Sen. Obama's outrageous messiah complex
Philip Primeau
Issue date: 2/21/08 Section: Opinion
Frequently, Obama refers to his rapturous supporters as "believers." At a church in October, he asked a crowd to pray that he serve as an "instrument of God," going on to pronounce, "I am confident that we can create a kingdom right here on earth," a transparent reference to the Christian idea of Jesus' second coming, and subsequent worldly reign.
Tell me, where are those who deride Bush for "wearing his faith in his sleeve"? The president has never engaged in such lewd, persistent religiosity, nor has First Lady Laura insinuated that her husband can fix our "broken souls," to borrow Michelle Obama's troubling phrase. If Mrs. Bush had said as much, she would've been rightly castigated. The White House is not a vessel for spiritual (or, really, political) redemption, revolution or purification.
Barack Obama may make a fine national leader, but he's ultimately a simple man with the simple nature of all men: inclined towards good, but fundamentally weak, flawed, incomplete. To believe otherwise is to set ourselves up for disappointment and enable a scandalous and cultish sham.
Tell me, where are those who deride Bush for "wearing his faith in his sleeve"? The president has never engaged in such lewd, persistent religiosity, nor has First Lady Laura insinuated that her husband can fix our "broken souls," to borrow Michelle Obama's troubling phrase. If Mrs. Bush had said as much, she would've been rightly castigated. The White House is not a vessel for spiritual (or, really, political) redemption, revolution or purification.
Barack Obama may make a fine national leader, but he's ultimately a simple man with the simple nature of all men: inclined towards good, but fundamentally weak, flawed, incomplete. To believe otherwise is to set ourselves up for disappointment and enable a scandalous and cultish sham.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 21
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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