Let me make the purpose of this post absolutely clear.  I do not attempt to directly associate Obama or the US Government with past or present fascist organizations.  I could have opted for “a worrying trend of fusion between media and politics.”  However, that would not quite do it justice and this this title gets more attention.

On watching the coverage of today’s events in observance of Barack Obama’s (who I voted for) inauguration, as well the conveniently concurrent Martin Luther King day, is that politics under the new administration looks to be nothing like what has gone before.  Obama’s use of charisma to draw large crowds is a political strategy that has been little used in American history.  When we compare American politics to movements in other countries in Europe and Latin America, we see that such strategies do not have a great record of success.  Examples of European communism and fascism are obvious, but we should not forget the populist strongmen of South America who used public mobilization (read: resource distribution) to support party and state.  Examples of such movements in the U.S., with a few exceptions (e.g. Huey Long and a long string of populist southerners), are rare in American politics.  This is testament both to the fact that the founders made clear their strong desire to keep personalities separate from politics and to a political culture that has since observed that norm. So too is it tantamount to the success of America that no such mass movements came to dominate our political system.

There is of course, one big exception.  The Civil Rights Movement mobilized Americans to publicly support and rally behind a righteous cause as they never had before (though past national campaigns, like the temperance movement woman’s suffrage, and the environmental movement), should be considered in context.  This was the only time anyone can remember that there was any kind of national political issue that involved the coordinated efforts of politicians, media figures and armies of volunteers.  And none of those movements ever sought or attained the presidency.  Liberals no doubt see today’s events as a celebration of the fact that this inauguration represents a fulfillment of the civil rights dream that a lot of courageous people fought and even died for.  And why shouldn’t pop culture icons participate who are a testament to that success?  Their use of artists of all stripes to reflect diverse tastes are a testament to excellent planning. Indeed, Obama has some terrific event planners working for him.

But what about the explicit, unapologetic, and unprecedented use of military pomp and splendor, national hymns, flags, and national mythology (excuse me: poetic interpretations of our proud history in the words of our finest citizens)?  One can certainly make the argument that these symbols serve positive and good faith objectives.  Why not loudly and majestically express military and patriotic values to millions of captivated liberals?  Unfortunately, there seems like a little more to it than that.  Listen to Denzel Washington’s stirring opening convocation of honor and service to America.  Note his attribution of America to the founders’ words “we are one.”  He’s wrong.  The founders didn’t say that.  They said “we the people”, a phrase with a much different meaning.  While there was no way to clearly separate the association of the patriotic symbols and the expression of support for Mr. Obama, it doesn’t look like anyone seriously tried to do so.  Nor has any other president ever sought or received this much media attention.

Make no mistake.  Obama is entering office with the full and enthusiastic support of the media establishment, as well as millions of fans whose loyalty to him seems to be of a personal, rather than merely civic, nature.  How much restraint will Obama show in using these forces to promote his agenda and attack his opponents?  This isn’t just about Democrats and Republicans- conflict with the Pelosi/Reid congress looms on the horizon.  What impact will this have on our democracy?  We can only guess.  We heard a few scattered phrases about the importance of democracy and pluralism.  As we listen to Obama’s rhetoric about “coming together,” we’ll see just how those forces confront this new reality. I guess there’s this mitigating thought.  How many Americans changed their channel to C-span to actually watch it?

I look forward to your comments.