogant. For instance, I blogged about this chair of his, on Obama Force One, from a CBS report: ...With the word "President" written on it, near his name. In June, blogs like Holy Coast commented on Barack's new podium, with his own presidential seal. Holy Coast even presented its own comparison, so that people could see the similiarity. I should point out that the presidential seal did not appear on Barack paraphenalia there first, but at places that actually sold Barack merchandise. You can get Barack t-shirts and keychains back in May (pre-podium) from places like Zazzle.com Then there was the greco-roman temple - built in a football stadium - strictly for Obama's speech. Keep in mind, no one else was to use this temple. Just Obama. as you see in this photo from the LA Times: Again, I should point out that any one of these single things, taken by themselves, are weird.

But not troubling.

Building a mini-temple for your candidate? Okay... a little freaky. But not a problem. The chair with the word "President" on it? Yeah... that kinda gives me that icky feeling.
The podium? Freaky. Its that whole thing of trying to make us think that he's president already, and we just haven't noticed it yet.

But this image of Barack in his headquarters is just over-the-top creepy.
Apparently, there is an artist who creates these types of images out of newspaper clippings. He made one of Barack.

Now I get it. Someone gives you a really huge image of yourself, and you can't just say 'no.' You have to do something with it.
But what did Barack do? He hung it up in his headquarters. His office. Where his people work.

Combined with other images of Barack in the headquarters...

...and you get the feel of the old soviet republic.

Here is a company that sells communist propaganda posters. If you look at this picture...

...its part of a triptik that reads:
"The deeper the change that we want to execute is, the more interest we need to raise for it."
Change.
Anyway, you'll note the similiarities between the soviet style of propaganda, and the posters that the left has chosen to sell "Progress"

I took graphic arts. I understand when someone is imitating a style.
But I also understand when someone imitates a style, that sometimes they also like the underlying message.


Its part of that whole communist chic. I get it. Which is why it feels threatening to me. Particularly from a guy who seems to really like himself.

-Or at least is really okay with having a very big image of himself around.

I said this to someone earlier: Obama doesn't just worry me because he's arrogant. I'm mainly worried about Obama supporters, who would seem to support him in whatever he does.
A man by himself is not dangerous. But a man who millions would willingly follow without question is someone that I don't want as my leader.

Again, and I can't stress this enough... I always used to wonder why it was that people would support Stalin, Lenin, Hitler, etc... without question. I doubted that it could ever happen in my country.

When someone hangs an image that big in his campaign headquarters, that little voice/instinct that warns me (and others) of impending danger starts to get really loud.