A couple of years ago, during the ascendancy of the Tea Party hullabaloo, I posted an essay here on the similarities between religious cultists and rabid, fact-immune opponents of the president.
I went back and re-read that one this morning, because I'm observing another such cult these days.
A dear friend and co-worker is a fully-convinced, dedicated, hard-volunteering follower of a particular Republican candidate for president. Shouldn't be hard to figure out which one. Mitt, Newt and the Ricks certainly do not inspire cult-like devotion.
My man's man does, though, and, in spending very long days listening to him, I'm reminded of other cult-like behaviors than those listed in the earlier essay.
Universal relevance, the tendency among cultists to see everything that happens in the world through the doctrines of the cult, is even more profoundly evident in this group. Phenomena great and small, from climate change to a part missing from inventory, can be related to the actions of central banks or "Republicrat" politicians.
The reduction of all the disparate parts of our very complex, multideterminate world to the few principles espoused by the group's leader is, remarkably, more pronounced in members of this cult than in adherents of the Gospel of Tea.
Also, there is the Noob Effect. As with many religious cultists, adherents of this group are people who are relatively recent students of the issues which now constitute their new life's purpose. Sticking with the theist analogy, they grew up as Christmas-and-Easter churchgoers, but now they're in fellowship daily.
I don't know if the majority of this new group reflects this trend, but it is certainly true in the case of my friend, who'd barely voted before being introduced to the philosophies of The Man.
Lastly, I see cultish behavior among these people in their absolute unwillingness to consider the possibility of compromise and common ground. Should their guy fail to make the cut in his parties nomination race--a safe bet--they will not settle for any other standard bearer, for to do so would be to betray their principles. Voting for another, of either party, would be tantamount to apostasy.
I'm deeply surprised and mildly amused to find a political cult more insular and uncompromising than the Society for Tea Consciousness. I didn't think such a thing was possible.
Addendum: I wish to make clear that these thoughts are simply observations on behaviors of this politician's followers. They do not reflect on his policy ideas, portions of which I find interesting. Well, parts of portions. Aspects of parts of portions. A little.