As a Kind of Prayer

Gary Kamiya in his article "It's OK to vote for Obama because he's black", writes:

Many dismiss the Obama phenomenon as a mere "cult of personality." It is in some ways a cult, but not one of personality -- it's a cult of racial healing, of racial transcendence. For many whites, voting for Obama is a kind of appeal to one's better self, and the better self of the country. It is, in a way, a promise. It could even be seen as a kind of prayer.

Kamiya has an interesting point of view. That our very act of voting and supporting Obama is a religious and redeeming act. Self-congratulatory, no doubt, yet more than that; something more deeply communal and necessary for the country.

Comments

[DHFabian]

That's rather insulting. Why is it so difficult for some to understand that a person would make voting decisions on the basis of the issues, or that race/color just doesn't mean a whole lot to most of us? When I listen to Obama, I'm not listening to a black man, when I listen to Clinton I'm not listening to a white woman, etc. I'm listening to ideas.

[dlw]

I don't think one can disassociate ideas from symbols.

dlw