The Daily Background
| Clinton campaign to reporters: Obama is practically a cult leader
by Arlen Parsa
You know what really pisses me off? This new meme we keep hearing from the cynics in the media that because Barack Obama, the first viable African American candidate for president is able to inspire large swaths of people– his attraction must be cult-like. Before we ask who might be promoting this spin, let’s go through a few recent examples, shall we?
“Obamamania verges on obsession”
“Welcome to the cult of Barack Obama. Many talented politicians attract devoted throngs — but with Obama, the fervency of his following borders on the messianic, and that phenomenon has only increased in recent weeks as Obama has scored 10 consecutive primary and caucus victories over New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, surged into the lead in the delegate count, and claimed the mantle of front-runner for the Democratic nomination.”
[The Politico, Feb 20th]
“Hate Springs Eternal”
“I won’t try for fake evenhandedness here: most of the venom I see is coming from supporters of Mr. Obama, who want their hero or nobody. I’m not the first to point out that the Obama campaign seems dangerously close to becoming a cult of personality. We’ve already had that from the Bush administration — remember Operation Flight Suit? We really don’t want to go there again.”
[Paul Krugman, New York Times Feb 11th]
“And Obama Wept”
“The Holy Season of Lent is upon us. Can Obama worshippers try to give up their Helter-Skelter cult-ish qualities for a few weeks? … some Obama supporters’ exhuberance seems to be getting a little out of hand.”
[Jake Tapper, ABC News, Feb 7th]
“He’s got Obamaphilia”
“Obamaphilia has gotten creepy. I couldn’t figure out if the two canvassers who came to my door Sunday had taken Ecstasy or were just fantasizing about an Obama presidency, but I feared they were going to hug me… What the Cult of Obama doesn’t realize is that he’s a politician.”
[Joel Stein, LA Times, Feb 8th]
“Questions for Dr Retail”
“Obama’s people are so taken with their messiah that soon they’ll be selling flowers at airports and arranging mass weddings.”
[David Brooks, New York Times, Feb 8th]
“Inspiration vs. Substance”
“[T]here was something just a wee bit creepy about the mass messianism — ‘We are the ones we’ve been waiting for’ — of the Super Tuesday speech and the recent turn of the Obama campaign.”
[Joe Klein, TIME Magazine, Feb 7th]
Gee, who could be promoting this meme? I’ll give you just one guess.
There is an air of desperation in Hillary Clinton’s camp. The New York senator has embarked on a door-die mission to hector and bully her way to victory, putting her on a potential collision course with Democratic party leaders.
It is a risky strategy that could leave her more isolated and unpopular as voters defect to Barack Obama, the new front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination. Obama, 46, is being labelled a cultish, messianic figure who talks big but cannot deliver.
[…]
Clinton’s camp has been circulating stories criticising the “cult†of Obama in the hope of portraying “Obamania†as a mass delusion. Media Matters, a watchdog organisation sympathetic to Clinton, compiled a report headlined, “Media figures call Obama supporters’ behaviour ‘creepy’, compare them to Hare Krishna and Charles Manson followersâ€.It was forwarded by Sidney Blumenthal, a top Clinton adviser, to select reporters.
I find this sort of stuff very insulting. As an Obama supporter, I understand fully why so many people are so excited bout his candidacy. Their behavior is not cult-like. They have not been brainwashed. They are simply attracted to and excited by his politics, positions, and promises. Simple as that.
iam doing a book report on who will i pick for president but i don’t know it’s very hard i thing it will be good if we had a back amarican president but it realy don’t matter because you can do no more dad dean president bush did but i did not me to hurt your feeling okay