Why do people pretend the Cult of Politicians is a new thing?

[Saint Milei]

Everyone complains about the Trump cult like it's a new thing in politics. Reagan had a cult. Obama. FDR. LBJ. Lincoln is worshipped like crazy.

[Ferguson97]

How many Obama and Reagan supporters threatened to overturn the election if they lost?

I'm not sure what you're getting at with LBJ, he had very low approval ratings into his second term, and his rehabilitation is a very recent phenomenon.

And how people view Lincoln is closer to deification than a 'cult of personality'.

But I'll give you FDR, America probably would've made him President for life.

[Saint Milei]

How many Obama and Reagan supporters threatened to overturn the election if they lost?

I'm not sure what you're getting at with LBJ, he had very low approval ratings into his second term, and his rehabilitation is a very recent phenomenon.

And how people view Lincoln is closer to deification than a 'cult of personality'.

But I'll give you FDR, America probably would've made him President for life.

First sentence is a trump cult post

[Del Tachi]

Mm, mmm, mm!
Barack Hussein Obama

He said that all must lend a hand
To make this country strong again
Mmm, mmm, mm!

Barack Hussein Obama
He said we must be fair today
Equal work means equal pay
Mmm, mmm, mm!
Barack Hussein Obama

He said that we must take a stand
To make sure everyone gets a chance
Mmm, mmm, mm!
Barack Hussein Obama

He said red, yellow, black or white
All are equal in his sight
Mmm, mmm, mm!
Barack Hussein Obama

Yes!
Mmm, mmm, mm
Barack Hussein Obama

[John Dule]

It's always amusing when Republicans desperately point to random past political occurrences (like the Obama Song from some grade school) in a Hail Mary attempt to disprove the obvious fact that Trumpism is a historical aberration in its extreme reverence for Dear Leader. It is a losing argument because by naming these incidents, all you are doing is inviting comparison between past political leaders and Trump-- and those comparisons never work in your favor. However, we are tired of drawing these comparisons because it never changes your minds. This is because you are not arguing in good faith and therefore do not deserve to be engaged with on this matter.

[Del Tachi]

JD:  "Hail Mary," "historical aberration," "Dear Leader," "good faith" and Other Words^TM!

Celebrity is nothing new in the White House.  Every president in the modern era has possessed something of a popular following, and in every case the most partisan or extreme elements have taken it to cringy levels bordering on obsession. 

President Obama was lauded for reading mean tweets on Kimmel and being interviewed by YouTube stars who bathe in tubs full of cereal.  This is not how a serious person comports themselves.     

[John Dule]

JD:  "Hail Mary," "historical aberration," "Dear Leader," "good faith" and Other Words^TM!

What is even the point of this sentence?

Celebrity is nothing new in the White House.  Every president in the modern era has possessed something of a popular following, and in every case the most partisan or extreme elements have taken it to cringy levels bordering on obsession. 

President Obama was lauded for reading mean tweets on Kimmel and being interviewed by YouTube stars who bathe in tubs full of cereal.  This is not how a serious person comports themselves.     

So now you're going to pretend that you think people call Trumpism a cult because Trump goes on talk shows? Please. You know perfectly well why that label is applied, and it's not because of garden-variety celebrification of a politician. I'm sure you're capable of being intellectually honest on this issue, so either address it like an adult or don't bother.

[Saint Milei]

So it's the subjective "well the others have cults, but trump is more extreme" argument. Darn. Not again!

[John Dule]

A cult is defined by veneration and devotion dedicated to one individual (or idol) above all else. It typically involves the treatment of that idol as infallible. I fail to understand how Obama appearing on Jimmy Kimmel is even tangentially related to the issue of cult behavior in American politics.

For what it's worth, I'm sure there are Democrats somewhere out there who genuinely do see Obama as an infallible deity. But they are not nearly as organized or numerous as the QAnon movement, and so they do not qualify as a cult. Basic English definitions continue to elude you!

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Lincoln had to die to be deified the way he is though. Prior to his death, he was routinely mocked and scorned and demeaned because of his "Western" roots, for being too rural, for his impoverished origins and not being the right sort of people.

Far more dangerous is when that happens when they are still alive. Fortunately, the only other person to have received anything close to what Lincoln did and while still alive, was also the man that twice gave up power rather than hold onto it, George Washington.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

A cult is defined by veneration and devotion dedicated to one individual (or idol) above all else. It typically involves the treatment of that idol as infallible. I fail to understand how Obama appearing on Jimmy Kimmel is even tangentially related to the issue of cult behavior in American politics.

For what it's worth, I'm sure there are Democrats somewhere out there who genuinely do see Obama as an infallible deity. But they are not nearly as organized or numerous as the QAnon movement, and so they do not qualify as a cult. Basic English definitions continue to elude you!

Obama was the premiere "celebrity politician" in the mid 2000s. The fawning over him at the time was something I found rather distasteful, and it was only reinforced by the endless positive media coverage.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

It's always amusing when Republicans desperately point to random past political occurrences (like the Obama Song from some grade school) in a Hail Mary attempt to disprove the obvious fact that Trumpism is a historical aberration in its extreme reverence for Dear Leader. It is a losing argument because by naming these incidents, all you are doing is inviting comparison between past political leaders and Trump-- and those comparisons never work in your favor. However, we are tired of drawing these comparisons because it never changes your minds. This is because you are not arguing in good faith and therefore do not deserve to be engaged with on this matter.

I don't have this problem coincidentally and I find that, just divine.

[Ferguson97]

President Obama was lauded for reading mean tweets on Kimmel and being interviewed by YouTube stars who bathe in tubs full of cereal.  This is not how a serious person comports themselves.   

