| To Charles Mackay's fascinating collection of mass hysterias ("The Mississippi Scheme", "The Southsea Bubble", "The Tulipomania", "Alchymysts", "Modern Prophecies", "Fortune-Telling", "The Magnetisers", "The Witch Mania", "Haunted Houses", "Popular Follies of Great Cities", "Popular Admiration of Great Thieves" , "Influence of Politics and Religion on the Hair and Beard", etc.), we can add the presidential campaign of Senator Barack Hussein Obama, who has convinced millions that he will "bring real change to Washington", and cure America of its disappointment with politics by promising to: simultaneously increase supply and lower the cost of healthcare by reducing market competition; protect America from terrorists by surrendering to terrorists in Iraq; heal the nation's wounds by expanding the race-based and gender-based spoils system; cure poverty and save the environment by expanding subsidies to biofuels, etc. |