This is religious worship, not patriotism.
As many have pointed out, an even more accurate description is idolatry. Indeed in the interview I dis with him for The Man Who Sold America, @MichaelSteele likened it to the worship of Ba'al "the golden calf," whose cult dominated much of the world in the pre-Christian era.
Mike is a former seminarian, who for a time pursued the priesthood before becoming a political leader and ultimately the head of the RNC. So he isn't speaking simply out of political ire.
