Trump's Cult 45 vs Obama's Cult of Personality

Trump supporters have gone from "deplorables" to cult followers.  At least that's what cult/mind control expert Steven Hassan seems to think. He even wrote a book about his theory- "The Cult of Trump."  So do journalists like CNN's Brian Stelter who cited several others who believe that we Trump supporters have joined the Cult of 45. Just google and you'll find a slew of commentary (from both left and the never-Trump right) surmising that the enthusiastic support for a man who has been vilified from before he took office amounts to brainwashed, cult-like behavior.

People have conveniently forgotten- or were never aware of the fact, to begin with- that the man who truly developed a cult of personality was Trump's predecessor Barack Obama. Some saw through the thin veneer of a charismatic politician with no substance, but not many.

In 2008, journalist Lisa Lerer wrote about "Obamamania verging on obsession" in a Politico article.

"He walks into a room and you want to follow him somewhere, anywhere," George Clooney told talk show host Charlie Rose.

"I'll do whatever he says to do," actress Halle Berry said to the Philadelphia Daily News. "I'll collect paper cups off the ground to make his pathway clear."

Welcome to the cult of Barack Obama.

Over the years, there were many who actually likened him to Jesus Christ. At the Soul Train Awards in 2012, actor Jamie Foxx introduced Barack Obama as "our Lord, and Savior..." The Rev Al Sharpton on the Tom Joyner Radio Show in 2014 compared him to Jesus Christ.

Even a Danish editorial from Politiken in 2009 opined: "Obama greater than Jesus- The U.S. President- the practical savior of our time". You can't read the whole article unless you dish over 1 Kroner, which I did not.

There's also a blog from back in the Obama days called ObamaMessiah with links to many articles worshipping the man.

Barbara A. Thompson wrote a book titled "The Gospel According to the Apostle Barack". For sale on Amazon, it has an 88% 1 Star rating. 6% 5 Star. The book apparently compares Obama to Jesus. Thompson happens to be a university professor in the Agriculture Department at Florida A & M.

New York contemporary artist Michael D'Antuono depicted Obama as a crucified Christ in this portrait he painted in 2009 titled "The Truth" although he has stated he was not comparing the two.

Obama was idolized far more than Trump by celebrities, media, and ordinary folk. Remember when MSNBC's Chris "tingles" Matthews felt "this thrill" running up his leg when Obama spoke in 2017? And then he shared this:

“I’ve been following politics since I was about 5,” said Mr. Matthews. “I’ve never seen anything like this. This is bigger than Kennedy. [Obama] comes along, and he seems to have the answers. This is the New Testament. This is surprising.”

The New Testament?

Obama with halo effect

In early 2008, will.i.am was inspired to write a song- "Yes We Can"- using the words of Barack Obama's "concession" speech. I'm not sure who he was conceding to, or if will.i.am just misspoke, but you can cringe watch it on YouTube.

It also features John Legend and other celebrities including Nicole Scherzinger, Scarlett Johansson, and several others that I don't recognize.

And get a load of this flag with Obama's face flapping in the wind at the Lake County Florida Democratic Headquarters for several months in 2012 until some local veterans complained and it was eventually removed.

Then there were all those creepy indoctrinated kids singing Obama's praises.






And his Youth Brigade.



And anti-Trumpers talk about his narcissism, but remember when Obama was selling his special limited edition U.S. flag with his logo in place of the stars and stripes for $35.00?

Speaking of narcissism, dating back to Franklin D Roosevelt every former president has built a presidential Library to house donated collections of historical papers and memorabilia (both public and private) from their time in office. Although the libraries themselves are funded by the individual the facility is run by the federal government's National Archives. But Obama isn't building a library, no, he's building a Center because a library would probably be too pedestrian for the likes of a narcissist. According to the Washington Examiner Obama's future facility allegedly will not be like all the others:

There will be no books, no presidential papers or documents, nor printed matter of any kind related to the Obama presidency, except for, presumably, what’s on sale at the gift shop.

There will be no cables, no memoranda or manuscripts, no official records of the presidency it’s designed to celebrate. The Barack Obama Presidential Center will not be a historical archive, scholarly resource, or even museum, so much as a vast, 33-acre monument to Obama, spread over multiple structures and a manicured landscape.

Not sure if that's quite accurate, but if you want to see what Obama is focusing on, check out the list of artifacts they're asking the public to donate to the museum. It includes materials starting with his formative years.

Our goal for the Museum collection is to preserve and activate a rich and multifaceted record of President and Mrs. Obama’s lives and legacy in order to share the lessons of history and to help inspire, connect, and empower people to change their world.

We need your help to ensure a diverse range of stories and perspectives are represented through the artifacts we collect.

Your material does not need to be one-of-a-kind or of high monetary value for it to have historical significance. We are interested in materials that tell the stories of the communities and individuals that helped to shape or were impacted by the Obamas’ unique journey and time in the White House.

So this isn't just a monument to commemorate his time as president, this is a vanity project to pay homage to his whole darn life. If that isn't the definition of narcissism, I don't know what is.

However, not everyone was thrilled about having his private center built on public land in Chicago South Side's Jackson Park. In fact, there was a lawsuit filed claiming a bait and switch, and likening it to an "illegal land grab."

A federal lawsuit filed by a Chicago nonprofit in an attempt to block the Obama Presidential Center from being built in Jackson Park accuses organizers of pulling an "institutional bait and switch" by shifting the center's purpose away from being a true presidential library.

Protect Our Parks Inc. also claims in its lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court on Monday, that the Chicago Park District and the City of Chicago don't have the authority to transfer public parkland to nongovernmental entity such as the Obama Foundation.
[snip]
The plaintiffs accuse the Obamas of committing an about-face on original plans for the Jackson Park site to be home to a national presidential library that would hold historic documents and archives from Barack Obama's presidency under the National Archives and Records Administration's supervision.

But the Obamas prevailed.

There is a major difference between Trump supporters and Obama sycophants. Yeah, there are those who revere Trump like the vast majority of Democrats revered Obama without conditions, but the rest of us support him in spite of his faults. We support him warts and all because this country is thriving like it hasn't done for years, and because we are fully aware of how the devious Democratic Party in tandem with the complicit media has been trying from day one to get rid of him. We have witnessed how Hollywood elites along with the #resist movement Twitterati have vilified and called for his resignation and impeachment from before he took office. We are cognizant of the fact that the majority of Social Media Platforms and tech companies have targeted his base simply because we support him.