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Are there previous historical examples of cult-like followings of US political candidates? (lemmy.sdf.org)

submitted 3 months ago by [email protected] to c/asklemmy

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(This post was intended for [email protected], but as it seems they don't allow text posts, I'm posting it here)

This post will likely not go over well with everyone and some people may not agree with the premise of the question. Mods please remove if not allowed.

I am curious if the MAGA-esque approach to politics is new for the US, or if there have been other examples of similar political movements which may be considered "cult-like". To better define what I mean, here are some examples:

Large amounts of signs bearing a candidate's name being shown by single individuals (e.g. big trucks covered in Trump signs everywhere)
Use of a candidate name over the US flag
Use of a kind of supporter uniform (e.g. the red MAGA hat)
The "alternative facts" of MAGA, where debate can be impossible because supporters believe anyone who is a detractor must be lying
In some cases, voter intimidation or coercion from staunch supporters

It seems to me that some of this is new but I'd love to hear other thoughts. I have heard and seen many relatively obvious parallels to German politics in the 20s-40s, but I'm specifically wondering if anything similar has ever been seen in the US before.

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[–] [email protected] 20 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Oh yes. As a US person it blows my mind as well. We have an unhealthy fear of changing the Constitution, despite its many amendments. Of course that also precludes changing portions of it that were clearly designed under different pretenses than currently exist (e.g. 2A, but that's a whole can of worms I'm just tired of opening at this point).

The main issue there in my view isn't actually the Constitution but the sheer division at every decision. Nothing can be changed anywhere if people can't even agree on the same facts anymore. It ultimately means the US is at a constant government standstill. Fun times.

In many ways we now feel like two different countries. The blue country with dense populations centered around either coast, and the red country with sparser population in the middle.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Nothing can be changed anywhere if people can’t even agree on the same facts anymore

the "change" republicans want is to tear the whole thing down and turn it into a dictatorship

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Which is exactly what their beloved Founding Fathers™ were trying to prevent.