Trump’s defenders have adopted a doctrine of infallibility | News, Sports, Jobs – Williamsport Sun-Gazette
Posted: October 9, 2019 at 9:44 am
Theres a reason people think President Trump has a cult of personality, but it may not be the reason you think.
Yes, there are those who think Trump was delivered to us by God and that his decisions and actions are imbued with divine providence and authority. But that sort of stuff is taking the word cult too literally. It harkens back to pre-Enlightenment notions like the divine right of kings, the Roman imperial cults or the Chinese mandate of heaven which were mainstream, not cultish, beliefs anyway.
As with so many words and ideas, cult of personality in the modern sense probably begins with Karl Marx, who used personality cult in a letter to a friend in 1877. Nikita Khrushchev cited that passage (and several later ones by Marx) in his famous 1956 secret speech, formally titled On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences. That address began the de-Stalinization of the Soviet Union and the de-escalation of Stalins terror.
Before I go on, let me state unequivocally that Trump isnt Stalin. Hes not even close.
Khrushchevs speech was monumentally important for numerous reasons, but Im going to focus on the part thats relevant to my point. In Marxist lingo, cult of personality is synonymous with cult of the individual indeed, Khrushchev used the phrases interchangeably in his speech. Both terms refer to the idea that a single person can be greater than the party, or wiser than the ideology the party stands for. Think: I alone can fix it. Such a mindset is a threat to the power of the party and the legitimacy of its doctrines.
Stalin didnt care. He encouraged, often through murder and terror, the idea that his judgment trumped any other authority or doctrine. He was infallible.
And it worked. During Khrushchevs speech, delivered to the cream of the Communist Party leadership, some members of the audience grew physically ill and had to leave the room it was that alien to their ears to hear Stalin criticized. Theres still a cult of Stalin in Russian. One might even say that Vladimir Putin is its high priest.
Of course, having dictatorial control over a country and possessing the will to murder and terrorize tens of millions makes it easier to cultivate a cult of personality.
None of that has much relevance to American politics today. But theres a simpler reason for a cult of personality: Its the only sustainable line of defense. Stalin violated party ideology all the time. He contradicted his past positions cavalierly, adopting and discarding ideas on a whim. He would even change his views to test his loyalists. Today, insist that chocolate ice cream is the best flavor and get everyone to agree with you. That way, if anyone disagrees tomorrow when you say its vanilla, youll know who the potential traitors in your midst are.
This is where Trumps cult of personality comes in. For several years theres been a kind of competition on the right to come up with a coherent intellectual or ideological framework to support Trumps presidency. Every single one that comes out of the clouds of theory to get close to the reality on the ground has crashed. Hes a nationalist who puts America first but says well await Saudi Arabias say-so on a military strike against Iran. He says he wants free trade but also thinks tariffs are good.
Just this past week, the same people who insisted that Trump would never collude with a foreign nation for his political interest are now defending collusion with foreign nation for his political interest. The people who turn crimson with rage when you point out Trumps decades of corrupt business practices now insist his only interest in the Bidens is his concern about corruption. They say its outrageous that Bidens son sat on the board of a Ukrainian company when Biden was vice president, but they also say its fine to have a daughter and son-in-law duo running vast swaths of foreign and domestic policy while also making a fortune from their business interests around the world. Enemies are sinful or decadent when they lie or cheat on their wives, but who are you to judge Comrade Trump?
Theres no halfway defensible ideological, intellectual or moral standard that Trump doesnt violate, often routinely. A cult of personality that replies Trumps right or his enemies are worse before the question is even asked is the only place to hide.
A doctrine of infallibility is the only defense of this deeply fallible man.
Jonah Goldberg is a Creators Syndicate columnist.
The world is changing fast and the electric power grid is no exception.New technologies will produce more ...
Environmentalists just got some great news.Americas power plants will emit 2.3 percent less carbon dioxide ...
Is President Trump going to get Joe Biden elected?Opinions vary widely on how to characterize Trumps ...
I am not a crook. Richard Nixon made that statement during a press conference in Orlando, Florida, related to ...
The history books tell us that slavery officially ended in the United States on Dec. 6, 1865, when the 13th ...
The debate about political power and authority among those who profess the Christian faith has raged since the 1st ...
