Regardless of political persuasion, most would concede that Obama delivered an impressive acceptance speech last night at the Democratic Convention in Colorada. News commentators compared Barack's acceptance speech to that of an earlier era. Parallels were drawn with national heroes, and those images were evoked, and then transmuted by parallel reasoning, into shared energy and power with those figures: Kennedy, King, Hillary, single parents of the universe. Even Bill.

Even more interesting than the alchemy of political alignment, however, was Barack's use of a theory called "inoculation". I became aware of this psychological principal back in graduate school. Not a political scholar, I found myself lilted by the cadence and meter of Obama's poetic, powerful hypnosis. And all the while, I knew that the power of suggestion was being used to sway my vote in the direction of the speaker: not on the basis of political rhetoric, but through pure genius of psychological technique.

According to Wikipedia, the theory of inoculation was outlined by a social psychologist in the early 1960s to describe how to influence individuals to maintain beliefs in the face of persuasion and contrasting arguments. We received quite a large dose of Barack's vaccine last night. Essentially, the motive was to prevent us from viewing McCain's perspective, opinions, and mission at large as valid ones. By preparing us for McCain's counterpoint, Barack effectively limits the influence of McCain's words before they are even uttered.

And, even as my heart swelled with the ebb and flow of emotion that was orchestrated so adeptly by Obama last night, my understanding of pschology anchors me. It reminds me that in spite of the historic acceptance speech last night, it will take more than a hypnotic suggestion or a grand, moving symphony to sway my vote either way. Even the great alchemists of old did not succeed in turning base metal into gold. As powerful as last night's speech was, I am not prepared to give my heart away just yet.

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