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[digg-reddit-me]The Obama backlash is beginning, but slowly.\u00a0 Two weeks ago we learned that Barack Obama is not Jesus<\/a>; that’s a fair point to make. Earlier today David Brooks, who was a prominent conservative supporter of Mr. Obama warned that “the magic fades”.\u00a0 Mr. Brooks ends on this ambiguously positive note<\/a>:<\/p>\n The victims of O.C.S. struggle against Obama-myopia, or the inability to see beyond Election Day. But here\u2019s the fascinating thing: They still like him. They know that most of his hope-mongering is vaporous. They know that he knows it\u2019s vaporous.<\/p>\n But the fact that they can share this dream still means something. After the magic fades and reality sets in, they still know something about his soul, and he knows something about theirs. They figure that any new president is going to face gigantic obstacles. At least this candidate seems likely to want to head in the right direction. Obama\u2019s hype comes from exaggerating his powers and his virtues, not faking them.<\/p>\n Those afflicted with O.C.S. are no longer as moved by his perorations. The fever passes. But some invisible connection seems to persist.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Mr. Brooks column hits Mr. Obama a bit harder in the opening.\u00a0 Kevin Drum over at the Washington Monthly also sees storm clouds<\/a> on the Obama horizon.\u00a0 Matt Yglesias<\/a> also sees this coming.\u00a0 Paul Krugman, the partisan hack and gloomy prognosticator of recessions, also sees the backlash brewing<\/a>.\u00a0 Though no one can describe Mr. Krugman as fair-minded regarding Mr Obama.\u00a0 As one of my next posts will demonstrate, columnists more ideologically conservative than David Brooks have recently taken to hitting Mr. Obama.\u00a0 It’s also worth noting that each of these liberals only cites one example.\u00a0 But I sense it coming too – because the media must be getting bored; because Mr. Obama is not as open to the media as Senator John McCain; because as Mr. Obama succeeds, some of his less grounded supporters, and some of those who are emotionally invested in the race for cheap thrills, are beginning to reach a critical mass.<\/p>\n But I think Mr. Brooks’ point holds: that even after the comedown, voters are still left with an emotional connection.\u00a0 More important from my perspective is that there are many who support Mr. Obama for reasons other than emotional thrills.<\/p>\n Aside from predictions of what Mr. Obama could do, and policy debates, and historical parallels, there is another set of clear realistic reasons to favor Mr. Obama.<\/p>\n As Roger Cohen wrote yesterday<\/a>:<\/p>\n The fight between Obama and Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination is increasingly portrayed as one between romantics and realists.<\/p>\n But a realistic view of Obama would be that he is best placed to seize and shape a new world of such possibilities. He has the youth, the global background, the ability to move people, and the demonstrated talent for reaching across lines of division, even those etched in black and white.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The Nation’s Christopher Hayes<\/a> made this argument for Mr. Obama regarding domestic policy.<\/p>\n