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Culture War Roundup for the week of February 26, 2024

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Ironically, MAGAs aren't getting much of anything out of it, Trump didn't have to do anything for them because he has their vote anyway. For example, left a bunch of his most ardent supporters who participated in J6 to democrat mercy while pardoning scammers and rappers. He pushed for gun control, First Step criminal release and Platinum plan reparations, because what are anyone unhappy with that on the right going to do, vote for Biden?

Compare Trump to any non-Trump or pre-Trump politician: illegal immigration as top priority, new trade deals and reshoring manufacturing, no new entanglements or foreign wars. These were the big three planks of Trump's 2016 run. Alternatives to Trump included: Jeb Bush saying illegal immigrants came to the US as an act of love; Marco Rubio having tried comprehensive immigration reform; Ted Cruz supporting an expansion for H1-B visas; etc. etc.

MAGA has been quite satisfied with Trump, which is why they keep voting for him.

For your criticisms, I'm not sure MAGA cares. You seem to be describing the criticisms of some other group. "Platinum Plan" was seen by most people as empty marketing, and nobody anywhere cared about it. (It is definitely not akin to reparations.) "Gun control" is also not very compelling when I presume you're really just referring to bump stocks.

no new entanglements

He started arming Ukraine and bombed Syria.

new trade deals and reshoring manufacturing

He made a lot of noise and got US hit by retaliatory tariffs, haven't achieved much benefit AFAIK.

(It is definitely not akin to reparations.)

That was supposed to be funds earmarked for blacks only, call that whatever you like.

"Gun control" is also not very compelling when I presume you're really just referring to bump stocks.

It wasn't just bump stocks, he pushed for red flag laws ("take the guns first, go through due process later").

He started arming Ukraine

America was already entangled in Ukraine.

and bombed Syria

America was already entangled in Syria.

I could go on. I made my point, and you're not really disputing it. MAGA is quite happy with Trump, and that's why they vote for him. You, for your reasons, are not. That's fine man

They shouldn't be "happy with him" though. He beat a far better candidate in the current primary based on voter ignorance, glib charm and lies, likely will lose in the general and sell you down the river again if he wins. He doesn't believe in anything except his narcissism.

Trump is currently poised to beat Biden in the general. MAGA likes Trump and Trump likes MAGA. J6 or whatever aside, no politician in America today has withstood as much pressure as Trump, and if Trump wanted to sell out his base, he could have. We could argue all day about this, but your complaints to me don't add anything that hasn't been debated a million times before.

Twenty years ago before MAGA even existed, its precursors like the Tea Party had almost no institutional support. Ten years ago, the conservative faction was represented by people like Paul Ryan and Eric Cantor, and Trump's nomination was hotly, hotly contested. Today, MAGA is the dominant faction in Republican politics, even marshaling the commitment to unseat a Speaker of the House, and establishment Republicans have largely made peace with Trump as the leader. Like it or hate it, MAGA is proving effective at taking over the Republican Party. In light of that, it's hard to argue that MAGA is especially irrational. They are clearly one of the most effective factions currently operating in American politics.

"MAGA" from the 2016 campaign trail or "MAGA" from the 'legal immigration is actually good for the economy' that Trump started parroting in office after one too many a meeting with the fine folks from the Heritage Foundation?

"MAGA" is an empty political slogan that one too many 'right wing' American pours all their hopes and dreams into. It's vague enough to fit all of them. Vote for change!

To give a factual example of why "MAGA" is a marketing thing and not a political thing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_2018_United_States_federal_government_shutdown

"MAGA", if it ever was a thing, caved in, got on all fours and kissed the ring of TPTB. No wall, no deportations, more immigration. That has been its state ever since.

What happened to illegal and legal immigration numbers when Trump was in office?

Illegal immigration enforcement had its worst years since the establishment of ICE in 2003.

Legal immigration fell during COVID but otherwise it only slightly decreased.