bsky.app/profile/msor...
I can’t claim this is an intelligent argument for the survival of the MAGA cult, but I personally think it’s plausible and wrote a thread about it

Sociology has studied cults for a long time. Yes, most cults fizzle out after the death of the charismatic founder. But a cult can survive and thrive, like in the cases of the Mormon church or Scientology. MAGA is far larger, more mainstream, and more power hungry than either of those examples.

In fact the next leader will benefit from the memories of Trump and the cult’s affection for him. He will use Trumps old Tweets, he will choose quotes from press conferences and interviews and speeches, he will claim that Trump directed this-or-that policy during private conversations.

The next leader doesn’t need Trump’s charisma. He just needs to be effective in codifying and implementing the legal, governmental, and social/religious aims of the MAGA movement. They will develop martyr stories about Trump which will only amplify the loyalty of the base.

Between the wealthy, strategic, power hungry MAGA administration at the top, through the warped, manipulative information and religious ecosystem in the middle, to the willfully ignorant and desperate minions at the bottom, MAGA is already a self perpetuating machine.

An extremely essential element is that MAGA believers’ identities are based on their cult membership. It gives them purpose, community, enjoyment. They will never divest of the cult because that would destroy their sense of self. They are motivated to stay because they would feel lost without it.

MAGA has intertwined itself with Christianity. Millions of Christians believe in Trump as a pseudo-religious figure who is creating the conditions for America to be a Christian theocracy. They will stay committed to the goal of making America a theocracy no matter who the MAGA figurehead is.

MAGA has a massive information ecosystem, so big that its cult can live entirely inside of that ecosystem without being exposed to anything that contradicts it. TV networks, movies, social media platforms and influencers, podcasts. The people that drive this ecosystem are invested in protecting it.

MAGA has money. Lots of money. Money for bribes, money to sway elections, money to withstand anything and make any resistance disappear. A huge swath of MAGA loyalists are there simply because MAGA is so focused on protecting and growing their money. These people will do anything to protect capital.

First and foremost, MAGA has hundreds of members that control all branches of the federal government, the military, federal agencies, many state and local governments. These people were selected because of MAGA loyalty, and they are invested in maintaining MAGA because that maintains their power.

There needs to be a lot of elements in place for cults to survive, and MAGA has all of them. I promise you that they have a detailed plan to maintain power after Trump’s demise, and the conditions of MAGA’s survival already exist.

The fact that they deliberately choose words in service to cruelty is an indicator of why they will never have the moral high ground. It is schoolyard bully level immaturity and lack of emotional intelligence. One shouldn’t need to be mean to others to feel good about one’s life.

But those same bullies will refuse to speak that same language when it affirms a trans person’s gender or is a trans person’s correct pronouns. Clearly the bigots are fully capable of choosing their language.