Is this a messianic movement?
a cult of personality?
or just good ol' fashioned politics?
Widespread phenomenon
or isolated incidents,
of no immediate concern?
Discouraged,
tolerated,
accepted
or perhaps fostered
by Obama's campaign,
even Obama himself?
-- Discuss.
 "We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." - Obama, Super Tuesday |
"We have an amazing story to tell," she said. "This president has brought us out of the dark and into the light."
"Obama is, of course, greater than Jesus."
-- Politiken (Danish newspaper)
"No one saw him coming, and Christians believe God comes at us from strange angles and places we don't expect, like Jesus being born in a manger."
"Many even see in Obama a messiah-like figure, a great soul, and some affectionately call him Mahatma Obama."
"We just like to say his name. We are considering taking it as a mantra."
"A Lightworker -- An Attuned Being with Powerful Luminosity and High-Vibration Integrity who will actually help usher in a New Way of Being"
-- Mark Morford
"What Barack Obama has accomplished is the single most extraordinary event that has occurred in the 232 years of the nation’s political history"
"This was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal."
-- Barack Obama
"Does it not feel as if some special hand is guiding Obama on his journey, I mean, as he has said, the utter improbability of it all?"
-- Daily Kos
"He communicates God-like energy..."
-- Steve Davis (Charleston, SC)
"Not just an ordinary human being but indeed an Advanced Soul"
-- Commentator @ Chicago Sun Times
"I'll do whatever he says to do. I'll collect paper cups off the ground to make his pathway clear."
-- Halle Berry
"A quantum leap in American consciousness"
"He is not operating on the same plane as ordinary politicians. . . . the agent of transformation in an age of revolution, as a figure uniquely qualified to open the door to the 21st century.""Barack Obama is our collective representation of our purest hopes, our highest visions and our deepest knowings . . . He's our product out of the all-knowing quantum field of intelligence."
"This is bigger than Kennedy. . . . This is the New Testament." | "I felt this thrill going up my leg. I mean, I don't have that too often. No, seriously. It's a dramatic event."
"[Obama is ] creative imagination which coupled with brilliance equals wisdom . . . [He is] the man for this time."
"Obama's finest speeches do not excite. They do not inform. They don't even really inspire. They elevate. . . . He is not the Word made flesh, but the triumph of word over flesh . . . Obama is, at his best, able to call us back to our highest selves."
-- Ezra Klein
"Obama has the capacity to summon heroic forces from the spiritual depths of ordinary citizens and to unleash therefrom a symphonic chorus of unique creative acts whose common purpose is to tame the soul and alleviate the great challenges facing mankind."
"We're here to evolve to a higher plane . . . he is an evolved leader . . . [he] has an ear for eloquence and a Tongue dipped in the Unvarnished Truth."
“I would characterize the Senate race as being a race where Obama was, let’s say, blessed and highly favored. That’s not routine. There’s something else going on. I think that Obama, his election to the Senate, was divinely ordered. . . . I know that that was God’s plan."
-- Bill Rush
381 comments:
1 – 200 of 381 Newer› Newest»I must confess that I have sinned against The New Jesus!
What's worse, I've compiled a "greatest hits" of my blasphemous writings.
What has happened to all of the pertinent comments before February15, 2008 that were on this blog on some of the stories?
"""
What has happened to all of the pertinent comments before February15, 2008 that were on this blog on some of the stories?
"""
He probably got rid of them because the comments take focus away from the stories. It's better this way IMO.
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Yesterday @ 8:35 pm Post#888
Dan Abrams made me laugh last night with his coverage of the election. He aired some buffonish Fox News anchor asking "Is Obama the Messiah?" over and over again. "Do people really think he's the Messiah?" After he replayed the clip several times, Abrams then deadpanned, "Come on. No one is seriously saying he is the Messiah." His delivery just made me laugh and laugh.
But I did want to point out to him, there is one fool who seems to be taking it all too literally.
Source: http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/index.php?showtopic=3163723&st=885
He probably got rid of them because the comments take focus away from the stories. It's better this way IMO.
Precisely -- I wanted the audience to skim through the entire blog as opposed to reading individual comments on each post, to get a comprehensive sense of the phenomenon, excuse me, "metaphysical force" that is Obamanation.
Just the same would appreciate emailing me with any updates, "sightings" of messianic occurences, or simply post them here.
Thank you for your participation!
Thank you for the explanation-and this disturbing blog.
HuffPo has a great one for your collection.
"He empowers us with words and the authentic emotion behind them and people are rushing into the tent to drink that magic water.
Candor, inclusiveness, poetry, and inspiration. We don't only deserve those things, we long for them. We want to be led and we want to be lifted and anyone who doesn't understand that simply doesn't understand us."
Obama is definitely transcending... satire. You can't make this stuff up.
The crux of the matter, which almost everyone - including Obama himself and his surrogates - underneath knows well is that this phenomenon is simply opportunistic. Obama knows he's an incrementalist, not transformative leader, much less a messiah. He recognizes the fervor for changes and the mass disillusionment of the time. Obama knows he's not nearly qualified nor prepared for the job. He simply seizes (to his credits, quite effectively) the opportunity to fuel a rapid rise to power. And the herd of politicians - far from naive - seize the opportunity of mania as once that dies down, he will desperately need them to fill in the gaping holes under the promises. Obama knows himself well and the many sobering lessons from history, and yet still do it.
Power consumes powerful men!
I was browsing through the site meter and found this.
http://www.netdisaster.com/go.php?mode=manif&sound=on&url=http://obamamessiah.blogspot.com
It could be better but its still funny.
Interesting Open Letter to Obama from a young supporter and constituent
by Sarah Miller (LA/Chicago)
Perhaps enough people are still voting with their head. Let's HOPE!
Christopher, the photograph of Obama on the staircase at the New York fund raising event is my favorite. I hope you leave it in its present space.
What I love about it is the symbolism of the sitting George Soros.
It reminds me of the quote from the Wizard of Oz: "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain."
In this case it would be "pay no attention to the man sitting in the chair."
I saw this in the site mete and picked my favorite comments.
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/02/16/the-cult-like-attack-of-obama/
"""
So, what’s wrong about rallying around someone who actually had a vision. I remember another great man who had a vision: something about love thy neighbor. Boy, if we’d only have listened to him.
"""
Chill you guys, and don’t make much of what cnn says, even here, in Europe, people are praying and rooting for Obama to get the nomination, this is remarkable, considering how agnostic Europeans are. People here would love America to get a decent person like Obama for president, after 8 years of presidency from that war criminal and fascist gwbush.
"""
A lot of the opposition to Obama on the left is from Jews and gays.
It’s pretty sickening that they want to rain on everyone else’s parade and yet wear the mantle of tolerance.
"""
The gop and religious reichwingf***rs are very afraid of obama.
they have drunk so much jesus-juice, they have lost all sanity.
"""
I smell Rove in all this.
"""
the only cult i see in all this, is the cult of obama haters– their points are all unfounded and irrational,
"""
If Obama loses the election he will take all of his followers to Guyana for a Kool-Aid party.
"""
PNAC is going to go after Obama. get used to it.
"""
Ninja Pirate, good post.
I was reading Little Green Footballs...the thread on Charles Krauthammer's article about the Obama cult.
Some posters wrote about this website, but didn't seem to get it. I was surprised ;-)
I commend you, Pirate, for all your hard work!
Here's a direct link to http://rpayne.blogspot.com/2008/02/messiah-smear.html
Great find:
http://www.cjr.org/campaign_desk/seeing_the_light_in_south_caro.php?page=1
LOL:
Maybe we are the ones we’ve been waiting for. Or maybe we are not.
Perhaps when Barack Obama uses that trippy line, he is just giving false Hopi, since the saying, which he picked up from Maria Shriver’s New Age-y L.A. endorsement speech, is credited to Hopi Indians.
Maureen Dowd in today's NYT.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/17/opinion/17dowd.html?hp
Pirate, do you think most people know how to find the host?
I think that the host thing is fine as is, imho.
Decent article about the Phenom.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/17/weekinreview/17zernike.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=us
Regarding the hosting matter, thanks for your concern, folks: but it's probably too late. When I revealed the website to some virtual friends and colleagues, my name was already used in attribution. I anticipated that people would find out eventually due to the hosting.
So the "cat's already out of the bag", so to speak.
The website was initiated as (and continues to remain) a parody -- calling attention to via exaggeration the phenomenon of secular messianism and the "cult of personality" that surrounds Obama.
