Magazine
Obama & McCain: The Power Of Superstitions
| Both candidates for the Presidency of the United States are reportedly superstitious. John McCain calls himself a superstitious sailor. He does not put his hat on the bed and carries a flat penny in his pocket.He likes rain on an election day and prefers watching movies as results trickle in. Apparently many sailors are superstitious and most pirates in the Caribbean appear to wear a many trinkets.
Obama is right there with McCain. He likes to play basketball on Election Day. Many have seen the photographs in Time magazine where his “lucky charms include, among other things, our own Hanuman. This is a battle of two levels of superstitions. We will see who(se) wins. It is funny the great experiment of Democracy (as McCain calls it) depends so much on powers that are purely coincidental and out there in the ether. Rational judgments are not even in play here. Sure we talk about all that stuff all the time, but it all depends on how, we the voters, wear the appropriate socks, get out of bed on the right side, carry a rabbit tail in our pocket and part our hair on the right side. Or, it could depend on the hanging chads or someone finding his superstitious mojo during the campaign. Just think of the campaign. Is there any reason there? Is there much about policy, issues or vision? Or is it about who the baby killer is, who believes in god more, who seems like a nice guy and who seems to appeal to our sense of superstition. May Hanuman save democracy! |