President Joe Biden, his administration, and his allies are making clear that “MAGA Republicans” are persona non grata in America. According to this administration, MAGA Republicans are intent on “destroying democracy” and represent “an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic.”
This raises several questions. Those include: Who are these “MAGA Republicans,” is there something more dangerous at play, and are too many willfully ignoring the obvious?
Most Democrats and their allies in the media have been defending the Biden administration since they began rolling out the “ultra MAGA” and “MAGA Republicans” rhetoric. They say Biden has made it clear that he is not talking about all Republicans and that he is delineating MAGA Republicans from “mainstream republicans” (whatever that means).
They seem to think that qualifying their attacks with “MAGA Republicans” justifies divisive and inflammatory rhetoric. However, if we pay close attention to the entirety of the speeches, segments, and policies, a different picture begins to emerge that is far more frightening.
Notice how they declare “MAGA Republicans” but then quickly shift the rhetoric to “Donald Trump and his supporters” (or what the president has now branded “Trumpies”)? According to the Pew Research Center, 43 percent of independents and nonaffiliated voters supported the former president, as did 4 percent of Democrats. Are we going to declare them “MAGA Independents” and “MAGA Democrats?” By transitioning from “MAGA Republicans” to “Trump and his supporters,” the scope of those who may be classified under the ill-defined “threat to democracy” is widely broadened.
It is important to understand that those in government are wordsmiths, especially those writing presidential speeches. Every word and sentence is carefully crafted and designed to convey a message and provoke a reaction. It is not by accident they interchangeably use “MAGA Republicans” with “Trump and his supporters.” It is a rhetorical tactic that they believe provides them cover.
However, it doesn’t end there. If you listen carefully, the pool is expanded even more as policies get invoked. In the s now infamous authoritarian-style speech that Biden delivered earlier this month, he stated that “MAGA forces” want an “America where there is no right to choose.” It’s obvious the president was talking about abortion.
Pro-life language has been adopted into the Republican Party platform since 1976, so is Biden saying that “MAGA Republicans” have been living amongst us since then? Essentially, they are declaring the entirety of the Republican Party, and anyone else who expresses pro-life sentiments, as “threats to democracy.”
This rhetoric is not limited to speeches like Biden’s recent address, however. Democrats routinely accuse any Republican that doesn’t support their agenda as a “MAGA Republican” or “MAGA GOP.” Whether it is opposition to the Inflation Reduction Act, gun control, a radical climate agenda, or calls to reform social security and Medicare, if you oppose the Democrat-led agenda, you will be declared a fascist and a “MAGA Republican.”
The lack of self-awareness is truly stunning when they declare those calling for limited government as fascists. Fascism is when the nation-state is an all-powerful entity ruled by an autocrat. The autocrat implements strict regimentation over the economy and all aspects of social life. All threats to the nation-state and the government apparatus must be crushed and eliminated.
Consider that the same people accusing their political opponents of being fascists are the same ones who want to socially engineer our economy to implement an ineffective and poorly thought-out green energy agenda. These were the same people that pushed unconstitutional mandates during the pandemic determining when people can leave their homes and where they can go as they declared what businesses were essential versus which ones were not.
Many of those who like to throw around the fascist label pushed an employment vaccine mandate which subsequently destroyed the livelihoods of anyone who refused to comply and partly contributed to police officer shortages in major metropolitan areas. At the behest of teacher unions, they also kept schools closed, and when they reopened, they forced children to wear ineffective cloth masks for several hours a day.
While Democrats constantly invoke former President Trump, demonizing political opponents is nothing new for them. Today, the Democrats celebrate the likes of George W. Bush, Mitt Romney, and the late John McCain. However, it wasn’t long ago that they were labeling these men as Nazis, racists, and fascists. For instance, when Romney was running for president in 2012, Biden — as a vice presidential candidate — told an audience of mostly black people that Romney wanted to reestablish slavery and put them “back in chains.”
What is new is how the Biden administration is further expanding components of the National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism and using powerful federal agencies to target political opposition. The Democrats’ intent is clear: anyone who rejects their agenda is an enemy.
If you dissent from the narrative or oppose the radical agenda, you will be branded a “MAGA Republican.” And Democrats consider “Maga Republicans” to be fascists. Don’t be fooled by their doublespeak.