Please, I do not want this to turn into a political discussion, but I need to use a political example as a frame of reference. The reason for this becomes clear when you look at the way the church labeled the slide inserted below.
Political right leaders who were vehemently opposed to Donald Trump suddenly became his lap dogs once he was in the White House. Why? Because they need the Trump base to keep them in power, even if they disagree with many of the things those people are saying and doing.
LDS leaders are in the same boat in some substantial ways. There is a large crossover between active church members and staunch Republican, even Alt-Right supporters (anybody who's on the bulk email list of an uncle or cousin living in rural Utah probably knows what I'm talking about).
Let's just imagine that RMN believes in the integrity of our electoral system, and does not believe a Democratic presidency would destroy the suburbs and prevent us from talking about Jesus at Christmas. Let's imagine that he is concerned about the rift in American society and the spreading of misinformation. Does he have the guts to step up and offer some guidance and clarification for his followers even if it means bursting some conspiracy bubbles?
I believe the church fears what they call the "Far Right" far more than they do the "Far Left." (these are the terms they used to identify the extremes of LDS members and movements in the slide that was leaked from one of their news briefing sessions):
If you look at the green bubbles on the right you can see that they could all very easily be collected into one huge bubble that far outweighs anything on the left. If the greenies were to start doubting the prophetic power of RMN they could easily tear the church in half, or destroy it entirely. They would be a religious/political movement that basically already have a set of doctrines and marching orders in place and ready to go. All they need is a sufficiently charismatic leader to strike the match.
The people on the left, however, represent a steady stream of people who drain away into many different paths. They are a herd of cats who have lost interest in following anyone based on intangible claims of authority. The threat they offer is a flashlight that will illuminate a laundry list of problems with the church, but only for those who are willing to look at it.
All of the stuff in the middle is inconsequential. Actually, on second thought, the middle represents the actual strengths of the church, because the things in the blue bubbles represent the ways the church keeps a grip on people through shame and fear of "losing the spirit," losing your eternal family, surrendering to the powers of Satan, defying the Holy Ghost, betraying your community, etc. etc. etc.
