Anything that Trump does that screws up his standing with MAGA is good news to me. Too bad it’s not the same for him. Gee, I wonder why? Are they finally opening their eyes to see what he really is? It seems so. From AlterNet:
Conservative radio personality Michael Savage said Tuesday that President Donald Trump’s supporters may “sit out the next election” because they feel the president has “alienated them.” Savage argued Trump alienated his core supporters by “escalating instead of defusing” the Russia‑Ukraine conflict; backing a “bloated pork barrel” spending package in Congress while targeting tech billionaire Elon Musk. Like economists and other commentators, Savage denounced Trump’s dismissal of the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “who refused to back down.”
What do you think? Some of these are issues we’ve already been screaming about. The one about Elon is new. I’ve had hardly any news about him worth mentioning, and he used to be a favored subject. Trump has been giving us far too much. He’s an easy subject. Too easy. But … it does look like MAGA really *is* recognizing what he’s like now.
He went on to say that the Trump voters whom he spoke with “will NOT vote for a Dem but may sit out the next election in protest.“ Savage’s criticisms reflect a growing schism in the MAGA coalition around Trump’s foreign policy, support for Israel, and his handling of the Department of Justice’s investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s death. These complaints are not isolated: figures across the MAGA spectrum — from Candace Owens to Tucker Carlson — have recently voiced disapproval, particularly over Trump’s continued backing of Israel in the Gaza conflict and the management of the Epstein documents and so‑called “client list.”
Interesting. This is a bit of a surprise. I figured these people were so pro-Trump they’d stay that way. Good to see I was wrong. The question is, will they stay this way, or will they go back to the days of all Trump all the time? Right now, it’s great to see (some of) the other half of the nation (finally) figuring out who he *really* is.
There is unrest in the Trump ranks. He’s certainly not the man he was when he came down that stupid gold elevator. There’s such a marked difference in him since the insurrection and then 4 years and winning the election again, as hard as we tried to make that not happen. But at least the margin was not very big at all. That’s some small comfort.
I’m concerned about what might happen in the next 3 ½ years. At this rate, he’ll have descended to a gibbering idiot, drooling on himself, and still saying it’s all about me. So, how long are the Republicans in Congress going to watch this before they decide not to be idiots anymore? That’s a captivating question. I expect we’ll have to wait and see, while the country descends into his insanity.
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“So, how long are the Republicans in Congress going to watch this before they decide not to be idiots anymore?”
A few in Congress are already breaking ranks to some extent.
In the Senate, Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) has publicly expressed anxiety about speaking out due to fear of retaliation, and says she is frustrated about Elon Musk’s shenanigans. Rand Paul (Kentucky) and Ron Johnson (Wisconsin) have questioned the budget bill because they don’t think there are enough cuts. Susan Collins (Maine) and Senator Josh Hawley (Missouri) have been called “Medicaid moderates” becauseo of their concerns that defunding Medicaid will cause many rural hospitals to close or not be able to provide adequate services.
In the House, Marjorie Taylor Greene and some others have criticized Trump’s “bellicose stance” on Iran, and because he’s recently gone from not sending weapons to Ukraine to sending them, sort of.And she really doesn’t like the DOJ’s pivot on the Epstein investigation. Cliff Bentz (Oregon) questions Trump’s constitutional authority to reduce the federal workforce. Perhaps most important of all, Thomas Massie has co-signed a bill with California Democrat Ro Khanna to force a vote on a bill to release the Epstein files. Because Mike Johnson doesn’t want to do this, ia discharge petition is necessary, which if signed by a majority of House members, will force a floor vote whether Mikey likes it or not. As of late July, ten House Republicans had signed onto Massie’s measure, which will force a full House vote if all Democrats support it (I can’t imagine why a Democrat would not support it). But this vote will have to wait until after Labor Day.
As for the rest of them, I would say that they will wake up and smell the coffee only when they see supporting Trump as a greater disadvantage than advantage. It’s as simple as that. From the above, especially the vote to release the Epstein files, I do see a possibility of a collapse of the MAGA movement in Cngress. So stay tuned, and pass the popcorn.