In every speech, the Democratic presidential candidate makes sure to quote Franklin D. Roosevelt, elected president in 1932, who said: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
Most observers attribute Mr Obama's double-digit lead in some polls to the financial crisis. But his campaign, which has studiously avoided giving the impression it is measuring the drapes in the White House, believes their candidate's unflappable temperament has also played a role. They contrast this to the allegedly capricious style of campaigning of John McCain, Republican candidate, and his famously short fuse.
“You can't afford that kind of erratic, uncertain leadership in these uncertain times,” Mr Obama tells every rally. “We need a steady hand in the White House. We need a president we can trust in times of crisis.”