I was reading a study of cults, those attracted to, and those (very few) escaped from.
The main thing I took from it is an explanation of how delusional adherents recover (or don't) from a habit of dramatic subordination to the will of a charismatic leader.
Basically, the escape or disillusion is not through receiving information (that they don't believe anyway), exposed hyprocrisy, personal humiliation (laughed at) or disappointment in the leader. It happens because the cultists find someone better (or living) to whom they can transfer allegiance and suicidal ideation (term stolen from counseling world). I am careful to clarify my terms as I really don't want anyone burning a cross on my (non-existent) front yard.
It explains the efforts that our vice president is making with MAGA, with him assuming that he can step into Trump's shoes and take on the mantle. Unfortunately (and not just my theory), he doesn't understand several things: the conflation Trump created between politics and religion, the outward apparent wealth that stands for power in the MAGA world's minds, and Maga's admiration for the casual dismissal of law without any obvious accountability (Whatta guy. That's just Trump for ya).
Vance, unfortunately for him, is a parody of Trump. That makes for a major question/problem: WHO is going to replace Trump? Or Who will MAGA anoint to carry on the hack and slash policies they love? What creature slumps toward Bethlehem? I cannot believe that in losing that they will go quietly into that dark night. They've had a taste of power and a justification of their biases as well as a boost to their sense of injured entitlement.
However, in my small experience, groups based on shared grievance seldom share the same grievances and they tend to fall apart on priorities (my grievance is more important than yours). So, I am not going to surrender to complete depression about the world. Beside watching Vance keep twisting himself like a pretzel, I am going to swaddle myself in hope that MAGA will find Trump irreplaceable.
