April 26, 2013
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Far right Conservatism has become a cult, and Rush Limbaugh is its leader.
By definition, a cult is a group or sect bound together by adoration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.
A
cult promises you redemption. It tells you that if you do what it says,
and as it believes, you will be protected from the evil people that are
out to get you and the rest of society.
A cult purges the
non-believers. And it actively tries to vilify all those who are not
part of the cult, saying that they're doomed and destined to go to hell.
So how did Limbaugh become the leader of such a large, and influential, cult?
Like with any cult, the power that Limbaugh has over his flock as grown over time.
Right wing radio started out in conflict with mainstream society, and outside of mainstream politics.
What
was once a little cult guided by Limbaugh has transformed into a
massive cult that today has enveloped much of the Conservative movement.
So how did this transformation occur?
Well, like cult leaders do, Limbaugh offered up a theatrical flair, and accompanied that with a marketing genius.
He
offered his followers redemption. He offered them protection from what
he told them they should fear – liberals and feminists. He demanded
ideological purity, and absolute devotion to the ideology of far-right
"conservative" corporatism. And he vilified all those who didn't see
things his way.
Limbaugh then managed to convince his followers
that faith in his word was more important than facts. No matter what
everyone else said, if Rush said it, it must be true. Only information
that supports Limbaugh's positions can be believed, and everything else
is just lies.
Since his first successes, he's been followed by a
succession of other right-wing cult leaders, from Glenn Beck to Mark
Levin to Alex Jones.
Which brings us to today.
Rush Limbaugh
and the rest of the right-wing talk radio cult have conjured up such a
large following that they're helping the Koch Brothers drive the
polarization within the Republican Party, and within America's political
discourse.
Ironically, so says Frank Luntz, a top Republican consultant and campaign guru.
Earlier
this week, Luntz told a group of college students at the University of
Pennsylvania that Limbaugh and his fellow right-wing talk-radio cult
leaders are "problematic" for the Republican Party because they're
responsible for the stark polarization within the party.
In a
secret recording of his comments, Luntz can be heard saying that, "And
they get great ratings, and they drive the message, and it's really
problematic. And this is not on the Democratic side. It's only on the
Republican side...[inaudible]. [Democrats have] got every other source
of news on their side. And so that is a lot of what's driving it. If you
take—Marco Rubio's getting his ass kicked. Who's my Rubio fan here? We
talked about it. He's getting destroyed! By Mark Levin, by Rush
Limbaugh, and a few others. He's trying to find a legitimate, long-term
effective solution to immigration that isn't the traditional Republican
approach, and talk radio is killing him. That's what's causing this
thing underneath. And too many politicians in Washington are playing
coy."
Basically, Luntz was saying that the right-wing media and
its cult following are not serving the national political debate and not
helping the Republican Party widen its appeal beyond its declining base
of aging boomer cultists.
But no matter what Luntz says, Limbaugh
and the rest of his right-wing media pals will continue to rally their
followers, and continue to vilify those who dare think otherwise.
They
will continue to paint President Obama as America's anti-hero, using
terms like "socialist" and "Muslim" to further scare their cult
followers into seeing things their way.
The good news is that there are still some semblances of a normal, and non-cult media in America.
Unlike
the right-wing media, real media – and even progressive media – is not
cult-like. It talks about ideas that are widely accepted (social safety
net, clean environment, nondiscrimination, a solid middle class), and
that are not in conflict with the rest of society.
It's not based on fear or faith. It's based on facts. And it respects other beliefs and ideas, instead of vilifying them.
And
perhaps, most importantly, real media doesn't fear or hate our
government, and certainly doesn't suggest we should be armed and ready
to attack our own government.
Sadly, that cult is coming
dangerously close to having complete control over the Republican Party
and much of the political discourse in our country.
Thankfully, people are waking up and recognizing the far right-wing media for what it is: a cult.
