Did nearly half of Americans vote against God?

June 7, 7:10 PMLouisville Conservative ExaminerWalt Gilbert

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Among his conservative detractors, Barack Obama and his throng of supporters have long been viewed as a cult phenomenon.  Perhaps understandably, neutral observers have dismissed it as petty sniping borne of hyper-partisanship and sour grapes following the favorable media coverage given to Obama during the campaign and after his undeniably historic victory.  It’s in the nature of politics that the losing faction downgrades the legitimacy of the victor following defeat in elections.

But, after Newsweek editor Evan Thomas’s appearance on Hardball with Chris Matthews this week, it’s hard to come to any other conclusion than that there is a cult-like phenomenon around Obama taking hold in the news media.  This exchange between Thomas and Matthews provides key evidence:

EVAN THOMAS: Well, we were the good guys in 1984, it felt that way. It hasn't felt that way in recent years. So Obama’s had, really, a different task.  We're seen too often as the bad guys. And he – he has a very different job from – Reagan was all about America, and you talked about it. Obama is ‘we are above that now.’ We're not just parochial, we're not just chauvinistic, we're not just provincial. We stand for something – I mean in a way Obama’s standing above the country, above – above the world, he’s sort of God. He’s-

MATTHEWS: Yeah.

THOMAS: He's going to bring all different sides together. It's a very different-

That’s right.  God.  For any other president, one would expect the inborn cynicism of the Washington press corps to have asserted itself by now.  But, despite his having trashed myriad articles of faith he issued to the devout during his campaign, his media acolytes remain as true to his name as they ever were.

Even in light of the exchange between Thomas and Matthews, some might insist that using the word “cult” to describe the press’ devotion to Obama as hyperbolic, even nasty and intemperate.  But, if you go by the clinical definition of the phenomenon, using the five criteria many psychologists and other experts use to define it, there doesn’t seem to be a great deal to differentiate the mainstream press from the People’s Temple, except for the body bags.

1.  People are put in physically or emotionally distressing situations.  Lest you think this one goes a bit far, imagine yourself as a conservative, or even a pure independent, working as a low-level support staffer at Newsweek under Evan Thomas.  Do you suppose the workplace would be welcoming and respectful if you were open about your reservations regarding the administration or its policies?   Or, do you suppose you’d be more likely to find the product of a co-worker’s morning dog walk deposited on your desk on a semi-regular basis?

2.  Their problems are reduced to one simple explanation, which is repeatedly emphasized.  Four simple words you’ll hear over and over for the duration of Obama’s presidency:  “We inherited this mess.”  Others include, “the previous administration” and, “the last eight years.”  (However, if you don’t want to find yourself the recipient of the dog park door prize, do not, under any circumstance, point out the number of areas in which the administration has continued the policies of “the last eight years.”)

3.  They receive unconditional love, acceptance, and attention from a charismatic leader.  Harry Smith of CBS Morning News and Richard Wolfe (like Evan Thomas, a Newsweek employee) have both seen Obama’s kindly visage shine upon them.  While Harry only received a song and a measly cupcake for his birthday in exchange for his piety, Wolfe has reaped several private dinners with the First Family and an exclusive book deal as a reward for his unshakable ardor.

4.  They get a new identity based on the group.  As new identities go, it’s tough to beat what the cult of Obama has to offer.  By offering their undying loyalty, they become the “We” in “We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.”  The press, by merely humbling itself before this new American God, have become the catalyst which will bring about the receding of the oceans and the healing of the planet – harbingers of a post-partisan nation that eschews the tired, old ways of the past.  (Though, again, if you’re at all averse to canine forget-me-nots in your cubicle, you’ll want to refrain from pointing out how the tired, old ways are new again.)

5.  They are subject to entrapment (isolation from friends, relatives, and the mainstream culture) and their access to information is severely controlled.   What makes this cult so effective is that, by and large, the people who have fallen under its spell have already isolated themselves from mainstream culture, and all their friends and family have effectively done the same.  As a culture, the mainstream press has done all the necessary cultivation to itself, having long ago rejected the mores and sensibilities of mainstream American culture, and even set about undermining it by sowing discord.  For a demonstration, simply raise an objection to the administration’s bailout plans for General Motors and Chrysler among a group of Obama’s Witnesses and see just how long it takes before you’re labeled a racist.  Then, to see how information is controlled, see how long it takes for Fido’s lawn ornaments to appear on your ergonomic keyboard.

For an idea of the effectiveness of the administration’s information control regime, keep an eye on the news for the next few weeks and remember how we were told so many times that foreign policy was a Republican distraction to keep people’s minds from focusing on the troubles here at home.  Then, after taking mega-doses of Dramamine, pay close attention to the amount of praise Obama receives for his speech in Cairo in contrast to the amount of criticism he receives for the unemployment rate as it inches perilously close to Carter-era double-digit territory.  The pitch and yaw that occur as words are forced to conform to reality will make a high-seas adventure aboard a bass boat seem like an interstate highway trip through Kansas in a Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

Cults come and go, and this one, mercifully, has a predetermined eight-year shelf life of efficacy, though there will undoubtedly be apostles spreading his gospel and telling the good news for generations to come.  If you doubt that, bear in mind that even Lyndon Johnson has Doris Kearns Goodwin belting out hosannas amid the rubble of the War on Poverty and ruins of the Great Society.  Also, note the similarities between the utopias of Goodwin’s Master of the Senate and our latter-day Master of the Universe.  Even one-term presidents whose war policies were much-despised by their own constituencies have devotees willing to carry their message to the multitudes, generations henceforth.  And, if Johnson can have a Goodwin, one can only imagine what manner of flock Obama might shepherd.

It’s too soon to say whether or not we’re living in thrall of a doomsday cult.  Perhaps reality will somehow conspire to deprogram our gatekeepers of the truth.  But, if you turn on the television and see Norah O’Donnell shorn of her flowing locks, sporting the Manson Family chrome dome, don’t be surprised.  Horrified, yes.  But you can’t say you weren’t warned.