{"id":1027973,"date":"2023-11-03T16:51:15","date_gmt":"2023-11-03T16:51:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/?p=1027973"},"modified":"2024-05-21T17:54:23","modified_gmt":"2024-05-21T17:54:23","slug":"maga-malarkey-the-extremism-you-missed-from-republicans-this-week-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/maga-malarkey-the-extremism-you-missed-from-republicans-this-week-19\/","title":{"rendered":"MAGA Malarkey: The Extremism You Missed From Republicans This Week"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

MAGA Republicans stooped to new lows this week with their extremism, hypocrisy, chaos, and \u2014 as President Biden would call it \u2014 malarkey. In case you missed it: Tommy Tuberville doubled on his blockade of critical military promotions with the support of 2024 Republicans, even as Pentagon officials slammed Tuberville for undermining military readiness; MAGA Mike Johnson\u2019s first proposal as speaker of the House would delay critical aid to Israel while blowing up the deficit to give tax cuts to the ultra-wealthy; more of Johnson\u2019s extreme MAGA record and agenda came to light; and Donald Trump tore into retiring House Republican Ken Buck for not being a loyal enough MAGA minion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tommy Tuberville doubled down on his blockade of critical military promotions \u2014 a reckless decision that is jeopardizing our national security and military readiness, even as some Senate Republicans have begun to call out Tuberville.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrew Desiderio, Punchbowl News<\/a>: \u201c\u2018Sen. Sullivan still going after Tuberville, three hours in: \u2018Xi Jinping is loving this. So is Putin. How dumb can we be, man?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrew Desiderio, Punchbowl News<\/a>: \u201cSullivan getting angrier as Tuberville continues to object. He says the Chinese and the Russians are watching this and thinking, \u2018Gosh I can\u2019t believe how dumb these guys are.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Steven Dennis, Bloomberg<\/a>: \u201cTuberville: \u2018Madam President, I object\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sullivan: \u2018There goes another downgrade of our readiness.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Igor Bobic, HuffPost<\/a>: \u201cSullivan getting increasingly caustic with each military promotion that Tuberville objects to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018The Chinese are like, \u201cMan we\u2019ve been wanting to take out the U.S. Navy for decades and the U.S. Senate is doing it right now,\u201d\u2019 he remarks\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Steven Dennis, Bloomberg<\/a>: \u201cErnst says these are men and women who have sworn to uphold the Constitution and \u2018would do it with their blood.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tuberville objects again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Washington Post<\/a>: \u201cAt one point, Graham, his voice rising, said there\u2019s a reason that no other senator had pursued a move like this for so long. \u2018No matter whether you believe it or not, Senator Tuberville, this is doing great damage to our military,\u2019 he said. \u2018I don\u2019t say that lightly; I\u2019ve been trying to work with you for nine months.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tuberville\u2019s doubling down came after he was slammed by Pentagon officials for his blockade in the wake of a top Marine\u2019s hospitalization.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Politico<\/a>: \u201c\u2018This is outrageous\u2019: Pentagon officials furious over Tuberville holds after top Marine hospitalized\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPentagon officials have been frustrated for months over an Alabama senator\u2019s blockade of more than 300 senior military nominations. But after the Marine Corps chief was hospitalized over the weekend, that frustration is turning into rage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senior DOD official<\/a>: \u201cThis is outrageous. \u2026 I cannot help but think \u2026 that Tuberville\u2019s unnecessary stress that he\u2019s put on the situation where you don\u2019t have a backup \u2026 has added a level of complexity and danger to an already bad situation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Politico<\/a>: \u201c25 officers have had their retirements deferred due to the hold, including five who have had to do it twice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2024 Republicans have cheered on Tuberville\u2019s reckless blockade, and Ron DeSantis and Tim Scott doubled down on their defense of Tuberville this week.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Florida Politics<\/a>: \u201cRon DeSantis backs Tommy Tuberville in ongoing skirmish with Senate\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mika Brzezinski<\/a>: \u201cDo you think that Senator Tuberville should lift the blockade that he\u2019s put on military promotions?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DeSantis: \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brian Kilmeade<\/a>: \u201cSo you\u2019re with Tuberville?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tim Scott: \u201cHe is right on his issue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MAGA Mike Johnson\u2019s first act as speaker was a ploy to hold up Israel aid and a blatant attempt to advance his MAGAnomics agenda \u2014 attempting to give the ultra-wealthy a hall pass at the expense of our working families and our allies abroad.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

