Even though I usually disagree with his vision of how software should be made, I feel sorry for him being target of this insane witch hunt.
However, does the FSF need RMS anymore? Or is it better off without him?
If you're passionate but spend your time being abusive to others then you're not a leader, you're a dictator. And that is what RMS is - we've seen time and time again he expects his opinion to be the law, and anyone with whom he disagrees is wrong and should themselves be expelled.
Which he didn't do.
Hell yeah. And RMS didn't do that.
I’m sure there are good ideas but all I can think of is cult leaders.
He produced amazing results. He's definitely not someone I would ever recommend attempting to emulate in general. These two facts can both be true at the same time. He was an extremely polarizing figure.
Importantly, though, from what I've heard (so take with appropriate seasoning), his worst excesses were more toward the earlier parts of his career, and as he got older, he became less abusive and unreasonable, while honing his visionary side. If he had lived to today, he might have changed how people think about him....
...or he might have shown himself to be just as bad as the worst people think, and been "canceled" himself.