With midterm elections only a few weeks away, Democrats are eager to demonize Republican candidates and anyone who supports them. Earlier this month, President Joe Biden delivered a speech about the “continued battle for the soul of the nation.” The speech included several references to “MAGA Republicans” as a collective, extremist threat to the country. The next day, Biden walked back his rhetoric by saying, in part, “I don’t consider any Trump supporter a threat to the country.” But the damage was done.
This week, a poll asked Republican respondents whether they hold fast to the “MAGA” (Make America Great Again) brand. A total of 42% of Republicans in the United States identify as “MAGA” Republicans, while 58% disavow the term, according to a new national poll by J. Ann Selzer and Grinnell College. Overall, 17% of respondents said they identify as “MAGA” Republicans when asked if the phrase describes them, the poll found.
<mediadc-video-embed data-state="{"cms.site.owner":{"_ref":"00000161-3486-d333-a9e9-76c6fbf30000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b93390000"},"cms.content.publishDate":1664464583205,"cms.content.publishUser":{"_ref":"0000017b-3108-d928-a77f-73ccd2e60000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"cms.content.updateDate":1664464583205,"cms.content.updateUser":{"_ref":"0000017b-3108-d928-a77f-73ccd2e60000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"rawHtml":"
var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ "div": "Brid_64464569", "obj": {"id":"27789","width":"16","height":"9","video":"1107526"} }); ","_id":"00000183-89d1-d948-a3b3-cddbef2e0000","_type":"2f5a8339-a89a-3738-9cd2-3ddf0c8da574"}”>Video Embed
It’s clear the term “MAGA” is of strong emotional importance to voters and observers on both sides of the aisle. The slogan was expertly marketed by former President Donald Trump and his team. It has also been expanded by Republican Party opponents to mean anyone associated with the GOP is not just a political enemy but a traitor, bigot, and radical. It is meant to taint any voter who chooses a Republican over a Democrat.
The fallout from Jan. 6, 2021, is a good example of how and why this dialogue works. The people involved in attempting to stop the certification of a free and fair election were wrong, and officials who encouraged or incited the behavior are responsible for their own egregious actions. But does every Republican approve of what occurred on Jan. 6? The answer is no.
Democrats and their supporters want each Republican to be viewed as a cruel fascist. If your enemy is truly the worst, that places you in a better light. This tactic plays out on the federal and state level. Gov. Ron DeSantis is not Trump, but some view him as equal to or even worse than Trump. He’s quite literally treated as the “MAGA” heir-apparent. The term “MAGA” is used to describe him because it holds only negative connotations.
The same applies to how the pro-life movement is treated, especially following the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision. In early August, Democrats posted a “MAGA Hot Mic Special Edition” to their site that was all about pro-life politicians. It began, “Today’s MAGA Hot Mic is a special edition rounding up what extreme MAGA Republicans have said on the record regarding abortion.” While some of the “hot mic” moments were personal opinions, most others were positions held by the majority of pro-lifers in the country. According to the Democratic Party, pro-life individuals are automatically “extreme MAGA Republicans.” They can’t just be people who believe in the humanity of the unborn and their right to exist.
There is no doubt that the Republican Party must improve. But too many Democrats treat the entire party as “MAGA” and poisonous to democracy and society at large. Lumping everyone together is an obvious tactic leading up to the midterm elections. This scheme makes even a Trump-skeptical Republican a far-right enemy. It paints each pro-life person as an extreme oppressor of women. Gregg Nunziata of Rock Spring Public Policy said it best in a recent tweet: “If you treat normally right of center instincts as presumptively fascist, you will invite, and create, real radicalism.”
To the Democratic Party, all Republicans are “MAGA.” And “MAGA” is not just an opposing ideology, it’s evil. Guilt by association seems to be the Democrats’ best strategy ahead of this November and 2024. If that’s the best they have, it may very well backfire.
Kimberly Ross (@SouthernKeeks) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog and a columnist at Arc Digital.
