The Isolated Idiot
This is from the introduction (by Brendan Purcell) to Eric Voegelin's Hitler and the Germans. Purcell says that Voegelin uses the term "rabble" to refer to those who refuse to develop their humanity, those who shirk "the quest for the truth of the right order of existence and for living justly in accordance with that truth".
He quotes Voegelin …
Through the life of the spirit, which is common to all, the existence of man becomes existence in community. In the openness of the common spirit there develops the public life of society. He, however, who closes himself against what is common, or who revolts against it, removes himself from the public life of human community. He becomes thereby a private man, or in the language of Heraclitus, an idiotes.”
[Helpful gloss: idiotes means idiot.]
Purcell continues …
Once the type of person Heraclitus classed as an idiotes had reached a critical mass both among the voting public and in the controlling élites, a Hitler figure could be seen as representative of their shared radical stupidity; nor would his coming into and remaining in power have been possible were he not perceived as in harmony with their own closure to the transcendent.
In that sense, Trump more truly "represents" his followers than less toxic politicians. He’s as radically stupid as they are; as closed to the transcendent (and to reality) as they are. He fulfills the prophecy of HL Menken that I quoted a while back …
As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.
[Helpful gloss: In case you’ve missed the connection: as Hitler represented the shared radical stupidity of the Germans, so Trump represents the shared radical stupidity of a large contingent of Americans. Representative democracy in action!]
One of the many ironies here is that a “shared radical stupidity” is one of the fruits of “closure to the transcendent” (as Voegelin points out) - and yet, this is the way many of the most ostentatious Evangelical Protestants and Evangelical Catholics live: in rebellion against reality, shirking “the quest for the truth of the right order of existence and for living justly in accordance with that truth” - which is not only what religion is supposed to be about (and these people are supposed to be religious), it’s what life is about, if you ponder it. Such rebellion against reality is the hallmark not of true politics, but of isolated delusional “private men”, who are (both etymologically and in common parlance) idiots.
The idiotes are isolated, fragmented, cut off from God, from community, from reality, from common sense and from true politics, giving us this sadistic clown show instead. And they keep trying to tell us how holy they are!