Fan Politics

I blew ten bucks today on a pretty bad video game based on the Michael Bay Transformers Movie. It's not the worst game in the world, but it has some serious drawbacks. There are some really frustrating minibosses, and the camera is one of the worst I've ever scene in a 3D game. It's more of a novelty than a game, and I'm just glad I didn't pay more than ten dollars for it.
Here's the kicker: I knew it was a bad game. All of the reviews said it was a bad game. My friends who have played it said it was a bad game. On two occasions, store clerks have told me not to buy it because it is such a bad game.
Store clerks.
Two of them.
I bought it, primarily, because it was a Transformers video game (and because I saw some cheat codes to let you play as characters from the original cartoon). I'm a fan...so I felt compelled to buy something against my better logic, wisdom, and taste.
This is what concerns me most about the upcoming election.
Obama doesn't have supporters: he has a fan base. No matter how many mistakes Obama makes or how better equipped the Republicans appear, Obama's fans are going to have a hard time letting go of their beloved franchise. Like the adult male who buys video games based on toys he used to play with or like the forty year old who dresses up like a Klingon or an Imperial Stormtrooper, the Obama fan is going to still spend their money and wait in long lines even after the franchise has gone sour. That is, I'm certain that there are many Obama fans who are already being convinced that Obama is not the right choice for the nation, but they simply can't stop supporting Obama. They've got an Obama itch and they certainly don't want to pack up all of their Obama collectibles just yet. They'd rather defer the embarrassment of acknowledging how they had been duped or how they had deceived themselves. They simply have too much invested in Obama to stop now, even when they know they are going to be disappointed. Winning their votes isn't simply a matter of convincing fans that Obama isn't the best choice. They know the Obama they love is not the real Obama. Fan loyalty isn't based on reality...it's based on the self-conceived idealization of something that is known to be broken.