We'll just have to record the evidence and let it speak for itself. =)
I did take your advice about reversing the chronology of 'Heretics and Unbelievers' into consideration.
Oh, and the Obama Seminar has revised the original "Epiphany" post with the results of their investigation. I have not yet been able to find a video. I'm running with the original version as cited by CNN's Political Ticker page at 10:23am January 8, 2008. While they've removed it the evidence will reveal itself via archive.org when their cache surfaces several months from now (material becomes available 6 months after collection).
http://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/forums/viewreplies.asp?TopicID=25471&Srch=False&tpage=1&forumid=1
I guess they don't teach satire in roofing school.
Funny image from somebody linking here.
http://www.luxetlibertas.com/cartoon16022008.GIF
Hail Michelle
JOSHUA MARK Feb 17, 2008 3:11:30 PM
Barack Obama cannot possibly unite this Nation because the differences are catastrophic. This is not a political, or even cultural gap---its cosmic. I.e. the argrument is over how the Universe is built to function.
What we're seeing is an entire generation of TV junkies whose lack of vital involvement with nature and authentic living has convinced them that you can stop the War on Terror by "changing the channel".
Obama promises trememdous economic blessings from the money saved by "bringing the troops home." Then what about the Islamofacists who are ****-bent on destroying our civilization? Oh, they're just a ploy concocted by fear-mongering Republicans to scare people into their corral.
Can you believe this angel-talk? Millions do. For them Obama is the new Messiah, the new ***** Christ, who will make us all walk on water---logic and experience be damned.
Fasten your seatbelts, everyone. We're about to undergo a revolution at least as radical as 1776.
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2008/02/17/2008-02-17_hillary_clinton_and_neocons_use_the_same.html?page=1
Saw this from instapundit
http://www.talkleft.com/comments/2008/2/16/103052/528/50#50
"""""""
My next door office neighbor is a very progressive guy. We shared many a rants about the Bush regime and previous presidential election. He's followed politics for a very long time. He also has worked as a moderator in legal disputes. My office neighbor always makes it a point to see many points of view and find common ground. He will challenge me to take the other side to temper my own perceptions.
BUT... he wanted to discuss the dem contest. I told him it probably wasn't a good idea. "We should do it. We're bigger than that". "Ok, but I don't think it's a good idea." After a bit of back and forth, I commented on the Reagan quote by Obama. "You're spinning", he said. That stunned me. I told him he had insulted me by questioning my intellectual honesty. He never attacks like that.
I couldn't sleep that night. Next morning I wrote an email simply to explain how I had interpreted Obama's comments. At the end of my note, I added that I was certain he had just as deliberate and thought out pov and it was only fair that he be invited to share it with me.
Well...I won't go into the style of his response. It is enough to say that one of the last lines was, "If you were more dispassionate and objective, you'd see Obama's comment as I do".
I went nuts. I told him he was being arrogant by claiming that his perspective was more accurate than mine. That he was repeating the very behavior that insulted me in the first place.
I said i felt bullied and talked down to. And that I had tried to make room for both of our opinions.
Wait 'til you hear his response to that:
"Can you truely say you're being dispassionate and objective?"
ARRRRRRRGH!
"""""""
For inquiries regarding the maintenance of the blog, email me at blostopher "at" gmail.com. Easier to correspond that way going forward. CB
This just in! Obama and hope can cure mental illness!
Follow this link to see Mary Mitchell at the Chicago Sun-Times use the very recent NIU shooting tragedy to shill for teh awesome.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/mitchell/798119,CST-NWS-mitch17.article
"Shooting shows why Obama strikes a chord"
File under: You've gotta be kidding me.
I understand our insatiable need for change and our need to be lifted, but could it be that Obama's words are just empty rhetoric? He knows what the American public is looking for so he has offered it to us by way of inspiring speeches, but come election day, will he really deliver all that he has promised? This I am unsure of.
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2008/02/obama_the_messiah.html
Linkage from Claire Hoffman, with shot q&a with Joel Stein.
Technically joel isn't a Heretic or Unbeleiver, just not a fundamentalist.
The comments to Claire's post is great.
Nice sketch. Fits right next to the front page pic
This site just got some hits from ravelry, the knit and crochet community. It's in semi-closed beta so I can't see what they're saying, but the url is interesting.
http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/knitting-with-hillary/106396/1-25
More fun cartoons
Check out this drama found straight on Obama's website. I was watching the site meter last night at about 2am when this site got a ton of hits from myspace users via the bulletin. I was wondering who could have sent out a bulletin and generated so much interest. Well check this out.
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/BigO/gGgGqP
-------------------------
This is a message that Hillary sent to all her friends on MySpace. I just wanted you all to read it as a cautionary tale. If she is ready on day one, then how come she can't filter good information from bad and then use good judgement on how to use this information? Ok so you might say that her MySpace Moderator sent it out, but since she is reaching an audience totalling 66,496 as of this post. this means her employees can't tell good information from bad which leaves me to ask the question, What type of people will she hire to be in her cabinet?
The Bulletin was sent out on Feb 18, 2008 1:41 AM
My problem with the Obama Campaign
This quote pretty much sums up how I feel about what Obama has done to so many of my friends.
"Everywhere I went on Super Tuesday, I ran into Obama supporters, who were literally running around in circles and screaming "Yes, we can!" with glazed looks in their eyes. At best, it was embarrassing, but it also felt–deranged. I would love to be inspired by a candidate, and feel wildly excited and so forth–but, not to the point of losing reason. Surely, there is something to be said for dignity? Call me crazy, but I want an adult to run the country. A sensible one." (from TheStranger Blog)
And this blog is everything that scares me about the Obama Campaign.
http://obamamessiah.blogspot.com/
This blog really shows how crazy and out of control this Obamania has gotten.
I am not looking for a savior
I just want a leader to turn around this country, end this war, and fix our economy.
Hopefully people will wake up and start to see the truth behind all the hype and realize that Hillary is the real deal. Hillary is ready to take on McCain and ready to get things done.
-------------------------
Hello Cynics/Believers, two things:
1) In terms of content that I post, I try to keep it to that provided by the 'authentic' Obama disciple, fan, supporter, etc. -- so I'm still deliberating whether or not to include political cartoons that you have graciously recommended. I feel too much snarkiness from the side margin might take away from the overall tone of the site.
2) I put up a donation button; I'm not hurting on bandwidth yet (I boosted the supply some years ago) but then again, we haven't been 'drudged', so I'm not sure what to anticipate in all this. I'll also come clean and say that following Lent, this may contribute towards a beer or two. =)
Keep the Faith (or not), CB
Harry Jenkins, MIT "Obama and the 'We' Generation invoked the popular front of the 1930s. Is he serious?
In response to the growing threat of fascism in the 1930s, Communist parties that were members of the Comintern (then largely under the control of Joseph Stalin) adopted a policy of forming broad alliances with almost any political party willing to oppose the fascists. These were called "popular fronts".
I was reading about Harry (Henry) Jenkins on Amazon. Here is a comment about a book he edited:
Instead, you get a comprehensive look at everything from pro-wrestling to talk shows, television sit-coms to zines, and much more. The writing is sensible and leaves it up to the reader to draw final conclusions. A general theme is to not take popular culture too seriously and to understand that as consumers, we have the power to shape it. Further, popular culture is not always what it seems and high-flying rhetoric is used by big business and politicians to manipulate consumers for profit. Of course, we know that, but the essays offer us clues as to the process and how we can be more aware of how we are being manipulated.
I think Prof. Jenkins is doing a little manipulating himself with this essay on Obama.
A Must Read:
http://leewilsonsblog.blogspot.com/2008/02/barack-obama-novelty-candidate.html
Christopher,
It is interesting that this blog shows that Obama has created the Unity he promised between Republicans and Democrats.
I found this site via a link from a liberal blog, one of the relatively few that dared avow some skepticism about Obama, and yet many of the comments and links are from conservatives (including dunderheads like Charles Krauthammer -- who knew I might ever agree with him about anything?).
We even have, in comments here, the laughable claim that accommodating centrist Obama is "a garden-variety marxist."
But that's from the same folks who attached the epithet "polarizing" to accommodating centrist Hillary Clinton.
On my side of the aisle, it seems that a lot of people think Democratic truthiness is the cure for GOP truthiness, but personally, I don't care for it in either flavor. Still, I'll vote for Obama in a heartbeat over another sociopathic, authoritarian, Robin-Hood-in-reverse Republican. I'm just hoping it doesn't come to that.
