hopium

[Benjamin Zimmer]

It's a blend of "hope" and "opium" of course, used to indicate the
mesmerizing effects of the hopemeister, Barack Obama.

Possibly popularized by Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass:

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http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2008/jul/30/news/chi-kass-30-jul30
Hopium helps you forget several unpleasant facts
By John Kass, July 30, 2008
Hi, my name is John. I'm a hopium addict.
It's true. Yes, I'm a journalist. And that led to the harder stuff.
Then one day, Barack phoned the Tribune and called me "bro."
Now, I'm addicted to hopium.
---

Earliest use I've found so far is in the comments on this post from
Feb. 29, 2008, from a pro-Clinton supporter:

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/29/health-mandates/

For conservatives, "smoking (the) hopium" has, unsurprisingly, become
an expression equivalent to "drinking the Kool-Aid." See e.g.:

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2009/02/henry_blodget_is_smoking_the_h.html

--Ben Zimmer

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