It's about reassurance, now. It's not about fear.
I think the Republicans glued themselves to the fearsomeness of the world -- without achieving much in the way of results. "It's too serious to even tell you! It's so horrible, we can't even let you look!"
And everything just got worse. Were they incompetent? Were they stupid? Were they inattentive? Clearly, some of the above.
Proposition: send the Bush administration to civics jail; a deal, to avoid prosecution once they leave the hard bubble of high office. Stupidity is not a crime (or we'd require infinitely expandable prisons). Lying, death resulting, is. Like in Iraq. Bush, his top brass, to blame. Prison would be a salutary history lesson.
So: Obamarama! In a democracy, people can only absorb so much fear, anger, and gloom. The party that steps up with a truckload of hope will be greeted with open arms, ears, and eyes.
For the American voter beast, hope is essential. My-way-or-the-highway politicians rush to forget that. Authoro-robo-guys like Dick Cheney promised this: An end of freedom, for your own good.
Even if it's true (and surely it is not), it's emotional nonsense. You cannot rule a democracy when everyone -- in their heart of hearts -- feels you're wrong.
George Orwell changed the world. It was a literary inoculation for Western readers. We all read 1984. Thank you, 10th-grade teachers! And so now citizen immune systems reject absolutes uttered by pomped-up, puffed-up, know-it-all, certainly-know-more-than-you-do, dictatocrats like Dick(weed) Cheney.
Why do people love nonprofits? When you make a gift, you get to HOPE.