"another sociopathic, authoritarian, Robin-Hood-in-reverse Republican"
Thank you for making my case. The tired old class envy rhetoric is alive and well in the democrat party. When Karl Obama does his magic to try to micromanage every aspect of the economy instead of letting free people decide who to buy from and who to sell their labor and goods to, then we'll see how well Robin Hood in forward works. It simply doesn't and has to be re-proven to every ignorant, childish generation every 30 years or so. I went through it with Carter and you'll go through it with Obama.
Same rhetoric, same failed policies, different decade.
"another sociopathic, authoritarian, Robin-Hood-in-reverse Republican"
Thank you for making my case. The tired old class envy rhetoric is alive and well in the democrat party. When Karl Obama does his magic to try to micromanage every aspect of the economy instead of letting free people decide who to buy from and who to sell their labor and goods to, then we'll see how well Robin Hood in forward works. It simply doesn't and has to be re-proven to every ignorant, childish generation every 30 years or so. I went through it with Carter and you'll go through it with Obama.
Same rhetoric, same failed policies, different decade.
"Ortega said he has "faith in God and in the North American people, and above all in the youth, that the moment of great change in the U.S. will come and it will act differently, with justice and equality toward all nations."
Oh, there's a credible guy. Thanks for making another point of mine. Ortega is not a garden variety marxist, he's a dyed-in-the-wool marxist who had to try to remake himself after his failures in the 80's.
Equal opportunity is not the same as equal outcomes. Equal outcomes of poverty is what Ortega seeks in his country, and equal opportunity is what we have in spades in this country. The fact that so few want to seek opportunity in this country is not the fault of freedom. To force government to right every perceived wrong because of the lack of intelligence or fortitude to accomplish something on their own, the liberals of this country want to make excuses for their own failures by blaming others. Sorry children, life doesn't work that way.
We even have, in comments here, the laughable claim that accommodating centrist Obama is "a garden-variety marxist."
Whaaaaa? In what universe is BO a centrist? Obama is only a centrist on the votes he has missed in the Senate. By all measures, he is the most leftist member of the Senate.
Yeah, congrats to him on the Ortega endorsement. [/sarcasm]
We need to scrup Barack Obama's and Deval Patrick's speaches and create one of these.
Consider how much make-believe you have to play to believe in today's Republicans...
That they value common people more than they cherish Mammon.
That they value peace over the cheap thrills of sending other people's children to kill and die (or that peace and protecting our troops aren't worthy goals, after all).
That they live by Jesus' message of love and charity.
That their word is their bond, that they stand by "compassionate conservatism," "war is the last resort," "era of personal responsibility," "we support our troops," and "no child left behind."
That letting the most powerful corporations and their lobbyists craft federal legislation is in the best interests of every American.
That the best way to protect the environment and have peace in the Middle East is to have petroleum executives run the world's largest consumer of energy.
That the best way to put money in the pockets of average Americans is to give tax cuts to the wealthiest 1%.
That turning a record surplus into a record deficit is prudent financial stewardship.
That the future-tense document "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S." was "an historical document."
That never once convening an anti-terrorism task force and sitting vacantly in a classroom while America was under siege is the highest standard of protecting our nation.
That abandoning a great American city in its time of need is further proof of our security, and of the decency and organizational prowess of our leaders.
That it's better to discard unused fetuses from in vitro fertilization than to use them to cure terrible diseases.
That tilting at WMD windmills in Iraq helped stop North Korea and Iran from advancing nuclear programs, and that everything that happened in the last seven years really happened under Clinton.
That the correct response to senseless death is more senseless death, whether it's sacrificing American soldiers so that other ones whose lives we squandered "didn't die in vain," or killing thousands of innocent Iraqis to avenge the thousands of innocent Iraqis that Saddam Hussein killed, back when he was our ally.
That ignorance, arrogance, and pigheadness are the same things as vision, statesmanship, and resolve.
That illegal surveillance, legalized torture, and breaking down of the separation of church and state are what our forefathers would have hoped we'd one day achieve.
That Jesus really did tell George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld to open Pandora's Box in the Middle East.
That starting a disastrous war on false and ever-changing pretenses is of little consequence — so long as the party has a cross, a flag, and a picture of Ronald Reagan to wave in our faces.
Hey, what do you guys think about the latest blog storm over Michelle Obama's speech on pride?
Pride in the name of Self-Love
Here's what I think BennyH:
"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."
From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank Michelle Obama.
She's the gift that keeps on giving.
I got a fund-raising letter today from the McCain campaign. I'm not sure why, but I finally compelled to give.
Thanks again, Michelle.
Fabu: Obama at Kohl Center delivers a shiver of hope
..."I am an African-American woman. This fact alone speaks loudly in a country where I have always been boxed into race and gender as if both were evil. I share the bottom of this society with African-American men, and everyone else, including the newly arrived in America, have more opportunity and are welcomed better than us. I have never felt safe around unknown white people, let alone thousands. Whenever I enter a place, I look first to see who is like me. I scan a room for color because black means a modicum of safety for me while white is unknown. The unknown can be dangerous, and I never forget that ever!..."
"Proud" versus "Really Proud"
Obama spokesman Bill Burton released a statement in response to the controversy:
“What she meant is that she's really proud at this moment because for the first time in a long time, thousands of Americans who've never participated in politics before are coming out in record numbers to build a grassroots movement for change.”
Found the video that settles it HERE
Get real the guy's an unqualified nut who not only has, but is being currently fed, a "messaih" complex. He has no experience in running anything, other than himself. His speeches are less than inspiring, and have little (if any) real intellectual depth.
He's a spiritual guru who's feeding off a bunch of weak minded idiots who need someone to hold their hands when they're afraid. LET'S BOMB PAKISTAN! Oh yeah, GREAT IDEA! Why place your hand over your heart when you say the Pledge of Allegiance?!! Or sing the National Anthem?!!
Who cares about the flag?!! The English language in America? Ahhh, who needs it!!! Let's all speak Spanish!!!! English should be our second language just like Dufusama voted for.
America? Naaa, let's worry about Africa instead. Great ideas for a new third world America were we all just "love one another right now". Sure thing, you bet, great campaign platform for someone who's so transparent it's sickening. Africa, Africa, Africa, what about the rest of us here in THIS country?!!
I agree w/bj, I thought Bush sheeple were bad, this is far worse. Dufusoma doesn't just think God is talking to him like the shrub. He actually thinks he's a new and improved version of Jesus Christ, only Black. LOL
Here's a new humorous heretical piece from David Brooks.
The afflicted had already been through the phases of Obama-mania — fainting at rallies, weeping over their touch screens while watching Obama videos, spending hours making folk crafts featuring Michelle Obama’s face. These patients had experienced intense surges of hope-amine, the brain chemical that fuels euphoric sensations of historic change and personal salvation.
But they found that as the weeks went on, they needed more and purer hope-injections just to preserve the rush. They wound up craving more hope than even the Hope Pope could provide, and they began experiencing brooding moments of suboptimal hopefulness. Anxious posts began to appear on the Yes We Can! Facebook pages. A sense of ennui began to creep through the nation’s Ian McEwan-centered book clubs.
Read the rest, it's a riot.
Be careful when looking at this photo. Be afraid...be very afraid:
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb184/endclintonismnow/Obama_hope-nosis.gif
Barack Obama Get Happy - Susan Werner live show
Thank-you, Susan!
LOL, this site rockin. I love the new
Deepak Chopra story.
I found a prophet.
I Dreamt That Lincoln Had a Dream: Barack Obama, the American Theodicy, and the Spirit of American Democracy
That whole article is full of lulz.
I'll give you a teaser.
""""
Then in the later 90s, I had a remarkable dream about that American essence. First I was seeing Abe Lincoln’s head and upper torso from behind. He was asleep, dreaming, disturbed. And then, suddenly, I was dreaming his dream with him:
A cartoon-like character was sitting by a roadside in the hot sun. He had little stick arms and legs like Mr. Peanut, but his body was a paper booklet.
""""
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_skeeter__080210_an_editorial_3a_the__s.htm
""""
I was overwhelmed with the sense that there was an other-worldly presence on the stage behind him. Three other-worldly presences, to be precise: The spirits of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And I could sense all three of them whispering into Obama's ear as he spoke, for the Illinois senator's address certainly had Kennedyesque and King-like echoes.
