Trump Resurgent--Here's Why
/By Don Varyu
Mau 17, 2021
Democracy Corps is out with new polling on prospects for the 2022 off-year elections (no surprise—this early look says it’s going to be very close). More compelling is its heavy emphasis on examining the current state of the Republican Party. (Again, no surprise—it’s Trump’s party. Fully 75% of
Republicans stand proudly behind him, with only a quarter in opposition.) In its numbers, Democracy Corps shows that Trump has lost no support since the last election, and his followers are the most interested and enthusiastic over what will happen in November of next year.
But one finding distinctly stands out: of all GOP respondents, the two most sizeable groups are categorized as “Trump Loyalists” (43%) and “Evangelical Loyalists” (24%). Thus, here again, the inevitable question is shouted: “how can people who call themselves evangelicals support this guy, who’s the most sinful man ever to run for president?!”
The answer is hidden in the formulation of that question. That's because “sin” is not the deciding characteristic for evangelicals--not by a long shot. Evangelicals believe in the infallibility of the Bible, and many say you’re not really worthy unless you publicly declare yourself “born again”. You need to surrender to succeed.
This alignment of evangelicals with Trump is no accident. We wrote about the connection more than three years ago in “True Believers.” It’s an article based on a book of the same name written in 1951 by America’s most insightful forgotten author, Eric Hoffer. I recommend reading the whole thing for full understanding, but here are a few excerpts which chillingly apply both to white evangelical Christians and the Trump cultists:
What mass movement leaders have in common:
“…a joy in defiance; an iron will; a fanatical conviction that he is in possession of the one and only truth; a capacity for passionate hatred; contempt for the present; a delight in symbols, spectacles and ceremony; a disregard of consistency and fairness…”
One common ploy of mass movements leaders:
“Not only does a mass movement depict the present as mean and miserable, it deliberately makes it so.”
On the nature of the followers of mass movements:
“A rising mass movement attracts and holds…not by its doctrine and promises, but by the refuge it offers from the anxieties, unfairness and meaninglessness of an individual existence. To the frustrated, freedom from responsibility is more attractive than freedom from restraint. They are eager to barter their independence for relief from the burdens of deciding and being responsible for inevitable failure. They willingly abdicate the directing of their lives to those who want to plan, command and shoulder all responsibility.”\
Finally, on the one decisive tool that all dictators must employ:
“All mass movements strive to impose a fact-proof screen between the faithful and the realities of the world. It is the believer’s ability to shut his eyes and stop his ears to facts that do not deserve to be either seen nor heard…”
This all sounds dauntingly familiar and depressingly formidable. To be sure, the fight is not over.
Hitler died in his bunker. Trump sits scheming in his.
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(Hoefer’s full book is available here.)me to tell the full version.
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