The bottom line is a phrase from FDR: The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Today, the magic words and phrases used by the Republican Party to instill fear are woke, BLM, trans, libraries, Jews, blacks, replacement theory, critical race theory, and others. Instead of addressing actual issues, the GOP wages a culture war of fear mongering, and this has had a great effect on many of their supporters who were once decent and reasonable people.
Watch this video all the way to the end, as it details how autocracy works, and how to defeat it. Whether it is the Salem Witch Trials, the rise of Fascism and Communism, today's Russia, or today's MAGA movement, the goals and desired ends for those looking to control a population are the same. It's never about issues. It's about control, and nothing more. Directly dealing with and confronting manufactured fear will always defeat any autocratic attempt to destroy Democracy. This especially applies to the MAGA movement. Once we all understand where it comes from, and react accordingly, it becomes nothing more than a paper tiger.