Observing all this and saying "wow the interest in politics has sky rocketed" is nonsense, because no one really thinks Obama-hair, nails, and mouth-guard thing people are secret political scientists now. Leftists demand conservative conform to they ideals the attribute to them, but for them, being left wing is the ideal, it's not a political system but a tribal one. Even to say that isn't completely true, because it's not like the Obamanites have lined up in lockstep for Hitlery, they don't see the political system as the tool for all their dreams to come true, having Obama as a president makes their country the perpetual fulfillment of all ideals, and supporting him as a person makes them feel like they are "standing up for what is right".