MAGA Archives - The Florida Capital Star

Hillary Clinton: ‘There Needs to Be a Formal Deprogramming’ of MAGA ‘Cult Members’

October 8, 2023October 7, 2023 Florida Capital Star Staff

During an interview on CNN Thursday, failed 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton called for the “formal deprogramming” of Trump supporters, labeling them as “MAGA extremists” and “cult members.”

“We had very strong partisans in both parties in the past, and we had very bitter battles over all kinds of things—gun control and climate change and the economy and taxes—but there wasn’t this little tail of extremism, waving, you know, wagging the dog of the Republican Party as it is today,” Clinton, 75, told host Christiane Amanpour.

Commentary: Hillary’s ‘Deprogramming’ Wish and the FBI’s Latest Excuse to Hunt MAGA ‘Terrorists’

October 7, 2023 Julie Kelly

To the surprise of no one paying attention, Newsweek just confirmed the FBI is targeting supporters of Donald Trump in advance of the 2024 election. “The federal government believes that the threat of violence and major civil disturbances around the 2024 U.S. presidential election is so great that it has quietly created a new category of extremists that it seeks to track and counter: Donald Trump’s army of MAGA followers,” investigative journalist William M. Arkin reported on October 5.

Iowa Major Daily Newspaper Apologizes for ‘Inexcusable’ Political Cartoon GOP Presidential Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy Called ‘Shameful’

June 26, 2023 M.D. Kittle

The Quad-City Times has apologized for a political cartoon that GOP Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy described as “shameful.”

Commentary: The Strange Pandemic of ‘White’ Disparagement

June 7, 2023 Florida Capital Star Staff

One of the tenets of the early civil rights movement some 65 years ago was ending racial stereotyping.

When Martin Luther King, Jr. called for emphasizing the “content of our character” over “the color of our skin,” the subtext was “stop judging people as a faceless collective on the basis of their superficial appearance and instead look to them as individuals with unique characters.”

Commentary: ‘Chasing’ Ballots is Not Enough

June 6, 2023 Admin

Apparently there’s some confusion about what some of us are actually proposing for winning in 2024. The best place to start in clearing up that confusion is by defining terms correctly.

We argued here and here, that if MAGA wishes to turn out its voters and win, the movement and its candidates must aggressively pursue their vote by securing their consent, and then, protecting them by implementing that agenda. Some have found these arguments less than persuasive because they fear Republicans are joining the Democrats in their less-than-honest methods of securing votes. So, we must explain further for those who appear confused.

Commentary: Republicans Can Expose Joe Biden’s Phony Nationalism by Embracing MAGA

February 13, 2023 Admin

Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech, like his entire presidency, was an astonishingly cynical performance. There were plenty of hollow boasts about things Biden hasn’t actually achieved, but he went further than the usual partisan spin. He conveyed, to a primetime audience, a Potemkin village version of his administration’s goals. While he did plug gun control and an anti-police bill, there were few mentions of identity or race. He mostly talked about economics. In fact, he presented himself as a champion of national revitalization.

Commentary: The Unbearable Lightness of Pining Backward

January 22, 2023 Admin

DISCLAIMER: Nearly everything I say in this essay I have already said at least once and, in most cases, more than once. At the same time, some points that might have borne repeating—such as why I think theoretical topics like this matter—I intend to skip. They’re all covered in the last one and, anyway, Paul Gottfried, to whom I am mostly responding, didn’t question the relevance of the subject matter. Those of you annoyed by repetition, uninterested in theoretical matters, or who just want MAGA red meat, do all of us a favor and don’t read this.

Commentary: The Fake, and Real, Domestic Terrorists

December 10, 2022December 9, 2022 Florida Capital Star Staff

To hear the government tell it, a homeless guy who lived in the dilapidated basement of a vacuum repair shop with no running water is as much a danger to society as was Timothy McVeigh and the Tsarnaev brothers.

