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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.

a far better candidate in the current primary

Who?

Nikki Haley is not a serious candidate. DeSantis was nowhere near as strong as Trump either.

DeSantis was far superior - not so old, not indicted, hasn't lost to Biden once already, not involved in a bunch scandals, can serve two terms, not obese, better on handling Covid, not related to Kushner, on the right of Trump on various issues, etc.

Those are all kind of nice I guess, but the negatives of "being part of the GOP establishment" are just too big. It wouldn't matter if you pulled out a Dragonball Z power-level scouter and got an objective reading that Desantis had a political powerlevel ten times higher than Trump's - he's not on the same team nor does he actually care about the needs and wants of the base.

It's not 2016 anymore. Trump is integrated with the GOP establishment now. RNC chair Ronna McDaniel was his toadie. He endorsed both previous speaker McCarthy and current speaker Johnson.