Global Courant
I have bad news for people who have invested in bright red “Make America Great Again” hats and devoted years of their lives to what former President Donald Trump routinely calls “the greatest political movement in our nation’s history.”
The MAGA movement seems smaller and more impotent by the day. It is loud but ineffective, capable of creating chaos but unable to succeed.
The recent debt ceiling agreement reached between President Joe Biden and Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy perfectly illustrates MAGA’s all-holler/no-action status.
MAGA’s debt ceiling red line was easily crossed by Kevin McCarthy
This was the moment that far-right Republicans in Congress couldn’t pass up, an opportunity to use the threat of economic disaster that would come with bankruptcy to undo all the things Big Bad Biden has accomplished as president, to cut spending to the bone and poke holes in the safety net.
“I say to the Republicans there — congressmen, senators — if they don’t give you massive cuts, you’re going to have to default,” Trump said. said during a CNN town hall.
Former President Donald Trump speaks in Grimes, Iowa on June 1, 2023.
Republican Representative Kevin Hern of Oklahoma, Chairman of the Republican Study Committee said Axios he agreed with Trump. And Rep. Ralph Norman of North Carolina said: “Either they agree to cuts, which are modest, or they take responsibility for whatever happens.”
Threats to the Republican Party’s debt ceiling met with Dark Brandon
McCarthy yielded to MAGA’s demands and initially produced a bill with a debt ceiling that would have wiped out much of what Biden accomplished in his first two years. It was a wholly unreasonable proposal, designed to appease the extremes of McCarthy’s own party.
But the final deal the speaker reached with Biden was nowhere near what MAGA lawmakers wanted.
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The original bill sought a 10-year spending ceiling, with draconian cuts to non-defense spending. The final deal imposes minor spending restrictions for the next two years. They wanted strict (and unnecessary) job requirements for SNAP recipients and people on Medicaid. Medicaid was left untouchedand the dynamics of the change in job requirements for SNAP recipients, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, will actually increase government spending on food stamps.
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The original bill cut the $80 billion allocated to the IRS for a decade, part of Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. Only $10 billion a year for two years was cut in the final agreement.
Debt ceiling deal is ‘ridiculous’ and ‘a bunch of fake news’
Remarkable MAGA enthusiastic people were outraged by the agreement.
For the vote, Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado said the bill is “a bunch of fake news and fake talking points that won’t do anything to get federal spending out of control.” Arizona Representative Andy Biggs called it a “ridiculous, short-lived deal” that is “one of the greatest horrors” he has seen.
Texas Rep. Chip Roy, a member of the MAGA-aligned Freedom Caucus, said: “The Republican conference is torn apart at this point. Not a single Republican should vote for this deal — not one.”
In the House, 149 Republicans voted for the deal68% of the chamber’s GOP members.
Whomp whomp.
What happened? Republicans who don’t fully support Trump and his MAGA movement did their job and voted for a bill that gave them something of what they wanted and saved the global economy from collapse.
The MAGA outcry over the debt ceiling deal was vociferous as usual
Trump loyalist Steve Bannon said on his podcast that Hakeem Jeffries, minority leader in the Democratic House, emerged as “the man” from the debt ceiling deal. Bannon called Jeffries the true majority leader and used a rather derogatory word for McCarthy.
Steve Bannon at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2023, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center on March 3, 2023.
But again, MAGA is all talk. They won’t be able to kick McCarthy out as speaker. Just as they couldn’t stop Biden from winning the debt ceiling fight for the most part. Just as they couldn’t help Republicans achieve a “red wave” in the midterm elections, or help Trump win the 2020 presidential election.
Even Republicans in Texas ignored a threat from Trump
Speaking of the former president, when Texas Republicans decided to impeach the state’s Attorney General, hard-core Trump supporter Ken Paxton, Trump rushed to Paxton’s defense and threatened all state Republicans daring to contradict him: “Hopefully the Republicans in the Texas House will agree that this is a very unfair process that should not take place or continue – I will fight you if it does.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at a news conference at the Price Daniel State Office Building on Friday, May 26, 2023.
Not long after that threat, the The Republican-controlled Texas House voted overwhelmingly – 121 to 23 – to depose Paxton. Apparently they weren’t intimidated, and they shouldn’t have been.
Let’s stop treating Trump and MAGA like an all-powerful force
MAGA as a movement has more than proven to be a paper tiger. A loud one, sure. One that can stir up all kinds of dust and threats and wild accusations. But still a paper tiger.
It’s time Republicans and the rest of us stop being intimidated by Trump and his perversely loyal fan base, with their red hats and loud chants and cultish attraction to a man who, as they will one day tragically learn , don’t care. about them.
The power of MAGA is a mirage. That’s why McCarthy hedged his bets and made a deal with Biden. He knew he could knock Trump’s mushrooms back.
And that’s exactly what he did.
Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on Twitter @RexHuppke and Facebook facebook.com/RexIsAJerk
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Would today’s GOP try to ban Mr. Rogers for being awake? Probably.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden wins Trump’s MAGA move with debt ceiling deal
