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The GOP Sipped the TEA but Drank the MAGA Poison [1]

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Date: 2023-10-27  

In 1994 Texas Republican Congressman Dick Armey teamed with then Minority Whip Newt Gingrich to draft the Contract with America. That was the first salvo into what has morphed into an ultra-right political movement opposing voting rights, women’s rights, healthcare rights, and LGBTQIA rights based on theocratic principles. Fox News personalities joined Armey and his self-titled FreedomWorks organization in 2009 at a rally on the Capitol building grounds. After disparaging President Obama and the crowd chanting “You lie”—mimicking the taunts of GOP Congressman Joe Wilson at Obama during a joint session of Congress on the issue of healthcare—Armey led them in the chant of “FreedomWorks!” Although Armey tried to pass off what became the populist group known as the TEA Party as a grassroots movement springing up from the fertile discontent of economic anxiety, it was a heavily financed group backed by conservative money from the Koch Brothers and others.

The TEA Party, unfortunately, became office holders, and attempts by former Speaker John Boehner to wrangle the malcontents not just to oppose and fearmonger were brushed aside. Boehner famously exclaimed in a presser, “Are you kidding me?!” when he recalled that members of the TEA party groups revealed they knew the government shutdown that followed the efforts to defund Obamacare were fruitless. Movements like The Club for Growth and FreedomWorks have regurgitated the congressional Freedom Caucus, ruling by minority tyranny over the Republican party as evidenced by the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

MAGA killed the Republican Party

When traditional Conservatives joined the Freedom Caucus and the just plain crazies to elect theocratic lawmaker Mike Johnson as Speaker of the House, they fully surrendered. Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert said the US needs to follow the Bible, not the Constitution. “The church is supposed to direct the government. The government is not supposed to direct the church. I’m tired of this separation of church and state junk,” said Boebert. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has referred to herself as a Christian Nationalist on more than one occasion.

The swirling sound you heard Wednesday was the latest flushing of decent politics in the Republican party. Mike Johnson(R-LA) was elected Speaker of the House Wednesday after a battle of the worst of the worst. Johnson has advocated jailing the gay community for sodomy, criminalizing women and doctors for abortion, and suggested his ascendency to House Speaker was ordained by God, “I believe that Scripture, the Bible, is very clear: that God is the one who raises up those in authority. He raised up each of you. All of us,” Johnson said in his first speech after being elected speaker.

In the public celebration of his election, flanked by his colleagues, Speaker Johnson fielded questions from reporters with a grin that goes along with flushing. When reporter Rachel Scott asked about his fervent election denial, his collaborators pounced. Mr. Johnson, you helped lead the effort to overturn the 2020 election result. Do you—” Before Scott could complete her question, shouts and taunts ensued, punctuated by Virginia Foxx (R-NC), who exposed the nature of today’s conservative movement by shouting, “Shut up!” Mr. Johnson once said, “Well, go pick up a Bible off your shelf and read it – that’s my worldview; perhaps he and Foxx need to listen more instead of shutting us up.

Vote Against Guns

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