The Bush Cult

By: Bethesda

Bush and his PR team are exclusively devoted to developing the cult of Bush, rather than support for his policies.

This is a frightening aspect of this Administration, that didn't seem to be present before. (I guess it strives to be Reaganesque.) It is also very similar to Hitler, who did the same thing, and strove to bring about an emotional and even sexual devotion to himself from women, and from men. Studies at the time show that this worked, and that there was no difference in the quality of this devotion expressed by females and males. Bush seems to be striving for this, and succeeding with some women, and with some men. (I am left completely cold, except for the "poor boy is trying" aspect, which I only feel when I notice how much worse the people around him are.)

At first it seemed that his cult of devotion to Bush worked with a certain segment of the population with which I am not familiar. That is, those fundamentalist Christian women, who probably tend toward this pathology in the first place, as their religion calls for it as well. I think Christ and others have commented on the fact that women tend toward devotion, probably vested by nature with this quality, due to the need for absolute devotion to the survival of their children.

But Hitler also prompted this devotion in men, equally, as does Bush. Example: remember when Norwood emerged all hot and bothered from the White House blathering about his "love" for the man? He seems to have this effect on certain men, and a lot of them. I haven't studied Hitler, and the sort of psychological pathologies he prompted, but what do you suppose this is? A father thing?

In Bush's case, he also draws on the evangelical Christian cult culture to do this, and seems to fancy himself some kind of enlightened preacher chosen by God. I'm sure this has a special effect on fellow evangelicals. Someone here in this household told me that he emulates the evangelical preachers cadence and such when he speaks, which is cloying and disturbing to me. Like when he says "evil-doers", etc. You can see he feels comfortable and really gets going when he does his preacher thing, which is completely inappropriate for a Presdident, and he does it poorly, and at the wrong times.

The people who surround him are true believers in Bush as God, and think that we, too, the American public, are like their two-bit trailer trash followers of the Bush cult, and want to hear about his day, and how he is doing, as though this is enough for us to know. It frightens me.

I was wondering if there are Chimpsters who are familiar with the Hitler cult of personality, and the Bush "charismatic" cult of personality, from the evangelical camp.

I think that Card is speaking to the Bush base when he says things like: "He is in great shape. He's a very disciplined man. He gets up very early in the morning. He does his homework. And he works hard during the day. He exercises, and he sleeps well at night." They don't realize how inappropriate it is, but they are attempting to further the Bush cult, at the same time.

You could see that this is all Bush is, when he resurfaced after the crisis and focused on how he was. Like anybody cared!

I also think it is a manifestation of his having been one of those second-string celebrities, son-of-president, which impressed second-string groupies, and that this is what Bush is all about, being admired by third-rate groupies. He has no substance, otherwise.