The 4th estate and the U.S. presidency.
When the press forms government.
Today the revolution is being carried to victory by the media. The press has been called the “4th estate” since the 19th century, primarily because of its power to influence politics. In our day the press- almost synonymous with media - seems to control politics. 2008 may be the first time the press has officially driven, controlled, and mandated who the next president of the United States will be.
I watched Nightline last night. John McCain was being questioned on his feelings of being snubbed by the press in favor of Obama. He was definitely being patronized by the interviewer. Undoubtedly, the increasing celebrity of Obama is accelerating throughout the world, thanks to the press, who pretty much brought the man from nowhere, into international prominence. Freaky. It makes me think of Hitler’s rapid rise to power - or how the Anti-Christ will suddenly be revealed. (I’m not calling Obama the Antichrist or Hitler - he just reminds me of them.)
The Anti-Christ.
“The Antichrist’s deception already begins to take shape in the world every time the claim is made to realize within history that messianic hope which can only be realized beyond history through the eschatological judgement. The Church has rejected even modified forms of this falsification of the kingdom to come under the name of millenarianism, especially the “intrinsically perverse” political form of a secular messianism.”- CCC
I ran across that quote from the Catechism while reading Clayton Emmer’s review of the new Batman, and I thought of it again today as I read some items on Drudge.
“Obama promises to remake the world…”
He announced:
‘I come to Berlin as so many of my countrymen have come before. Tonight, I speak to you not as a candidate for President, but as a citizen — a proud citizen of the United States, and a fellow citizen of the world.’ - Source
‘People of Berlin — people of the world — this is our moment. This is our time.’ - Source
…
Big words from someone few people even heard of a couple of years ago - outside of the Oprah network, and a few Nation of Islam folks that is.
Photo(s): Sancte Pater
July 24th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Obama is reminding me of a Led Zeppelin reunion tour, with John Bonham (original drummer, died 1980) brought back from the dead, it is just unreal.
July 24th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
I’ll say it… he’s the anti-christ.
July 24th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
666 ??????
July 24th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
All very frightening.
July 24th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Please, let’s step back and take a deep breath. I got several overheated e-mails today; both at home and at work. You know the kind that say “If you love God and country then forward this to everyone you know, SERIOUSLY!” They were all about how Obama was going to usher in the Tribulation, etc. I’m not going to vote for the guy, he’s pro-choice and wet behind the ears, more hype than substance. But having said that, we have a responsibility not to contribute to election year ugliness, demonizing the opposition, and general 8th commandment issues.
July 24th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
I saw Obama on Drudge too . I found him singing this song. It’s his campaign song I think.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEUKW99ohuw
July 24th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
I think Obama’s rise to power can also be attribute to George Bush’s handling of world affairs. Wether you are Republican or Democrat, there is a universal acknowledgement that neutralizing the Taliban in Afghanistan superceded invading Iraq. To exacerbate the situation, we know about the lame and unsubstantiated justifications used for the invasion of Iraq.
Part of the problem with the Bush administration is the administration itself. Cheney and Rumsfeld are the two most damaging authorities exercising influence over the President, and they - philosophically speaking - are more to blame for the quagmire and losses in Iraq than any other single factor.
I don’t like Obama. I don’t like McCain. It seems that Ron Paul might have been the best man for the job.
July 24th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
Sorry. I wrote my comments a bit too fast.
Should say “attributed” instead of “attribute”, and “whether” instead of “wether.”
July 24th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Tom - I don’t like any of them either. I’m beginning to think it doesn’t matter who gets in - they are all in it together, ya know what I mean?
July 24th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Obama worse than the Clintons on abortion:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jul/08072308.html
July 24th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
I don’t know if commenting on the obvious public phenomenon of “Obamamania” is necessarily detraction against the person of Barack Obama (public phenomenon vs the person).
Clearly one cannot but comment that the over the top zeal with which he is being received by the masses coupled with a press that seems to have anointed him in spite of the electoral process seems a bit out of the ordinary. I don’t recall any election in my 5 decades of life having generated this type of frenzy. Now, as Christians we are supposed to be discerning and read the signs of the times, Gospel passages which I will not quote here for sake of brevity require the Catholic to be clever as serpents and peaceful as doves. So then what to make about a political phenomenon hat seems to call to many Catholic minds the passage, “who can make war against him (the beast)?” I am not saying repent the end is here, but the signs certainly tell me that the political and social climate is most likely going to be hostile towards the Catholic Faith in the coming 4 years. The Catholic positions of divorce, contraception, abortion, and homosexual behavior (did I say that without running afoul of the gay censors that monitor this blog?) are all antithetical to the world view of Barack Obama. So is it a sin to consider what the outcome of this election may bode for Catholics who do not cafeterialize (neologism) their faith, unlike some who pick and chosse which moral and social issues to ignore (e.g., contraception)?
I think we have to be discerning of what is going on around us and we can comment without committing the sin of detraction.
July 24th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
They are all in it together ,and they both are as creepy as can be. Is it possible to have been a prisoner of war ,and be mentally healthy ? I don’t know. I am still fundamentally crazy from my childhood, some here would agree. ( but not in a dangerous sort of way.)
If there are over 300 million Americans why do we get these two choices? No body better?? No way.
The Jewish prophets say Obama gets in . We’ll see. I listen to Israel National Radio Often
July 24th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
Only Satan himself could be worse than the Clintons on anything. I think that they all blog together ……… Often. At the very least they are friends on facebook. They all have creepy profiles too.
I can’t believe that Satan hasn’t discarded them by now. Surely they have run their course of usefulness.
July 24th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
Terry’s right again.
July 25th, 2008 at 12:56 am
Good one!!
July 25th, 2008 at 2:12 am
Leo , what does sin of detraction mean?
July 25th, 2008 at 7:06 am
THe whole thing makes me ill but if he wins it’s the judgement of God. The next 4 years will be bad but we as a nation will have deserved it.