Republicans have always been suckers for a Cult of Personality. But this time it's different.

[Bucky]

For decades it's been the Cult of Reagan. But as objectionable as his policies were, he was always a capable politician, able to cut a deal, able to serve a version of the national interest. His level of corruption was in the normal range personally, but he was shitty at policing his greedy underlings, and so his administration produced a large number of corruption indictments. The cultists ignored it, allowed it, and it just got worse.

They tried to turn Dubya into a cult. Even got that Dominionist chosen-by-God bullshit going. But he was a weak canvas to project their baloney onto. He was corrupt on a grander scale than Reagan. He actually started a war just to privatize the war industry and help his enablers to guzzle the griftings. But at least it made the country temporarily stronger (before the inevitable fan-hittings made the country weaker and more isolated). I mean, yes, he left our enemies stronger, our moral stance in the world muddied, our allies befuddled, and the global chaos he created still spreading. But at least they were discernably pro-American fuckups. Republican support for Bush 2.0 was a failure of judgment, but not outright betrayal to our country itself.

But The Donald is so easily detected as a hypocrite, so open about his corruption--literally stealing from vets out in the open, literally plundering the Republican party's funds for his personal gain, actually dissing our intel community while handing over intel and geopolitical advantages to the Russians who all-but-openly pushed for his election--they'd have to be braindead not to see through it. And yet they keep on conflating him with Jesus, keep on buying his demonstrably false claims about the election (not just provable lies, but downright idiotic lies), keep on giving money to him no matter how many times his rip-offs have been exposed.

There's 250 Republicans in Congress. Only two have the integrity to say enough is enough. They're just pathetic. They make me worry for this country's future in ways George W Dumbass and the Neocons never did.

[Thomas Hurt]

1. Reagan started us down this path to the Christian Republic of the United States that we are on.

[Hestia]

4. yep. This is part deux but you know what they say about the 2nd generation they - piss away what

the first generation created, thank Goddess.

[Skittles]

2. it is mind-boggling

why are people so ready to humiliate themselves over an orange assclown - the man is so fucking PATHETIC but they'll put his interests above the interests of AMERICA? WTF!!!!!

*I just read your reply - once again, very interesting...but I still have a hard time reconciling a cult over someone as pathetic and vapid as Donald Fucking Trump

[Hestia]

5. I told my DH that TFG must be sacrificing live virgins in front of everyone and then asking if there

are any questions. What else could it be? Really, what else? He has no brain, heart, nor money.

[Skittles]

9. whenever he talks, it's just a bunch of narcissistic gibberish

WTF, how can someone as RIDICULOUS as Trump be seen as any kind of leader? WTF!!!

[TheRealNorth]

3. It's quite simple actually

To Republicans, we (Democrats) are the foreign enemy that must be crushed. They have pretty much said as much.

[Hestia]

6. That can't be it. Unless they live on their devices 24/7 for the last 30 years, they know that

Democrats aren't the enemy, per se, other than Newt the fuck Gingrich (who made everything into a war, and now it is worse). There are Democrats in their churches, so they are aware that Democrats exist and quite decent people.

[TheRealNorth]

7. Then why does TFG always talk about "real" Americans?

The distinction doesn't make sense unless there are also "fake" Americans.

[Escurumbele]

11. Its a tactic to divide the people, Hugo Chavez and every dictator has done it.

Dictators always need enemies, and the first enemies must be the other side inside the country, those who oppose the wanna-be dictator. Once they grab power they invent enemies Worldwide, that is what trump did, the step was to alienate our allies which he did.

It is just a tactic, it is the "Divide and Conquer" routine. They also create situations to panic their followers "have to fight hard or you will not have a country.", that is what trump said January 6th. See? Democrats are the enemy, and their base eats it up.

They are following the tactics which are well explained in George Orwell's "1984", that is why they lie so much. Kellyanne Conway's "alternate reality" comes from there...Bush's "War is Peace" comes from there. And there is more...Its an old book, but I recommend it.

[TheRealNorth]

12. Well, that is my point

Republicans have been feeding off that for many years. All it takes is for one side to accept it to make the division a reality.

[oasis]

8. K and R. Something to think about.

[Escurumbele]

10. I think Bush was just an idiot who wasn't interested in being president aside from the fact that he

liked being called Mr. President, but the job was not one he wanted.

As it happens with the republican party, it is almost never the front-man who we need to worry about, all of them are ignorant fools, the last good republican president was Theodore Roosevelt, and he was a progressive. The real problem is the people behind the fool, in the case of Bush it was Dick Chaney, in the case of Reagan it was a bunch of republicans, Reagan was just the face of the party, but the people pulling the strings were behind the curtain.

With trump it was the same thing, they got their idiot who could handle a pen, what they didn't expect was for the idiot to be very good at other things, like to team up with Putin, dig dirt on them and compromise more than half of them as well. Now they are scared shit of the guy who has so much dirt on them, so they are stuck with licking his butt...or else. Lindsey Graham has been very quiet as of late, but I cannot get rid of the idea that Lindsey was one day talking trash about trump, and suddenly after a golf game he became a lap dog of trump, what was said during the 18 holes? What made Lindsey change his view on trump? It could not have been trump's eloquence, it was more like a Corleone talk instead..."Hey Lindsey, you get on the plan or this is going to happen to you, coppice?"

trump is evil, he doesn't know how to do anything that is not evil, but he is good at being evil. I cannot get over so many people throwing their dignity down the curve for a stupid person like trump, they have all been compromised, they know what they do for the buffoon is wrong, but they still do it, they also know they will eventually be thrown under the bus, so why???

[andym]

13. Psychology: Trump talks like he is all knowing, acts superior, and treats them badly

He has a reputation of getting away with breaking every rule. He lies routinely to manipulate. Some followers accept everything he says as truth, others appreciate him getting away with his lies. Basically, he is the kind of leader many Republicans want and admire, because he acts like his followers are far beneath him and they believe that they are not worth much except by reflecting Trump's power. Many of them have low self-esteem, are acting hierarchically, with Trump as their leader/Simple Simon who "empowers" them.