HuffPost<\/a>: \u201cTo Pay For Israeli Aid, GOP Wants To Make It More Expensive For You To File Your Taxes\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Independent<\/a>: \u201cRepublicans\u2019 Israel bill would strip money from IRS ability to crack down on tax cheats\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forbes<\/a>: \u201cNew House Speaker Mike Johnson Ties Funding For Israel To IRS Budget Cuts\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Multiple analyses \u2014 including from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office \u2014 have revealed that MAGA Mike\u2019s proposal would increase the deficit by BILLIONS of dollars.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hill<\/a>: \u201cHouse GOP\u2019s Israel-IRS bill could add more than $26 billion to deficit: CBO\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jake Sherman, Punchbowl News<\/a>: \u201c\ud83d\udea8 BREAKING — CBO says the House’s Israel aid bill is not offset at all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will add $12.5B to the deficit in the next decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cuts to IRS will decrease revenue by $26.7B\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stephen Neukam, The Messenger<\/a>: \u201cCBO says GOP’s proposed offsets for their Israel aid bill \u2014 a deep cut to IRS funding \u2014 would actually increase the deficit by $12.5 billion over the next decade (!!)\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Washington Post<\/a>: \u201cGOP plan to fund Israel aid with IRS cuts would cost $90 billion, tax chief says\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Danny Werfel, IRS commissioner<\/a>: \u201cThis type of the cut, over the cost of the Inflation Reduction Act, would actually cost taxpayers $90 billion \u2014 that\u2019s with a \u2018B.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Semafor<\/a>: \u201cThe Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget said the GOP bill would add about $30 billion in red ink over a decade. Other independent analyses indicate IRS funding provides at least a two-fold return from stepping up audits on the ultra-rich.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Howard Gleckman, senior fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center<\/a>: \u201cInstead of being an offset, it would actually make matters worse. \u2026 The general rule of thumb that the budget scorekeepers use is it\u2019s about 2-to-1. So, if you cut IRS funding [by $14 billion to $15 billion], you\u2019re actually going to increase the deficit by about $30 billion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Steven Rattner, MSNBC economic analyst<\/a>: \u201cTo reiterate: offsetting gov’t spending by cutting the IRS budget is like offsetting a fire with gasoline.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MAGA Mike Johnson\u2019s far-right extremist past was further exposed this week, including his history with anti-LGBTQ+ groups, anti-abortion extremism and efforts to block access to birth control, and comments he made undermining the principles of democracy. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

CNN<\/a>: \u201cBefore he became a politician, House Speaker Mike Johnson partnered with an anti-gay conversion therapy group\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPrior to launching his political career, Johnson, a lawyer, gave legal advice to an organization called Exodus International and partnered with the group to put on an annual anti-gay event aimed at teens, according to a CNN KFile review of more than a dozen of Johnson\u2019s media appearances from that timespan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rolling Stone<\/a>: \u201cHouse Speaker Mike Johnson\u2019s Long Crusade Against Birth Control\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJohnson is known for being among the most anti-abortion lawmakers in Congress, and for railing against the use of \u2018abortion as a form of birth control\u2019 before he was in office. But his statements and actions suggest he does not see much difference between abortion as a form of birth control and birth control as a form of birth control.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The New Republic<\/a>: \u201cMAGA Mike Johnson Once Warned About Dangers of Living Under Democracy\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHouse Speaker Mike Johnson turned heads on Monday when a website hosting his podcast and church sermons suddenly vanished. Still, Johnson hasn\u2019t been able to completely scrub his prior social media presence, with some evidence of his lectures still floating around online, including a three-hour sermon organized by his wife\u2019s ministry that blasts the newly elected\u2019s Christian fundamentalism.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018By the way, the United States is not a democracy. Do you know what a democracy is? Two wolves and a sheep deciding what\u2019s for dinner. You don\u2019t want to be in a democracy. Majority rule: not always a good thing,\u2019 Johnson said at the First Baptist Church of Haughton, Louisiana, in 2019.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hill<\/a>: \u201cConservatives see hope for anti-abortion, anti-trans push with Speaker Johnson\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe House GOP\u2019s election of Rep. Mike Johnson (La.) as Speaker is likely to give an opening to social conservatives, who plan to press him on bringing anti-abortion and anti-transgender policies up for a vote.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor some of the most right-wing social conservative groups, expectations are high. The fact that someone with such traditional Republican principles was elected to the top post in House leadership shows that those priorities are important to the party, even if some fear the electoral consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Republican infighting unsurprisingly continued as Donald Trump laid into retiring House Republican Ken Buck for not being MAGA enough.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hill<\/a>: \u201cTrump calls Buck\u2019s decision not to run for reelection a \u2018great thing\u2019 for GOP\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFormer President Trump on Wednesday celebrated Rep. Ken Buck\u2019s (R-Colo.) decision not to run for reelection in 2024, calling him \u2018weak and ineffective.\u2019 \u2026 He said the Colorado Republican must have known \u2018he could never win against MAGA.