Thanks for the thoughtful response.

Yes, that story is satire, not science, even though it seems more plausible than it should be.

I believe the combination of dark money, gerrymandering, repeal of the fairness doctrine, social network algorithms, and, and, and... have resulted in the rise of authoritarians quick to seize an opportunity to grab power with the support of the weak-minded.

Until the rise of a recent president, I never would have believed how many of them reside in the USA.