""""
I'm fisking opednews.com right now.
OMG, Ninja! The Prophet story you posted give the biggest creep up my leg since I fainted at Obama's rally. LOL
What a find!
Pirate,
Saniel Bonder is the Holy Grail of Obamamaniacs.
What are they putting in the water at Harvard University?
Correction: Obamaniacs
Saniel(Daniel) and Linda's Website
Read about Saniel's (Daniel's) and Linda's spiritual awakening. It's lucky this didn't happen to him in his youth. I wonder what Daniel's parents would have done?
What are they drinking? NoObama wants some of it.
http://www.wakingdown.org/LindaGroves-Bonder/
Linda Bonder's Spiritual Journey:
The Miracle of Me (or We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For)
Correction: The Miracle of WE! (not me)
I just submitted that opednews editorial with lincolns dream to the facebook page and it picked out the description metatag which is rather interesting.
"""""
A maverick American spiritual awakener/teacher's take on the deeper significance of Barack Obama's candidacy and his potential meaning for us and the world-'Something else is happening with Obama...
"""""
You have to "view source" to see that though.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/1/opedne_saniel_b_080211_i_dreamt_that_lincol.htm
Re: Saniel Bonder, loved this soaring "oh, brother" bit at the end:
"That doesn’t mean he won’t prove to be one of the most crystalline embodiments of the spirit of the Declaration of Independence and our Revolutionary War—the spirit that brought forth our still-amazing Constitution—the spirit of the Gettysburg Address—that we have been blessed to have among us, maybe even since the flawed yet heroic Lincoln himself."
Best read in a Corky St. Clair accent.
Robert Samuelson has a good article out in today's Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/19/AR2008021902336.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
New pic on the NYTimes front page with Obama in the orans pose...or as I would title the pic, "He's got the whole world in his hands!"
(When the frontpage image is changed, the same image appears in the article I linked. Make sure to view it 'enlarged' for full effect.)
You should start a praise and worship section so people can learn all of the words to the hymns!
Praise Him, praise Him, all ye little children,
Obama is love, Obama is love;
Praise Him, praise Him, all ye little children,
Obama is love, Obama is love;
etc. etc.
Or:
Oh - ba - ma, my Lord,
Oh - ba - ma,
Oh - ba - ma, my Lord,
Oh - ba - ma,
Oh - ba - ma, my Lord,
Oh - ba - ma,
Oh, Lord, Oh - ba - ma.
kumbaya, Barack, kumbaya
that would be appropriate for the emotion driven campaign.
Sure. And there's always "Barack of Ages".
the pictures are all gone -you have been hacked
NYTimes Headline:
Obama Learned Politics Helping the Poor
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Obama-Community-Organizer.html
Next up: Obama Cures the Blind...
Oh, and I added some pictures to the Facebook group you might like.
:)
Ninja - you removed your post but they were good for me - I am following your links and learning a lot for my own work organizing.
Excellent! Glad this site is back up.
I saw we were getting hits from obamican city. Here is the person who linked to us.
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http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/samgrahamfelsen/gGC73g
Marina from Maine
I never thought I'd be part of a group that's "cool." Who'd have thought that a politician could be responsible for my transformation!
Yes pecan.
Here's another site that will make you laugh: Link-http://obamamessiah.blogspot.com
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I agree -- I just had to limit the number of photos on a single page during that brief bandwidth-storm earlier; at this point I have about 60% moved over to Flickr, so it's not enough strain on the prior host. We're back in business. Cheers!
Tony Blankley in Townhall.com:
There is a joke going around Washington to the effect that Hillary is the senator from New York who was born in Illinois, while Obama is the senator from Illinois who was born in a manger.
Chris Matthews blasts Obama via Texas State Senator Kirk Watson on legislative accomplishment, i.e., lack thereof. Must see video.
Crisis of faith for Matthews -- one of those "the emperor has no clothes" moments.
"Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help."
-Psalm 146:3
Says it all, doesn't it?
Media Start Falling Out of Love With Obama: Margaret Carlson
Absurd.
I love how Hotair summed up the Obama campaign.
Everything in America is wrong.
Only Barack can fix it.
Vote and be healed.
Smells like a movement
I wonder how many more divine acts will have be recorded in the press before this website stops being "disingenuous rhetoric"? There have been three since that posting, and those just cemented and summed everything else up together.(more like church, pilgrimage, move paper cups)
Pauli, that's also satire.
Yes, yes, I realize that.
Thanks for that motivational poster though, I love it. Appeals to my inner Beavis, huh-huh-huh. Smells like movement, indeed.
We're all being bamboozled
LET THE BODY HITS THE FLOOR Feat
If you want to talk eschatology or conspiracies you really ought to go find yourself a message board for that instead of posting here.
Obama the Messiah of Generation Narcissism
greenconsciousness, I don't make the rules, I just don't want the site to be dismissed by passerbys as a bunch of kooks seeing things. You could talk about Obama's pseudo-messianic behavior and how it is anti-Christian without calling him THE Anti-Christ
Chris, I think there's going to be a lot of passerby's who don't know what the transfiguration is and won't bother to see how it's represented in art. I think you need to put an innocuous "[?]" right after the caption, maybe with a "tooltip" of "Imagesearch: transfiguration". To set the "tooltip" you have to set the "title" attribute for the anchor link tag. I looked at the result of a few services, and I think the msn one did the best.
Thanks for a great website, but I have to admit it's a little scary. I am also a little worried that I've not been hit with this epiphany yet. Does that mean I'm not one of the chosen few?? :)
That's right val1224, when you don't vote for Obama that means your the one who hasn't been "elected". Only the chosen elect get to take part in history and have their name in Obama's Book of Life.
Eek! That's what I was afraid of, Pirate! I guess I best get myself to a rally and get "baptized" before it's too late, huh?
I don't think he's the anti-Christ. Obama is just an example of great marketing, branding and PR.
Pauli, I agree with you.
Hey guys...back to reality. It's bad enough as is.
Louis Farrakhan Likes Barack Obama
Here's a little reminder of exactly who Farrakhan is:
Why did Obama's pastor, Jeremiah Wright, give an award to Farrakhan?
I just stumbled upon this site from a link encountered somewhere else. Even discovering that this site is a parody (Whew!) - it still gives me the creeps and makes my skin crawl. Obama gives me the creeps, and the stuff here illustrates just why all too well.
I was at the Iowa caucuses where this whole thing took off, and it all seemed to be due to a great marketing scheme unleashed on adolescents and other people who apparently are subject to entering into religious ecstasies and jumping onto bandwagons.
Needless to say, I was NOT supporting the Obamanable Showman at the Iowa caucus.
Cacatua, all I've got to say is that you need to let go of your cynicism or I will be forced to "nevermind you".
"Barack Obama WILL REQUIRE YOU to work. He is going to DEMAND that you shed your cynicism. That you put down your divisions. That you COME OUT OF YOUR ISOLATION and that you MOVE OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE. That you push yourselves to be better. And that you engage."
(say it with me: "Yes. We. Can!")
Messianic movement? Barack's meetings seem to reflect the eclectic gospel style crowds that show up. Spiritually he is seen among sheep. His "Change" motif will undoubtedly give an older conservative Republican a run for his money. For an ongoing Messianic-like message flow visit:
http://www.holyhell.org/
What a load of poo poo. He's a politician just like all other politicians. He's just better at playing the "enlightened one".
""""
Barack's meetings seem to reflect the eclectic gospel style crowds that show up. Spiritually he is seen among sheep.
""""
Yeah, Obama is just following the crowd. Right. I'm sure they just spontaneously started chanting Hopi Indian sayings.
""""
His "Change" motif will undoubtedly give an older conservative Republican a run for his money.
""""
Whoopidi dooo dah
""""
For an ongoing Messianic-like message flow visit: http://www.holyhell.org/
""""
You stay classy there with that Pope = AIDS talk, commielib. I'm not a Catholic, but the Pope's job description is to be the Vicar. He's got more authority with regard to the soul fixing business than BHO and Oprah.
Libertarian fits my profile more concisely, not to be confused with the other "L" word. I'd like to see a Libertarian or even a Republican in the oval office, but predict Barack will smoke McCain by 15% - 20% in Nov through, in part; the embracing of this charismatic association of convenience. There appears to be some shock as to its effectiveness. The “Change” motif I predict will have the effect of place Barack into an almost: John Kennedy profile. My Party affiliation prohibits me from voting for him, but I believe he is esoteric. Anti-Christ? No. Al Sharpton also exemplifies a ministry, which is very effective within this demographic group. Are you the Ninja Pirate singer in Denver?
