Obamamania update

AFP:

A year on from a historic election, the spirit of popular goodwill that yielded America's first black president has retreated to tepid support for Barack Obama as he presses his change agenda.

Since the November 4 poll, Obama's visage has been everywhere, conspicuously on the streets of the nation's capital where millions of foreign and domestic tourists have visited over the past year, many of them snatching up poignant souvenirs.

A quick look around downtown Washington confirms that the Obama trinkets are still for sale, but more than one strategically placed street hawker have found little point in displaying the T-shirts, posters, and "Yes We Can" buttons bearing the new president's image.

"They stay in the truck," grumbled a vendor who identified himself as "Dick," as he pointed to a rusty vehicle behind him. "They don't sell anymore."

While on the downswing, Obamamania sure hasn't gone into winter hibernation -- at least in my neighborhood. Here are two pictures I snapped in furniture store yesterday:

This is just so weird.

What DC house isn't complete without a cardboard cutout of the president?

I also saw a jackolantern Saturday night on my street that featured the words "Public plan now" -- which I'm guessing was a reference to the public option. Truly scary. It's illustrative of just how bizarre the culture in DC is, where life is politics.