Read more here:
Trump's defenders have adopted a doctrine of infallibility | News, Sports, Jobs - Williamsport Sun-Gazette
- Enlightenment (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) [Last Updated On: October 7th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 7th, 2014]
- Enlightenment - About [Last Updated On: October 7th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 7th, 2014]
- Enlightenment - Facts & Summary - HISTORY.com [Last Updated On: October 7th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 7th, 2014]
- Age of Enlightenment - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [Last Updated On: October 7th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 7th, 2014]
- Core Enlightenment Introduction - Video [Last Updated On: October 7th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 7th, 2014]
- enlightenment movie - Video [Last Updated On: October 7th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 7th, 2014]
- American Zen College -Dharma Talk on Enlightenment 10.4.2014 - Video [Last Updated On: October 7th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 7th, 2014]
- YouTube and Shakespeare - Folger Shakespeare Director Mike Witmore in INT's ENLIGHTENMENT MINUTES. - Video [Last Updated On: October 7th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 7th, 2014]
- Run it UP! #231 - knife fight enlightenment - Video [Last Updated On: October 7th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 7th, 2014]
- Enlightenment Ain't All its Cracked up to be - Video [Last Updated On: October 7th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 7th, 2014]
- Why MNsure's 4.5% 'average' rate increase tells us almost nothing about MNsure rates [Last Updated On: October 7th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 7th, 2014]
- Enlightenment through benchmarking, the Cisco way|#oow14 [Last Updated On: October 7th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 7th, 2014]
- 4 Factors Driving Enlightenment & Big-Data Adoption in Regulatory Compliance [Last Updated On: October 7th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 7th, 2014]
- The Enlightenment- Part I - Video [Last Updated On: October 7th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 7th, 2014]
- GoldRing Project Abundance ENLIGHTENMENT - Video [Last Updated On: October 7th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 7th, 2014]
- Moonshine distillery in Utica launches grappa [Last Updated On: October 8th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 8th, 2014]
- Joy S. Gilbert, 9-20-14 Pt 2 Enlightenment, Manifesting Omnipresence & Omniscience - Video [Last Updated On: October 8th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 8th, 2014]
- Great Gayathri Mantra 324 Chants For Enlightenment & Success Meditation & Success Study - Video [Last Updated On: October 8th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 8th, 2014]
- The 'Blood Moon' Eclipse Was Quite A Show [Last Updated On: October 8th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 8th, 2014]
- Life, Spirituality, Enlightenment, & Finding Happiness - Video [Last Updated On: October 8th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 8th, 2014]
- . ? / Prof. Dr. Tobias Rosefeldt. What is Enlightenment? - Video [Last Updated On: October 8th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 8th, 2014]
- *~-.Switching Enhydro Gate Key.-~* Crystal specimens at Pure Crystalline Enlightenment. - Video [Last Updated On: October 10th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 10th, 2014]
- Digital Enlightenment through an App and a Road-Trip [Last Updated On: October 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 11th, 2014]
- Enlightenment - Video [Last Updated On: October 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 11th, 2014]
- The Edge of Enlightenment (Spirituality, Nonduality, Advaita) - Video [Last Updated On: October 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 12th, 2014]
- Enlightenment (European history) -- Encyclopedia Britannica [Last Updated On: October 13th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 13th, 2014]
- How to be Enlightened, Achieve enlightenment - Video [Last Updated On: October 13th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 13th, 2014]
- Blue Collar Enlightenment interview: Brad Blanton & J Stewart Dixon - Video [Last Updated On: October 13th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 13th, 2014]
- Peace & Enlightenment Through Watches: American Kobold's Nepalese Thangka Art Timepiece With Romio Shrestha [Last Updated On: October 14th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 14th, 2014]
- The Waterfall Of Enlightenment 1 - Video [Last Updated On: October 14th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 14th, 2014]
- ChangeYourEnergy.com Helps Cut a Clear Path to Enlightenment with Aquamarine Crystal Video Course [Last Updated On: October 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 15th, 2014]
- Redirecting Energy in Relationships with Love & Enlightenment! - Video [Last Updated On: October 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 15th, 2014]
- Enlightenment Era: John Milton - Sonnet XIX (Lecture) - Video [Last Updated On: October 16th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 16th, 2014]
- Kharisma 2, October 4, 2014 - Enlightenment, so brutal, so unforgiving in every way - Video [Last Updated On: October 16th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 16th, 2014]
- The Dark Enlightenment, by Nick Land | The Dark Enlightenment [Last Updated On: October 17th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 17th, 2014]
- SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTENMENT SERIES - TUMBLEWEEDS BLOWING IN A NEW AGE. PART ONE - Video [Last Updated On: October 18th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 18th, 2014]
- New Age Spirituality or The Ancient Path to Enlightenment - Video [Last Updated On: October 19th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 19th, 2014]
- Legend Of Grimrock 2 - Shrine Of Enlightenment Walkthrough & 2 Secrets (Keen Eye & Sharp Aim Puzzle) - Video [Last Updated On: October 19th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 19th, 2014]
- SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTENMENT FOR A NEWER AGE - INTRODUCTION - Video [Last Updated On: October 19th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 19th, 2014]
