“You often heard the refrain about how can Obama possibly deliver when expectations are so high? But rarely if ever was there a major Obama speech that was panned by the critics. How to explain this paradox? Human beings love having their expectations fulfilled; it makes us feel smart. And the thing about a great brand is that, although it necessarily entails high expectations, it also leads one to evaluate performance in the most favorable possible light. Each Obama speech reminded us enough of the Platonic ideal of the Great Obama Speech that we substituted the Platonic ideal for the reality. Thus the “glow” around Obama (like the glow around Apple) was somewhat self-perpetuating.”