We as the human race are inherently tribal.
We tend to be attracted to other people that look like us, think like us, act as we do, and believe in the same things that we do. It’s inherent in us.
Tribes are usually loose associations with affiliations being both voluntary and otherwise.
We can be multi-tribal simultaneously.
We are racially black, white, yellow, red, or brown.
We can also be ethnically German, French, American, Brazilian, etc. This also encompasses nationalistic tribes.
We can be religiously Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Moslem, Buddhist, Hindu or a host of other denominations.
We can also affiliate with sports teams and be tribal.
We can be professionally tribal, having groups of medical professionals, legal professionals, as well as unions of truck drivers or hotel workers.
We can also be politically tribal, as (in this country) with Republicans, Democrats, and independents.
It is in the political realm that the idea of tribalism is sometimes amplified into the definition of a cult.
A cult is defined by Merriam-Webster thusly:

1: a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also its body of adherents; the voodoo cult; a satanic cult.
2a: great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (such as a film or book); criticizing how the media promotes the cult of celebrity, especially such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad.
2b: the object of such devotion.
2c: a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion; the singer's cult of fans; The film has a cult following.
3: a system of religious beliefs and ritual, also its body of adherents; the cult of Apollo.
4: formal religious veneration.
5: a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator; health cults.

Cults normally tend to have a charismatic or authoritarian leader in whom the adherents place their faith and loyalty. There have been many throughout history. On the political/governmental side there were Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Edi Amin, Castro … to name a few. On the side of religion, Joseph Smith (Mormon), Martin Luther (Protestant), Jesus (Christian), Mohammed (Moslem), Ghandi (Hindu), Jim Jones (pseudo-Christian) qualify. These were all cults until they went mainstream (mostly). Most cults, it would seem, have leaders such as this when they started.
It is in the sense of definition 2 of the above that we are tending to get into the definition of cult in our political divisions.
Tribes tend to devolve into cults when loyalty to the cause or the leader is required, peer pressure is used to demand adherence to the cult, and no dissent is allowed.
On one side of the political spectrum, it is as Will Rogers once said, “I belong to no organized party. I am a Democrat.” The Democratic party is (and has always been) a loose affiliation of people believing in what their party name implies, a democratic methodology of society and government.
On the other side of the political divide, it would seem as though the Republican party has become, recently, more like the definition of a cult, in its adherence to a single leader who can do no wrong, and no matter what is said, cannot be dissuaded from that adherence.
In terms of governing … “I alone can fix it.”
In terms of invincibility … “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose v**es.”
In terms of us vs. them … many quotes that say or imply that the “Dark State” or some other cabal has been trying to sabotage the president’s administration.
In terms of loyalty to a single person … eliminating all administration officials who aren’t loyal to the president, and replacing them with unqualified loyalists.
In terms of allowing dissent … eliminating all forms of oversight, so that dissent from the president’s pronouncements doesn’t occur, and that the president’s policies are carried out without question.
In terms of governmental policy … ‘the king can do no wrong.’
These are characteristic traits that define an authoritarian cult leader. The Republican party has devolved into a cult… the cult of Trump. It cannot be logically viewed in any other way.
Its adherents march in lockstep with the president and find nothing to criticize in his behavior or policies. They have no regard for anything but their cause, and would allow all kinds of misbehavior in order to further the president’s political ends.
It has been stated that the only objective in this e******n (on the part of Republicans) is to win at all costs. I would posit that this e******n will be one of the dirtiest, slimiest, gutter brawl e******ns in political history. The country will be the worse for wear regardless of who wins. The e******n won’t be based on policies, but on character assassination, innuendo, unproven allegations, and mud-slinging. It won’t be the poster child for democratic institutions.
I wish it weren’t so, but it is, and there’s not much that I as an individual can do about it, except keep my head down and try to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

