The Blue Raccoon

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Obamination
Nobody knows where this is going.


Back in April 2007, before BHO was so much a part of the news cycles, School of the Art Institute of Chicago senior David Codero created this life-sized sculpture and titled the piece My Sweet Lord. The resemblance to the gentleman from Illinois was intentional. The image above came from the Pantagraph site, via AP/Charles Rex Arbogast.

The representation caused something of a snit then and you can read about the to-ing and fro-ing here and here.

Some of the more insightful comments on Pantagraph's site are below:

Jim O. wrote on Apr 3, 2007 10:54 AM:
" To me, this artist's work is more a reflection of how hard up America is for a 'clean' leader. After seven years of the most corrupt regime in U.S. history, the realization that the 2006 Congressional election amounts to a shattered dream where a bunch of cowardly Demo-do-nothings creep about every bit as corrupt as their more blatant Republi-Repulsive counterparts, and manifold doomsday scenarios swimming through the minds of those who possess just an inkling of financial sense, a teaspoon of government knowledge, and the wherewithal to forecast conditions based on the aforementioned concepts, the path for hope has rammed a barrier no less impenetrable than Israel's apartheid wall. And when will they ever leave that poor Jesus guy alone? "

black Je-ZUES wrote on Apr 3, 2007 10:30 AM:

" well at least the artist wasn't lying about the true color Yeshua...We the people should be happy about that. "

Matt wrote on Apr 3, 2007 10:13 AM:

" Did anyone read the article? The artist has a valid point. People are putting Obama on a pedestal (since the Democratic convention a few years back really) without really knowing what he's about. The work is not pro or anti Obama (or pro or anti religion), it's about how people see Obama. "

White Christian wrote on Apr 3, 2007 10:11 AM:

" Perhaps a different spin would be that no one knows when and how Christ will return but He promised He would, and through the centuries the "good Christians" have their pre-determined notions about what He's going to look like. Remove the politics for a moment and substitue anyone else's head on the sculpture: He may be standing next to you and you refuse to see the forest for the trees. "

Thing is, billion-eyed audience -- and this is the problem-- we in the U.S. have failed for a long time to understand that those seeking high public office are just as, and perhaps more, conflicted, contradictory, flawed and riddled with frailties as the rest of us. They are of us, like it or not, and though money and influence and position may separate them from our everyday concerns, they see the same television and occupy our temporal-spatial reality. Some are closer to our situation--or predicament--than others, though.

Presidents preside between three branches of government, that during the past eight years, have morphed into one big prop and sustenance for the collective ego of a handful of nihilistic neo-conservatives.

Presidents aren't miracle workers.

Obama cleaned Hillary's clock in the Crabcake Primaries. He could very well ride this wave through Wisconsin. But the fact is that it's a numbers game, and then it's a persuasion game, and also a matter for the Democrats to wrangle over.

I have enough to keep me busy. My inclination is to just not watch any television until the nights of the upcoming primaries, because until then, what passes for commentary is blather to fill time time before commercials.

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1 Comments:

At 10:53 PM, Blogger Hidden Histories said...

Dude, dude dude.

First, it's Obamanation. If you're going to try to insult the guy with silly "word making" do it right. Geez, Harry, you're German?

I expected more.

Second. Anyone that cleans Hillary's clock, excepting swine of the earth Republicans, is fine with me. The only thing worse than Hillary is a Republican, and the only thing worse than a Republican hasn't been born yet or (more likely) lives in a different country.

On the basics you're right.

Kucinich would've been better.

Edwards would've been better.

But Obama is what we got. He ain't a Messiah. He certainly ain't no Jesus. But he's a helluvlot better than Hillary and all her swinish cohorts (meaing Mark "fuck the Unions", "Love Blackwater" Penn--her chief strategist, or any of the corportatist DLC crowd-or did you forget them?) so, hey, lay off with the faux Messiah riff, okay? It's a cliche born from a FOX News talking point. Lest you want to become one of those asshole RW pundits we used to spew scotch at in our salad days, dude.

caio bella,
DM

 

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