American Evangelicals and the Cult of Bush

Virtually every major poll shows that President Bush's support among Americans has fallen to the 34%-39% range. The Washington Post has a report this morning that even many (most?) in the Republican Party are trying desperately to put distance between themselves and Bush. And yet, despite the debacles of the Iraq War, the Katrina response, the Medicare prescription drug progam, etc., there remains a hard core of 30% of Americans who steadfastly support the president.  Who are these "Bushist Dead-Enders" (Paul Krugman)? Glenn Greenwald provided some useful clues recently on his blog when he outlined some of the characteristics of the "Cult of Bush":

It used to be the case that in order to be considered a "liberal" or someone "of the Left," one had to actually ascribe to liberal views on the important policy issues of the day – social spending, abortion, the death penalty, affirmative action, immigration, "judicial activism," hate speech laws, gay rights, utopian foreign policies, etc. etc. These days, to be a "liberal," such views are no longer necessary.

Now, in order to be considered a "liberal," only one thing is required – a failure to pledge blind loyalty to George W. Bush. The minute one criticizes him is the minute that one becomes a "liberal," regardless of the ground on which the criticism is based. And the more one criticizes him, by definition, the more "liberal" one is. Whether one is a "liberal" -- or, for that matter, a "conservative" -- is now no longer a function of one’s actual political views, but is a function purely of one’s personal loyalty to George Bush.

The Bush loyalists, as Greenwald points out, have no discernible political ideology - certainly they are not "conservative" in a traditional sense of advocating a for limited role of government.  What unites them is an authoritarian belief in the unlimited power of the leader/president.

And in that regard, people like Michelle Malkin, John Hinderaker, Jonah Goldberg and Hugh Hewitt are not conservatives. They are authoritarian cultists. Their allegiance is not to any principles of government but to strong authority through a single leader.

This Cult of Bush was more or less acknowledged by an "unnamed White House aide" quoted in the Washington Post yesterday:

The powers of the presidency have been eroded and usurped to the breaking point. We are engaged in a new kind of war that cannot be fought by old methods. It can only be directed by a strong executive who alone is not subject to the conflicting pressures that legislators or judges face. The public understands and supports that unpleasant reality, whatever the media and intellectuals say."

But there is a sizable component of this authoritarian Bush loyalist contingent who are driven by what I call "Christo-Fascist fervor".  This group - estimated to be about 11% of the American voting population - is made up mostly of white female evangelical Christians. National Public Radio has a fascinating interview with a group of these women, which can be listened to here.

A common thread with these women is that President Bush must be supported at all cost "because he believes in Jesus Christ".  In fact, Bush himself is Christ-like because he is being crucified by "Liberals".  One interviewee points out that she has complete faith in all of the president's decisions, because he "consults with God."  There is something of an erotic undertone to some of the responses of these women when they speak of President Bush; one compares him to her husband.

It is fitting that NPR interviewed these women in a local Baptist church: churches have become the focal point of political activity.  A recent investigation (pdf file) by the Internal Revenue Service reveals that churches played a critical role in the 2004 presidential election.  Congregrations were told by their ministers to vote for President Bush, campaign contributions were collected, and propaganda concerning the "evil of gay marriage" was distributed.

Bush Religious Right Christo-Fascism

Comments

[Jochen]

Besonders heftig finde ich, dass diese Evangelikalen Bush ganz besonders in jedes ihrer Gebete mit einschließen. Ich habe das letztes Mal in einem Bericht über diese Bewegung gesehen. Es ging, frei übersetzt etwa so:

"Gott beschütze George Bush und gebe ihm die Kraft, die Ungläubigen von ihrem Fehlen zu erlösen."

Das ist schon harter Tobak!

[ludwig]

At first I thought "Christo-Fascist" was a bit extreme--after all even these social conservatives still believe, at least nominally, in the ideals of the Founding Fathers. But truth be told, that NPR segment is really on to something. For most people in the heartland, these women could be your next-door neighbor, and the views they express have become increasingly mainstream, even though practically everyone (like these women) is dissatisfied with Bush for one reason or another.

No question, fundamentalist Christianity has been politicized. But it is actually even more insidiious--there is an economic component as well. In the Dallas-FW area from which I stem, there is an oustanding correlation between fundamentalist Christianity and association with Lockheed, Halliburton, or a related military-industrial corporation. The poor kids go to Iraq, while the college kids join the College Republicans and start building Boeing planes after graduation.

[Jorg]

"call "Christo-Fascist fervor". This group - estimated to be about 11% of the American voting population"

11% of Americans are fascists?
Do you mean they have real fascists believes, or are you reprocitating against conservatives' blabberings against "Islamofascists"?

Why is the "Bush cult" so big? What are the reasons for this development?

I just wrote about the entirely different perception of Bush and Kerry voters and quoted a PIPA report called "The Separate Realities."

Sure, there have been always sharp political disagreements, but why is there such a cultural civil war between liberals and conservatives to the extend that there are separate realities?

[Jorg]

The cult of the executive leader on the expense of the judiciary:

Guardian: "Former top judge says US risks edging near to dictatorship"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,1729396,00.html
O'Connor said: "It takes a lot of degeneration before a country falls into dictatorship, but we should avoid these ends by avoiding these beginnings."

[nous]

america is a nazi state.
the american military is the new SS.
america gives a fuck about other nations,people or human rights.
thats why it is not wondering why the whole world hates america and which them to hell.