Adventures in being Proselytized: LaRouchePAC
Executive Summary: The protester who got mocked by Barney Frank was not a conservative Glenn Beck type. She was part of a smaller but in some ways weirder group called LaRouchePAC.
I love being Proselytized. Mormons, Jehovah’s witnesses, I invite them in. They are annoying to most people, but to me they are fascinating. They try to convince me that crazy things are true. I smile and nod. Inside, I am studying their ways.
Today, LaRouchePAC, one of my favorite groups, made national news when a young follower accosted Barney Frank saying that Obama’s health care policy was, you know, Nazi-ish.
Don’t worry. I have been studying these people.
Overview
LaRouchePAC is a group centered on one man, Lyndon LaRouche. It is unclear what LaRouche does exactly, other than give a lot of speeches. We are led to believe that he is a “mover and shaker,” but honestly I think that is untrue. Usually, his opinions are focused on who is or is not a Nazi.
His opinions come out through the group’s website, through webcasts, or through his army of young followers. What the young Dartmouther (the town not the college) said was taken almost verbatim from LaRouchePAC. So was her poster, which depicted Obama with a 1940’s-era German dictator style of facial hair.
How did LaRouche’s ideas make his way to that town hall? Well, his followers are the most interesting part. They are young, usually college aged. They are articulate, and they will present LaRouche’s ideas in what seems to be an intellectually viable light. If you question them, they will become extremely angry. They will not defend their ideas with logic. Instead, they will call you ignorant. They will tell you that their ideas are the only thing in between America and certain doom. They will tell you the only way to learn their ideas is to buy a DVD. The DVD is $25.
Profit Motive
The conversation you are likely to have with a member of LaRouchePAC on the street is aimed at getting you to either sign up or buy something. They will tell you that the knowledge they have has the potential to prevent a Major Disaster. Personally, I take great issue with the strategy, which seems to be immoral whether or not they are telling the truth.
Think about it: If you have information that would save the entire country, then people need to see that. Give it out for free and let the word spread. Don’t profit off this essential knowledge. It is like keeping the cure to AIDs locked up in a safe.
If your ideas are actually crap that is made up and that doesn’t matter at all, then why am I paying $25 for it? Why are you selling me lies?
Is it a Cult?
The most interesting thing about the LaRouchePAC is that despite this immorality and despite the crazy nature of LaRouche’s ideas, he manages to get loads of young people to support him and peddle his weird Nazi-accusations. There are plenty of old men that talk crap, but very few who can mobilize so many people. How does he do it?
First of all, LaRouchePAC gives alienated kids a feeling of belonging. They have regular meetings and are in constant contact about “current events,” volunteer activities, and gatherings. They meet regularly. My suspicion is that LaRouchePAC becomes the main social outlet for many of these people.
At the same time, the outlandish nature of LaRouche’s claims create an us vs. them mentality among his followers. He sets them out to go into the street and talk crap. When they face arguments, they turn to other members for support and validation. This makes the group insular and strengthens existing bonds.
In these ways, it sounds kind of cult-ish.
It seems even more cultish, however, if you actually watch what LaRouche releases into the world through his webcasts. I have watched these. They are fascinating.
The Webcast (Dear Leader LaRouche)
The average webcast is about 3 hours long, and does everythign possible to make LaRouche seem like a great prophet or hero. The first stage is a worshippy introduction of LaRouche by a middle aged woman who you can tell has contempt for anyone who doesn’t just love LaRouche. She talks a lot about what a genius he is, and how intellectuals and academics from around the world have been knocking down the door to get to LaRouche. Outside of this land of ignorance, we are led to believe, LaRouche is seen as the One Sane Man in America. (Note: This is bullshit).
Then, LaRouche himself comes on. He talks. And talks. And talks. He weaves together long historical analysis with high-sounding talk about what the human race is meant to achieve. He says we need to go to Mars.
He also calls politicians Nazis. He calls President Obama a child and a Nazi (I know….what?). He says Obama needs “adult supervision.” He all but encourages people to “lynch” their members of congress. He says that if we all don’t listen to him, the whole country will collapse. He gives dates for this collapse. October 4th-16th, 2009.
Finally, everyone applauds and cheers for him, and then LaRouche takes questions. It is made abundantly clear that only really serious questions will be allowed because LaRouche does not have time for bullshit. Another hour or so elapses as LaRouche fails to answer the questions being asked of him. He talks a lot about going to Mars. He calls more people Nazis. He speaks in a very dramatic fashion. Concluding. Very dramatically. Like this.
The result of this is clear when you speak to his supporters. LaRouche is very clever about mixing nonsense with seemingly-accurate historical information. He creates an utterly impenetrable hurricane of words and then throws out a soundbyte about how someone is a Nazi. If you hadn’t been following up until that point, you are now, and the one thing in your head is “Obama=Nazi.” The nature of his speech has made you feel like you are the idiot for not understanding the rest, not LaRouche for saying it in the first place.
LaRouche’s most recent claim is on one of his favorite themes: the evils of the British monarchy. He is now claiming that the British Monarchy might assassinate Barack Obama. If you are like me you are thinking: “.............sorry, what!?”
Conclusions
The girl in Dartmouth today needs to be understood in context. She did not come up with these ideas on her own, nor did she watch Glen Beck. She is likely not a conservative. In fact, she is outside the mainstream political spectrum all together. She is part of an insular group that provides her not only with political beliefs, but with companionship and a sense of belonging.
By all indications, current political “upheaval” and economic trouble are adding to LaRouchePACs popular and monetary support.
If anyone would like to hear more about LaRouchePAC, let me know. I am not trying to out them as “dangerous” or “evil” because frankly, I don’t care. I think that they are interesting to learn about, just like Mormons. Anyway, one of the members of LaRouchePAC calls me about twice a week (this is one of the ways I learn about them) trying to get me to go to meetings. If anyone has questions, I can pass them along to him.
Update: I have been getting a fair amount of feedback about this short article. Apparently LaRouchePAC touches a nerve. As I was digging a bit more into it, I stumbled upon this fascinating wiki entry about LaRouche’s criminal history. Apparently he got into “scuffles” with Kissinger, Oliver North, and a bunch of other sinisterpowerful people. This is some can of worms….