The Demonization of Obama

I found this on the Internet - there are lots of similar pages which can be found - some are by "birthers" (who deny that Obama was born an American citizen - and is thus ineligible to be President); others by people who see conspiracy everywhere -

"The United States now has a Communist president as of January 2009. I was saddened on November 5th, 2008 to see Obama's supporters proudly waving Communist flags after the election. Can you imagine? What happened to this once great society in which we live? The saddest part is that most of the American people actually want Communism, because they've only seen it's friendly side thus far. The dark side of Communism will soon come upon us in America. Sadly, the average American citizen won't wake up until it directly affects them adversely. Communism is not an ideology; but rather, a secret weapon of THE ILLUMINATI intended to enslaved the human race.

Some have questioned whether Obama is a Communist or not? I can tell you by definition of the word “Communism” that HE IS. One of the definitions of the noun Communism is “a socialist who advocates Communism.” Obama is an Anti-American, God-hating Communist wrapped in a smile. Obama was not elected; he was chosen and placed into office. I am not saying that Barack Obama is the Antichrist, but it is a Biblical teaching that high political positions will be given by Satan in the End Times... Revelation 13:2b, “and the dragon [Satan] gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.” The Antichrist will have great authority. It is very interesting that President Obama is the FIRST U.S. President to ever be made chairman of the United Nations Security Council (a violation of the U.S. Constitution). CNN reported that Obama has been called "The President of the world.” Certainly, the overwhelming international public support of Barack Obama is arguably a form of worship.

Even now our economy is faltering, being bolstered up by deficit spending and a mass flood of illegal immigrants willing to work for peanuts. The only people saying we're not in a depression are the people who still have jobs and a home. Communism sounds great in theory; but in reality it always leads to an oppressive form of tyrant government and a failed economy. Communism is synonymous with atheism, anarchy and a brutal police state regime."

How come such things are believed? How have some of his opponents been so successful in demonising him?

Gary C Jacobson sought to answer these questions in a paper he presented to the conference at the University of Westminster last Friday. There is a fertile field because

1. Americans were polarised about Obama from the beginning - by election day many McCain voters had become convinced that Obama was a dishonest, radical, moslem, non-American


2. Anger and anxiety about the economy opened opportunities for all kinds of conspiracy theories to flourish


3. Stimulus money didn't help those who had lost their homes and jobs - but those who didn't lose their jobs and home haven't seen how the money had protected them


4. the Republican leadership made a strategic decision to back extremists, such as the Tea Party activists - the focus on opposition worked for them. The Minority Leader in the House of Representatives resorted to emotive language - Fox News reported that "The next 24 hours are "armageddon" because the health care bill proposed by Democrats will "ruin our country," House Minority Leader John Boehner said Saturday, a day before a crucial vote on the bill in the House."

Robust debate is one thing - but do these kind of allegations and untruths strengthen democracy?

Hitler analysed (and coined the phrase) the idea of "the big lie" - "the principle--which is quite true within itself--that in the big lie there is always a certain force of credibility; because the broad masses of a nation are always more easily corrupted in the deeper strata of their emotional nature than consciously or voluntarily; and thus in the primitive simplicity of their minds they more readily fall victims to the big lie than the small lie, since they themselves often tell small lies in little matters but would be ashamed to resort to large-scale falsehoods. It would never come into their heads to fabricate colossal untruths, and they would not believe that others could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously."

There should be no place in a democracy for "the big lie"