Adam Fox, according to the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Michigan, should spend the rest of his life in prison for conspiring to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2020. After a jury could not reach a verdict in Fox’s case last April, the Department of Justice retried Fox and his remaining co-defendant Barry Croft, Jr. in August; both men were found guilty the second time around.

Commentary: Trump’s Arc Must Play Out

November 28, 2022November 27, 2022 Admin

In August, Carl Benjamin, also known as Sargon of Akkad, posted a persuasive intellectual case for Donald Trump’s candidacy in which he said that “Trump is the protagonist of an important moral story whose narrative arc has yet to resolve. And resolve it must.”

Trump Accuses Biden of Waging Unprecedented ‘Political Repression’ That Will Backfire in Election

September 18, 2022September 18, 2022 Just the News

Former President Donald Trump leveled a blistering attack Saturday night against the man who succeeded him in the White House, telling a rally in Ohio that Joe Biden’s Justice Department was waging unprecedented “political repression” against MAGA supporters while his inflationary economic policies were “incinerating trillions of dollars of middle-class wealth.”

Commentary: The Regime’s ‘Operation MAGA Fascist’ Gains Ground

September 15, 2022September 14, 2022 Florida Capital Star Staff

After nearly two years of lies related to the events of January 6, 2021, the regime finally has admitted the truth: The widening legal dragnet to scoop up Donald Trump, his associates, and his voters has nothing to do with the four-hour disturbance on Capitol Hill that afternoon. It is, rather, a thus-far successful crusade to criminalize wrongthink about the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

Commentary: No Bump for Biden from His Dark ‘MAGA Republican’ Speech as Race for Congress Comes into Focus

September 12, 2022September 11, 2022 Admin

President Joe Biden received no bounce in polls from his dark Sept. 1 speech in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania outlining the supposed “threat” to “the very foundations of our republic” posed by former President Donald Trump and the so-called Make America Great Again (MAGA) Republicans.

58 percent disapproved of his handling of his job before the speech, and 57 percent afterward, the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll showed.

Victor Davis Hanson Commentary: Here Come the Bad Old Days

September 6, 2022September 5, 2022 Admin

There is no end of history. Instead, civilization is a constant fight to embrace what has worked for the common good through the ages – and to reject what in the past has failed abysmally.

Bad and bankrupt ideas, protocols, and ideologies – like McCarthyism, communism, various cults, or fascism – resurface not because of their intrinsic or lasting value or record of success, but because civilizations become less vigilant and allow human vanities, ignorance, arrogance, and evil to reassert themselves.

The Morning Ritual with Garret Lewis: Kari Lake on ‘Soul of the Nation’ Speech,” Grassroots Politicians’ ‘Existential Threat’ to Dems’ Agenda

September 6, 2022September 5, 2022 Julie Carr

Friday morning on The Morning Ritual with Garret Lewis, host Lewis welcomed GOP nominee for Governor of Arizona, Kari Lake to the show to comment upon Joe Biden’s Soul of the Nation prime time speech.

‘Full Monty Mussolini’: Biden’s Primetime Speech Mocked, Slammed on Social Media

September 2, 2022 Florida Capital Star Staff

President Joe Biden’s Thursday evening speech targeting supporters of former President Donald Trump was mocked on social media, with many users poking fun at the stage.

The speech, held in Philadelphia, marked continued attacks on supporters of Trump, reiterating earlier attacks in which he claimed Republicans embraced “semi-fascism” at an Aug. 25 fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee in Maryland, and also attacked “MAGA Republicans” during a Tuesday speech in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Biden called “MAGA Republicans” a threat to democracy and doubled down on his rhetoric calling supporters of former President Donald trump “extremists.”

