American Messiah II

The mainstream media's liberal bias has been well documented. Many of us were reminded of it again this week when The New York Times published its hit piece on John McCain. It was primarily about an eight year old story, but spent several paragraphs on events from twenty years ago. The most important sources went unnamed. The most important named source, former campaign strategist, John Weaver, explained to the press the context of his comments to The Times, and what had seemed so damaging in their article, turned out to be nothing at all.

But running for national office is no picnic for Democrats either. The Clintons have often complained of unfair treatment from the press — sometimes with justification

Right after Bill Clinton was sworn in as President in 1993, I was talking to a longtime friend of his. They had known one another growing up, stayed in touch through the years, and when he became Governor of Arkansas, he brought his friend into state government where she was still working at the time of this conversation. She was outraged at the press's unfair treatment of the new President.

I asked for an example. She gave me a personal one. She had been interviewed by a reporter from one of the major news weeklies. In their conversation she told him something she found especially endearing about President Clinton. Every year he gave Christmas presents to a large number of people, including her. When he could, he would bring the gift over in person. But he didn't want the recipient to put it under the tree and open it on Christmas. He wanted her to open it right then while he was watching.

She found it sweet that he wanted to share every part of the experience. She told it as a compliment. The magazine made it sound like the new president was a petty little man who wanted to bask in the glory of his generosity and be praised for his gift. Maybe that describes something real about President Clinton, but it's not the story she told. The magazine had been unfair to her, unfair to the President, and unfair to its readers.

But that's politics. As Governor Huckabee says, "If you can't stand the sight of your own blood, don't run for anything, just buy a ticket and watch it from the stands."

The press maligns all candidates for high office — almost.

Barack Obama is winning more journalists than delegates. If he becomes the Democratic nominee for president, the attitude from the media will change at least some. But right now, he's being treated like no other politician in my memory.

The host of MSNBC's "Hardball," Chris Mathews has said of the Illinois Senator, "I've never seen anything like this. This is bigger than Kennedy. [Obama] comes along, and he seems to have the answers. This is the New Testament."

The New Testament? This is the man who co-hosts election night coverage for MSNBC. The network anchorman was once considered an unbiased journalist, then a commentator, and now, apparently, cheerleader in chief.

After one of Obama's speeches, Matthews described how excited and moved he was by the man and his words. "I felt this thrill going up my leg. I mean, I don't have that too often. No, seriously. It's a dramatic event."

I think we can safely say no one ever heard Walter Cronkite make such a comment about a Richard Nixon speech.

Politicians seem as enthralled as Chris Matthews. Maryland Congressman Elijah Cummings recently introduced him by saying, "This is not a campaign for president of the United States, this is a movement to change the world. You do not get 13,000 people in this auditorium with a campaign."

Obama is routinely compared to a rock star. He fills huge basketball arenas with screaming fans. Women faint. In Dallas this week, he was applauded for blowing his nose.

In an "Open Letter to Barack Obama," I said his victory speech after the Iowa caucuses would be appropriate had he just been elected "American- Messiah." I didn't know that a writer for the online magazine Slate had long ago instituted an "Obama Messiah Watch" or that there is a blog called, "Is Barack Obama the Messiah?" Tongue in cheek, a blogger for the Washington Post recently asked the same question.

Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign manager, Donna Brazile, told Time's Joe Klein, "We know he can walk on water. Now he's got to produce the loaves and fishes."

She meant it metaphorically, but it's almost spooky how many messiah-references seem to surround this man.

Former Senator Gary Hart, whose own presidential ambitions were thwarted by "Monkey Business" and "Where's the beef?" wrote on the Huffington Post, "He is not operating on the same plane as ordinary politicians. . . . I see Barack Obama as a leader for this transcendent moment, the agent of transformation in an age of revolution, as a figure uniquely qualified to open the door to the 21st century and to convert threat to great new opportunity."

Ah, Democrats and their sense of time. In the 1990s, Bill Clinton used to talk about "building a bridge to the 21st century," as if the calendars would all hang at 2000 without his leadership. Obama himself recently mentioned "marching into the 21st century" and here's Gary Hart saying Obama will "open the door to the 21st century." Gentlemen, I have good news. The bridge worked. We have arrived at the 21st century. We don't have to march into it or open any doors to it. It's 2008. We're here.

Geoff Elliott wrote for the The Australian, "Obama is part politician, part cult. . . . When 16,000 people, without prompting, start shouting some of his keynote phrases as he delivers them, you know something special is going on. . . . The atmosphere at his events is such that one wonders if Obama is about to walk out with a basket with some loaves and fishes to feed the thousands."

Ezra Klein staff writer for The American Prospect, wrote, "He is not the Word made flesh, but the triumph of word over flesh."

Just before the New Hampshire primary, NBC anchorman, Brian Williams, interviewed NBC reporter, Lee Cowan. (The 24 hour news cycle now regularly reduces reporters to this form of journalistic cannibalism.) Cowan said that because of the enthusiasm of the crowds, etc., "it's almost hard to remain objective." Williams later defended Cowan for this amazing admission.

In last week's cover story on the candidate's wife, Michelle, Newsweek said, "Her role is to keep the candidate's feet on the ground."

That must be why she told an audience in Nevada, "Barack is one of the smartest men we will see in our lifetime."

Who can fault her? I'm sure Betty Ford and Lady Bird Johnson felt that way, too. But on other occasions, she says things about her husband that I don't think Betty or Bird ever considered about theirs.

"Barack knows that at some level there's a hole in our souls... Barack Obama is the only person in this race who understands that, that before we can work on the problems we have to fix our souls. Our souls are broken in this nation."

I see truth in her statement, but can't help wondering how she thinks her husband or any politician can fix or help to fix America's broken souls. Is attributing such power to him really a way to keep his feet on the ground?

A blogger for the far left publication, Mother Jones, writes, "Barack Obama has a messiah complex and no one will convince me otherwise."

Does the Senator have a messiah-complex? In an ad that ran during the Super bowl in many markets, he said, "We're tired of fear; we're tired of division. We want something new. We want to turn the page. The world as it is is not the world as it has to be."

All presidential candidates say they're going to change the world, but when he says it, it sounds messianic. That's because we don't usually hear it said with such conviction or eloquence.

He has said many times, "My job is to be so persuasive that if there's anybody left out there who is still not sure whether they will vote, or is still not clear who they will vote for, that a light will shine through that window, a beam of light will come down upon you, you will experience an epiphany … and you will suddenly realize that you must go to the polls and vote for Obama."

He's only kidding, using the same metaphor so many others have. Still, I can't help thinking of the old expression, "Many a truth hidden in jest." Or, in this case, a man's attitude often flows through his humor.

1 Timothy 2:1-2 urges "that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity."

Whatever you may think of them, Barack and Michelle Obama have stepped onto the national stage and they are leading. Barack will probably win the Democratic nomination and has a good shot at being the next President of the United States.

Don't worship him.

Don't despair about him.

Pray for him.


Posted: 2-22-2008
Note: At original posting, all links were active.