The MAGA movement needs to grow up

[ajax18]

I'm not writing this for the die hard communists on this board, but perhaps this might go down a little smoother for some of you. I think this guy does have a point. Do any of you agree with this?

The Make America Great Again movement has surpassed every conceivable expectation since its inception nine short years ago. It devoured the Republican Party and swept into the presidency in 2016, which enabled it to transform the Supreme Court, pass the largest tax reform legislation in history, and enact the most successful foreign policy of any administration this century by fundamentally reimagining U.S. trade policy and reasserting military deterrence. It maintains a massive and enthusiastic base of support — it is, arguably, the nation’s most potent political faction. Poll after poll now shows voters prefer the MAGA platform to the Democratic alternative by overwhelming margins. Its leader and founder, former President Donald Trump, is favored to retake the White House in November.

And yet, the MAGA movement has not achieved anything like its true electoral potential — and it likely never will. That’s because it refuses to grow up. The movement, like its woke counterpart, is animated primarily by its addiction to grievance and attention-seeking behavior, not by an authentic desire to implement its political vision. MAGA isn’t concerned with winning elections — despite the surprising popularity of its policies, it hasn’t notched a signature electoral victory since 2016 — and even less with forging the coalitions necessary to govern. Instead, the movement seems content to simmer in paranoia and resentment.

So it wasn’t the least bit odd to see Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) show up at last Tuesday’s State of the Union address looking like a human clickbait article for a website that sells a dozen different brands of “patriot vitamins.” Her “outfit,” as it were, seemed especially designed to repel non-MAGA voters from joining the cause. From her cheap red MAGA baseball cap — and no, it isn’t “elitist” to pine for the days when elected leaders dressed like adults inside the Capitol — to her many loud buttons, to her T-shirt adorned with a slogan plucked directly from wokedom circa 2020, “Say Her Name,” in reference to Laken Riley, Greene put on a clinic of unsightliness. Her on-camera manner, which can be described as ballistic, veiny, and vaguely clammy, put an exclamation on her efforts to drive every last independent voter into President Joe Biden's rapidly withering arms.

And she’s not some MAGA maverick gone rogue. Instead, “MTG,” as she calls herself in a lame attempt to mimic her woke congressional counterpart, is following the Trump script to the letter. At a rally last week, for instance, Trump called the press in attendance “criminals” to the delight of his clapping seals. Of course, “corrupt hacks” would have done the job just fine — but no, that wouldn’t have been dark and weird enough. For the MAGA mob, the whiff of violence is the spice of life. It’s a wonder that one of the cracked-out uber-patriots in attendance didn’t attempt to apprehend a cameraman.

Comedian Bill Maher has wisely counseled Democrats to eschew the “Fox News fallacy,” which states that anything said on the conservative news channel is automatically wrong. In this vein, I’d encourage the GOP to avoid the “Joe Scarborough fallacy.” Even that pompous establishment twit has a point now and then.

Earlier in the rally, there was a bizarre recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in honor of the Jan. 6 “hostages.” It is indeed true that many of the rioters who smashed windows and climbed the walls of the Capitol, convinced that they were B-movie action stars, have been punished more harshly than if they were Democratic-friendly rioters. But “hostages”? Such hyperbole begs for violence. Those in prison for the Jan. 6 riot aren’t “hostages” — they’re fools.

Of course, none of this idiocy would be necessary if winning elections and implementing a political vision were the ultimate goal. MAGA only needs to be normal in order to prevail at the ballot box. The incumbent party is despised, and MAGA's policy agenda is widely embraced, as it should be: It is the height of normalcy to desire a secure border, to prefer excellence to equity in education, to be skeptical of globalism, to challenge a news media that is as corrupt as it is incompetent, and to be wary of unnecessary foreign conflicts — or to at least demand a coherent strategy for conflicts we can’t avoid. The case for MAGA policy is an easy one to make. But persistent MAGA immaturity and malevolence make it impossible.

I, for one, wouldn't trust the MAGA mob to run a gas station, let alone a government, because they appear so bent on lighting matches. And I won't until they show some signs of growing up.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... 8f26&ei=28

[Gadianton]

If the MAGA movement grows up, it will implode. It won't be exciting enough for the folks keeping the momentum going. The MAGA movement at its core is specifically about NOT growing up.

Nobody at the forefront of the MAGA movement knows anything about anything, other than attention getting. Tax reform was thought up by RINOs and Implemented by a member of the 1% who had every incentive to do as he was told. The MAGA base only came in to play to vote in the guy who signed off on it. The MAGA base and MAGA leaders know nothing about taxes. It's a go-nowhere movement.

It's an agreement that goes something like this: Wealthy whites and their politicians have an agenda -- think of them as a deep state. But they aren't cool, they can't get the votes. They endorse Trump, and in return Trump will do as they say. Trump goes and gets the votes by a series of publicity stunts that have nothing to do with serious matters of policy.

