The Fallacy of Obama as a Christ-like Candidate

Joyce Ladner

There are too many threads to keep up with but I must dispense with the current story line espoused by some journalists -- that some Obama supporters view him as a superhuman messianic figure. There is no quicker path to oblivion if this is kooky notion is given legs.

According to Jake Tapper, an ABC news national correspondent, some Obama supporters are acting as though he is akin to the second coming of Christ. That is not Obama's fault. All campaigns have crazies among their supporters and detractors. Look at the idiocy of Rush Limbaugh's campaign against John McCain. Most folks would never hold McCain responsible for Limbaugh's attacks.

Obama is not the first candidate to be viewed as superhuman. Just take a look at the reverence many supposedly sane Reagan loyalists still hold for him. I never have understood why anyone would be so taken with Ronald Reagan but don't say that to those who were swept up with the tidal wave he engendered.

All too often, blacks are viewed either as superhuman or subhuman. Often, it is very subliminal, as in the case of Senator Joseph Biden referring to Senator Obama as a, "...mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy ... I mean, that's a storybook, man." Why the use of these words? Because stereotypes cast blacks as dirty, lazy, ugly, and uneducated.

It's too bad we blame the candidate for a lot of the failings of their followers. For example, before the South Carolina primary pundits bemoaned the fact that, as they saw it, Obama was not going to get the "white vote." These were actual criticisms of Obama, as if it was his fault. Candidates can try to make themselves appealing to voters but they have no control over their biases. Racism is one such factor that bears closer scrutiny. As a black person, it bothers me that white men in California voted in large numbers for Obama but white men in Alabama did not. Whose fault is that? Or, is it anyone's fault? Why blame Obama when it is beyond his power to cure the country of its racism? Why doesn't the media turn these critical questions back to those who practice racism?

What we Obama supporters must do is keep focused on the prize. There will be all sorts of crazy and unfounded stories out there. We must dispell those that appear harmful and ignore those that are not. Making a distinction between the two is a tough judgement call. I believe in responding quickly to attacks. I am glad the Obama campaign is not allowing any swift-boating from Hillary, and it will definitely have to be at the ready for the general election.