With the resignation of Boris Johnson as Prime Minister of the U.K., the media has consistently wondered why something similar has not occurred with Donald Trump and the GOP, the most common answer being that the UK’s parliamentary system means government leaders are much more susceptible to pressure from their own party members instead of voters. But MSNBC analyst Brittany Cuningham had a different take on Sunday night’s Ayman, arguing that Donald Trump’s presidency was identical to that of Ronald Reagan’s, supported by the same radical base and motivated by the same “virulently xenophobic” views.
Host Ayman Mohyeldin prompted Cunningham’s rant by asking, “Is it wrong for us, or at least certainly for me to feel a little satisfaction watching Johnson being held accountable by their Republican party? I mean, we rarely see accountability on this side of the pond for any of our politicians for the damage that they do.”
Cunningham proposed a theory, “the GOP has failed to back away from Trump, perhaps it is because there is a large segment of the GOP, if not all of it, that actually quite agree with him.”
But a debate about the internal party dynamics of the current GOP was apparently the farthest thing from Cunningham’s mind, as she then trained her sights on the real target of her screed: none other than Ronald Reagan:
We must remember this, I think. MAGA wasn’t a Trump invention, right? This is the answer. This idea existed long before Reagan, and was first popularized by Ronald Reagan.. And A pandemic was also something he ignored. He was extremely xenophobic., right? This is in many ways the identity of the party.
Let’s take this apart piece by piece.
True. “Let’s Make America Again” was a slogan Ronald Reagan used in his 1980 presidential campaign.
Ignoring the AIDS pandemic is a charge that has been leveled against Reagan multiple times over the years — and debunked just as many times.
Would a “virulent xenophobe” have signed the Simpson-Mazzoli Act, a bill that granted amnesty to roughly three-quarters of all illegal immigrants and is favorably looked on by the left even to this day?
And if Reagan’s policies exclusively benefitted those who Cunningham sees as the privileged class, then why did median household income increase by over $4,500, and more and more people move into the middle and upper classes during the Reagan presidency?
After another rant about the recent Supreme Court decisions, Cunningham concluded: “Frankly, in a lot of ways, this is like that — that Spider-Man meme, Trump and the GOP are wearing the exact same costume, they’re looking at each other and pointing at each other, and these birds of a feather frankly will continue to flock together.”
Mohyeldin gushed over this craziness, “No, it’s absolutely — such a valid point, such a good point that Trump is not the person who created the MAGA mob, but it was the MAGA mob that’s been around that he probably just tapped into and jacked up even more.”
A populist wing in the GOP can sometimes come into conflict with Beltway type Republicans. However, making Reagan the first political weapon used by a racist mob (the term “mob”, of course meant to invoke January 6, 6) was both historical illiterate as it is insulting for the Gipper and all those who voted him.
Ronald Reagan was smeared by 4imprintAnd Jeep. The following links provide their contact information.
Click “Expand” to see the relevant transcript.
MSNBC’s Ayman
07/10/22
9:20 PM ETAYMAN MOHYElDIN: Yeah — um, hard to — uh, to, I can’t — I’m thinking off the top of my head I can’t think of a national Republican figure who runs on an anti-Trump platform or somebody who’s opposed to Trump openly and thinks that he can win it. Either they keep their mouths shut or fall for the crowd.
Um, and — and to that point, I gotta ask you, Brittany — I mean, is it wrong for us, or at least certainly for me to feel a little satisfaction watching Johnson being held accountable by their Republican Party? It is rare that we see anyone being held accountable on the other side for the damages they have done.
BRITTANY PAKETT CUNNINGHAM David is correct in his opinion. But I’m willing to push the envelope a bit. Johnson might have lost his party. But the GOP is not backing away from Trump. This may be because there is an important segment, if any, of the GOP that agrees with him. These are the real people of GOP.
It is important to keep in mind that MAGA did not originate with Donald Trump. This idea existed long before Trump and was promoted by Ronald Reagan. He also failed to recognize the pandemic. He was extremely xenophobic. And he also pursued policies that benefited rich, Christian, Christian, white males. In many ways, this is the only identity of the party.
And frankly, if I’m Mitch McConnell, I’m not really concerned with the decorum of somebody like Trump. If he helped give me the Supreme Court of the GOP’s dreams for the last 50 years, the Supreme Court that has overturned Roe, the Supreme Court that has gotten rid of bodily autonomy, the right to privacy, tribal sovereignty — uh, EPA regulations — uh, voting rights, all in a Mississippi minute.
Frankly, in a lot of ways, this is like that — that Spider-Man meme, Trump and the GOP are wearing the exact same costume, they’re looking at each other and pointing at each other, and these birds of a feather frankly will continue to flock together.
MOHYELDIN: No, it’s absolutely — such a valid point, such a good point that Trump is not the person who created the MAGA mob, but it was the MAGA mob that’s been around that he probably just tapped into and jacked up even more.
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