Chalk the alleged Obama revision of the national anthem and his extreme makeover of the pledge of allegiance up to urban legends and wild internet chatter, but enough wars and rumors of wars dance around his persona to make a patriot more than a little nervous. As one blogger has it, this apprehension has nothing to do with the high concentrations of melanin in the president-elect’s epidermis. Rather, I am uncomfortable with a troubling rise of untoward adulation for a single individual that tastes far too cult-like for traditional America. Much about Barack Obama commands admiration and respect, to be sure. Few politicians have combined the personal attractiveness and oratorical ability with campaign shrewdness as successfully as he. His African-American roots testify to the ultimate unlikely journey he has traversed, especially in a nation that practiced overt discrimination less than a half century ago in many of its states.For many, he has risen to superhero status and his symbolic triumph inspires not just his race but his entire generation.
The occupant of the highest office in the land deserves respect and honor by virtue of the office alone. His personal achievements and aptitude, regardless of how superior they may be, are eclipsed by the position. Students of history know that men of uncommon ability have attained this position, men like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan. Yet none of these accomplished leaders ever accepted inordinate worship from the adoring masses as though they were more important than the office they held or the country they served. Those early fathers had first hand knowledge of an oppressive kingship and they disdained the concept of monarchy with pure hatred and an unbending resolve that it should never be repeated on this continent. It is evident from their writings that they believed office-holders were to be empowered only with the limited number of defined powers given to them by the constitution. They were expressly forbidden to take any powers unto themselves that were not specifically granted by the law of the land. The end result of the parameters imposed by the constitution was that a president could not—by law—create and ascend to an American throne.
Thus, the quiet rumblings of adoration that seems to build toward Mr. Obama from a number of quarters strike me as eerie and outside the traditions of this representative republic. He has his own presidential seal. A group of uniformed youths go by the name of “Obama’s Army.” Children’s choirs have been organized and taught to sing songs which unabashedly praise Obama. The media have described his reception in many rallies as akin to a rock star. Certain celebrities and leaders of factions across the country have referred to him as “Messiah.” Indeed, the rank-and-file members of the Democrat party—or at least those who voted for Obama—voice high hopes that he will take care of their personal needs like paying their mortgage payment and putting gas in their automobile fuel tanks. On the night of his victory celebration, giddy crowds fawned over him with nothing short of mindless love. He has gone so far as to set up an “Office of the President-Elect”, something that has never before been done. To top it off, talk runs rampant at this writing that there will be a new holiday announced in his honor, ostensibly for being the first African-American president. All of this and more has transpired before he has been inaugurated into the presidency.
Moreover, the media has informed us that the worldwide approval of Mr. Obama exceeded eighty percent, a factoid that I do not recall as ever being reported in any preceding presidential election. In a move that may not be appreciated by the president-elect, many groups that endorsed him were terrorist and radical organizations like Hamas. ‘OBAMA! Inshallah!” Obama! Allah willing!” That slogan, scribbled on walls in Gaza, indicates the hopes that Barack Obama has inspired among Arabs. One columnist, Mohamed Al-Menshawi, hails Obama as “the candidate with Muslim roots” and as the “harbinger of solidarity between Americans and the Muslim world.” Another, Al-Jazeera’s Aala al-Bayoumi, notes: “Had it not been for Obama, Arabs would not even bother to follow the US presidential race.” What makes the difference is Obama’s “Islamic and African roots.”
I have no clue how successful the Obama administration will be. For the country’s sake, I hope that he presides over a victorious military, a prosperous economy and a respected worldwide hegemony. I do know that I will be a member of the loyal opposition if I detect a move toward kingship. Moreover, if I suspect that a religious movement gathers momentum with the purpose of focusing praise on this man or any man instead of the Son of Man, the Lord Jesus Christ, I will be a fervent opponent. “There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man, Christ Jesus.”
The sandbagging has already begun. Ben Evans of the Associated Press submitted the following report on Tuesday, November 11: “A Republican congressman from Georgia said Monday he fears that President-elect Obama will establish a Gestapo-like security force to impose a Marxist or fascist dictatorship. ‘It may sound a bit crazy and off base, but the thing is, he’s the one who proposed this national security force,’ Rep. Paul Broun said of Obama in an interview Monday with The Associated Press. ‘I’m just trying to bring attention to the fact that we may — may not, I hope not — but we may have a problem with that type of philosophy of radical socialism or Marxism.’”
Nothing like this will every happen if the American people do not permit it. That resistance will have to be channeled through the mainstream media. It was through their concerted efforts that Mr. Obama was elected. (This observation comes by their own admission). If, on the other hand, this nation has now sufficiently distanced itself in time and memory from its history, then a god-like leader can indeed emerge from us and ascend to rulership. To those who say it cannot be done, I only ask if it has ever been done before in the annals of time. The answer, of course, is yes. Many, many times. That alone should keep us in a state of readiness to ensure that history does not repeat itself.