'Yes, We Shall'

By Hugh Munn
The Georgetown (S.C.) Tattler
Capital Bureau

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Sen. Barack Obama on Friday launched a surprising new round of political ads designed to present the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee as the actual coming of the Antichrist -- a push that campaign advisers say could cultivate a new "apocalyptic voting bloc."

"There is a new hope for America, for the world, and I am He," Obama says in an ad showing him speaking before a hungry mass 150,000-strong gathered along the shores of the Gulf Coast in Corpus Christi, Texas. "Verily I tell ye: 'Yes, we shall.'"

The ads, airing in several states in the Southeast and Midwest, superimpose Obama's likeness in holy locales such as Mt. Sinai, Egypt, along with messianic-themed soundbites meant to impart the impression of pseudo-divinity.

The new angle, campaign insiders say, seeks to win over so-called evangelical Christians -- particularly those labeled as habitual email forwarders -- who have felt alienated by a Republican nominee who doesn't represent their values on pressing issues like gay marriage and the salacious content of reality television programming.

The ads each aim to raise a central question: Why would those who relish the idea of an imminent rapture try to thwart the election of a figure they believe will signal the coming of the return of Christ -- an event they have so long awaited?

Since Obama vanquished Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Democratic primaries, a loosely organized but prevalent contingent of conservative opponents have used the internet to undermine the Illinois senator.

The group has employed the use of forwarded emails and obscure, hastily created blogs to offer the theory of Obama as the coming of a messianic figure who will lure the masses into false idolatry and signal the coming of the Apocalypse.

Popular derivations of the apocalyptic theory presuppose that the Antichrist will be "a persuasive man in his 40s, of Muslim descent, who will deceive nations with a Christ-like appeal" -- a view disputed by a substantial sum of theological scholars.

While the proposed "apocalyptic voting bloc" as the Obama envisions it has yet to be created and cultivated, Obama advisors say the candidate has an opportunity to peel off a piece of the traditional Republican base.

"It's no secret that John McCain's standing among the 'evangelical base' is, shall we say, like the seed that was sown in rocky soil," senior Obama campaign advisor James Robertson said. "We believe we can appeal to the notion of 'change you'd be a hypocrite not to believe in.'"

The McCain campaign offered a swift response on Friday.

"We believe that people of faith believe in us, and we believe that belief is a cornerstone of the American dream," McCain campaign strategist Harvey Monde said. "And we believe that believers will reject the cynical notion that they aren't willing to cast off this mortal coil as their faith calls for them to believe in."

The ad campaign has drawn skepticism from political analysts who say the Obama camp has overestimated its powers of persuasion.

"This is the biggest gaffe of Obama's march to the White House since he refused to wear a flag lapel pin," says Muhman Abid, department chair of political studies at Tulane University. "Who's to say that this supposed voting bloc actually wants the world to end like they say they do?"

Still, one political expert says that given McCain's lackluster campaign strategy thus far, Obama has plenty of leeway "to throw some stuff up and see what sticks."

"Why not?" says Bill Spanasian, a lobbyist for the political action group Cynics For A Cynical Tomorrow. "You know, change we all can be duped to believe in that will mean the end of the world. Awesome."