Moderatelib, I've got nothing more to say. The way you write makes it almost impossible to engage in a conversation.
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/samgrahamfelsen/gGC4sY
'''''''''
By Eddie 5 minutes ago
One of the funniest website about Obama!
I think Obama has a potential of becoming like JFK, or even more, between JFK and MLK!
See this:
Link:http://obamamessiah.blogspot.com/
''''''''''
This site got mentioned in the washpost.
Obama Fever Breaking On the Web
and...World Net Daily
Is Obama the messiah?
You might want to get all your images on flickr...
Hmm, earlier there was an interesting google query about one-two hours ago.
what does white people have to say about barak obama
I made a post about it then. I linked directly to the sitemeter info and that got screwed up. Then this site was #1, now it's #4...
Bumpersticker Barak, a 10 word answer to all your problems. Just don’t ask for the next 10..........
This is not a race question: two different races cannot procreate when coupled.
But is a cultural question and IMO Obama can help to solve it: it is very tough, difficult for us all to understand what Muslims are telling us for just a very simple reason: YES and NO are not existing words in their languages. We can't do without these words and this means some type of genetics culture we haven't.
I can't forget Hillary's vote on Iran ... even after her Iraq experience!
However, we should act as adults and not teenagers. Up to now we have been refusing to talk to Iran, Syria, Palestine, etc. just because their drastical misbehaviour, as we refuse to talk to our children when they behave themselves in a way we refuse.
Often then they act as "terrorists" shooting in schools as so often recently. They want us the listen to them, to talk to them and commit suicide when they don't expect us to act in a positive way.
Obama may be the "lost link". Not sure but, IMO, no other present candidate can achieve this.
Delusional Hope: The Obama Rapture
Joel S. Hirschhorn
Never have so many hoped for so much because of rollicking rhetoric and pulsating platitudes. A tsunami of hope has plunged America into electoral euphoria. In its path is the wreckage of critical thinking about what ails the US and what bold, revolutionary actions are needed. Barry Obama has accomplished semantic alchemy, turning justified but grim distrust and outrage with government and politics into hallelujah hope. But most hope never materializes and is a terrible predictor of reality.
Think about the prevalence of hope: sports teams heading into a championship game, research scientists envisioning a Nobel Prize, people in the criminal justice system awaiting trial, entrepreneurs starting a new business, people starting off on a long-awaited vacation, American Idol contestants, college seniors dreaming of becoming superrich, and all those supporters of Ron Paul, Dennis Kucinich, and other presidential candidates that will not reach the White House.
Hope produces far more losers than winners. Hope is enjoyable until failure hits. But most people do not give up on hope, just move on to the next hope.
Obama hoped that he could tap into the national desire for change from the awful conditions produced by the Bush administration by selling hope to voters rather than his experience and accomplishments. Like a political medicine-man he has succeeded as a compelling seller of hope, better than the best infomercial charlatan.
Like a self-fulfilling prophesy, his proof that hope works is his life story and political campaign. This resembles a con man selling a real estate scheme by showing pictures of his yacht, estate and Rolls Royce. Millions of consumers succumb because of their hope that riches can be obtained by following the quack’s advice and formula. Such false hope succeeds because people buy into wrong or deceitful information. False hope can be revealed through objective examination of the facts, assumptions or promises used by the hope purveyor.
Delusional hope is much more insidious. The trick behind delusional hope is that recipients of the hope message supply their own justifications and rationalizations for taking ownership of the hope. As much as delusional hope comes from the hope messenger, it is also self-inflicted to a large degree. In fact, the hope messenger may be honest and authentic, like Obama, truly believing in his hope message. Those who embrace the hope message have many possible reasons and motivations for doing so.
It may be therapeutic by offsetting depression, stress or anger. It makes people happier, feel good and have something positive to look forward to in an otherwise dismal world. It provides comfort and some sense of security. Delusional hope is exactly like a placebo medicine, producing an apparent positive result without any valid reason for doing so, except satisfying the desire for a positive result.
Obama has produced an epidemic of contagious delusional hope for a population rightfully disgusted with ordinary politics and politicians. Like an excellent magician, people are mesmerized by the trick of promising to turn YOUR hope into HIS success.
What happens if president Obama does not actually deliver any real, substantive changes and reforms in government and public policy? Who will be blamed? Hope-happy Obama or a nation of hope-losers for electing him?
This mass delusional hope befits our delusional democracy with its delusional prosperity. Rather than the usual lies, Obama offers hope for change, as if the ruling plutocracy will fade away and stop using their considerable influence over government to funnel an obscene fraction of the nation’s income and wealth to the richest Americans and corporations.
Money is key to seeing Obama for what he really is – an insider politician. He has backed away from his clear promise to use public financing for the general election, as John McCain also promised to do. His broken commitment results from his ability to raise enormous sums from hope addicts. Besides many small contributors, he has received enormous financial support from a number of business sectors. He provided about $700,000 to other politicians in the past year to get their support. When it comes to money, Obama seems much too much like an ordinary politician.
What is the audacity of hope? The confidence that most Americans will eat the political narcotic – hook, line and sinker. Welcome to the Obama rapture.
[Contact Joel S. Hirschhorn through www.delusionaldemocracy.com.]
With regard to what's on cafepress, "No, We Can't" if not used within careful context in an op-ed(or whatever) is a rhetorical loser and plays into Obama's false dichotomy. A better phrase IMO would be "No, You Won't", or "Sometimes, We Shouldn't", etc.
The Cynic one is good though.
I may add a "Sometimes, We Shouldn't", but I had familial input from someone who preferred 'No, We Can't' (which is also true in a sense, in that there are some things, core political-moral-ideological convictions, that we simply cannot compromise on) . . . so I'll do both as time permits. =)
I have seen Senator Obama many times in person. He is running a clean grass roots funded campaign and doesnt take money from lobbyists. He is truly a candidate of the people, that restores our belief in democracy. It is the idea that there is a presidential candidate with integrity that brings thousands to hear him speak. He is joking when he tells undecideds "you will experience an epiphany ... and you will suddenly realize that you must go to the polls and vote for Obama" Not a Messiah, but simply a genuine person with a sense of humor.
I take it you've been properly catechized, Katy?
So does this mean God endorses the North American Union? Obama sure does.
I saw that too -- which is why I linked to the New York Magazine piece w/ article and photo intact. But agreed for the sake of the lazy reader will add an additional disclaimer.
Christopher, it's very important that you keep up the photo of Obama on the staircase from NY Magazine in the prominent spot that it is in.
Let's just say that it's NoBama's revenge. Mr & Mrs NoBama knew the bearded man in the photograph.
In the 70s we knew his mother quite well. The fact that her son grew up to be a supporter of Soros is shameful!
Obviously, the family is incapable of being ashamed. They have gone over to the dark side.
Thanks, Christopher, for putting up that photo. It's been a big hit on Free Republic, too.
Katy says: "He is running a clean grass roots funded campaign and doesnt take money from lobbyists"
Katy, just heard on the news tonight that Obama has 9 lobbyists on his staff at this time.
Re: Tim Reid's article from UK Times...was that a press release from the Obama campaign?
The writer has clearly been Obamatized. The comments were adoring...like this one:
I hope to God that he will go all the way, for without Obama I cannot see what hope the planet has.
Chris Groucutt, Ashburton, Devon
Nobama, what article are you talking about.
I found it here.
I found your site on Google with "the cult of barack obama." I commend you on your excellent journal of this crock. Keep up the good work. I'm going to link to you if that is ok, as we have been trying to explain the ridiculousness of this movement. Again, great job.
Somebody buy this guy a vowel.
Obama is really tall in this NY Magazine photo
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/24/us/politics/24obama.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
"...he is like a gambler convinced his every dice roll will come up double sixes"
"...a band plays “Obama-alujah” and thousands stand in the chill night ready to be rapturous."
" Why Obama? What do you know of him? “Well, both of us have read his books, so we got to know him as a person,” Ms. Orell said. “And we realized how much simpler change is than we thought. He could lead our nation in a way no one has seen.”
The trouble with electoral fevers is that they can burn out. Mr. Obama himself has written of this risk with an out-of-body coolness."
