Delusions of Grandeur
Let me start by saying I do not consider myself a Republican, or a McCain supporter for that matter. I think there is a lesser of two evils, but that is not the point here. Rather, I with to express just how offended I am by Obama and his recent “politics of meaning” tour in Germany.
You should know that I am a dual citizen - German and American. My homeland is America and I value it differently than I do the land of my forebears. I have visited Germany many times, and have spent significant time visiting friends in East Germany prior to reunification. I have seen firsthand the effects of communism and socialism. I saw my friends live in fear, with little in the way of basic goods. I stood on the sidewalks as trucks of Russian troops drove by with menace. I saw the profound pollution of a society that did not care about itself. I wept deeply as I saw the Berlin Wall come down. I am misting up even now.
Let me say simply that 99% of the people in East Germany at the time despised the system that kept them under it’s thumb. But they made the best of it. Our political left in this country is flirting with the failed socialist experiments of the past. History has proven socialism and communism as failures, but the left in the US gets all warm and fuzzy about implementing collectivistic, big-government approaches to our problems. Obama is part of this left. And the Body of Christ stands by as our human freedoms get eroded.
So when I see Obama carelessly bantering with banality to a swooning crowd of thousands, I am offended. Obama has done next to nothing in his short life on this earth, relatively speaking.
Kennedy, giving his “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech in the middle of the cold war, served to boost the morale of the German people after an evil split of its homeland by communism. And Reagan, considered a chief architect in dismantling the rotting corpse of communism by way of the collapse of the Berlin wall, was key to the end of that same cold war. Both presidents brought with them significant achievements that earned them the right to speak in a symbolic place to coalesce the world against the communism that so violently divided it.
Then along comes little Obama, such an insignificant player on the historical stage with very little to his credit, bringing nothing of note to bear (other than being the first black presidential candidate, which is at least something). He goes to Germany to further his self-delusion that he is somehow the anointed savior. He will save us and all the world from the hatred, division, war and supposed environmental calamity. He grandly elocutes there, shamelessly leveraging the ghosts of Kennedy and Reagan to connect people to his agenda (thankfully the Germans put the kibosh on his request to speak at the Brandenburg Gate). It is the same old politics of meaning, meant to whip people into a drooling frenzy. It’s offensive. Obama is showing his true narcissistic colors.
This ridiculous spectacle has lost Obama any slight chance there was of getting my vote, as if it matters to him anyway. He prostituted the symbology of Germany historical record of American presidents there, using the hapless German adoring masses as his puppets. I am German and if I would have been there, I would have raised as much hell about this as possible.
Do I hate Obama as a man? No. Do I think he is a nice guy with some basically good intentions? Yes. Do I agree with his view that our government is the answer to our problems? No. Do I agree with his assertion that he has some role in reversing the complicated problems of the world? Definitely not. I think true change can only come from the redemptive power of Jesus, with us as His partners in redemption .
The Bible speaks of freedom of conscience and freedom of the soul. It speaks of us as individuals and as communities of faith sacrificing our lives for the betterment of those less fortunate. It call us to follow Christ at all costs and stand up for justice. It does not ask us to use government as a tool to promote redemptive change (read Romans 13), whether we are on the right or the left (we as followers of Jesus transcend right or left, I hope). It speaks of rising against tyranny by passionately grasping on to the freedom of our souls that only Christ can offer us through his work on the cross. And it certainly asks us not to idolize anyone or anything, including politicians and governments. Nothing can take the place of God. I fear, that for many, Obama has become an idol. Has he he become one for you?
I think everyone needs to forget this election, even if just for a few moments, and get down before the God of the Universe, and ask Him what He would have us do. I can almost guarantee that what He asks will not have to do with this election. If we choose to do what He calls us to do, I will also guarantee that transformation will occur the likes of which we have never seen. And Obama will have absolutely nothing to do with it.
