Obama is Not God: the Projection Principle

There is a limitless supply of videos chronicling the August teabaggery, but this is the one I found most interesting: a woman declaring that "Obama is not God." It perfectly encapsulates the mind of the American right:

She was repeating a meme given voice by Jon Voight in June at a Republican fundraiser. The actor,

who hosted the dinner, delivered a particularly harsh rebuke to Obama, saying he was "embarrassed" by the president and that Obama's leadership would cause the "downfall" of the country."We are becoming a weak nation," he said, calling Obama a "false prophet" and his administration the "Obama oppression."

Of course, this meme is really an exercise in psychological projection. Denying their own mental habits, the wingnut ascribes those habits to the president. Projection is a profoundly subtle psychological process because it takes place internally, yet it is an important way the closed mind keeps itself uninformed about itself -- as well as the larger world.

In other words, it helps them avoid facing facts. "Belief" replaces facts, such as this one: to date, no one has quoted Obama claiming to be God. In his speeches, calls to divine authority have been limited to scriptural allusions on such issues as reducing poverty. None of them posit a special calling for himself. Indeed, he has yet to claim any special powers of communication with the divine.

On the other hand, right-wing conservatives make exactly these claims all the time. Michele Bachmann, for example, has been courting the teabagger demographic. In an interview with the arch-birther website Wing Nut Daily World Net Daily, Bachmann claimed -- amidst quotes about abortion, "death panels," and the moral danger of compact fluorescent bulbs(!) -- that God had "called" her to run for Congress and might yet "call" her to run for president.

Bachmann, who regularly infuses her rhetoric with blood imagery and overwrought religious hyperbole, came to office via the message-machine of the evangelical church. Railing against the "attitudes, values and beliefs" of the Goals 2000 program, she was invited by other right-wing education activists to run for Congress.

It's worth noting that the Goals 2000 curriculum seems rather uncontroversial: getting guns and drugs out of schools, emphasizing math and science skills, etc. Presumably, Bachmann was upset by the part where students were asked to identify with children from another culture and religion -- like, say, Hawaii. We can't have the kids think of other people as human, after all.

The representative from Minnesota is perhaps the best example of this, but by no means the only one. Indeed, the entire "C Street Family" story is about public piety matched by private self-dealing and hypocrisy. One need only watch video of Senator James Inhofe talking about a trip to Africa and contrast it with his denialism of global warming to see that his agenda is faith-based. Like so many on the right, science is made to serve belief, and that science which contradicts belief is to not to be believed.

Of course, this meme has actually been with us a long time. It's the latest manifestation of the "Obama is antichrist" meme:

This silliness is a direct result of manufactured fear within the evangelical movement. "Informed" by films like Left Behind and The Omega Code, the wingnut mind has seized on Obama's global background and middle name to invent a narrative of Satanic influence. Xenophobia is a consistent strain of modern apocalyptic narratives.

This meme is a form of wishful thinking from the party of faith-based policy: if Obama is illegitimate in the eyes of God, then it is a Christian's duty to oppose him, no matter what he actually does. Thus questions of policy, like scientific studies, are no longer argued on their own merits, but on the sole merit of opposition to the evil president.

This delegitimating of a president -- and, by extension, his agenda -- explains the odd crowing reaction of Republicans to the failed Chicago Olympic bid. It is as if Obama has lost some sheen of idolatrous perfection and been "revealed" as a fraudulent prophet; but only a wingnut would ever think of a politician as a prophet.

This meme also shows up in right-wing coverage of various nontroversies. For instance, Obama's announced back-to-school speech brought condemnation for encouraging "a worship-like reverence" and "indoctrinating" students. None of those fears materialized. Glenn Beck used a video of high school step-dancers to promote the idea of a secret Negro army of Obama goons, claiming -- again -- that "indoctrination" was going on.

More recently, we've seen a video of schoolchildren singing a song about the country's first black president (during Black History month) given national exposure as "proof" the president is encouraging an actual cult of personality, and video of a mock funeral for wealthcare portrayed as prayer to Obama.

Yet the origin of this narrative has nothing at all to do with anything the president has said or done. Nor can it be traced to any actions of his supporters. Indeed, "The One" was a satirical meme from the right in last year's election.

So where do they get these cockamamie ideas? Maybe this video can explain it:

 

Osborne Ink is a Website of Media Deconstruction

 

Follow Matt Osborne on Twitter: www.twitter.com/OsborneInk

Comments

[speranza]

Obama will be the biggest failure since Carter! That seems very obvious today! If he and his advisers are not able to turn around the boat and get serious and focused! Wanting to be the saviour of the world and thinking charisma would be enough is a big mistake. Obama just made once more a fool of himself in Copenhagen thinking the IOC would vote vote for Chicage just 'cause of the presence of him and his pathetic wife! Get real! Get serious Mr. President!!! Otherwise u will be just a short footnote in the history books!!!

[Matt Osborne - Huffpost Blogger]

This comment seems more wishful thinking than fact-based analysis.

