bMark Edward Taylor gets to the heart of Obama's appeal. -- Cal Thomas/bppIn 2004 a cadre of Democratic advisers and communications experts hatched a plan to elect a largely unknown, biracial American to the highest office in the land in only four years. Knowing that its chosen one would have to rise above Hillary Clinton and then the Republican candidate, Team Obama created a new style of American political leader defined by Sacred Six characteristics: a creation story, sacred words, sacred images, sacred rituals, true believers, and a messianic leader. The Sacred Six became Barack Obama's Devotional Code, eliciting enthused voter chants of Hope, Change, and Belief (Yes we can!) and consummating a special relationship between faithful voters and the saintly candidate whom Oprah Winfrey baptized as The One.ppiBranding Obamessiah/i tells this amazing story by looking at everything from Team Obama's evangelistic rallies and iconic images to its sacred words and supra-racial rhetoric. Author Mark Edward Taylor examines Obama-themed comic books, magazines, logos, music, holy relics, social-media epistles, and children's books. He reveals the messianic rhetoric in Obama's carefully crafted autobiographical writings and public speeches. Taylor shows how such messianic imagery reinforced true believers' own hope-filled websites, blogs, publications, and videos.ppiBranding Obamessiah/i includes nearly 1,000 endnotes with links to online audio, video, and text sources so readers can follow the fascinating tale of a multimedia campaign that generated more online news coverage and inspired more pro and con bloggers and YouTube videos than all previous presidential campaigns combined. Hardly anything Obama said or did escaped cameras, microphones, and online scrutiny.ppiBranding Obamessiah/i is an engaging and illuminating trip through the most quasi-religious campaign of any modern US presidential candidate. The book also serves as a warning about the increasingly potent combination of entertainment, celebrity, social media, and religion in American politics.ppbTABLE OF CONTENTS/bppForeword by Cal ThomaspIntroductionpProloguepp1 Getting in the GameppPART ONE: Changing the Political Gamepp2 Selling an American Productp3 Marketing Subconscious Spiritualityp4 Branding Obamessiahp5 Revealing the Sacred SixppPART TWO: Composing a Creation Storypp6 Filling In Obama's Missing Yearsp7 Targeting His Angerp8 Remembering FictionppPART THREE: Chanting Sacred Wordspp9 Keeping It Simplep10 Feeling In the Blanksp11 Seizing American Exceptionalismp12 Changing the TruthppPART FOUR: Venerating Sacred Imagespp13 Seeing as Believingp14 Photographing Deityp15 Flipping through Obamagazinesp16 Sheparding the Sheeplep17 Landing Logobamap18 Viewing NegativesppPART FIVE: Observing Sacred Ritualspp19 Traveling with Brother Love's Salvation Showp20 Multitasking for the Messiahp21 Collecting Campaign Relicsp22 Pilgrimaging to Holy PlacesppPART SIX: Bringing in Believerspp23 Crowding around the Onep24 Programming Intimacyp25 Tuning In to BarockstarppPART SEVEN: Coloring the Messiahpp26 Absolving the National Guiltp27 Changing the Election's Complexionp28 Building a Millenarian MovementppEpiloguepNotes
