Thread by @PaulGoedec57687

In a Constitutional Republic built on Judeo-Christian moral and legal principles, politics should be servant-oriented, truth-seeking, and accountable to the transcendent laws of nature and nature's God. When ideology replaces religion, and when power is centralized in the name of "justice," it risks becoming a political religion—a cult in the making. 1/

Is it fair to call the modern progressive wing of the Democratic Party a political cult? They incessantly call MAGA a cult. Let's examine the elements of cult behavior, ideological rigidity, and intellectual roots. We’ll compare progressivism to classic definitions of cultic political movements and name names—respectfully, factually. 2/

A political cult is not just a movement with strong convictions or a strong leader. It is a group that:

Demands total ideological conformity

Suppresses dissent

Elevates leaders or dogmas above reason or law

Manipulates language, morality, and fear to consolidate power

Let’s examine the progressive Democrats in that light. 3/

Start with ideological absolutism. The progressive Democrat left—figures like the Clintons, the Obamas, Nancy Pelosi, Elizabeth Warren, Hakeem Jeffries, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Bernie Sanders—promote a worldview that is presented as morally and intellectually infallible.

Disagreement isn’t tolerated; it’s labeled as "ignorant," “hate,” “violence,” or “fascism.” 4/

This manifests in dogmas like:

“Climate crisis” urgency that brooks no dissent

“Anti-racism” that demands repentance and re-education from entire groups especially whites

Gender ideology that denies biology and compels speech

MAGA is a cult. Trump is a NAZI dictator

These are not policy debates. They are dogmas. 5/

Suppression of dissent follows naturally. Progressive politicians and activists and their allies in law enforcement, tech, media and academia have called and in fact have demanded for the deplatforming of dissenters on issues from COVID policy to transgender athletics to support of Trump. Under the last DOJ and FBI leaders, dissenters to their policies were "legally" labeled as domestic terrorists with all the loss of rights that label entails.

“Disinformation” becomes a label applied to inconvenient truths. Thus, progressives must say the same thing as a group in order to be accepted. See Trish Regan's video below for an example of how the Party scripts their speeches with total uniformity. 6/

youtube.com/watch?v=Ab1jMg…

Cancel culture, threats of job loss, compelled speech (e.g., pronoun use), corporate DEI policies, and ideological re-education all function as tools of control—reminiscent of what political theorists describe as “soft totalitarianism.” 7/

The philosophical roots of this movement are not new. Mark Levin's (@marklevinshow) new book "On Power" and Christopher Rufo's (@realchrisrufo) book, "America's Cultural Revolution" are excellent books on the topic.

Rousseau: The “general will” overrides individual rights.

Marx: History is a struggle of oppressed vs oppressors.

Gramsci: Seize cultural institutions to reshape society.

Marcuse: Tolerance must only apply to the left. See Levin's newest book, "On Power" below.
8/
amazon.com/Power-Mark-R-L…

These ideas matured into what is now called critical theory or DEI for short, a dominant framework in elite universities, law schools, media outlets, education, and public policy.

The result: A movement that claims to fight oppression, while silencing opposition in the name of liberation. See Rufo's series below for full analysis. 9/

youtube.com/watch?v=LWEtG7…

The cultic elements become clear when the individual must sacrifice their reason, conscience, and liberty to align with the group.

If you question climate narratives, you’re a “denier.”
If you question gender ideology, you’re “transphobic.”
If you affirm colorblindness, you’re “racist.”
If you appreciate or support Trump's public policies or question the lawfare cases against him, you're a fascist and part of the MAGA cult. 10/

Political leaders such as Barack Obama, Chuck Shumer, Hakeem Jeffries, Elizabeth Warren, and Biden have adopted this ideological framework and have worked overtly and covertly to implement its anti-Declaration/constitutional ideology. The Democratic party increasingly reflects a fusion of identity politics, environmental absolutism, and technocratic control. The recent revelations of the proofs of their machinations by @DNIGabbard is making them act out even more viciously. But they are running scared trying to hide their participation. 11/

youtube.com/live/MmM73SbjU…

None of this is to say that every Democrat is a cultist (although it is tough to find one who isn't), nor that traditional liberalism is dead. But the progressive wing has successfully shifted the Overton Window and demands ideological, lockstep loyalty through social, economic, and institutional pressures. 12/

Progressive ideology now resembles a political religion:

Heresy is punished (Ask Tulsi about that one!)

Converts are praised and brought on all the allied media shows

Sacred texts (like White Fragility, The New Jim Crow, or How to Be an Antiracist) define their creed

Apostates (e.g., Bari Weiss, Glenn Greenwald) are excommunicated and opponents are demonized, harassed, and physically attacked. 13/

As this ideology captured media, tech, and government, it no longer needed formal power grabs. It relies on institutional compliance and self-censorship, achieved through fear, shame, and the erosion of classical liberal/Constitutional Republicanism norms. 14/

Historically, this is not new. From the French Jacobins during President Washington's term to Mao’s Red Guards, movements built on utopian visions and ideological purity tend to centralize power, vilify dissent, and abandon objective truth.

Today’s progressive movement espouses those same tendencies. 15/

What’s needed now is clarity of and return to truth, not rage for the sake of revenge.

We must reaffirm and promote:

Laws of nature and nature's God as the controlling transcendent laws our nation is founded upon

Inalienable rights to life, liberty and property

Government is a servant not a master

Separation of powers vertically (Federalism) and horizontally (Legislative, Executive, Judicial)

Free speech and conscience

Due process/Rule of Law

Constitution limits power by telling the government what it can do

Truth over ideology

Law over revolution

Otherwise, we risk exchanging liberty for moral tyranny cloaked in “progress.” 16/

Final thought:

A healthy republic needs passionate ideas and debate. But when one side refuses debate, demands submission, vilifies those who don't, it ceases to be a political movement. It becomes a tyrannical cult.

And history has never been kind to cults. #sicsempertyrannus -End

-Publius
"A frequent recurrence to the principles of the Constitution is absolutely necessary to preserve liberty and to maintain a free government. The people have a right to require of their law-givers an exact and constant observance of them." --John Adams, 1780.