[LeftRight]

Wow.... You have no concept of reality, do you?

Obama went to Copenhagen both as a favor to his friend (shudder....) Richard M Daley, and because of the four world leaders involved, the other three were all already going.

As for the rest of your post, you don't remember anything from the 70s, or else you would realize that the only reason Carter went down in 1980 is because REAGAN BROKE THE DARN LAW!!!!!! Just like Nixon did in 1968, and they BOTH negotiated with enemies of the USA to get elected!!!

[prabbit]

Well, on the failure front (as it were), I'd say that it'll be a very long time until someone bests Dubya in that catagory.

I don't see Obama "Wanting to be the saviour of the world". I do, however, see a president with his work cut out for him, both here at home, and, on the international stage as well.

The international community has already responded to his efforts to reverse the disastrous policies of the previous administration.

He will succeed here, as well, with or without the GOP.

There is no one making greater fools of themselves than the GOP, whining, screaming, and complaining as usual, rather than bringing anything constructive to today's political stage.

Are the likes of Palin, Limbaugh, and Steele the best you have? Apparently so. Drink deeply of that minority status font...you'll have a long time to get used to the taste.

[LudwigVan]

For all practical purposes, "conservatism" is a cult. It has too many signs of a cult for it to be otherwise: charismatic authoritarian leaders (and I don't mean Steele), groupthink, shunning of members (RINO?), conspiracy theories out the wazoo, fear and hatred of the Other, which would be just about everyone outside the group. With these people, you don't think; you obey, which is an attraction, since it takes effort to gather information and decide for yourself. The cult promises safety in a dangerous world and "strong values" in a world of relativity. (Never mind there's plenty of immorality--and hypocrisy--in this cult that they don't always do a good job covering up.)

Except this cult has so much financial power, so many drones in federal, state and local governments, and much of the time, the media held hostage. They have been able to divide and conquer the country so much in the past few decades, mostly through seizing theological debates: they have so many convinced that to oppose them is to oppose God. It's a crying shame the mainstream media won't even talk about The Family, out of fear of offending "conservative Christians".

Of course, it's not just the United States. Egypt and other Islamic states have their hands full with Islamists, India with Hindu nationalists, Israel with the most extreme Zionists, Turkey with secular ultra-nationalists like Ergenekon, Russia with neo-fascists like the National Bolsheviks, Latin America with certain Catholic traditionalists....

[Matt Osborne - Huffpost Blogger]

"Cult" is exactly the right word. Great minds think alike; hopefully, this means I have a great mind.

[aview999]

I was disappointed that the Comments ended so soon. :( Great piece Matt! Keep up the good work!

[Matt Osborne - Huffpost Blogger]

Well, the article never made it onto the Politics main page, so the comments were limited. But it was fun while it lasted!

[MeddlingMonk]

The really scary thing about the right's projection is all the stuff about death panels, the upcoming census being the first step in establishing concentration camps, and so on, are also things they are projecting. If they are (and I suspect that's the case), then these are people who would be perfectly happy to have concentration camps just as they are happy to deify their own chosen leaders (only provided that they got to be the camp guards).

[Matt Osborne - Huffpost Blogger]

Michelle Malkin, at least, seems to think death camps are OK for liberals, immigrants, and non-Christians.

[Snowball]

Although highly criticized, mostly from the right, Adorno and Horkheimer's theory of the authoritarian personality, describes this behavior fairly well.

The Authoritarian Personality
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authoritarian_personality

http://www.psychologistworld.com/influence_personality/authoritarian_personality.php

According to Adorno's theory, the elements of the Authoritarian personality type are:

* Blind allegiance to conventional beliefs about right and wrong
* Respect for submission to acknowledged authority
* Belief in aggression toward those who do not subscribe to conventional thinking, or who are different
* A negative view of people in general - i.e. the belief that people would all lie, cheat or steal if given the opportunity
* A need for strong leadership which displays uncompromising power
* A belief in simple answers and polemics - i.e. The media controls us all or The source of all our problems is the loss of morals these days.
* Resistance to creative, dangerous ideas. A black and white worldview.
* A tendency to project one's own feelings of inadequacy, rage and fear onto a scapegoated group
* A preoccupation with violence and sex

[Matt Osborne - Huffpost Blogger]

Excellent, thanks for adding those links!

[MeddlingMonk]

Here's another:

http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~altemey/

This is the web page of Bob Altemeyer's free book on authoritarians. Altemeyer is a professor of psychology at the University of Manitoba and wrote the book at the urging of John Dean who felt there needed to be a book on authoritarians for the non-specialist.

[whiskeytangofoxtrot451]

Read John Dean's "Conservatives Without Conscience" for an excellent dissection of how many on the right have been gleefully manipulating people with this kind of personality in order to expand their power.