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MAGA Republicans stooped to new lows this week with their extremism, hypocrisy, chaos, and \u2014 as President Biden would call it \u2014 malarkey. In case you missed it: Tommy Tuberville doubled on his blockade of critical military promotions with the support of 2024 Republicans, even as Pentagon officials slammed Tuberville for undermining military readiness; MAGA […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":263,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1027973","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMAGA Malarkey: The Extremism You Missed From Republicans This Week - Democrats<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/maga-malarkey-the-extremism-you-missed-from-republicans-this-week-19\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Democrats\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-11-03T16:51:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-05-21T17:54:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MAGA-Malarkey.png?w=745\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Claire DePree\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Claire DePree\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/maga-malarkey-the-extremism-you-missed-from-republicans-this-week-19\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/maga-malarkey-the-extremism-you-missed-from-republicans-this-week-19\/\",\"name\":\"MAGA Malarkey: The Extremism You Missed From Republicans This Week - Democrats\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/maga-malarkey-the-extremism-you-missed-from-republicans-this-week-19\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/maga-malarkey-the-extremism-you-missed-from-republicans-this-week-19\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MAGA-Malarkey.png?w=745\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-11-03T16:51:15+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-05-21T17:54:23+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/#\/schema\/person\/c31239f43161314a03057960c56c0564\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/maga-malarkey-the-extremism-you-missed-from-republicans-this-week-19\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/maga-malarkey-the-extremism-you-missed-from-republicans-this-week-19\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/maga-malarkey-the-extremism-you-missed-from-republicans-this-week-19\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"\",\"contentUrl\":\"\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/maga-malarkey-the-extremism-you-missed-from-republicans-this-week-19\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"MAGA Malarkey: The Extremism You Missed From Republicans This Week\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/\",\"name\":\"Democrats\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/#\/schema\/person\/c31239f43161314a03057960c56c0564\",\"name\":\"Claire DePree\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/262c0b3f1914330fe3241c699fd21798ee92a8504fc6296028e8fa17334d1151?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/262c0b3f1914330fe3241c699fd21798ee92a8504fc6296028e8fa17334d1151?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Claire DePree\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/author\/depreec\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"MAGA Malarkey: The Extremism You Missed From Republicans This Week - Democrats","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/maga-malarkey-the-extremism-you-missed-from-republicans-this-week-19\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_site_name":"Democrats","article_published_time":"2023-11-03T16:51:15+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-05-21T17:54:23+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MAGA-Malarkey.png?w=745","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Claire DePree","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Claire DePree","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/maga-malarkey-the-extremism-you-missed-from-republicans-this-week-19\/","url":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/maga-malarkey-the-extremism-you-missed-from-republicans-this-week-19\/","name":"MAGA Malarkey: The Extremism You Missed From Republicans This Week - Democrats","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/maga-malarkey-the-extremism-you-missed-from-republicans-this-week-19\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/maga-malarkey-the-extremism-you-missed-from-republicans-this-week-19\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MAGA-Malarkey.png?w=745","datePublished":"2023-11-03T16:51:15+00:00","dateModified":"2024-05-21T17:54:23+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/#\/schema\/person\/c31239f43161314a03057960c56c0564"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/maga-malarkey-the-extremism-you-missed-from-republicans-this-week-19\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/maga-malarkey-the-extremism-you-missed-from-republicans-this-week-19\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/maga-malarkey-the-extremism-you-missed-from-republicans-this-week-19\/#primaryimage","url":"","contentUrl":""},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/maga-malarkey-the-extremism-you-missed-from-republicans-this-week-19\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"MAGA Malarkey: The Extremism You Missed From Republicans This Week"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/","name":"Democrats","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/#\/schema\/person\/c31239f43161314a03057960c56c0564","name":"Claire DePree","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/262c0b3f1914330fe3241c699fd21798ee92a8504fc6296028e8fa17334d1151?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/262c0b3f1914330fe3241c699fd21798ee92a8504fc6296028e8fa17334d1151?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Claire DePree"},"url":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/author\/depreec\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1027973","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/263"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1027973"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1027973\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1032232,"href":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1027973\/revisions\/1032232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1027973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1027973"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1027973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}