[Yardstick]

Re: the passage you highlighted -- David Horowitz makes an interesting observation in his book Radical Son, that the Left treats its defectors very differently than the right (as an ex-radical lefty who was part of their establishment, he ought to know). Leftists who switch sides are totally ostracized by their former comrades, friendships are dissolved, the person is disowned and expelled from the community, and often, as we see here, his mental health is called into question. It's like leaving a gang or a cult.

[dsc]

"It's like leaving a gang or a cult."

And the difference between leftism and a cult is...