I don't get the cult of personality thing

[Cary]

WTF?

We have a whole party. It takes lots of.hard work by lots and lots of dedicated people, not some flavor of the day.

[guillaumeb]

1. Please elaborate.

Are you referring to the various groups here devoted to particular politicians?

[Cary]

5. I am not looking for a fight.

I never look for fights here.

I don't think I can elaborate without picking a fight. I am tired of the pattern. Some individual somehow acquires some cult status, people stake out their turf and anyone who crosses over those unreasonable boundaries get bombarded by mostly ad hominum of various kind.

It would be nice if we could focus on common ground and issues. You know, VOTE DEMOCRATIC!

Too much to ask for.

[guillaumeb]

13. Well explained.

But, people being people, we all probably rank candidates, even if only privately.

Thus all the various groups for different figures.

[womanofthehills]

17. So, this is a round about way for you to say you don't like AOL

Actually, I love her energy - fighting for clean air, clean water, medicare for all, etc., and she sure is a good dancer. It distinguishes the Dems from the old white boring Republicans.

[cwydro]

18. AOL?

Personally I prefer yahoo.

[Solly Mack]

2. But it's still OK to worship me, right?

Asking for a friend.

[Cary]

3. Ha! Thanks for that.

[empedocles]

8. Good

[yortsed snacilbuper]

4. kick

[VOX]

6. Right-wing assholes falsely claim we Democrats did that with Obama.

Last edited Sat Jan 5, 2019, 11:43 AM - Edit history (1)

Of course, they couldn't handle the FACT that Obama has genuine charisma, is highly intelligent, and quick on the uptake “Please proceed, Governor."

One far-right blubbery blowhard in particular (his name rhymes with "flush&quot often referred to Obama as "Dear Leader."

[Cary]

7. Yes I was thinking that I was vulnerable to that

I am and always have been a huge Barack Obama fan but it is based on issues and the qualities you cite, Vox.

[VOX]

9. Big "O" fan myself. I have an autographed book plate & photo hanging on my office wall.

And if that ain't fandom, I don't know what is!

[Cary]

10. A friend of mine was his roommate in Springfiled

[VOX]

12. Wow! That's amazing. A few years ago, I was invited to tour the Sunnylands Estate in Rancho Mirage.

It's quite a property, a 650-acre estate formerly owned by billionaires Walter and Leonore Annenberg, and now owned/operated by the Annenberg Foundation Trust. Naturally, the place is full of Republican memorabilia, Reagan's in particular, who stayed there often. Just had to grin and bear that part of it.

But the cool thing was, Obama stayed there, too (being a golf nut, and the estate has a 9-hole course that is easily secured). And he was set to arrive the day following the tour. So I'm standing there with a bunch of UCLA alums (tour) in the very bedroom that Obama would be occupying the following night. Weird feeling!

[aikoaiko]

11. That's the way it is for everyone.

One persons political cultist is another persons committed supporter based on issues and policies .

It’s not hard to understand.

[Poiuyt]

15. Obama never required blind obedience to him

He was a rock star but was humble and didn't crave adulation

[VOX]

20. Agreed! To be clear, any equivalencies made about Obama and 45 are FALSE.

Obama is the anti-Trump— he’s decent, intelligent, diplomatic, reasonable, and had a thorough understanding of domestic and global issues.

Trump has NONE of the class, honesty, fairness, empathy, and modesty that Obama possesses.

[bigtree]

14. some people need more defending than others

...maybe recognize that some figures are deliberately singled out for criticism, sparking defenders.

This doesn't always come from the republican opposition. I think many criticisms, griping and moaning about a handful of newly elected legislators in our own party have mainly served to elevate these legislators into the national debate.

It's actually provided sort of a platform for those folks and it's a cinch supporters are going to take advantage of that, rather than play into the constant barrage of nonsense.

You call it a 'cult,' I call it politics, the dynamics of which constant critics of folks like AOC and other freshman legislators can't seem to grasp. You should be asking why others aren't able to generate public followings to elevate their political initiatives. Like it or not, there's political value in generating or exploiting media coverage.

No sense knocking dedicated supporters able to generate and sustain attention to their legislator or candidate of choice. Do better for the folks you believe in.

[Persondem]

16. People on the left need to be reminded of this every bit as much as people on the right

Cults of personality almost always end badly.

Thank you for the reminder. K & R

[cwydro]

19. I don't like swooning over any politician.

I routinely trashed threads during the Obama years anytime I saw the word “dreamy” (and believe it or not, that was not infrequent).

Or the threads that featured him without a shirt on, followed by panting and drooling type comments. There were MANY of those. Ugh.