We as the human race are inherently tribal.
We tend to be attracted to other people that look like us, think like us, act as we do, and believe in the same things that we do. It’s inherent in us.
Tribes are usually loose associations with affiliations being both voluntary and otherwise.
We can be multi-tribal simultaneously.
We are racially black, white, yellow, red, or brown.
We can also be ethnically German, French, American, Brazilian, etc. This also encompasses nationalistic tribes.
We can be religiously Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Moslem, Buddhist, Hindu or a host of other denominations.
We can also affiliate with sports teams and be tribal.
We can be professionally tribal, having groups of medical professionals, legal professionals, as well as unions of truck drivers or hotel workers.
We can also be politically tribal, as (in this country) with Republicans, Democrats, and independents.
It is in the political realm that the idea of tribalism is sometimes amplified into the definition of a cult.
A cult is defined by Merriam-Webster thusly:

1: a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also its body of adherents; the voodoo cult; a satanic cult.
2a: great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (such as a film or book); criticizing how the media promotes the cult of celebrity, especially such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad.
2b: the object of such devotion.
2c: a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion; the singer's cult of fans; The film has a cult following.
3: a system of religious beliefs and ritual, also its body of adherents; the cult of Apollo.
4: formal religious veneration.
5: a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator; health cults.

Cults normally tend to have a charismatic or authoritarian leader in whom the adherents place their faith and loyalty. There have been many throughout history. On the political/governmental side there were Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Edi Amin, Castro … to name a few. On the side of religion, Joseph Smith (Mormon), Martin Luther (Protestant), Jesus (Christian), Mohammed (Moslem), Ghandi (Hindu), Jim Jones (pseudo-Christian) qualify. These were all cults until they went mainstream (mostly). Most cults, it would seem, have leaders such as this when they started.
It is in the sense of definition 2 of the above that we are tending to get into the definition of cult in our political divisions.
Tribes tend to devolve into cults when loyalty to the cause or the leader is required, peer pressure is used to demand adherence to the cult, and no dissent is allowed.
On one side of the political spectrum, it is as Will Rogers once said, “I belong to no organized party. I am a Democrat.” The Democratic party is (and has always been) a loose affiliation of people believing in what their party name implies, a democratic methodology of society and government.
On the other side of the political divide, it would seem as though the Republican party has become, recently, more like the definition of a cult, in its adherence to a single leader who can do no wrong, and no matter what is said, cannot be dissuaded from that adherence.
In terms of governing … “I alone can fix it.”
In terms of invincibility … “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose v**es.”
In terms of us vs. them … many quotes that say or imply that the “Dark State” or some other cabal has been trying to sabotage the president’s administration.
In terms of loyalty to a single person … eliminating all administration officials who aren’t loyal to the president, and replacing them with unqualified loyalists.
In terms of allowing dissent … eliminating all forms of oversight, so that dissent from the president’s pronouncements doesn’t occur, and that the president’s policies are carried out without question.
In terms of governmental policy … ‘the king can do no wrong.’
These are characteristic traits that define an authoritarian cult leader. The Republican party has devolved into a cult… the cult of Trump. It cannot be logically viewed in any other way.
Its adherents march in lockstep with the president and find nothing to criticize in his behavior or policies. They have no regard for anything but their cause, and would allow all kinds of misbehavior in order to further the president’s political ends.
It has been stated that the only objective in this e******n (on the part of Republicans) is to win at all costs. I would posit that this e******n will be one of the dirtiest, slimiest, gutter brawl e******ns in political history. The country will be the worse for wear regardless of who wins. The e******n won’t be based on policies, but on character assassination, innuendo, unproven allegations, and mud-slinging. It won’t be the poster child for democratic institutions.
I wish it weren’t so, but it is, and there’s not much that I as an individual can do about it, except keep my head down and try to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