[Matt Osborne - Huffpost Blogger]

Yes, good book. Here's a link:

http://www.amazon.com/Conservatives-Without-Conscience-John-Dean/dp/B001G8WNEG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254705208&sr=1-3

[LeftRight]

I'm a regular poster on another website, and I've had to stop posting in the debate section, because I'm getting so angry at the righties who insist that just because I like Obama better than I liked Bush or would have liked McCain that I think he's the second coming.

[Matt Osborne - Huffpost Blogger]

Your experience is not unique.

[HomeBrewer]

I suppose the most glaring contradition is that Bush insisted it was a god-given duty to wage war in Iraq. Talk about a false prophet!

Yet 30% of the country seems to have no regret. For Christ's sake, they take Steven Colbert seriously! Hook, line and sinker- they see satire of themselves, and dont even recognize a bit of absurdity in it..

[Linda Hansen - Huffpost Blogger]

Thank you, Matt.

As a South Carolinian, born and bred in the Bible (God Speaks to ME--Not You) Belt, I am humbly grateful for a rational voice pointing out which pols (and their faithful) are howling in the wilderness about God's Word and their own very personal (and convenient) pseudo-div­inity-by-p­roxy. My governor--the philandering fool who breaks more than one of the Big Ten--swears he's King David, and that makes brainless lust proof positive he's divinely chosen to lead. His Right-makes right sycophants choose Bible-babble over hard facts. This makes them "good Christians" and better Americans.

Projection. It's glorified Yahweh stalking with a loaded AK 47 for emphasis; it's ignorance parading as public policy savvy. Lately, it's the elevation of "Otherness" intolerance masquerading as Americanism.

God help us.

[Matt Osborne - Huffpost Blogger]

Linda, as always -- thanks for reading!

I honestly can't think of a better example of a GOP flameout, or hard-headed refusal to recognize reality, than Mr. Sanford. The C-Street connection just caps off the great, big disgusting story of reich-wing politics in America. These people are hypocrites of the first order, and they KNOW it. They just don't CARE.

[MeddlingMonk]

I don't think they do know it. One of the characteristics of an authoritarian personality is highly compartmentalized thinking. Any person who is only able to examine concepts in isolation, one at a time, is therefore unable to recognize cases where their ideas are in conflict with each other. But it also must be the case that they would be unable to perceive disconnects between their professed 'ideals' and their actions. They'd have to be able to compare and contrast both things at the same time if they are to be consciously hypocritical.

[lyta]

In all this craziness they have entirely forgotten the scriptures themselves. They are in for a big surprise ....... when they face their Father and have to explain themselves as the worse hypocritical sinners ever to populate the earth in written history.

[Matt Osborne - Huffpost Blogger]

As my favorite band sings, "at the top of the tower there is no one here left to blame/ the hypocrisies common in here are all done in your name"

http://www.seancefiction.com - "Course of Human Events"

[FearlessFreep]

Of course Obama isn't God. Clapton is!

[Matt Osborne - Huffpost Blogger]

Won't disagree! Especially when he covers R. Johnson...

[UpstateSC]

Great post. No one who supports Obama acts like he is God or the Messiah, nor has he ever acted or spoken like he believes that he is divine. Yet rightists mockingly call Obama the Messiah; I've felt like they were projecting. I'd forgotten "The One" video and hadn't seen the "Jesus Camp Bush Worship" video, but unfortunately cannot forget Bachmann and the C Street Family. The "Jesus Camp Bush Worship" video was truly creepy...

[Matt Osborne - Huffpost Blogger]

There is nothing so creepy as kids being indoctrinated by a woman speaking in tongues and asking them to be "spirit warriors."

[dynwit]

According to the righties, Obama is simultaneously the worst dictator in human history and the weakest president we've ever had. Go figure.

[Matt Osborne - Huffpost Blogger]

Contradiction is nothing new with them. Obama is simultaneously a fascist AND a communist AND a socialist. He's simultaneously a scary Muslim AND a radical lefty Christian. This ability to hold opposite ideas at the same time without recognizing the inherent contradiction (or the irony) is a major area of wingnut psychology.

[trinidadgirl]

Come on Matt,you know these people just name call and badmouth at a moment's notice. They can and would say ANYTHING to discredit. Why are we all acting as if we are surprised? The surprise is that people are surprised and talk about them all the time. I look at it like this...from goats you can ony get goatlings,right?
All the name calling ,God calling etc is simply a cover for their not being enamoured with the 'tanned one'. Maybe,just maybe, in their subconscious minds they do see something godly in him after all!

[whiskeytangofoxtrot451]

My experience with wingnuts is that most of them don't even know what words like "socialist" or "fascist" actually mean. They just hear Beck and Limbaugh shout those words into the microphone and then dutifully repeat them like the good parrots they are.

[Matt Osborne - Huffpost Blogger]

Exactly. These words are just scary noises. They throw every scary noise they can make because either (A) they can't just say the n-word (B) they don't understand the world (C) they'd rather win than be right.

I've gotten into the habit of dropping this link every time I run into this personality type:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-b7RmmMJeo