In their never-ending search for an anti-Trump narrative that resonates with the American people, and upon which they can campaign in the run-up to the 2020 election, the Democrats and their media allies are testing a new one – that Trump supporters are cultists. Cultists being cemented in the average person’s mind as people being on the fringes of society if not downright lunatics.

There has been a run on those allegations over the past couple of months as summarized here:

The number of commentators, news outlets, and public figures who have compared Trump to a cult leader and his political movement to a cult is ever-growing. The Utne Reader wrote of the “Cult of Trump,” while the National Journal warned of “Trump’s Cult” overwhelming the Republican party. References to Trumpism as a cult or Trump as a cult leader litter the pages of The Washington Post, The Economist, Los Angeles Times, GQ, and Vanity Fair, not to mention online media such as Salon and The Daily Kos. Many of these are liberal or politically moderate publications, but conservatives have gotten in on the act too. Tennessee Republican Senator Bob Corker called Trump’s leadership a “cultish thing,” and the GOP in a “cult-like situation.” Even Donald Trump, Jr., responding to Corker’s criticism, seemed to accept the comparison of his father’s leadership to a cult. “You know what? If it’s a cult, it’s because they like what my father’s doing,” he told Fox & Friends.

Read the rest of the article here.

And of course, CNN had to get in on the game, too, as on Sunday, Brian Stelter interviewed Steve Hassan, who authored the book “The Cult of Trump.” Redstate colleague Nick Arama did a nice job in throwing the allegations right back in CNN’s face here.

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Somehow, Democrats’ allegations about Trump’s cultists seem to smack of desperation to me. That’s all they’ve got? Well, their impeachment gambit doesn’t seem to be working too well, does it? But I digress. Let’s take a look at some well-known cults and see if what the Democrats claim makes even a lick of sense.

For definition purposes, I happen to like this description of a cult: obsessive, especially faddish, devotion to or veneration for a person, principle, or thing. Now there are a lot of websites that describe cults, cultist behavior, and how to “de-program” people who were caught up in a cult. Here is one example.

Personal anecdote time. Back in the ‘80s, I knew an older gent who, over a period of time, became enthralled with/by the Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, who ran a commune in The Dalles, Oregon. Here is a summary of that cult that is undergoing a sort of resurgence lately. As part of his “absorption” into the cult, over time, my friend began wearing drab reddish-colored clothing (shirts and slacks) to work every single day for months. One day, he literally disappeared from the scene. Six months later, he returned to his job after having liquidated all of his worldly possessions in order to essentially buy his admittance into the commune in Oregon. He was fairly well off, and it was quite shocking to learn he gave it all up to the Bhagwan. He didn’t talk much about it after his return other than to sheepishly admit that it was the most bizarre and stupidest thing he’d ever done in his entire life, and that the blind homage paid by the cult members to the Bhagwan was ultimately what opened his eyes.

Now the Rajneeshees may be a more extreme form of cult, but I would argue that there are all sorts of cults across a broad spectrum of American society. I would wager you’ve run into a few cultists yourself. How might you identify a cult member? Here are a few characteristics:

And so forth. Now people are free to do whatever they want, including joining a cult if that is what “floats their boat” – as long as they don’t harm themselves or others, that is. And that includes psychological harm, as far as I’m concerned.

I’ve got my list of cults; you’ve got yours. Since I’m doing the writing, I get to detail my list of the more extreme versions of cults:

These outfits are the more recent – and extreme and violent – examples; there are tons more. There are a lot of other groups that fit the bill, too, as far as I’m concerned – especially in the 21st century American political realm. Let’s get to THAT particular list next:

In reflecting on the behavior of people in these politically-oriented cults, it appears that we are at a point where any facts that challenge the theories/narratives/conventional wisdom associated with the Democrats and other assorted leftists are either shouted down or ignored. This is the behavior of cultists, as characterized above.

The notion that we can look into men’s hearts and souls and divine what they really believe is absurd. All we can do is observe, analyze, synthesize, and report – and be prepared to change our opinions if the facts warrant! Regarding cultists of the political variety, just because someone says something doesn’t make it true. Just because a narrative is endlessly repeated by many people in the media doesn’t make it true. Facts and evidence are what prove something to be true. And just because someone is member of one of the Left’s political cults, including a former president (Obama), a failed presidential candidate (Hillary), or a retired Obama-appointed FOGO (e.g., Clapper, McRaven, Stavridis, etc.), doesn’t make that person immune to criticism based on the facts.

I’ve run into a TON of “political cultists” on social media and in everyday life. It makes me wonder if America was ALWAYS filled with conspiracists and cultists, or whether this is merely a modern phenomenon. I don’t know the answer, but to me, they’re easy to spot!

As for being labeled a “Trump cultist” by my political enemies on the Left, I will wear that as a badge of honor. Damn straight that I support a President who delivers on his political promises, operates with the boundaries set forth in the Constitution (unlike his predecessor), appoints conservative federal judges, tackles the Communist Chinese threat, cuts taxes and regulations, restores military readiness and morale, and exposes the Deep State and Swamp for all to see! How about you?

The end.