- OM of Enlightenment - Video [Last Updated On: October 20th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 20th, 2014]
- Model Beauty vs Enlightenment: 5 Minute motivation challenge 4 - Video [Last Updated On: October 20th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 20th, 2014]
- How to Log into the Enlightenment Tour on Zaption - Video [Last Updated On: October 20th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 20th, 2014]
- [[The Enlightenment]] Falling In The Black [[Tony D'Grey]] - Video [Last Updated On: October 20th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 20th, 2014]
- The Spiritual Race to Enlightenment... - Video [Last Updated On: October 20th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 20th, 2014]
- Ch 2 S2 Enlightenment Ideas Spread - Video [Last Updated On: October 20th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 20th, 2014]
- FIGHTING FEARS pt2! Day19: Juice Detox Fast for Nutrition,Weightloss,Spiritual Enlightenment - Video [Last Updated On: October 20th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 20th, 2014]
- Blue Collar Enlightenment- Seeing Ego in Eating, Addiction, Alcohol, Diet - Video [Last Updated On: October 20th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 20th, 2014]
- The Path to Enlightenment - Video [Last Updated On: October 20th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 20th, 2014]
- Journey to the Enlightenment - Video [Last Updated On: October 20th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 20th, 2014]
- LOUD - Enlightenment (Oforia Remix) - Video [Last Updated On: October 21st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 21st, 2014]
- RealFlight Zenjima (Island of Enlightenment) - Video [Last Updated On: October 21st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 21st, 2014]
- Enlightenment, or a better human life - which do you choose? - Video [Last Updated On: October 21st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 21st, 2014]
- Receive 36 Steps to Enlightenment: Dr Pillai's 2015 Birthday Trip - Video [Last Updated On: October 24th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 24th, 2014]
- ASTROPILOT - Enlightenment (Spiritual Psychill) - Video [Last Updated On: October 26th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 26th, 2014]
- Science Nature and Enlightenment - Video [Last Updated On: October 27th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 27th, 2014]
- Nudity For Enlightenment - Video [Last Updated On: October 31st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 31st, 2014]
- Provocative Enlightenment Presents: The Honest Truth About Dishonesty with Dan Ariely - Video [Last Updated On: October 31st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 31st, 2014]
- The Rebirth Of Your Enlightened Self And The Unlimited Perception ~ LETV Ep 39, 2014 - Video [Last Updated On: November 2nd, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 2nd, 2014]
- Enlightenment - What is it? - 2 Things. - Video [Last Updated On: November 2nd, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 2nd, 2014]
- Cambodia - The Feast of Enlightenment - Video [Last Updated On: November 3rd, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 3rd, 2014]
- Minecraft Horses finding enlightenment (60fps trial) - Video [Last Updated On: November 3rd, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 3rd, 2014]
- EU 9 (Age of Enlightenment) - Video [Last Updated On: November 3rd, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 3rd, 2014]
- How to pronounce 'enlightenment' with Zira.mp4 - Video [Last Updated On: November 5th, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 5th, 2014]
- drumming for enlightenment - Video [Last Updated On: November 6th, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 6th, 2014]
- The Wind of Enlightenment - Video [Last Updated On: November 7th, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 7th, 2014]
- Shri Durga Mantra 648 Chants For Enlightenment, Obstacle Breaker, Wealth & Success Study - Video [Last Updated On: November 7th, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 7th, 2014]
- Cambodia The Civilization of Enlightenment - Video [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2014]
- Ash M - Enlightenment The Album (Full) - New Gospel Rap - Video [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2014]
- FRSC Uwan-Esigie Unit inaugurates 2014 Ember Months Public Enlightenment Campaign - Video [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2014]
- Magnificat: Et misericordia - Video [Last Updated On: November 9th, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 9th, 2014]
- SAINT OF SIN - Sound Of The Enlightenment (Accoustic Version) - Video [Last Updated On: November 9th, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 9th, 2014]
- Unit 4.1 - 2 Enlightenment - Video [Last Updated On: November 9th, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 9th, 2014]
- Symphony No. 3 in F Wq183 (H665) : III. Presto - Video [Last Updated On: November 10th, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 10th, 2014]
- Enlightenment - Linux Desktop Environments - Video [Last Updated On: November 10th, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 10th, 2014]
- Pioneers in Enlightenment, David Hoffmeister, A Course in Miracles - Video [Last Updated On: November 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 11th, 2014]
- Enlightment Evolution Hour November 5, 2014 FULL Show - TReb and Aridif take calls! - Video [Last Updated On: November 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 12th, 2014]
- Evan Speaks - Good Parenting: a path to self-enlightenment - EvanMarie.com - Video [Last Updated On: November 13th, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 13th, 2014]
- Qigong Primordial Wuji Enlightenment (HD) - Video [Last Updated On: November 13th, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 13th, 2014]
- Edwin W. Edwards comments, Honorary Chair, Montreal Enlightenment conference, 18 October 2014 - Video [Last Updated On: November 16th, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 16th, 2014]
- Enlightenment E19 - Video [Last Updated On: November 16th, 2014] [Originally Added On: November 16th, 2014]