Authoritarian Cultists

Today Glenn Greenwald used that term to describe what has become of a good chunk of the GOP

They are authoritarian cultists.

I’m so glad he used that term, because I was just re-thinking my use of term “Cult of Bush” because it’s much bigger than him or anyone person and can be transferred to whoever succeeds him – with all those implications.

It is a cult of power and authoritarianism, and this cult will do anything to keep that power.

Chris Floyd had some interesting observations on the “blind faith” in government that you talked about and he quoted from that Suskind article about the Bushies “creating their own reality.”

Suskind quoted a Bush supporter, "I just believe God controls everything, and God uses the president to keep evil down…God gave us this president to be the man to protect the nation at this time." And Floyd made these observations:

God appointed Bush; thus Bush's acts are Godly. It's a circular, self-confirming mindset that can't be penetrated by reason or facts, can't be shaken by crimes and scandals. That's why Bush's core support – comprising almost half of the electorate – stays rock-solid, despite the manifest failures of his administration. It's based on blind faith, on poisonous fantasy: simple, flattering ("We're uniquely good, we're God's special nation!"), comforting, complete – so unlike the harsh, bewildering, splintered shards of real life.

There's never been anything like it in American life before: a messianic cult backed by vast corporate power, a massive cadre of religious zealots, a highly disciplined party, an overwhelming media machine and the mammoth force of history's most powerful government – all led by men who "create new realities" out of lies, blood, theft and torment.

I think that’s an important point. The idea that the U.S. is “uniquely good and God’s special nation” is also part of this cult, thereby wrapping it up not only in patriotism but Christianity (or at least the cult’s version of it).

It is an American cult of power and authoritarianism.