Giuliani: The Joel Osteen of Politics

I just read a TIME Magazine article titled “Why is Rudy Giuliani Smiling?” All I could think, particularly after reading the following pargraphs, is that Rudy is the Joel Osteen of Politics.

In presidential politics, the candidate striking the most optimistic note has the advantage, whether it’s Franklin Roosevelt facing down fear, Ronald Reagan awakening to morning in America or Bill Clinton believing in a place called Hope. Giuliani is banking on this. Since leaving office, he has toiled diligently in the vineyard of positive thinking, delivering hundreds of motivational speeches–and earning millions in fees–to huge audiences of potential voters at conventions, commencements and all-day seminars like this one. … He explained his six principles of leadership, which helped him through 9/11 and “also can help you in your personal life.” Things like knowing what you stand for, setting goals and having courage.
“You have to be an optimist,” he said, preaching to the choir. Reagan was. “People used to say he saw the country through rose-colored glasses. If you don’t see it that way, you can’t make it that way.”

Certainly optimism is a fine way to look at life. But the TIME reporter hits on something uniquely American later in the story, I think. A great insight on why Rudy is playing well with Evangelicals, and with everyone really.

By mastering the language of the motivational circuit, Giuliani has tapped into an alternative vein of American religious thought–the gospel of success. The idea that God intends for Americans to prosper is as old as the nation. A century ago, Russell Conwell, a Baptist preacher, distilled this gospel in his speech “Acres of Diamonds.” …
From Napoleon Hill (Think and Grow Rich) to Norman Vincent Peale (The Power of Positive Thinking), from Zig Ziglar (Born to Win) to Rick Warren (The Purpose-Driven Life), this idea has never lost its power over the American imagination. Giuliani tries to tap into that power by presenting himself as the ultimate can-do politician, a man who approaches government like a business, who prefers results over ideologies and who sees victory as the national birthright.

Zig Ziglar and Rick Warren are decently analogous, but I think the best fit is Pastor Joel Osteen from Houston. The slogan for Osteen’s Church? “Discover the Champion in You.”

Barbara Walters, in her ABC News Top Ten Most Fascinating People of 2006, said it this way:

He is rich, famous, handsome, and adored by millions of fans on television each week, but he’s not an actor [and not John Edwards!]. He’s an evangelical pastor from Houston named Joel Osteen. They call him “the smiling preacher,” and Osteen has a lot to smile about. He’s the head of the largest church in America, the author of a best-selling book, and the religious leader for a following of faithful, often frenzied fans. He’s achieved all that with an approach critics call “Christianity lite” — no sin, no suffering, no sacrifice, replacing fire and brimstone with a motivational message.

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