Priceless.
please remove all my posts at once - i removed what i could
Obama: Knocking on Heaven's Door
It’s All About Him
A savior? Are you all that stupid? Your in for a big awakening along with the rest of the world, for being so ignorant as to worship this man and the government. Get out your bible, and get on your knees if you have a brain, and a concious, and get saved before it's too late. Remember the golden calf???? You will see tragedy if you don't wake up. nicelynorth
Hi nicelynorth, welcome to the internet. You are currently on a blog. Most blogs have many design elements whose sole purpose is to express it's purpose to the reader, but this blog is a little tricky. Most blogs have comments sections which might offer up many clues, and you found this blog's special comments section. If you decide to actually go back and read those comments, you might discover that you currently look like a idiot. In the future, you may want to consider calling up a professional.
BTW, spelling and grammar are not very important on the internet.
Lew Rockwell Blog Linkage
OK, this is weird.
The UK Telegraph just updated their story with the claim that the transfiguration photo was doctored. They didn't change the text, but they have now linked to this site.
Story Here
This may end up being a better outcome.
Linked from National Review's Media Blog
This is a few days old but they did the best job IMO. Most people use that hideous yellow "dream" poster, but I think putting an artists rendition of the transfiguration next to Obama's posed shot at a fundraiser with Soros gives off the better first impression.
Obama is neither Messiahnic nor a statesman, merely a politician who can work a crowd. It has, of course, been seen numerous times before in history. If Obama wins the Presidency the gloss will rapidly fade since there is little he or the other candidates can do to stop the rapid decline faced by this country. Until dramatic changes are made in the very structure of this government and the means in which it operates there is little that can be done, even by Obama, especially considering his policy stances.
When government goes broke and the SSI checks stop coming then the people of this country will be ready for real change.
"""
When government goes broke and the SSI checks stop coming then the people of this country will be ready for real change.
"""
Lemme guess, GOLD STANDARD.
Republicae, your answer can be boiled down to "transitive blah so you can pimp ron paul".
If you want to debate your answer that Obama is "merely a politician who can work a crowd." then somehow show that you actually read what is on the site.
Another FALSE MESSIAH!!!
Not that I am complaining, this has to happen, I mean, these ARE the end times that we are living in, but the Christ I know will come with Power and with His angels to set up rule on earth!
As long as you're happy, Stephen.
news.com.au
Is the web starting to turn against Barack Obama?
Website obamamessiah.blogspot.com asks "Is Obama the Messiah?" and boasts a "transfiguration" scene of the Christ-like candidate addressing supporters from a staircase.
In a section on "Obama Conversion Stories", it quotes author Deepak Chopra calling Obama's candidacy "a quantum leap in American consciousness".
Interesting perspective on the "handshake" photo
This site has received over 100,000 visits now. A lot of those are repeats, but it's still a lot.
New video
Obama: 28 weeks after
A country whose majority of people would cast a vote for their nation's leader based mainly on sheer emotional response are like lemmings who will happily follow that leader right off a cliff... only during that brief moment mid-air on their way to oblivion will they realize (perhaps) they erred.
It's scary as Hades, but not suprising.
Most of the world don't know what they want anymore, or what meaning there is to life (thank you Darwin, NOT!)
They are hungry for man (not God) to tell them what "it" is. Obama calls it "change", they think that word can save them and the world.
There has been and will be only one Saviour of the World... Jesus Christ.
This person claims the Oprah testimony is screwed up.
http://livingjourney.wordpress.com/2008/02/26/barack-obama-a-messianic-hope/
It would have been nice to get this sign without the graffiti.
Obama For President
For it has been studied and resolved that Great Speakers make Great Presidents.
The Word!
You could work a "Heretic Defaces Holy Relic" angle into it if you use it.
Will writes: Wednesday, February, 27, 2008 1:30 AM
I am watching Barack debate as I type
this (an MSNBC replay). His demeanor is calm & assured. His answers are confident, speculative & completely fresh (they are not the general "stump" answers politicians routinely give in debates). This is no "empty suit" debating.
My liberal pride swells as I listen to this man speak. He is an astonishingly new kind of politician. He is articulate, philosophical & honest. He has wit & charm to balance out the intellect.
I do respect John McCain for his bi-partisanship & taking the high road regarding smear campaigns & sticking to his principles, but McCain is no match for our eloquent & lucid & worldly candidate. I do not believe in God, bt if I did, I'd say this candidate was heaven sent.
From Ben Shapiro's How to Beat Obama
Obama's face found in a potato. Maybe he is the messiah.
http://www.creativeminorityreport.com/2008/02/obamas-face-in-potato.html
Does anyone know why they mucked up the link in the UK Times story?
America starts to sober up from a heavy dose of Obamamania
http://obamamessiah.blogs-pot.com/
Glowing Photo
Pirate and Christopher, do you think I might be on to something? Very Machiavellian:
It came to me in a "eureka" moment...the strategy the Obama campaign is using regarding his middle-name. The Obama campaign purposely didn't reveal his middle-name on his website. However, they intriguingly wrote "His Middle-Name is Not Mohammed."
They were never trying to hide his middle-name. It was left out purposely as bait, and as a diversionary tactic, knowing full well that certain people would take the bait. John McCain isn't one of them.
It makes people who have made an issue of his middle-name look like bigots, and draws attention away from what his campaign really wants to hide: his far-left agenda.
This is What the Obama Campaign Doesn't Want People to See- Obama in His Own Words on Our Country's National Security
The Elephant in the Room: Obama: A harsh ideologue hidden by a feel-good image
New will.i.am video
Linked from CNSNews.com
Obama's Support Steeped in Messianic Terminology
repost from talkingpointsmemo.com
Come to Obama
By Jeremiah P - February 29, 2008, 3:23PM
Yesterday, with an open but ever sarcastically libertarian mind, I went to experience Obama-mania and listen to Barak Obama give an economic speech. The event was billed as a 'town hall' here at the Austin Convention Center.
Texas, being a post-Super Tuesday primary state, is not normally courted by Presidential primary candidates who have usually locked their positions in the postseason electoral playoffs well before our primary. So while I'm not usually inclined to vote Democratic, I felt the experience would at least be worth the time in traffic. I hoped for, but knew better than to anticipate, an opportunity to ask Mr Obama some tough questions. After all, it may be another 20 years before future Presidential hopefuls canvas this here red state.
Along for the ride was my "little" fraternity brother and Democratic-leaning roommate, Mike. I promised him that as a reward for his early rising to embark on this historical adventure, there would be plenty of hot and easy liberal chicks at which to gawk. I also made coffee.
I had suspected that with a limited pre-announcement and a scavenger hunt process for acquiring tickets to the event that this Town Hall would be heavily stacked with Obama supporters. Regardless, we arrived an hour and half early - around 8 AM - to ensure ourselves a seat, but the place would never near it's capacity. I estimated three to four thousand people showed up by the end. Apparently, fourteen thousand folks had been out to see him in San Marcos the evening before. I'm sure that San Marcos, a party college town about 30 minutes south of Austin, was the hot-spot last night and hardcore Obamatons were too hung over to fight Austin's notorious morning traffic for another dose of Change You Can Believe In ©. Plus, normal people have day jobs.
As we attempted to take our seats, hoping for a decent, semi-frontal view, a young snotty volunteer with a popped collar and a New England accent (a combination most worthy of disdain if ever one was presented to a Texan) asked us to move 10 feet over to a less favorable and more crowded section. He was too waifish for such haughtiness, and it was too early to be amused.
"Why?" I inquired.
"Because this section is background for the cameras and we need to fill it in."
He presumed too much of my concern for Barak's camera angles. I mumbled something about voting for Hillary if I couldn't sit where I wanted but then took my seat in the proper sheepfold. Baaaaah. As waif-boy continued to dart about, tripping over chairs to intercept and usher other annoyed spectators into our section, a teacher in front of me, reading a whitepaper on the potential for use of the Wii game system and brainwave interface devices in special education, turned to me and commented, "Somebody should take that guy out." Even bleeding hearts in Texas are quick to draw blood, it seems.
As time dragged on, I was becoming more aware that the facility was going to be more of a believers' tent revival than a town hall. A smartly dressed young lady to my right was arguing on her cell phone - at 9 AM in the morning, no less - with a Hillary Clinton supporter who had apparently made the comment that they would rather vote for John McCain than Barak Obama. "How can you possibly mean that?" she shrieked. "You know that's a myth, right? Look it up on snopes dot com." My roommate and I have run into enough Hillary supporters to know what that was about - another Democrat that actually believed Barak Hussein Obama was a dread Muslim. I expect such unmitigated ignorance from right wingers, but Hillary supporters? Maybe somebody should tell them that McCain has a negro baby.