Commentary: The MAGA Book of Political Offense

July 31, 2022July 30, 2022 Admin

by Theodore Roosevelt Malloch Too many conservatives constantly stay on the defensive. They have no strategy, let alone tactical plans or a complete gamebook to go on offense and run up points. You don’t win by playing defense. You win by scoring points and controlling – dominating – the…

Biden Declares ‘MAGA Crowd’ to Be the ‘Most Extreme’ Political Group in American History

May 6, 2022May 5, 2022 Florida Capital Star Staff

On Wednesday, Joe Biden labeled the entirety of his political opposition as “the most extreme political organization” in the history of the United States.

Axios reports that Biden made the remarks from the White House while he was taking questions about the recent leak of a draft of the Supreme Court’s apparent decision to overturn the pro-abortion ruling of Roe v. Wade. Speaking about the broader implications of the court throwing out legalized abortion nationwide and returning that decision to the states, Biden soon descended into hypothetical extremes.

Democrat Incumbent Switches Districts, Leaving Texas 15th Congressional District an Open Target

March 19, 2022 Aaron Gulbransen

Incumbent Democrat U.S. Representative Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX-15) has elected to run for reelection in TX-34, leaving Texas’ Fifteenth Congressional district an open seat.

Redistricting changed the district lines and made an already competitive TX-15 an even more appetizing target for Republicans, who already have a nominee while the Democrats are scheduled to have a run-off in late May.

Commentary: The Right’s Political Campaigns Need to Change as Its Political Landscape Has Become America First Supporters

March 17, 2022March 16, 2022 Florida Capital Star Staff

Everyone knows how the 2016 election transformed the American electorate overnight. Many voters were shaken from their “tax cuts and gun rights” slumber and awakened to the decline and corruption of America’s culture, economy, and entire political system.

After that election, Republican voters watched many of their own representatives betray the MAGA movement rather than help their constituents change the status quo. Internet searches for the phrase “GOP establishment” increased by a hundredfold. The “deplorables”—also known as the people—laid siege to the elites with tremendous energy.

Commentary: Securing America’s Border and Communities Is Our Government’s First Duty

January 3, 2022 Admin

Group of people at a Trump rally, man in a "Keep America Great" hat

Remember when President George W. Bush said this?

I’ve had a lot of experience with dealing with borders, as the Governor of Texas. I know there’s a compassionate, humane way to deal with this issue. I want to remind people that family values do not stop at the Rio Grande River.

It was January 2005. Bush had just won reelection with a campaign strong on national security. Then after narrowly defeating John Kerry, Bush did what Bushes tend to do when they think they’re secure: He lurched to the Left and betrayed the base of his own party. He cast Americans who want a strong, secure border as racists—just four years after we had been attacked by international terrorists who exploited our weak immigration system to kill thousands of us. Bush behaved as if Americans didn’t know that Mexicans living south of the Rio Grande believe in family. Millions of Americans have Mexican heritage themselves. But they or their ancestors chose to be Americans.

GOP Alaska Senator Murkowski Announces Reelection Bid, Prepares for Battle with Trump Allies

November 14, 2021November 13, 2021 Florida Capital Star Staff

Alaska GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski announced Friday that she will seek reelection in 2022, setting up another tough primary battle that includes efforts by former President Trump to unseat her.

A campaign video for Murkowski does not directly mention the challenge from Trump but warns voters about the race attracting much outside interest.

“In this election, lower 48 outsiders are going to try to grab Alaska’s Senate seat for their partisan agendas. They don’t understand our state and frankly, they couldn’t care less about your future,” she says.

Commentary: Two Unique, Powerful Forces Will Influence the Midterms

September 28, 2021September 28, 2021 RealClearWire

If the 2022 midterm elections had an official soundtrack, it would be the ominous music from the 1975 movie “Jaws.”

Although the election is 13 months away, mounting intensity feels like great white sharks are circling our national boat with a convergence of two powerful, never-before-seen political forces. Both forces are hangovers from the 2020 election with the potential to make the 2022 midterms the most tumultuous in modern American history.