You're right, going on a late night talk show is totally comparable to urging your supporters to kill and die for you in order to subvert the peaceful transfer of power!

[Del Tachi]

JD:  "Hail Mary," "historical aberration," "Dear Leader," "good faith" and Other Words^TM!

What is even the point of this sentence?

It means your post is only stringing together buzzy words and phrases (calibrated to feed red avatar histrionics, btw) without actually saying anything.  "Obvious facts" do not have to be stated as such. 

Celebrity is nothing new in the White House.  Every president in the modern era has possessed something of a popular following, and in every case the most partisan or extreme elements have taken it to cringy levels bordering on obsession. 

President Obama was lauded for reading mean tweets on Kimmel and being interviewed by YouTube stars who bathe in tubs full of cereal.  This is not how a serious person comports themselves.     

So now you're going to pretend that you think people call Trumpism a cult because Trump goes on talk shows? Please. You know perfectly well why that label is applied, and it's not because of garden-variety celebrification of a politician. I'm sure you're capable of being intellectually honest on this issue, so either address it like an adult or don't bother.

Trump's appeal stems from his public willingness to say things that many of his supporters are already thinking.  That isn't a cult of personality; it's the expected popularity of a politician who eschews political correctness and the prevailing pro-establishment milieu.  To suggest Trump has a cult following risks mystifying the appeal of authoritarians and other strongmen.  In reality, these types of leaders mostly rise to and maintain power through channels of persuasion and communication like normal politicians do. 

What we're left with is a 21st-century celebrity president with a roughly equal share of fans and detractors.  Bill Clinton and Barack Obama did more to create this archetype than anybody else; Trump's unconventional persona and election is only the complete realization of it.   

[John Dule]

JD:  "Hail Mary," "historical aberration," "Dear Leader," "good faith" and Other Words^TM!

What is even the point of this sentence?

It means your post is only stringing together buzzy words and phrases (calibrated to feed red avatar histrionics, btw) without actually saying anything.  "Obvious facts" do not have to be stated as such. 

I'm gonna stop interacting with you if you can't carry on a basic conversation without mentioning how you think my comments are somehow calibrated for the "red av mob." I notice that you never seem to bring up these accusations whenever I post about how social security should be privatized or rent control laws should be eliminated. I mean, look at my username right now. Lol.

Trump's appeal stems from his public willingness to say things that many of his supporters are already thinking.  That isn't a cult of personality; it's the expected popularity of a politician who eschews political correctness and the prevailing pro-establishment milieu.  To suggest Trump has a cult following risks mystifying the appeal of authoritarians and other strongmen.  In reality, these types of leaders mostly rise to and maintain power through channels of persuasion and communication like normal politicians do. 

What we're left with is a 21st-century celebrity president with a roughly equal share of fans and detractors.  Bill Clinton and Barack Obama did more to create this archetype than anybody else; Trump's unconventional persona and election is only the complete realization of it.   

You're assuming that there is something "mystical" about cults. There isn't. All personality cults are centered around one charismatic individual who makes fantastical claims about himself. There's nothing "mystifying" about the appeal of this. When people are desperate and stupid, they search for easy, simple answers because they lack the intelligence and time to find the right ones. This makes them particularly susceptible to leaders who claim that they "have all the answers." It is much easier for people to put 100% of their faith in a single individual than to actually assess individual policies on the merits.

When I say "Trump's followers are cultists," I am not referring to all 74 million people who voted for him. I am referring to the QAnoners and borderline QAnoners-- the people who genuinely believe that Trump was sent by god and that he can do no wrong. These people exist in sizable numbers. They vote. They commit acts of violence on Trump's behalf. They will believe anything he tells them. And it does you no favors to pretend they don't exist, or that they are not anomalous when compared to other political movements in this country's history.

[Saint Milei]

A cult is defined by veneration and devotion dedicated to one individual (or idol) above all else. It typically involves the treatment of that idol as infallible. I fail to understand how Obama appearing on Jimmy Kimmel is even tangentially related to the issue of cult behavior in American politics.

For what it's worth, I'm sure there are Democrats somewhere out there who genuinely do see Obama as an infallible deity. But they are not nearly as organized or numerous as the QAnon movement, and so they do not qualify as a cult. Basic English definitions continue to elude you!

Obama had a cult with black America.

Again the "well the other cult is bigger" which isn't really proven can't be the best argument

[beaver2.0]

I'm not sure but there seems to be some weird belief out there that, prior to the internet, everyone was some superhuman independent thinker with 100% thought-out political opinions.  People in the past were just as dumb as we are now, they just got their information differently.

[Associate Justice PiT]

I'm not sure but there seems to be some weird belief out there that, prior to the internet, everyone was some superhuman independent thinker with 100% thought-out political opinions.  People in the past were just as dumb as we are now, they just got their information differently.

     This and also dumb uneducated voters didn't have much opportunity to get their dumb uneducated opinions out there. The rise of social media has given a megaphone to every point of view, no matter how ridiculous and uninformed it might be. It's created a perception that people today are uniquely ignorant, when this was probably pretty normal throughout history.

[YoshiyaDayan]

The reason that people are so loyal to Trump is that he is an outsider that  has never reversed his promises and stands as the only major candidate who never backs down. He represents the forgotten, and they admire him for fulfilling his promises to them and to the people of this country. Nothing cultic about that.

[darklordoftech]

There was a Bush 43 cult of personality during the post-9/11 portion of his first term, but you’d have to go back to Breckinridge to find anything comparable to 1/6/2021.