We as the human race are inherently tribal.
We tend to be attracted to other people that look like us, think like us, act as we do, and believe in the same things that we do. It’s inherent in us.
Tribes are usually loose associations with affiliations being both voluntary and otherwise.
We can be multi-tribal simultaneously.
We are racially black, white, yellow, red, or brown.
We can also be ethnically German, French, American, Brazilian, etc. This also encompasses nationalistic tribes.
We can be religiously Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Moslem, Buddhist, Hindu or a host of other denominations.
We can also affiliate with sports teams and be tribal.
We can be professionally tribal, having groups of medical professionals, legal professionals, as well as unions of truck drivers or hotel workers.
We can also be politically tribal, as (in this country) with Republicans, Democrats, and independents.
It is in the political realm that the idea of tribalism is sometimes amplified into the definition of a cult.
A cult is defined by Merriam-Webster thusly:

1: a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also its body of adherents; the voodoo cult; a satanic cult.
2a: great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (such as a film or book); criticizing how the media promotes the cult of celebrity, especially such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad.
2b: the object of such devotion.
2c: a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion; the singer's cult of fans; The film has a cult following.
3: a system of religious beliefs and ritual, also its body of adherents; the cult of Apollo.
4: formal religious veneration.
5: a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator; health cults.

Cults normally tend to have a charismatic or authoritarian leader in whom the adherents place their faith and loyalty. There have been many throughout history. On the political/governmental side there were Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Edi Amin, Castro … to name a few. On the side of religion, Joseph Smith (Mormon), Martin Luther (Protestant), Jesus (Christian), Mohammed (Moslem), Ghandi (Hindu), Jim Jones (pseudo-Christian) qualify. These were all cults until they went mainstream (mostly). Most cults, it would seem, have leaders such as this when they started.
It is in the sense of definition 2 of the above that we are tending to get into the definition of cult in our political divisions.
Tribes tend to devolve into cults when loyalty to the cause or the leader is required, peer pressure is used to demand adherence to the cult, and no dissent is allowed.
On one side of the political spectrum, it is as Will Rogers once said, “I belong to no organized party. I am a Democrat.” The Democratic party is (and has always been) a loose affiliation of people believing in what their party name implies, a democratic methodology of society and government.
On the other side of the political divide, it would seem as though the Republican party has become, recently, more like the definition of a cult, in its adherence to a single leader who can do no wrong, and no matter what is said, cannot be dissuaded from that adherence.
In terms of governing … “I alone can fix it.”
In terms of invincibility … “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose v**es.”
In terms of us vs. them … many quotes that say or imply that the “Dark State” or some other cabal has been trying to sabotage the president’s administration.
In terms of loyalty to a single person … eliminating all administration officials who aren’t loyal to the president, and replacing them with unqualified loyalists.
In terms of allowing dissent … eliminating all forms of oversight, so that dissent from the president’s pronouncements doesn’t occur, and that the president’s policies are carried out without question.
In terms of governmental policy … ‘the king can do no wrong.’
These are characteristic traits that define an authoritarian cult leader. The Republican party has devolved into a cult… the cult of Trump. It cannot be logically viewed in any other way.
Its adherents march in lockstep with the president and find nothing to criticize in his behavior or policies. They have no regard for anything but their cause, and would allow all kinds of misbehavior in order to further the president’s political ends.
It has been stated that the only objective in this e******n (on the part of Republicans) is to win at all costs. I would posit that this e******n will be one of the dirtiest, slimiest, gutter brawl e******ns in political history. The country will be the worse for wear regardless of who wins. The e******n won’t be based on policies, but on character assassination, innuendo, unproven allegations, and mud-slinging. It won’t be the poster child for democratic institutions.
I wish it weren’t so, but it is, and there’s not much that I as an individual can do about it, except keep my head down and try to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

I support Trumps policies not the man. I'm also against progressive/socialist policies. I wouldn't want my daughter to date any politician. The only cult I belong too is Christianity, according to you. I, like you, am willing to look past some of the inadequacies of our elected officials. Our current president doesn't speak eloquently, or play politics. Our last president didn't believe in our founding principles. Therefore he did everything in his power to destroy this country that I love. One inadequacy I can tolerate...one I can't.