The MAGA Terror Movement
Donald Trump and the entire Republican ecosystem have normalized and celebrated hate, fear, and violence against the majority that is rising to confront their reign of terror.
Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot and killed over the weekend in Minnesota. State Senator John A. Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were wounded and remain in the hospital. The shooter, Vance Boelter, visited two other homes and had a list of 70 potential targets, including Democratic officials, civil leaders, and abortion providers. He also planned to strike at “No Kings” rallies.
Boelter isn’t an undocumented immigrant or transgender activist.
He’s a white, Christian, Trump-supporting citizen of the United States of America and a registered Republican.
In fact, Boelter has a lot in common with the number one domestic terror threat in America: right-wing, white supremacist groups. He also has more in common with the 1,600 violent insurrectionists who attacked the U.S. Capitol, beat up police officers, and tried to overthrow a free and fair election. All of those Trump supporters were pardoned, and some of them are now suing the government. Ashli Babbitt, who was radicalized by QAnon - the same conspiracy that Trump recently promoted as evidence that Joe Biden is a clone - has become a hero and martyr to the right-wing. For her participation in terror, Babbitt’s family received a $5 million settlement from the Trump regime.
Meanwhile, on Earth 3 and inside the Upside Down, Republican Reeks like Donald Trump Jr. are lying about “the radical transgender movement,” which he claims “is per capita the most violent domestic terror threat if not in America, probably the entire world.” If you believe that, then you also believe that Donald Trump won the 2020 election that he lost. You would have a lot of company, because nearly 80% of registered Republican voters believe that Big Lie.
The nuttiness has contaminated Republican elected officials as well. Super Mormon Senator Mike Lee used the weekend’s tragedy to troll Governor Tim Walz with a tweet: “Nightmare on Walz Street.” He also falsely alleged the shooter was a Marxist. Nope, he’s still a white, Christian, Trump-voting Republican. Elon Musk tried his best to kiss up to MAGA after blowing up his marriage to Trump by alleging the tragic shootings were done by “the far left.” Nope, the shooter is still a right-wing, Christian, Trump-supporting bigot.
The right wing under Trump has created an alternative reality where immigrants are “invading” America and pose an existential threat requiring the National Guard, military, and masked ICE agents to be unleashed in American cities and against U.S. senators. However, MAGA brownshirts can commit crimes and terror with impunity. In response to the tragic shooting, Trump didn’t call Governor Walz to offer condolences or help. Instead, he declared to expand his war to “deport illegal Aliens” in Blue cities. Oddly, Florida and Texas, which have large immigrant populations, were not mentioned in his post.
Fortunately, the masses are rising and resisting, even as our corporate leaders and institutions remain complicit and cowardly. Millions of Americans came together over the weekend to protest this aspiring authoritarian and his violent regime of terror. The No Kings rallies were a stunning success in contrast to Trump’s wet noodle of a military parade. It wasn’t surprising considering Trump is stumbling in the polls and suffering from growing internal MAGA disputes, especially around the escalating war between Israel and Iran.
As Trump weakens, he will become more desperate, vengeful, reckless, and violent. The majority has to remain vigilant, organized, and, dare I say, “woke,” against his reign of terror.
In this week’s Democracy-ish, Danielle and I discuss MAGA’s radicalization, embrace of violence, and how the masses need to pressure our “leaders” to stand up and confront the growing threat to our safety and democracy.
Give us a watch!
You could hear in Walz's voice he knew the victims were targeted bc they are in his State. He felt terrible bc he's a kind, decent human being. Can't decency be the lowest bar ? Why does the bar have to be bellow Satan's ballZ?
This weekend was tough. It's been a long time since I was really concerned about a nuclear war, but here we are. The juxtaposition of Trump's "Dear Leader" Birthday flop with missiles flying between Israel and Iran was like something out of a Adam McKay film. Preposterous and deeply frightening.
Saturday morning I woke up early to walk my pup before heading to a protest, and the first thing I saw was the news in Minnesota. It made me sick and worried about every single sane elected official at every level in this country. Republican or Democrat, if you speak the truth, you have a target on your back, pure and simple. This new era of cruelty and MAGA mob insanity reminds me of any number of dystopian fictions, pick almost any one and it's a snapshot of now.
Sen. Mike Lee and that giant POS Alec Lace are mocking the deaths of Melissa Hortman, her husband, and her sweet dog Because that kind of sadistic merriment is shared and celebrated by so many of Trump's base. I know it's not half of the country, but it's 77 million too many people.
All these things are indicative of a real profound epidemic of ethical and moral decay. I say ethical, because I do not believe one needs to believe in a higher power to do what's right. And there is an objective right, and a definite wrong. It makes sense to be a community and support one another, to help those less fortunate and to strive toward equality and inclusiveness. It's just right.
We need a seismic sea change in this country (if not the world) that celebrates justice and equality and condemns cruelty and xenophobia. I fear that even if by some miracle we got rid of Trump tomorrow, the many-headed hydra of hatred would regenerate another monstrous head.
With the ineffectual democrats stumbling into one another without direction or purpose, I fear a Trump power vacuum would be replaced by more of the same.