And the Resulting Fall of America
By Loren Adams, 31 May 2009
During the peak of the 2004 presidential campaign I watched with
interest as the crowd behind George Bush became riveted with excitement at a
Pensacola rally. For, sitting behind George to his right was none other
than MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough sporting a grin a mile wide that spoke of absolute
devotion. Joe may denounce George’s record now, but back then Bush was messianic
– at least in the eyes of the right-wing evangelical “base” which
constituted the majority vote for GWB.
The 2004 Pensacola gathering was like an evangelistic
crusade. In perspective, it was only one of hundreds of such events 1999-2008
constructed by Bush’s “architect,” Karl Rove. In fact, if it wasn’t for Bush’s
quasi-religious tone in language, pageantry and staged events, he never would
have set foot in the White House as president – which allowed him and his
neocon/social conservatives to steer the nation on a historic disastrous course
from which we may not be able to recover in our lifetimes.
My personal history is similar. I remember those days
– attending tent revivals, Jimmy Swaggart crusades, and summer “Holy
Ghost” camp meetings. Yes, I've participated in most of the great evangelists' events
across the land. Oral Roberts, Katherine Kuhlman, Jimmy Swaggart, Kenneth
Copeland, Demos Shakarian, Billy Graham, Jim Bakker, Pat Robertson, Jim
Robinson. I sang in a professional gospel group for several years which
allowed me privileged access to high-profile evangelical leaders.
Such emotional exuberance the crowds showed at such
gatherings. This was the core "political base" projecting GW
Bush to the forefront on the world stage, and the movement is not somehow
magically vaporized now that Democrats have recaptured the majority. The “base”
is simply in the state of mourning, looking forward to the day it can again
rule in a theocratic manner.
WHY RELIGION PLAYED THE KEY ROLE IN AMERICA’S DEMISE
Bush and his political advisers were deliberately trying to
duplicate religious revivals. Why would they attempt such deception?
Because it's at the height of religious emotion, participants' minds are
most pliable. Indeed, mass hypnosis was the objective. Attendees felt the
emotion love; they harbored a paradoxical sense of fear simultaneously; they felt
the necessity of God's security for which Bush promised to supply while the
former Chief Executive whispered in their ear, "God called me to be your
president; God told me to make war; God told me to circumvent the Constitution;
God told me to torture and spy on political opponents; so, you must follow God
by following me." All acts of treason by Bush-Cheney-Rove sprang from this
“God-child” ploy. As his administration was approving torture (enhanced
interrogation), uppermost on their
minds was the effect on the “base” – whether the devotees would believe
fabricated intelligence of Al Qaeda links to Saddam and Iraqi WMD. Karl Rove’s
gamble paid off.
Bush was the cult leader of all time.
Jim Jones had what it takes to deceive thousands; George
Bush had what it takes to deceive millions – enough to make him the most
powerful man in the world for eight long years.
Yes, the expressions on the faces of those Pensacolans at
the Bush rally reminded me of my revival days. On the other hand, the ’04 Democratic
contender had nothing to compare; Kerry was boring as hell plus lacked the
sense of urgency the national crisis demanded.
Although Bush lacked verbal skills and intellect, he knew
how to move a crowd of supporters. He railed against liberals like an evangelist
attacking the devil. He roused people to their feet by hitting on pet issues that
electrified right-wing audiences: same-sex marriage, abortion, guns, stem-cell,
activist judges, character, family values, taxes, military strength, and hate
for the UN.
Years ago I attended a revival in Florida where a
charismatic evangelist had captured the audience with key, powerful words.
I watched the crowd instead of the minister just to observe how individuals
would react to falsehoods.
I should preface this by informing you I realized at the
time the preacher was a hypocrite, was having an adulterous affair on the side
and actually didn't believe anything being fed the crowd. In other words,
he didn't have faith himself in miracles or in the supernatural. He was faking
it. Despite his internal disbelief, he publicly claimed God healed
through him, and enough folk believed so intensely they passed out when he simply
laid hands on their foreheads. The
scene was so sadly surreal.
Before the revival began, the evangelist told me in
confidence, "Loren, evangelistic work is nothing but show business. You
and I know what I preach in sermons is not what I believe. I just say trigger
words to get the people moving."
And that he did well. He got them excited so much, the
offering plates were brimming. From the onset he had an agreement that his “take”
was 75% of the gross.
But the facial expressions on those poor saps! The tears,
the laughter, the intense belief. It didn't matter if the man standing in
front of them was a con artist. It didn't matter that the whole scene was
fabricated by some Wizard of Oz hidden behind the curtain.
And I observed those same faces in the pre-selected crowds
surrounding George W. Bush. How sad. This was his “base” and how he came into existence
at the forefront. Bush was the creation of Karl Rove, the “architect,” who
exploited the religious right to propel his client to power.
Adolf's crowds had the same look. The flag-waving and
patriotic anthems were too much for the audiences. They exploded in a wave of joyous
tears as their Fuhrer strode through the crowd to the podium. Germans are not
known for emotionalism, but Hitler moved them. It was a religious fervor similar to Bush’s – designed
by Joseph Goebels for the Fuhrer and constructed by Karl Rove for America’s
Messiah.
I thought it could never be possible in this country. I used
to think we were too intellectually sophisticated, too highly cultured, and too
grounded in the Constitution. I thought wrong.
Now we face the aftermath – seeing if this nation has
the fortitude to indict the perpetrators for war crimes and treason in the
midst of the greatest economic downturn since the Great Depression, a condition
the same criminal element caused. Yet, underlying all this is America’s cult
– still alive and vulnerable to more deception from the next Oz or
remnants of the former. 