Commentary: New January 6 Stories That Complicate the Media Narrative

September 8, 2021September 7, 2021 Florida Capital Star Staff

The Associated Press reported in August that Robert Reeder, a Maryland man, pleaded guilty to “parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.” He argued for leniency because, “he is a registered Democrat who wasn’t a supporter of former President Donald Trump.” So why did he join the incursion into the Capitol building? Because, he says, he was an “accidental tourist” with nothing better to do.

But an online group that calls itself Sedition Hunters recently tweeted a picture it says shows that same “accidental tourist” attacking a police officer. Curiously, the “accidental tourist,” who didn’t support Donald Trump, happened to be wearing a red “MAGA”-style hat. His attorney argued in court, “Mr. Reeder is not politically active, is not and has never been a member of any right-wing or anti-government or extremist group and has, unfortunately, been publicly grouped with many others (whose) views he abhors.”

The story reminds one of John Sullivan, a Black Lives Matter activist who infiltrated the January 6 incursion to encourage violence, bully police officers, and generally stoke mayhem. While many of the trespassers remain locked up without bail, Sullivan mysteriously received pre-trial release.

Commentary: Paul Ryan Was an Ineffective Leader of the Republican Party

June 1, 2021May 31, 2021 Florida Capital Star Staff

We aren’t actually governed by Paul Ryan, whose brief time as House Speaker ended in what can only be described as a surrender. Ryan bolted from the Speaker’s chair the minute the 2018 elections were over. He was happy to leave Congress to take a “cashing-in” job on the Fox Corporation board while his party took an electoral bath in those midterms he could blame on Donald Trump.

But as readers of The American Spectator know, in this space we’ve been exploring the premise that Americans are governed by people who suck. And Ryan put himself in that category even from outside the elective-office sphere this week when he offered up a tired and tiresome narrative about the future of the Republican Party.

What is it with these washed-up politicians, who are clearly the party’s past, demanding the GOP follow their instructions as to its future? Do we have to exhume the remains of Nelson Rockefeller and Thomas Dewey or conduct seances with them for guidance in how to defeat the 21st-century Left?

Commentary: Behold DeSantis, Destroyer of Narratives

April 12, 2021April 20, 2021 Florida Capital Star Staff

Those who are looking for someone who could be a post-Trump bearer of the MAGA standard within the Republican Party have had a keen eye on Ron DeSantis for a while now.

And this week it’s becoming perfectly clear why.

DeSantis was the subject of a tired and constant phenomenon in American politics: the 60 Minutes hit piece. That happened on Sunday, with a report by Sharyn Alfonsi alleging that DeSantis was running a “pay-for-play” scheme surrounding the state of Florida’s vaccine distribution.

Man Sentenced for Threatening Trump Supporters Online, Brandishing Assault Rifle at George Floyd Protest

March 16, 2021March 15, 2021 Florida Capital Star Staff

A Texas man was sentenced to 46 months in federal jail over brandishing an assault rifle at a George Floyd protest, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Prerak Shah announced in a Wednesday press release.

Emmanuel Quinones, 25, acknowledged “he brought a loaded Smith & Wesson .223 caliber semi-automatic rifle” to the protest protesting Floyd’s death, plea papers said, according to the Department of Justice press release. Quinones also acknowledged he made threatening posts online before the protest.

Twice Acquitted, Trump Possesses Many Options to Reinvigorate MAGA After White House

February 17, 2021February 16, 2021 Florida Capital Star Staff

Two days removed from his second impeachment acquittal, former President Donald Trump was returning from a day of golf when he was greeted by a throng of flag-waving fans as he neared his Mar-a-Lago estate.

The President’s Day scene in West Palm Beach, Fla., which included jubilant supporters with signs that declared “Trump won,” even impressed Dan Scavino, a veteran of many of his boss’ sold-out rallies. “This is unbelievable,” the longtime aide tweeted Monday.