Neither party right now is a centrist party. They both realized that the median voter was disengaged, so they began to appeal to extremes as a way to motivate constituents to donate and vote.

The Democrats had their cult of personality in the Obama years.

Not even close. No one was talking about Obama splitting the party and seeking revenge against ideological bedfellows after serving only one term.

no one but the press is talking about it now either

Actually prominent republicans who have left the party over Trump are talking about it https://mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKBN2AB07P

Pretty sure this not what author meant

From Merriam-Webster: "a situation in which a public figure (such as a political leader) is deliberately presented to the people of a country as a great person who should be admired and loved". Wikipedia mentions the use of mass media, propaganda, spectacle, etc. "to create an idealized, heroic, and worshipful image of a leader, often through unquestioning flattery and praise". I see nothing there about splitting the party and revenge. Remember these?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJFC1qFCgyA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTm5rp8r6fE&feature=emb_logo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOtGr1JFCnE&feature=emb_imp_...

None of those videos are par for the course concerning how the Left views Obama.

At least he was a better role model.

Except in drone strikes of American citizens.

The whole thing with closing Guantanamo? Spying on american citizens truth the NSA, or massively increasing drone attacks?

Or do you mean the sympathetic and nice personality he showed in public?

Any response that begins with at least... should remain in kindergarden.

No one is a role model.

While I agree he's far from perfect (at the very least he sanctioned a couple extrajudicial executions and a coup in my home country) he seems to be a loving husband and father, can complete sentences and expose coherent reasoning. He clearly shows signs of a very superior intelligence, never declared bankruptcy (and never bankrupted a casino!) or defrauded investors, nor cheated on every single wife he had (he's still on his first one and she is a keeper).

All of those things apply to most of the population.

Maybe a firefighters or a teacher or a policeman should be looked at as a hero before a politician.

Maybe. OTOH, a politician can be a huge influence for good. Kennedy's "We chose the Moon" speech influenced generations of engineers and scientists all over the world. JFK was not a good role model and, yet, he managed to bring out the best in a whole lot of people.

Humans are flawed - we can't escape that. Every human has a dark side but, it seems, some humans have a very large one.

S0, what does it say about Republicans when they voted for someone who is worse than most of the population

That someone is worse than most Republicans too.