Singalphile wrote:
I meant "spiritual" in the more specific sense of "religious", not in the sense that you seem to mean ("a spirit of industriousness", etc.). Anyway, some person who I've never met, who I only see when the cameras are on, who doesn't know I exist, and who gives some speeches and signs his name on some documents every so often is not actually my leader in any sense.
Oh, you'd be surprised. Humans are social animals. Influence seeps through society.
kaufmannphillips wrote:
Consider the near-apotheosis of GWBush by some persons during his presidency.
Singalphile wrote:
I missed that, despite being in the seemingly prime location for it. I remember Bush=idiot/monkey/hitler/murderer/worst-president-ever from the left and Bush=moderate republican/lesser-of-two-evils from the right.
So you missed that. I listened to right-wing-radio quite often during the Bush era (three hours a day is all Sean Hannity asks), and they get callers from all over.
I am, perhaps, uncommonly sensitive to vocal tone when people speak. The sentiment that infused some speakers' voices when they spoke Bush's name went way beyond "RINO I settle for." I also am sensitive to the way people speak the word "money." Such dark love.
But I find both Bush Derangement Syndrome and Obama Derangement Syndrome to be objectionable and unhelpful.
Singalphile wrote:
Some strange near-apotheosis ... can be found (here, here, here, and the like)...
I will stipulate that people of various political inclinations may love their political icons inordinately.
Singalphile wrote:
As I mentioned earlier, I think political liberals are more likely to think of politicians as any kind of societal leaders or "standard-bearers" or even to "identify" with them. I think you're assuming it's the same on the right, but I don't think so, and almost every one I know is politically conservative. I think conservatives think of governors/presidents/representatives (i.e., the state) as guys and gals who work for us who we just want to do a few well-defined things and otherwise stay out of mind and sight and the way.
Two words: Ron Paul.
Singalphile wrote:
Some strange near-apotheosis ... thankfully it's not widespread, imo, and I think that that kind of activity and thinking exists to a lesser extent and degree among political conservatives simply b/c a person's fundamental view of the government's role and importance is often what makes him a political lefty or righty...
One can find a great deal of skepticism toward government and politicians on the American left, too. For many persons on the right and the left, it's a topical thing - when and where one distrusts government activity. Most people are not all out for minimal government or for maximal government.
Singalphile wrote:
I don't think it matters very much to the large majority of republicans or even "independent" voters what Romney's professed religion is, despite the fact that those on the right in the U.S. are probably a bit more likely to say that they're religious. Here's a kind of interesting Gallup poll/article about this stuff.
It may play little to no role in their decisions as voters - unless, perhaps, they had two near-carbon-copy candidates, only one of whom was Mormon.
That doesn't mean that there would be no reverberations from having a high-profile Mormon ally (though the point is less relevant now, in the wake of the election). "
The enemy of my enemy is my friend," as the saying goes, and friendships frequently change their participants. A person who has never had a gay friend may view and engage the issue of homosexuality quite differently than a person who has several gay friends, for example.
Singalphile wrote:
I'm not sure what you think about when you think of your prime minister, governor, representative, or president. If it's someone you generally agree with, do you think of his religion whenever you hear about him, and do you find yourself somehow more sympathetic to that religion?
If I know the individual's religion (very often I don't), and if I am aware of how that religion has contributed to his/her approach to the issues we agree about, then that may redound to the positive when it comes to my opinion of the religion.