The problem that you have with MAGA is that it's all about Trump. If Trump loses the election and goes to prison, MAGA will die. If Trump wins, MAGA will simply empower a dictator. So if that MSN guy thinks that Trump is so good at policy, that he can lead the world in an echo chamber where the only qualification of anybody in any part of the government is loyalty to him, then MAGA simply needs to keep being unhinged and angry, and churning out votes to put Trump into power. It doesn't matter what they believe about policy, it matters that they are angry enough to vote.

Trump doesn't care about most of the policies he's signed off on. Once he's in power again, he won't need to compromise with more traditional conservatives, he can do anything he wants on a whim. You have no idea what will interest him next year or the year after. Even if the MAGA movement somehow does "grow up", it won't matter, because the MAGA movement is about personal loyalty to Donald Trump, and nothing else. He'll do what he wants, independent of what grown up MAGA wants.

[Moksha]

So you're saying that MAGA represents either a form of moral degeneracy or mental impairment? What about a desire to end all pretense of patriotism and experience a fascist dictatorship?

[Some Schmo]

MAGA is based on the rantings of an old man who never grew up, so it's not even possible. Infantilism is built into the "movement." Grown-ups don't talk like Trump or any of his loyal (idiotic) fans, because maturity prevents it.

Maturity is directly correlated with taking responsibility, which is anathema to MAGA.

[Doctor CamNC4Me]

Where’s Melanoma been hiding out, by the way?

- Doc

[Vēritās]

Can't wait for the orange moron to go to jail.

[Gadianton]

So you're saying that MAGA represents either a form of moral degeneracy or mental impairment? What about a desire to end all pretense of patriotism and experience a fascist dictatorship?

I think it's amoral. Immoral would be those who for decades have fought to put an end to women's rights. MAGA doesn't have a horse in that race; Donald Trump couldn't care less about abortion, he's probably paid for a few of his own. MAGA is this high-magnitude, aimless power that has been harnessed so far to do the bidding of conservatives with special interests. As a social phenomena, yes, it is mentally impaired.

A desire to to experience a dictatorship? I don't think so. Some; yes. Most not. Most are just ignorant of consequences.

Look at someone like Ron DeSantis. Sure, he's all for a dictatorship if he gets to be dictator. Others feel similar, they are good with a dictatorship if they are in the inner circle of Trump and part of the corruption gravy train. But there must be a lot of fear about where one might end up when the dictatorship takes hold. As for the commoners, take someone like Ajax. Ajax is the perfect MAGA representative. Does he want a dictator? Not per se. Yes, he'd be happy to give Trump absolute power because he just assumes Trump will see to his interests. Trump has become a fantasy leader to fill a wide variety of delusions. Getting a dictatorship is sort of a consequence of making these fantasies a reality, not a goal in itself. Most people don't want to live in a dictatorship.

[Some Schmo]

Most people don't want to live in a dictatorship.

I get the feeling most people have barely considered what it would be like. It's a remote idea they don't really believe is possible in America. They've bathed in democracy so long, they're spoiled.

MAGA likes to whine about the state of our government, but that whining is due to massive ignorance of how bad government could be, based on both history and the way other countries are currently run. These whiny little bitches have no idea how good they have it, really. If you focus on what's bad and ignore the good, of course you're going to be angry and resentful.

[Gunnar]

Most people don't want to live in a dictatorship.

I get the feeling most people have barely considered what it would be like. It's a remote idea they don't really believe is possible in America. They've bathed in democracy so long, they're spoiled.

MAGA likes to whine about the state of our government, but that whining is due to massive ignorance of how bad government could be, based on both history and the way other countries are currently run. These whiny little bitches have no idea how good they have it, really. If you focus on what's bad and ignore the good, of course you're going to be angry and resentful.

You and Gadianton both made excellent points, as usual!

[ajax18]

Most people don't want to live in a dictatorship.

I get the feeling most people have barely considered what it would be like. It's a remote idea they don't really believe is possible in America. They've bathed in democracy so long, they're spoiled.

MAGA likes to whine about the state of our government, but that whining is due to massive ignorance of how bad government could be, based on both history and the way other countries are currently run. These whiny little bitches have no idea how good they have it, really. If you focus on what's bad and ignore the good, of course you're going to be angry and resentful.

I noticed Trump was already President and we didn't have a dictatorship. Trump didn't even weaponize the DOJ against his political opponents. He didn't fire Fauci during the scamdemic. Most of his former cabinet and campaign staff have been bankrupted and are now incarcerated as political prisoners. Steve Bannon, Peter Navarro, etc. It's become more and more and clear to me that freedom will never be restored through money and ballot harvesting. Even if Trump wins, can he really purge the Deep State? Those who aren't willing to fight or cannot fight, are destined for captivity and should never expect any different.