One of the things which often happens in politics is that political figures are turned into savior figures. It should not be surprising: a politician wants people to believe he or she has something important and credible to give to the nation. This means that his or her leadership will end up saving the nation in one way or another. Political talk is always about what the politician will or will not do. Political talk is always soteriological, and therefore, political talk is always dangerous. The average person tends to think that the politician who offers the most to one’s nation is the one who offers the best vision for the future. That is, politicians, to be victorious, must be (in some sense) utopian. Rarely is any other voice capable of being heard.
This explains why people gather around a politician, cheering them on as if they are cheering on some great religious figure. For politics is very religious. Politics is always eschatological. Yes, you can find people who swoon over Obama. The criticism offered to Obama because of how his followers treat him is quite wrong; in this way, we should be cautious when criticizing McCain because of the rhetoric some of his supporters offer up for him. Guilt by association is always fallacious. However, it is interesting to note that Georgia’s Republican Chairwoman claims McCain is like Christ on the cross:
“John McCain is kind of like Jesus Christ on the cross,” Everhart said as she began the second day of the state GOP convention. “He never denounced God, either.” (Source: ajc.com)
Despite this, I doubt anyone will make a “MessiahMcCain” blog anytime soon.
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