The section behind Obama's podium filled more slowly and it occurred to me that it was reserved for the most dedicated supporters. Folks in the choir that won't wince on camera when Obama preaches about establishing $10 billion funds to bail out speculators and ignorant mortgage buyers who didn't take the time to understand their ARMs or write out a budget before they "purchased" a home with no money down. (I'm sorry if I lack much sympathy, but I spent months researching mortgages and their relative pricing models before refinancing my FHA loan last year to a 15 year, 80/20, fixed rate mortgage. I also watch too much CNBC.)
At that point, I turned to Mike and told him about a blog posting I had read the evening before from a "former Obama volunteer" who claimed that while attending "Obama Camp" he and his fellow travelers were taught to avoid discussion of policy with potential voters and instead focus on their own personal experience and how they had "come" to Obama. I asked Mike, "Is that a 'come to Jesus' thing or a 'come to Butthead' thing? Have those folks sitting there in the choir section 'come to Obama' and accepted him as their personal Presidential candidate?" As if on cue, a middle-aged Hispanic woman ran over to our section from the "choir" and grabbed another woman saying, "Hurry, he's calling us." An altar call and an offering plate were on the agenda, I was sure.
Soon, with Barak running 20 minutes late, the crowd grew restless for raw meat. They had to get to work or classes soon. Chanting and bleacher stomping ensued. All the standard Obama incantations were muttered but he failed to materialize. A line of Hispanic supporters answered the English chants of "Yes, We Can" with Spanish tongue talking, ”Si, Se Puede”. Befuddled East/West Coastal transplants, a familiar site in Austin, cocked their heads and wondered what the hell that meant. They didn't understand that Obama's campaign had xeroxed Caesar Chavez's slogan and my Mexican friends were trying to remind them of that fact. The irony was that we were presently meeting at an address on Caesar Chavez Street.
Eventually, a figure appeared in the doorway behind the stage and the crowd screamed. Jumping to our feet we learned it was just some local politicians. The opening acts, I presumed. A few of us sat back down but were then quickly jolted from our seats with another roar from the crowd. A nervous woman approached the stage and apologized for not being Barak. She then proceeded to give a very nervous reading from a prepared speech about affordable health care. It was painfully boring, but I had some empathy for her when a man from the other side of the auditorium screamed, "Where is Barak?" It was just rude. The poor lady hurried through the rest of her speech and introduced the star entertainment.
Amidst all the hubbub of Obama pressing the flesh on his way to the podium, a woman to my left said to her friend, "That guy is crawling towards him." I couldn't see this curiosity but the Gospel stories came springing to mind of Jesus' healing of the woman who crawled through the crowds to touch the Messiah . There is surely Change and partisan healing in Barak's wings. If I might but touch the hem of his garment perhaps he shall bless me with affordable health insurance from which I can not be denied due to pre-existing medical conditions?
Barak's speech was patently inspiring. He speaks with a calm and easiness that imbues you with a sense of trust and, dare I say it, hope. His tone is easily recognizable to any Southern church-goer. It's just enough "black church" to actually elicit amens from spectators but not too much that "white church" listeners will find him to be overly emotive or manipulative. The only disruption to this equation comes from amongst the audience as Obama girls call out "I love you" and toss panties.
It was an economic speech devoid of monetary policy. That 800 pound, greenbacked gorilla in the room felt a bit slighted at being ignored, but it was a good speech, nonetheless. My favorite line addressed the fact that the current fiscal mess was not a result of a natural business cycle, but was actually a result of a failure of leadership in Washington. I began to applaud this because the rapid expansion of M3 money and a complete lack of banking oversight under Greenspan and Bernanke, coupled with political complicity in the schemes of risky securities and credit derivatives is exactly why there are whole sliced loan products that are failing, property prices are plummeting, all resulting in near frozen corporate and municipal bond markets, and maxed out consumers unable or scared to spend more borrowed money. But, then Barak ruined the statement by blaming it on Bush's tax cuts on capital gains. These tax cuts have indeed been deeply unfair to those who work, rather than speculate, for a living. No doubt about it. But, the 800 pound gorilla was looking increasingly peeved - making me a tad nervous.
Nevertheless, after the speech I felt like Barak had a better grasp on the problems facing this country than either Hillary or McCain - a man whom actually admits to not understanding all this economic stuff and still wants to be President during such a time of crisis.
Next up were a half dozen, random questions before Barak had to skip town for Beaumont. I'm not sure why he was in a hurry to go down to the polluted buttcrack of Texas, but six questions out of 4000 people would have to suffice. Town Hall Revival Meetin' or not.
First up was a question about software patents from a UT student. As a temporarily self-retired specialist of such arcane IT arts, this caught my attention quick. There is much debate in the world of software development these days about what should be truly patentable. On one side are the open source and open standards advocates who argue for interoperability as the best way to facilitate open market competition. On the other side are proprietary software vendors, like Microsoft, who view the open source movement as a form of techno-communism. And it probably is. Intellectual property rights retained and shared by the people who actually do the coding rather than the capitalist managers who force you to slave away in a cubicle for 12 hours a day is the essence of the early communist movement in Europe. Barak's answer? Pay the patent officers more money and implement a CIO position in the White House. I don't know if that really addressed the issue. Barak seemed rather unprepared to deal with it despite being in a development town like Austin, but I suppose with thousands of suspiciously missing emails during this current Cheney-Bush era, a White House CIO would be a commendable idea. At least there would be somebody to haul up before Congress to explain, yet again, why a President that asserts unwarranted powers to search and archive every electronic communication in America can't get the NSA or CIA to forensically salvage those conveniently overwritten backup tapes at the RNC. No wonder we can't find bin Laden.
The second question was a real bombshell, though. A young, black, single mother stood up from the Choir Section to demand an answer as to why she had to struggle to go to school and care for her child while working at a near minimum wage job whilst her neighbors were having a steady stream of children in an effort to stay on welfare and avoid work. Heads were spinning like tops. Black democrats are not supposed to talk about welfare moms like this. Racist white Republicans maybe, but especially not those Democrats chosen to sit in the Choir. Barak had to take a few moments and recalibrate. He asked the young girl what she did and where she worked while he studied the carpet below his feet. The look on his face indicated he was trying to remember his division by zero calculus. This is why I came - to see the man think fast. Bush never thinks fast in any complete way - he skips over thoughts and sentences, mangles words and spits out a commanding period to let you know his answer was supposed to mean business. Barak, on the other hand, took his moment and came out with a sensible answer. Bill Clinton, he said, did some sensible things as President in working with Republicans to reform welfare. One such reform was to limit welfare to 60 months in a lifetime for the able-bodied. But, the economy had failed to produce an increase in wages at the bottom of the scale to make up for the shortfall. He would offer tuition credits so our young mother in the choir could afford school and increase her skills.
It was about this time that I noticed a woman sitting near the podium waving her arms in the air. Jazz hands, I thought. No. She was in a moment of praise. This was church on a Thursday morning, after all. I was certain a baptism would be performed soon. It was almost as funny as the time I attended a Nader rally during the 2000 campaign here in Austin and watched a bald Krishna chick dancing in silent meditation at the foot of his podium for the duration of the speech.
Next up, in complete contrast to the single, black mother struggling to stay off of welfare, was a tall, rich, white man who admitted he had benefited from Bush's "tax cuts for the wealthy" and could afford to pay more but wanted assurance that Barak was serious about balancing the budget and reducing government waste. Barak of course, is all for balanced budgets. He's also apparently convinced that Progressives need to be more conservative about fiscal issues than Conservatives themselves or progressive causes would fail. Bravo. No mention of the Constitutional issues regarding said Progressive causes, but by then the 800 pound gorilla had already stomped out of the room and was desperately seeking a local news outfit to interview him during his fit of righteous indignation.
A few "questions" followed during which Barak asked the inquisitor to please stop making him blush. It was almost embarrassing. At long last the the sixth and final questioner was a nine year old girl who simply wanted to know, A) would the Senator please sign her book? I assume to prove to her teacher that she wasn't being completely truant from her civil responsibilities that day. And, B) would Barak create jobs for kids so that kids could have health insurance, too? It was almost too cute. First we had a single black mother complaining about welfare moms, and now we had a nine year old demand the reversal of child labor laws. Welcome to Texas, Barak.
