In 2012, conservative political commentator Sean Hannity interviewed Utah-based artist and Latter-day Saint Jon McNaughton on Fox News regarding his inflammatory painting, One Nation Under Socialism (2012). The painting drew intense scrutiny due to its depiction of a smug and devious President Barack Obama burning the Constitution. One Nation Under Socialism provides commentary on the threats that McNaughton and others with similar views perceived in modern politics. Writing in the context of the 2012 presidential election, McNaughton proclaimed that the “Constitution is literally going up in flames” due to the Obama administration's having “taken over our healthcare system, and given bailouts to the automotive industry, banking industry, and energy industry.”1 McNaughton produced the painting as a sequel of sorts to his One Nation Under God (2008) which depicts Jesus Christ holding the United States Constitution. When Hannity asked McNaughton about this painting, McNaughton responded, “I believe that the...

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