General Discussion

The Madcap

(1,456 posts)

63. I doubt it.

Sat Jul 12, 2025, 06:30 PM

Jul 12

Very seldom is the "follow-on" to a cult leader successful in their own right. They always seem to have to look back to the previous leader and can't go their own way. The only possible exception I can think of is Stalin, but in his case, he did it by force and under the shadow of WW2 when the very existence of the USSR was under threat. And Lenin was not quite a cult leader in the traditional sense, at least not in the crazy way we think of cult leaders today.

I just don't think Vance has the charisma or backing to pull it off.

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NH Ethylene

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Highlight:

Sometimes a cult collapses under its own weight. [View all] milestogo Jul 12 OP

Bit by bit and then ... suddenly. The "tipping point" has not been reached yet. . . . . nt Bernardo de La Paz Jul 12 #1

This Epstein thing may have legs. These two creeps were besties for a decade. Joinfortmill Jul 12 #34

There's no honor among thieves The Blue Flower Jul 12 #2

Elon will tell Trump's secrets milestogo Jul 12 #3

Yea, 5 years from now. kacekwl Jul 12 #7

lmfao ZDU Jul 12 #9

This right here ms liberty Jul 12 #10

And when he finally b passes away The Madcap Jul 12 #4

I hope it's soon AverageOldGuy Jul 12 #8

My friend is worried that if he dies, he will become a martyr. tavernier Jul 12 #12

Most of the country will be singing... milestogo Jul 12 #13

In the GOP, there are a hundred wicked witches waiting to take his place mdbl Jul 12 #19

Will the cult follow President Vance? ninjanurse Jul 12 #25

I don't think he has the same "charm" as TSF. milestogo Jul 12 #28

I agree. I've thought that all along. NH Ethylene Jul 12 #48

J.D. Vance is effortlessly abrasive. milestogo Jul 12 #50

but the cult likes that. mdbl Jul 12 #54

I personally don't think so. HeartsCanHope Jul 12 #58

I doubt it. The Madcap Jul 12 #63

i will be singing the ding dong song myself if he croaks in office . AllaN01Bear Jul 12 #20

That party will dwarf the 2020 election celebration IbogaProject Jul 12 #15

Interesting theory. Iggo Jul 12 #42

What Does That Mean Though? ProfessorGAC Jul 12 #52

Not "on his casket"! ChazInAz Jul 13 #81

All the 'good Americans' Joinfortmill Jul 12 #35

Hopefully we'll all still be here to counter their lies! HeartsCanHope Jul 12 #57

Yes, we can hope PatSeg Jul 12 #5

I agree. Incompetence inevitably leads to disaster. Martin68 Jul 12 #6

Remove Joan, Insert Donnie... ZDU Jul 12 #11

This is priceless! Joinfortmill Jul 12 #36

Yes, yes indeed! ZDU Jul 12 #46

I'm feeling like the outrage of what the orange Hitler is doing is going to come to a head and people kimbutgar Jul 12 #14

He's going to lose "the cult" when the Epstein documents are revealed FakeNoose Jul 12 #16

Ha! ROFL. Joinfortmill Jul 12 #38

Every last one of them could disappear from the Earth and not be missed Orrex Jul 12 #17

I have no hope mdbl Jul 12 #18

Also, it is a cult built on a foundation of LIES Martin Eden Jul 12 #21

Speaking of cults, Nazi Germany didn't crumble for good until April, 1945 . . . . hatrack Jul 12 #47

True, and there are similarities between the Fascism of Hitler and Trump Martin Eden Jul 12 #55

You hit on the classic irony DFW Jul 13 #75

You summed it up very well in two sentences Martin Eden Jul 13 #78

His actions at times lead to suspicions of exactly that DFW Jul 13 #80

Sometimes it doesn't collapse until the country is turned into rubble LS0999 Jul 12 #22

Yup, let's hope there's a permanent intervention before that occurs. Joinfortmill Jul 12 #40

And in our case, there's no one to save us from ourselves The Madcap Jul 12 #64

To borrow an idea from Honest Abe Lincoln... ProudMNDemocrat Jul 12 #23

Last week would be nice! niyad Jul 12 #24

I really hope the cult of Trump goes full purple koolaid. lapfog_1 Jul 12 #26

Well, let's see: Branch Davidians went out in blaze of "glory"; Heaven's Gate - suicides,; People's Temple - AnotherMother4Peace Jul 12 #27

Fascists Are Ouroboros MayReasonRule Jul 12 #29

Wow, that is a great word! milestogo Jul 12 #32

The Gnostics Understood The Difference Between Religion And Mythology MayReasonRule Jul 12 #51

PBS is rerunning Joseph Campbell's "The Power of Myth" with Bill Moyers. llmart Jul 12 #62

I Have A Hardback Copy Of Transformations Of Myth Through Time And A Softback Of The Hero With A Thousand Faces MayReasonRule Jul 12 #65

Here's some "extra-credit" reading when you get to the episode.... pat_k Jul 12 #68

Thanks. llmart Jul 12 #70

Thank you for posting that, I was just about to look up the word ouroboros Meadowoak Jul 13 #76

This is true Hey Joe Jul 12 #53

Unfortunately, when they reach that tipping point of no return ... aggiesal Jul 12 #30

The Moonies still exist, murielm99 Jul 12 #31

I sure as hell hope so. Trump and his band of traitors are doing a good job of taking our federal government down. Joinfortmill Jul 12 #33

I wish this were true angrychair Jul 12 #37

Other observations the different maga cult. Duncanpup Jul 12 #39

Whew moose65 Jul 12 #41

Foreign Enemies May Exploit Such A Collapse 2na fisherman Jul 12 #43

Yes, you are right. Haggard Celine Jul 13 #77

Kick SheltieLover Jul 12 #44

I just plowed through this- BumRushDaShow Jul 12 #45

Kremlinology is pointless when staring down the barrel JCMach1 Jul 12 #49

I certainly hope so, too! HeartsCanHope Jul 12 #56

The only glue holding it together is hate tied to money. ananda Jul 12 #59

I believe the cult will collapse from its own weight. It will take a number of people with it though, Linda ladeewolf Jul 12 #60

It takes intelligence, rules, laws to make any system work bucolic_frolic Jul 12 #61

I have zero doubt they will implode Skittles Jul 12 #66

And as the spell breaks for some, let's extend a little grace. pat_k Jul 12 #67

I think it has to be a bit of an awakening mountain grammy Jul 12 #69

Dunno. We've had bumper crops of crooks, liars, and m-fuggin morons in recent years struggle4progress Jul 12 #71

But what happens when the cult has the support (tacit or explicit) of most of the media... progressoid Jul 13 #72

I recall all this kind of "the end is near" "another shoe dropped" talk during his #45 term. C Moon Jul 13 #73

I think it already has collapsed. ReRe Jul 13 #74

When we garner the courage to stand against a half-wit criminal dlilafae Jul 13 #79