Attention Addiction Disorder

I've come to the conclusion this is the current "hot" disease. Fortunately only a select few are susceptible to it. Athletes, Entertainers and Politicians. There is no known cure.

Actually it has been around for quite some time though it becomes more noticeable during election cycles. Think about this. Barack Obama had 60,000+ people turn out for a rally in Portland, Oregon yesterday. 60,000+, nearly 70,000!. Today, Hillary is reminding him there is no candidate quite yet.

It's one thing to believe in yourself. I think she truly does believe she would be the better candidate. There comes a time, however, you can appear to be more of a spoiler than legitimate competition. Tomorrow we suffer through two more primaries. Once again they are expected to split. The end will remain the same. Obama will have the lead in everything.

I got to wondering why the candidates linger beyond what is reasonable. John Edwards had the grace to get out as did Mitt Romney. It had to be tough though neither has really left the stage. Nor do I expect they will.

Think about it. Nearly 70,000 screaming fans hanging on your every word. Hundreds of people waving signs bearing your name and cramming close for autographs and photographs.

Whew. That's pretty heady stuff. What do you do when it's over? It must be like severe withdrawal because they keep coming back for more. Like entertainers who love their public but hate the media. Athletes too. Ah, the roar of the crowd. Heady.

The politicians are not so very different. That's when the disorder gets serious. It seems too many of them are morphing into "personalities". What are the symptoms of the later stages? Nastiness, flip flopping, foot in mouth, delusion? A decline in substance and a huge increase in ego. It's not pretty to watch.

Entertainers and athletes I can ignore or not as I choose. In politicians, who we choose to govern, I find it a tough pill to swallow.