And that was it. Barak was rushed by the adoring masses as he exited and I went home to compare the sample ballots for both Republican and Democratic primaries. On the right, I have a ballot offering Ron Paul's Constitutional reformation. But, downlist on that Republican ballot, only a few local and state positions are being contested. Besides Constitutional reformation, my other cause is kicking McCaul out of Texas Representative District 10. McCaul, a wealthy CIA agent, was the uncontested appointee to the new Frankenstein District X during Tom Delay's gerrymandering projects. Democrats are finally going to run some reasonable opposition to McCaul but no Constitutionalists exist on the Republican ballot. My other electoral goal is decommissioning Senator Cornyn, but the only GOP alternative in that race is a literal Biblical Reconstructionist who is running on a secessionist platform. That's not a joke. There is literally a new Confederacy movement that has successfully put a candidate for Senate on the ballot here in Texas. Otherwise there is nothing of interest on the Republican primary ballot. With McCain all but certain to take all of Texas' delegates, what choice do I have but to vote in the Democratic primary where plenty of positions are contested with viable and experienced candidates? Besides, with a total landslide predicted for the Democratic candidate, I would rather it be Obama than another instance of the Mena, Arkansas group. A Bush or a Clinton has been running things since Reagan's assassination attempt in 1981. 27 years later, we could use new Establishment management. With Brzezinski and Voelker on Obama's team, you can be sure the Empire is in good hands.
Depending on your viewpoint, Barak may either be the Second Coming of Bobby Kennedy, the Mehdi returned, or the Antichrist. Perhaps all three. But, despite the crazy messianic overtones in the Barak Obama campaign, it's hard to fault him personally for it. People really are sick of the Bush-Clinton legacy and are ready to move into the 21st Century. Here's to Hope, but please don't hold me responsible if Barak doesn't transfigure on a mountain top and converse with the ascended spirits of Hamilton and JFK within his first 100 days as President. He's just a man.
In Galaxy far far away . .
Come Join the rebellion
republicansforobama.org
""""
In Galaxy far far away . .
republicansforobama.org
""""
Heavens Gate 2.0
No thanks, I prefer to participate in the Politics of Cynicism.
(Or, you might say I'm a realist). ;-)
It's About a Sunrise
http://presidentobama2008.blogspot.com/2008/01/its-about-sunrise.html
Interesting appearances from Jessica Alba (pregnant, unwed) and Ryan Philippe (divorced from mother of his two very young kids), both talking about how they want a better world for their children. Why don't they start by establishing and keeping a long-term commitment to the people they made babies with? Oh, that's what the government is here for.
I put my faith in GOD and my belief in man. Faith is trust. Belief is hope. While i believe in the separation of church and state I also believe that the Most Highs rule in the kingdoms of men. I do not believe that Obama is the Messiah but I do believe that he is the son of the woman in Revelations 12. The male child who is caught up to God and to HIS throne who will rule the nations with a rod. Practically, my belief/hope is that Mr. Obama will co-rule this country with us, the people, in a way that is honest and progressive...Messiah or not.
"Faith is trust. Belief is hope."
No.
""""
5And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
""""
That child is Jesus. The woman is almost always interpreted as being Mary, the Church, or Israel.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2012&version=9;
Check out this URL at The Dallas Morning News on website Sunday (March 2), and you'll find an Obama photo almost identical to the one that was taken in San Marcos ... It appeared on the front page of the paper, above the fold:
http://www.dallasnews.com/elections/
I found some Obama ad here.
http://www.terryannonline.com/2008/02/ad-time.html
Believe Again
http://www.terryannonline.com/uploaded_images/ad-783413.JPG
Interesting article on the "real" Barack Obama, from the perspective of those involved in Illinois politics. Scratch the veneer of "hope" and "change" and you find just another run-of-the-mill politician.
Two bits of news:
1) I don't follow talk radio, but I've just been informed this blog was mentioned on the "Laura Ingraham show."
2) Moloch the Demon has endorsed Obama. Check his blog, it's official. This is reverberating throughout the Underworld.
Christopher , Keep up the good work. The Obama cult is exploting little children for their own political ends...scaring the life out of them. Evil
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1G5BLBHW_A
Whoa. I just saw that video -- don't scare me like that. Those poor kids!
More absurd pictures.
Note to all -- in terms of "absurd pictures", I'm looking for content that is not so much intended as mocking Obama as messianic images from his supporters. The difference between this and this is that the former (I suspect) comes from a satirical website or blog, while the latter comes directly from Reuters, making it pertinent and twice as frightening.
He is no messiah. I see a bunch of sheep following someone around saying...o-baaaaaaa-ma,-baaaaaaa-ma. Heaven help us!!
Promises for the Poor-The Synthesis of Government and Charity
The video "The Secret is Barack Obama" should be a wake-up call to the MSM and any thinking person.
It is nothing but child abuse. The parents of these children should be held accountable for this, and Barack Obama should be held liable for fermenting this kind of lunacy.
This isn't even funny anymore. I'm mad!
Don't be so mad.
Here's a new video for you.
Obama: 2+2=5
Pass it along.
Hope you feel better.
I voted today :)
I'm trying to rub their face in it:
The Feminist Case for Obama
It's really quite simple: all the little girls who are growing up at a rather grim hour in American history.
- By Adele M. Stan
That was on our Facebook. Do you know who I am? ;-)
Facebook has a name BO's new middle-name contest.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/03/04/2008-03-04_angry_barack_obama_bombarded_by_media.html
SAN ANTONIO, Tex. - An exasperated Barack Obama scurried away Monday from the toughest news conference of his campaign, telling reporters who kept shouting questions that he'd spent enough time on the grill.
"Come on! I just answered, like, eight questions," Obama, looking surprised, told shouting reporters as he fled the room. "We're running late."
The Clinton campaign has long complained that Obama gets soft treatment from the press corps. But Monday's exchange was no pillow fight.
The first question was about a private talk an Obama economic adviser had with a Canadian official - reportedly saying that the harshness of Obama's criticisms of the North American Free Trade Agreement was for political show.
Last week, Obama denied an initial media report about the conversation. But after a Canadian government memo surfaced, he acknowledged yesterday there was a conversation.
"When I gave you that information, that was the information that I had at the time," he said. His camp still disputes the memo's account of the discussion.
The questioning then turned to Obama's links to ex-fund-raiser Tony Rezko, who went on trial in Chicago Monday on corruption charges. A reporter asserted Obama hadn't fully answered journalists' questions on Rezko.
Obama insisted he had - during a past news conference with Chicago media. But another persisted that questions remain unanswered, such as ones about fund-raisers Rezko held for him.
Obama replied, "These requests, I think, can just go on forever. ..." He said the "pertinent" information had been provided.
When Obama declared the press conference over, one reporter yelled that he was dodging questions just minutes after claiming he wasn't.
[...Could it be that the emperor wears no clothes? ;-)
The Vast Right Wing Conspiracy has succeeded again!
Poor George,(Soros) he might have wasted more of his loose change.
Rolling Stone cover
http://presidentobama2008.blogspot.com/2008/03/rolling-stone-cover.html
'We Are The Chosen Ones': A new hymn to Obama
Hi, I'm a student from the UK conducting some research on Barack Obama. Obviously what is written over here is unlikely to give a real opinion of how America is reacting to Obama. I stumbled across this blog by chance and it's offered an interesting opinion. I would love any opinions on Obama to help with my research, please email me at 06030986@students.lincoln.ac.uk if you would like to help out. I would be very interesting if the writer of the blog would contact me, as it would really boost my assignment.
Thanks!
Stacey, the "average" American is not as educated as the "average" European. Our schools are second rate, and produce semi-illiterate graduates.
The young people, who are Obama's greatest fans, have no interest in watching the news or reading political blogs.
They get their "news" from comedians on late night TV shows or Comedy Central. They don't read newspapers.
The trouble with having so many young people as your base is that they tend, as a group, to be very fickle.
The young people want to seem hip, so while it still seems cool to support Obama, eventually it will become uncool.
It's they same way they move from one music group to another after the group is discovered by everyone.
Personally, I believe that Obama has jumped the shark. It's only because of the enormous amount of money he's raisng and spending that will, unfortunately, keep him viable.
Stacey, for all we know, you could be from the Obama campaign. ;-)
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