The Obama Phenomenon: A Cult of Personality
From its beginning, the Obama Campaign has tried to overcome the fact that the candidate is absurdly under-qualified by convincing the easily duped that he’s more than just a candidate, that he is a phenomenon, the personification of a great and popular movement “for change.”
The Obama Campaign’s strategy, is to promote and sell what has historically been called a “Cult of Personality,” by using mass media, and soaring speeches before huge audiences, to hype a larger-than-life, super-hero public image. Historically, most cults of personality have been dictatorships, but some have led democracies.
Personalty cults promise a utopian future when peace will triumph over conflict, enthusiastic consensus will supplant political acrimony, security will replace anxiety, and prosperity will prevail over need.
The successful personality cult strategy plants in the minds of believers the notion that to follow this leader is to be in on the glorious beginning of dramatic, even revolutionary, new ideas and ways of governing that will forever change the world, or as Obama likes to say, “change the way we do business in Washington.”
The media hype is deliberately light on specifics and heavy on gossamer slogans, inducing each follower to conjure his/her own mental image of the coming “change,” without realizing that others, including the candidate and his supporters, may have entirely different visions of what the ideal, post-change, future would look like.
This droll ad from the McCain Campaign captures the essence of the Obama Phenomenon, with humor and good cheer.
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Gossamer slogans!? Cool.
Mr. BoomerJeff has hit on an issue that is not at all trivial. The truth is that Mr.Obama has essentially no substantive track record. Certainly not one worthy of the Presidency. Supporters tout his record of “community organizing.” Let me interpret: he was a shake down guy, a rabble rouser, like Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton.
His record of legislative achievement or business accomplishment is di minimus. Yes, he went to good schools, and lectured at schools…….but he didn’t do one practical thing with it. Oh, and he has a ghost written book. Great.
I went to good schools too. Graduating No. 1 in my engineering class. (a Masters), and a business degree from the finest, at least I went out into the world of commerce and did something. The job and tax base is better for it. Obama? Not so much. Yet I would never be so “audacious” (cute, eh?) as to believe I have what it takes to be President.
But Obama does. And as Mr. BoomerJeff notes, the most obvious talent he has evidenced so far is the ability to read from a que card, fling “gossamer slogans,” and appeal to mush brained college kids with about as much practical experience as Obama, which would be almost none.
However, I do believe the bloom is off the rose. More and more people are realizing two things: 1) Obama is nothing more than a classic, standard issue Chicago machine pol, (by the way, that’s not good people – think common thug) 2) he’s a pretty boy empty suit.
Take his prepared speeches away and he makes Bush look like an accomplished orator……yikes.
Team Obama has storm clouds on the horizon…..and they know it.