The Cult Meme. Stop it. Now.
Thu Mar 06, 2008 at 01:25:11 PM PDT
In yesterday’s (March 5) local paper (Denton Record Chronicle) a regular column by Lenore Skenazy appeared with this title:
Sen. Obama’s feel-good wave doesn’t appeal to all
Here's the link
I am getting irritated with so-called journalists who keep spreading this ignorant meme.
Ms. Skenazy makes the case for her superior ability to rise above the Obama hysteria by being one of two of her friends who has not succumbed to the messianic Obama cult.
“People look at him and say, ‘Oh, he’s our savior,’ so I hesitate to say in front of other people that I don’t get that great warm feeling when I look at him,” my friend Marla confessed the other night in her kitchen.
It was such a relief to find another cult member.
The cult of the “he’s smart, he’s nice, but I’m not convinced he’s the Messiah” voter.
Your eyelids are getting heavy. You WILL follow me below the fold:
After Ms. Skenazy admits inspiration in itself is good she goes on to trivialize it.
OK, so now I can ask: Is the Obama campaign becoming a cult?
It’s hard not to sense something a little strange going on, considering the nearly unprecedented swell of love and fervor the man is inspiring. Contributions are pouring in. Endorsements are raining down.
Even people are falling down; at six of Sen. Obama’s rallies, people have fainted.
She then quotes the experts:
Over at the International Cultic Studies Association, Executive Director Michael Langone agrees that attracting this kind of ardor was never Obama’s intent. Nonetheless, the rookie senator is providing the perfect petri dish for cult cultivation: a feel-good message of hope and change that never gets too specific.
I won’t bore you with more drivel from this shallow editorial. There has been extensive discussion through many excellent diaries and stories on this very site addressing the insulting cult meme as well as countless articles which you can easily google.
Hillary Clinton has done her part to launch the theme and perpetuate the trivialization of Obama’s inspirational message of hope by attacking his strength, (a Bush-Rovian stratagem.) Her recent statement that only she and Senator McCain have a lifetime of experience on foreign affairs, yet all Obama has is a speech is just one example.
I’ve heard radio callers repeat the “empty suit” attack.
One of the best diaries on this site which presents an excellent and cogent assessment of the candidate which disposes of the cultism charge is from kid oakland.
Kid Oakland Diary
snip
The enthusiastic response of voters to Barack Obama's use of phrases like "to heal our nation and repair the world" has created concerns and even mockery in some quarters. Where is the substance?, critics ask.
Kid O. provides an extensive list of topics and links that present Obama’s specific views and statements on a large range of issues and policies which so-called journalists like Ms. Skenazy might find helpful before they go off on some viral meme that has been spread throughout the media by lazy journalists who would rather scratch the surface of political gossip rather than delve into relevant research before presenting such an insulting opinion.
Another excellent source which debunks the cult smear is by Ron Chusiat liberalvaluesblog.
Liberal Values Blog
Barack Obama has often been described as inspirational. Some of his detractors have applied the Rove tactic of directly attacking the opponent’s strengths, twisting his inspirational nature to create fear that the Obama campaign is some sort of cult. The pro-Clinton bloggers have been pushing this meme for a while. Generally if something is repeated often enough in the blogosphere there will be a reporter who will believe he can use the idea for an article.
Jack Tapper and Lenore Skenazy come to mind.
snip...
but most of what I read from Obama supporters is based upon rational comparisons of the candidates without using the type of religious fervor Tapper describes. Even those I see which do border on such an attitude are no more irrational than those who back Clinton because of her non-existent superior experience or purely because she is female.
Ron Chusid goes on to explain why people are not voting for Obama because he is the Messiah, but that he would make a better president than Clinton. Particularly in light of her dishonest smears and race baiting which demonstrates a disturbing character defect.
But what Ron Chusid verbalizes so much better than I and crystallizes what has made me so irritated with columns like Leonre Skenazy’s is that even though Obama has been very specific about his views there are those who lazily refuse to engage in the research to formulate an honest assessment. It’s so much easier to be spoon fed the gossipy media hype. This not only includes journalists, but a large number of Americans.
snip...
....most people do not review such proposals at length and this is not what influences many voters. Obama realizes that he will pick up far more votes by being inspirational than by being a policy wonk when speaking in public. Many find this to be a virtue in itself, believing it will take an inspirational politician using the bully pulpit of the White House to accomplish progressive goals.
Other daily kos diaries which dispel the cult myth are:
kos blog by manumit
Regarding the so called Obama "cult"
and
kos blog by Yerba Buena
The "Cult" of Obama
I encourage everyone to read these articles and posts to debunk this ridiculous cult meme.
And to those so-called journalists like Ms. Skenazy, please just stop it. Now.
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