Bitter Obama spat: Sullivan v. Kristol
By Ami Eden on Apr 15, 2008 in Barack Obama, Presidential Race |
William Kristol draws a line between Karl Marx and Barack Obama, and Andrew Sullivan cries foul.
Kristol:
My occasion for spending a little time once again with the old Communist was Barack Obama’s now-famous comment at an April 6 San Francisco fund-raiser. Obama was explaining his trouble winning over small-town, working-class voters: “It’s not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”
This sent me to Marx’s famous statement about religion in the introduction to his “Contribution to the Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right”:
“Religious suffering is at the same time an expression of real suffering and a protest against real suffering. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the sentiment of a heartless world, and the soul of a soulless condition. It is the opium of the people.”
Or, more succinctly, and in the original German in which Marx somehow always sounds better: “Die Religion … ist das Opium des Volkes.”
Now, this is a point of view with a long intellectual pedigree prior to Marx, and many vocal adherents continuing into the 21st century. I don’t believe the claim is true, but it’s certainly worth considering, in college classrooms and beyond.
But it’s one thing for a German thinker to assert that “religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature.” It’s another thing for an American presidential candidate to claim that we “cling to … religion” out of economic frustration.
Sullivan:
You could argue, as Kristol and others hilariously will, that Lou Dobbs has no base,
that fundamentalist Christianism has no problem with “the other” in a globalized world, that dozens of state constitutional amendments banning civil marriages that had never and would never have taken place were just spirited forms of civic engagement, rather than scapegoating or politicking on resentment. You could also argue, as others legitimately will, that spasms of economic distress and social discontent are unconnected. Hey: Weimar had nothing to do with Hitler. But Kristol is doing something much more pernicious: he is saying that Obama is faking faith, that his very profession of faith is a “mask” that is slipping, and that Kristol is the person to determine whose faith is genuine and who is a fraud.
A non-Christian manipulator of Christianity is calling a Christian a liar about his own faith. That’s where they’ve gone to already. And it’s only the middle of April. What are they so scared of?
<>?
Good God, a whiff of good old British Tory tolerance toward the despised ones.
JonM | Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Am I being paranoid or doesn’t Sullivan’ statement carry with it a whiff of anti semitism — if he is applying that Kristol is a Jewish “non-Christian manipulator of Christianity i… calling a Christian a liar”. The nerve of those Jews to be criticising Obama. Next thing you know Sullivan will acuse Kristol of baking matzah with the blood of Christian children. But what can you expect of non-Jews writing about presumably Jewish op ed authors.
RLeeSmith | Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
I read the Kritol oped in the Times and I didnot come away feeling that Kristol was saying Obama’s so called Christianity is fake. I believe that he is pointing to the mask Obama dons as being the caring, unifier of all the people. Obama is not a unifier. He is divisive and he is fraudulent. He langered many people when he said that bitter people turn towards gun and religion. Maybe that was Obama’s projection on to white working class people with whom he has no connection. Maybe blacks turn to guns and religion when they are bitter. Perhaps that is why Obama joined a church. Maybe it was just to further his political career. How can Jews want to vote for a man who feels the Palestinians must have a contiguous state? When I last looked at the map such a statement means that he believes Isael should be cut into two pieces. Has anyone at JTA called him on that one?
Phyllis Ginsburg | Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
I read Crystal’s writing. I must have missed the part where he claims to be the only one able to judge whether a Christian is real. Maybe Sullivan is just making that stuff up. Now, let’s see… What are the chances that Sullivan is a Christian? A “real” Christian?
Susan | Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
If OBAMA was white he would not ever be a junior Senator. How ridiculous for a person with NO legitimate qualifications to be in the lead for the Democratic nomination. The Liberal news media fawn over him while refusing to state ALL his negative persona. Shame on all the Liberal/Left Jews who have been supporting a man who supports those who want to destroy Israel and turn America into a Socialist Nation! Apparently Jewish guilt, which is the obsession to be liked by those who hate Jews, rules the emotional systems of the Liberal/Left Jews.
GET REAL | Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
White people are bitter and frustrated. Better-qualified white students, employees, etc. face intense racial discrimination. Obama and his liberal comrades call it “Affirmative Action”.
Millions of white Americans see “people who aren’t like them” illegals and inner-city parasites sucking up on free benefits.
Millions of tax paying white Americans can no longer use the public school system because “people who aren’t like them” have made the schools awash with violence, drugs, and gangster rap.
Obama slipped and let his real feelings shine through what he thinks about working people to a bunch of elite Democrats. He thinks they are a bunch of gun toting jesus freaks. Obama really thinks like his preacher WRIGHT.
boon | Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Barak Obama grew up in white working class America. He recently finished paying off his college loans. John (America is a Christian nation) McCain and his wife are one of the richest families of Congress, as are the Clintons. When Obama said the other day that America is not just a Christian nation, but it is a Jewish nation, a Moslem nation, a Hindu nation, etc., that was far more welcoming than McCain’s exclusionary rhetoric.
Marc Paige | Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
The whiff of Sullivan’s anti-semitism is all but unavoidable, even as it tends to be ignored in polite (i.e. liberal) company. The truth is that Obama acolytes have brought us to where any glib explanation he offers for his generally indefensible, hence generally disguised, real views is required to be taken at face and anyone Jewish not towing this line becomes subject to description as a “non-Christian manipulator of Christianity.” Nu?
mark s. devenow | Apr 16, 2008 | Reply
A Hamas problem for Obama?
by Mosheh Oinounou
While Sen. Barack Obama sought to improve his relationship with the Jewish community today by meeting with leaders Philadelphia, comments by a Hamas political adviser this weekend could potentially hurt the Democratic presidential candidate.
During an interview on WABC radio Sunday, top Hamas political adviser Ahmed Yousef said the terrorist group supports Obama’s foreign policy vision.
“We don’t mind–actually we like Mr. Obama. We hope he will (win) the election and I do believe he is like John Kennedy, great man with great principle, and he has a vision to change America to make it in a position to lead the world community but not with domination and arrogance,” Yousef said in response to a question about the group’s willingness to meet with either of the Democratic presidential candidates.
(Full interview)
kip goldman | Apr 17, 2008 | Reply