Opinion: Jamie Foxx's Obama Is Our Lord And Savior Remark Is Ridiculous And Disturbing
After a rather slow four days of politics and political news due to the four-day Thanksgiving holiday, the top story for Monday morning – Cyber Monday for those who are still in shopping mode – was up for grabs. For those who were totally out of circulation for the extended weekend, they may have been surprised to learn that late Wednesday, United States Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. of Illinois finally resigned his post – which, in reality, he physically relinquished last June 10 due to health concerns while being investigated regarding the alleged purchase of Barack Obama’s senate seat. Beyond that, Jackson, of course, was also accused of misusing campaign funds to redecorate his home and to buy a $40,000 piece of jewelry for a female friend. There’s more – but you can wait for the movie, as there is most assuredly to be one about the Jackson family saga someday.
Then there was the feel-good story in which Mitt Romney – with disheveled hair – and wife Ann appeared in a Thanksgiving-wish photo to their followers. Naturally, the pundits’ tongues took a break from their turkey leftovers on Friday to say that Romney could have won the election if he had only looked like that during the campaign – rather than looking like someone off the pages of GQ every time he was in public.
Other than these stories, there was practically nothing off the political pages. Nothing is the definitive word here – because there was nothing until the Jamie Foxx story crept up on us at the end of the long weekend and was ultimately splattered all over the front pages on Monday morning.
While appearing on a pre-recorded BET network television production of the Soul Train Awards, Jamie Foxx made the following statement: First of all, give an honor to our God and our lord and savior, Barack Obama. Barack Obama.
No, it’s not a joke. Even though Jamie Foxx is credited with being a standup comic, he came across as sincere and Obama-fawning as ever. Jamie Foxx actually said those words on national television to a massive audience – in-house and via television – who were watching the Soul Train Awards. The concerned-questions are many as to why a person – even someone as out of touch with reality as a Hollywood star – would make such a statement. Of most concern is: why would anyone make such a statement at such an event which obviously had so many impressionable young people watching? What was the beneficial purpose of Jamie Foxx putting the President of the United States and God at the same level in the same breath?
If the Obama’s were watching the awards show in the White House on Sunday night, hopefully the president and his wife cringed and set their two young daughters straight. Hopefully, Michelle said something like: “Girls, daddy is not our lord and savior. He’s our president. I want you to remember that. Now, finish your vegetable and fruit snack.”
Does Foxx actually want his audience to believe that Obama and God are on an even stance? Foxx – who has used his fame to overly-endorse and promote President Barack Obama in two elections – has the right to fawn as he wishes over another human being. However, fawning to the point that he equates God and a human being should not go without challenge or without concerned-comment.
In reality, God has been damn good to the extremely fortunate Jamie Foxx – and hearing him blurt out such a blasphemous statement is disturbing. His comment says nothing about God, nothing about President Obama, but says everything about Jamie Foxx.
No one can equate to God. And, it’s about time someone stood up to Jamie Foxx and his ilk to teach them that – or at least try to teach them that.
About Scott Paulson
Scott Paulson writes political commentary for Examiner.com and teaches English at a community college in the Chicago area. The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of CBS Local.
