Spring Break
Sen. Obama's outrageous messiah complex
Philip Primeau
Issue date: 2/21/08 Section: Opinion
To be honest, there are disturbing elements of Obama's campaign that read like plagiarized Christianity. The campaign's renowned icon-the wide, glowing "O"-is eerily reminiscent of a halo. But that's the least of it.
Obama-rama is littered with explicit religious and Biblical imagery. Former Democratic senator Gary Hart has proclaimed that the candidate will "slay the awful dragon of race." Those extravagantly charged words echo the Book of Revelation, which features Archangel Michael dispatching a satanic dragon in a classic apocalyptic scene.
In Hart's defense, that allusion is fairly arcane. Many observers are not so coy.
Democratic strategist Donna Brazile lauded Obama as a "metaphysical force," but even that exaggeration pales in comparison to American Prospect wonk Ezra Klein's gushing confession of faith. "He is not the Word made flesh," bubbles Klein, "but the triumph of word over flesh." For those unfamiliar with Christian theology, "the Word made flesh" is a popular description of Christ's essence.
An equally explosive Jesus-Obama association appeared in The Washington Post, care of a grassroots fan: "Obama is like the new wine." Wine, traditionally, is closely related to Jesus' saving grace.
Never out-crazied, MSNBC pundit Chris Matthews raved, "This is bigger than Kennedy. Obama comes along, and he seems to have the answers. This is the new testament." The new testament-really? That's an awfully enormous (and awfully impious) assertion.
Such unhinged adulation is now commonplace. Obama lore constitutes a full-fledged genre. In major venues and minor, you learn of multitudes shrieking his name, of women fainting at rallies, of followers trading "conversion stories," of weeping masses. He is compared to Pope John Paul II, even directly to Jesus Christ. "Transformational," "transcendent," "covenant"-these are the sacred buzzwords of the Obama passion.
The senator happily embraces the divinity narrative. Backed by choir singers, his orations are delivered as scripture. "At some point in the evening," the senator preached in a January address, "a light is going to shine down and you will have an epiphany and you will say, 'I have to vote for Barack.'"
Obama-rama is littered with explicit religious and Biblical imagery. Former Democratic senator Gary Hart has proclaimed that the candidate will "slay the awful dragon of race." Those extravagantly charged words echo the Book of Revelation, which features Archangel Michael dispatching a satanic dragon in a classic apocalyptic scene.
In Hart's defense, that allusion is fairly arcane. Many observers are not so coy.
Democratic strategist Donna Brazile lauded Obama as a "metaphysical force," but even that exaggeration pales in comparison to American Prospect wonk Ezra Klein's gushing confession of faith. "He is not the Word made flesh," bubbles Klein, "but the triumph of word over flesh." For those unfamiliar with Christian theology, "the Word made flesh" is a popular description of Christ's essence.
An equally explosive Jesus-Obama association appeared in The Washington Post, care of a grassroots fan: "Obama is like the new wine." Wine, traditionally, is closely related to Jesus' saving grace.
Never out-crazied, MSNBC pundit Chris Matthews raved, "This is bigger than Kennedy. Obama comes along, and he seems to have the answers. This is the new testament." The new testament-really? That's an awfully enormous (and awfully impious) assertion.
Such unhinged adulation is now commonplace. Obama lore constitutes a full-fledged genre. In major venues and minor, you learn of multitudes shrieking his name, of women fainting at rallies, of followers trading "conversion stories," of weeping masses. He is compared to Pope John Paul II, even directly to Jesus Christ. "Transformational," "transcendent," "covenant"-these are the sacred buzzwords of the Obama passion.
The senator happily embraces the divinity narrative. Backed by choir singers, his orations are delivered as scripture. "At some point in the evening," the senator preached in a January address, "a light is going to shine down and you will have an epiphany and you will say, 'I have to vote for Barack.'"
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 19
Henry
posted 2/21/08 @ 3:55 PM EST
The claim that the Obama candidates are now disciples is just hogwash. Enthusiastic? Yes of course and why not, but loonie and carried away beyond all reason? Of course not, aside from a few handfuls that you always find around a candidate. (Continued…)
randy place
posted 2/22/08 @ 9:37 AM EST
Yes, with people fainting at Obama's rally's, it's a bit reminiscent of the bobby soxers of the '40's swooning over Frank Sinantra.
Granted, Obama's following is cult like. (Continued…)
Jules
posted 2/23/08 @ 8:49 PM EST
There's is something disturbing about this mega crowds. Whatever Obama is doing is working and adults are bending over backwards and behaving childish. (Continued…)
Alexander
posted 2/23/08 @ 10:22 PM EST
In the beginning there was the Word, and the Word was with God and, well...
But pause a moment and consider, while he quotes so eloquently the Words of Bob the Builder, does he ever offer "[HOW] we can"?
Take it from me, a wordsmith of sort, for I suffer from the immense gulf between words and action. (Continued…)
john
posted 2/25/08 @ 7:02 PM EST
Finally, a little break in the wild Obama mania, the outrageous hype, the Obamaphilia, the Obasms, the cult of Obi-Wan Obama, the Obama-rama, the Obama-aluia. (Continued…)
James
posted 3/06/08 @ 10:12 PM EST
Oh, we are a cynical lot and yet not so cynical when it comes to measures of ourselves. Always a pleasure to read Mr. Primeau's work in the Beacon. Let's to business. (Continued…)
jason
posted 8/08/08 @ 12:37 AM EST
People are just so sick of the incompetence and idiocy of Bush that to see now a capable, charismatic, black leader ready to replace him, it's overwhelming on many levels. (Continued…)
C Red
posted 8/24/08 @ 9:23 PM EST
I thought W Bush's rise was cult like. I never saw why anyone would vote for him once let alone twice. I attributed it to lack luster Dem nominees. Americans look for leaders that can inspire them. (Continued…)
dmduncan
posted 8/30/08 @ 3:54 PM EST
I think a good case can be made, and some day I will make it, that politics is a substitute religion for many, many people. And while we always witness the adulation of a group for its candidate, the sycophants always forgetting where they put their BS detectors whenever their candidate is near, I think what is happening around Obama is far beyond the usual we have seen in the past for any other candidate. (Continued…)
Eric C
posted 9/10/08 @ 7:39 AM EST
Phil
This is dedicated to you:
Here come old flattop he come grooving up slowly
He got joo-joo eyeball he one holy roller
He got hair down to his knee
Got to be a joker he just do what he please
He wear no shoeshine he got toe-jam football
He got monkey finger he shoot coca-cola
He say "I know you, you know me"
One thing I can tell you is you got to be free
Come together right now over me
He bag production he got walrus gumboot
He got Ono sideboard he one spinal cracker
He got feet down below his knee
Hold you in his arms so you can feel his disease
Come together right now over me
He roller-coaster he got early warning
He got muddy water he one mojo filter
He say "One and one and one is three"
Got to be good-looking 'cause he's so hard to see
Come together right now over me
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