Barrel Strength

The widely anticipated First Coming of Obama in secular Europe looks set to even exceed the hype that preceded the event.  A German magazine is reporting that “Those who want to hear Obama live have been told to start arriving three hours earlier. Berlin authorities say that as many as a million people could attend. Four TV stations are broadcasting the entire speech, and the rest are scrambling to secure prime locations at the site.”

Why is the that a million people of the super-state of EU, which exceeds US in terms of PPP-adjusted GDP, are so eager to listen to a person, who will have less of an impact on their lives than their own politicians and who does not have the moral ascendancy like Nelson Mandela or Dailai Lama?  What is it that is so newsworthy about his words that four TV station will brodcast the entire speech?  What is it that they are yearning for?  Is there a linkage between this event and the mass hysteria that accompanied Diana’s funeral when the foremerly stoic Brits were heard to say that Diana’s death had affected them “more than the deaths of people in my own family?

To be continued…

Update: Looks like the crowd estimates were another Obama hype.  First reports state: “Despite talk in the German media that the speech today would draw a crowd of up to one million, it was more like tens of thousands – a massive crowd, regardless – that came to hear the presumptive Democratic nominee. A local band warmed the crowd up for over an hour before the much anticipated speech.”

Another source states: The reggae musician Patrice kicked things off, followed by the rock band Reamonn.

For comparison:

John F. Kennedy

Date: 1963
Crowd Size: 120,000

Ronald Reagan

Date: 1987
Crowd Size: 20,000