Those who have read this blog for a few years know that I have frequently scorned Barack Obama's supporters as a cult, and remarked that his persona and popularity were reminiscent of the cult of personality surrounding a Latin American dictator.
No, Obama did not imprison and torture political opponents, nor did our nation have 1,000,000,000 percent inflation and Mad Max mayhem on the streets while he resided at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. But just because we didn't become Venezuela doesn't mean Obama's policies were wise and beneficial.
His insidiously misguided, nihilistic and destructive policies did do heavy damage (terror attacks, cop killings, a worsening of race relations, a horrible business climate, spiraling health care premiums and the Middle East a basket case, to cite a few examples), yet the gushing, irrational love from his supporters and the media was fierce and unconditional. And it continues to this day. The Messiah remains revered among leftists.
Mind you, I was not the first person to make those comments; in fact, I'd wager that a pretty large number of conservatives who despised Obama's politics believed and proclaimed the same thing.
But let's consider the flip side of the coin. A personality that leftists despise, loathe, detest, hate with all of their hearts. To wit: Donald John Trump. Trump Derangement Syndrome, as it's called, prevents leftists from ever giving any credit -- or even remaining neutral -- about anything the president does.
Unemployment is low, the GDP and stock market are up, ISIS is on the run, NATO nations finally will pay their fair share for defense, North Korea came to the bargaining table, the United States pulled out of horrible arrangements like the Paris Agreement, the TPP and the Iran nuclear deal. Trump is also trying to crack down on illegal immigration, and not cowering in the face of vicious left-wing attacks that portray him as a cruel tyrant. (He knows, just like millions of us, that leftists tend to be over-the-top drama queens who cannot be taken seriously.)
Now granted, Trump is rough around the edges. He can be a buffoonish blowhard, a vulgarian; as immature as a 13-year-old. And his sordid past with disreputable loose women and shady operators like Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort is a distasteful attribute that his supporters acknowledge and are willing to abide, given the devastating alternatives (e.g., HildaBeast) presented by the Democrats.
But herein lies the difference: Many conservatives fully acknowledge that Trump has major flaws, and they're not afraid to criticize him for certain things such as tweeting too often, not knowing when to lie low and keep his mouth shut, being a massive egotist, and failing to toot his own horn regarding his accomplishments.
Contrast that with Obama supporters. It was and is extremely rare to ever hear any of them criticize Obama, anyone who served in his administration, or any of his policies. This is truly cult-like behavior. I have written about bad actors in the Trump administration, and pointed out corruption on the conservative side. But liberals -- especially Obama supporters, often are so enthralled by imagery; by a personality and their own idealism.
Conversely, liberals have caricatured Trump; they loathe, despise, detest, abhor, hate-his-guts. It wouldn't matter if poverty were erased overnight, North Korea destroyed all of its nuclear weapons. Cancer and AIDS were eradicated, all pollution ceased, and CO2 emissions were dramatically cut. Liberals would always and forever hate Trump with a passion. That, too, is a "cult of personality," only on the obsessively hateful side rather than the irrationally gushing side.
As long as liberals and progressives continue to be 100 percent right brain thinkers, unhinged and out of control with rage; as long as they cannot be rational or reasonable, the bitterness, polarization and partisanship in this country will only grow worse.
Fasten your seat belts, because it certainly will get far uglier before it ever gets better.
Comments