Wednesday, February 27, 2008
"RON PAULIZATION OF OBAMA"
The Harvard Crimson compares the grassroots following of Obama with the same phenomena that they believe sunk the Ron Paul campaign.
Despite how unusual Paul’s political views may be for a Republican candidate, the intensity, persistence, and downright craziness of his grassroots support overshadowed his official campaign through primary season. Paul’s supporters, including many members of the “9/11 Truth” movement—those who believe that the U.S. government was complicit in 9/11—released a range of unofficial videos and pamphlets idolizing Paul as a kind of Messianic figure. The conspiracy theories and cult-like behavior of Paul’s grassroots supporters has alienated many voters and forced Paul to repeatedly distance himself from much of his unofficial support.
The problem with the mindless, cult-like behavior that sunk the Paul campaign and is now beginning to take hold of Obama backers, is that this kind of support often takes on a life of its own and becomes unmanageable by politicians or official campaigners. Although Obama probably doesn’t have to worry about his supporters embracing conspiracy theories, there are other potential political liabilities to the rise in Obama worship.
What has recently become clear is that an obsessive love of Barack Obama seems to go hand-in-hand with an obsessive hatred of Hillary Clinton. The more Obama’s supporters idolize him as a Messianic, transformative figure, rather than simply supporting him because of his political position or qualifications, the more they attempt to demonize Hillary Clinton as the anti-Obama—the calculating, deceptive anti-Christ out to sabotage Obama’s chances of becoming president. While Clinton-bashing was once solely the domain of the Right, Obama supporters have recently entered the fray with a barrage of anti-Hillary videos and blog posts.
Michael Brown takes it even further with his editorial:
But there is still the mystery of charisma. For example, can a person have charisms or "gifts" from the Holy Spirit at the same time that the person holds positions that are for example in favor of abortion?
Are folks fainting simply because the crowds are so thick and the air too warm, too thin, or because a spiritual dynamic -- for good or less than good -- is working?
This has also been asked of evangelistic healers: can a flawed preacher, or priest, still be exercising holy charisma?
Perhaps. We are all flawed. Perhaps the fainting is from normal ills. Perhaps it is simply excitement. But we have noted -- whether or not he has done anything to evoke it -- that a New Age-style light shines around those who have made such extravagant claims about him, and we note that it is time for such extravagances -- about anyone -- to halt.
Not long ago when I was reading up on G. I. Gurdjieff, it became obvious that he had such a charisma that could mesmerize those to whom he was speaking. In one instance he was able to get his No. 1 supporter to do something against the supporter's beliefs, and he had no explanation for why he had done it except that he had been hypotinized.
Back in 1970 on the KSU campus I watched the student body president mesmerize his student crowd. He convinced them to march out of the auditorium and around the campus behind a Viet Cong flag. The words he had spoken to them were not words of common sense or rationality. They were simply inflammatory. It was my first lesson in this power of charisma to mesmerize, and it is burned into my mind as though it happened yesterday. The phenomenon is frightening.
Messianism rarely leads to anything good. It has a long history of revolution to its credit. And now I'm wondering if such is being fomented in America? The Church is hardly in a position to counter it, and will be the target in any case if such is in the works.
Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us.
