by M. Salcedo, 3-24-04

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Is the Republican Party in the United States becoming a dangerous cult? Am I the only person who has noticed that characteristics usually associated with religious cults seem to be emerging within the Bush GOP? The first tip-off to me was the increasing use of the term "Bushies" by Internet bloggers. The second has been the over-the-top way in which the Bush White House attacks its critics and opponents and attempts to control the media.

Like the Moonies and the Rajneeshees, the Bushies have created a highly centralized, top-down power structure where independent thinking, criticism, and off-dogma viewpoints, both inside and outside the GOP, seem to be systematically crushed. Witness the methodical steamrolling of, first, former U.N. Inspector David Kay, then former ambassador Joseph Wilson, then former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill, then John Kerry, and now former terrorism czar Richard Clarke. The Republican National Committee has even sent letters to U.S. broadcasters ominously warning them not to air anti-Bush commercials from, what the Bushies term, the "soon-to-be-illegal" soft-money voter funds like MoveOn.Org. How does the GOP know these organizations are soon to be illegal? Do the Bushies have fellow cultists in the courts?

Please forgive all of these rhetorical questions, but is Bhagwan Bush going beyond mere political ideology and morphing into The Charismatic Leader right before our eyes? The short list of similarities between the Bushies and a stereotypical cult's coercive mind-control tactics include: highly controlled communication; a double ethical standard (it was okay to invade Iraq on false pretenses); punishment of detractors and critics through threatened loss of status and position (insiders), loss of privileges (journalists), and humiliation (presidential candidates and any other detractors). Most of all, Bush and his minions are constantly trying to intimidate voters with psychological threats-"if Washington's enemies believed Bush might waver or his opponents prevail, that could increase support for their activities" (Rumsfeld, 9/3/03); "if America shows weakness and uncertainty, the world will drift toward tragedy. That will not happen on my watch" (Bush, 2/23/04). Condoleezza Rice cannot even answer direct questions on "Meet the Press," instead of repeating, over-and-over, the Administration's talking points.

Dr. Margaret Singer, psychologist and author of the book, Cults in Our Midst, reveals the way to combat the growing Bush cult. She says, "deprogramming-that is, providing members with information about the cult and showing them how their own decision-making power had been taken away from them." I do not believe many Bushies realize how controlled they really are and how far away they have drifted from true conservative ideology (a balanced government budget, fiscal constraint, smaller, not larger, government) following George W. Bush.

If the Republicans under Bush exhibited only one or two characteristics of a dangerous cult, I would not be worried, but they are all there-a highly-centralized command and communication, the use of mind control tactics, the single charismatic leader, the double ethical standards-not to mention the Bushies incredible emphasis on fundraising and building their war chest.

Think about it.