The Obama Deification

I recently heard right-wing radio host Glenn Beck accuse Barack Obama of having a messiah complex. This is just one example of how idiots like Beck have misinterpreted the excitement for Obama. Sure, people are impressed by Obama’s intelligence, thoughtfulness, and strength of character; but what is really at the heart of the exuberance of Obama is that people feel a sense of ownership for Obama’s presidential candidacy and victory.

Obama ran for president because we wanted him to. I remember going to a Kerry rally in ’04 and seeing someone wearing a homemade t-shirt that said: “Kerry/Edwards 2004, Obama 2012.” And I remember the speech Obama gave at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. When we got our asses handed to us that November, his speech circulated via email and gave depressed progressives some hope for the future of their cause. He didn’t tell us what are values were. He masterfully articulated the values we already had, and this is why two years ago we insisted that he run for president of the United States.

The fight to make him our candidate wasn’t easy. Almost always, the establishment of each party decides who is next in line. This year, the Democratic establishment was set to anoint Hillary Clinton as the inevitable candidate. However, that’s not what most of us wanted, and for once WE THE PEOPLE decided who our candidate would be and beat the Clinton machine.

After the primaries, we carried our candidate through by finally beating Rovian politics with our commitment and determination. As Arianna Huffington has pointed out, the Internet helped immensely with this effort. When right-wing whackos like Hannity and O’Reilly attacked, we sent letters to Fox and to our newspapers. When misleading videos were put on YouTube, we rated them down and debated with conservatives in the comment sections. Plus the Internet helped us organize and helped raise gobs of money through small donations. Together, we became a force that the Republican establishment could not match.

Obama’s victory is our victory. And because a sense of ownership usually results in a sense of responsibility, there is a very good possibility that we are seeing just the beginning of a new era of participatory politics. WE THE PEOPLE built the Obama administration; WE THE PEOPLE will also make sure the Obama administration works well and works for us. It’s that idea that we believe in and put on a pedestal.