What if "Never MAGA" Republicans Are Really a MAGA Trojan Horse?

Thanks for your support: 30% off 💙 40% off 💙 50% off 💙 60% offA few months ago, a prominent “never MAGA” Republican took to his platform to criticize the Democrats for using profanities to denounce acts of domestic terrorism. This was in the wake of several secret police assassinations of innocent US citizens.Rather than use his significant platform to denounce tyrannical aggression against the American people, this “never MAGA” influencer decided to tone police the Democrats who appeared to be on the verge of finally growing a spine.He made that choice even after himself spending months urging Democrats to do that very thing.So, why would he apparently shift position and make a statement to distract attention away from the unlawful aggressions of our out-of-control government? Perhaps it was because he suspected the people were becoming roused and he was about to lose control of the narrative? Faced with that reality, his choice was to put the brakes on our momentum and insist the situation was not as bad as it might appear to be.Once you notice, you’ll realize “Never MAGA” Republicans do this again and again.The public response was swift and angry as always happens when the people feel betrayed. I personally received dozens of emails from readers who told me they’d canceled their subscription to this “never MAGA” Republican they now considered to be a fraud.He himself backed away from the comment though he didn’t apologize. As is common in our current media ecosystem, the issue was soon forgotten. Today, he’s just as influential as always because he can leverage the support of a conservative viewpoint that’s the default setting in the American psyche.Unfortunately, that conservative viewpoint is also the source of all our problems. We have to stop normalizing those ideas. They have to be fundamentally dismantled and rebuilt.Tone policing is just one of the strategies deployed by “reformed” Republicans who have become celebrity journalists in order to maintain a cruel status quo. They present themselves as our friends, but the moment anything really scandalous occurs, they go silent. Also, they insist we must reach across the aisle to them, but they never even consider returning the favor.There are consistent traits you see among all the #NotAllRepublicans crowd. Essentially, they are walking, talking, thought-terminating cliches. They recognize that things are wrong, but they insist they are not to blame. They refuse to engage in any progressive action to try and make our society better. When pressed, they always revert to denouncing “socialism” and government safety net programs.Essentially, “never MAGA” Republicans are just fascism lite.We’re living through a moment of extreme conflict. The US government is literally building concentration camps, bombing schools, and protecting child rapists. People are getting snatched off the street.In this environment, it’s natural to look for allies. Even those of us who have embraced progressive ideology have still been brainwashed and indoctrinated to believe the conservative mentality is the norm. Those ideas were pummeled into us from the first moment we were forced to proudly repeat the pledge of allegiance over and over.We desperately want to believe the lies we were taught about our country. But in this critical moment, we have to instead dedicate ourselves to uncovering the truth no matter how uncomfortable it might be.When cruelty has been established as a social norm, the people who profit from that cruelty only have to protect the status quo.Enter the “never MAGA” Republicans.This group has existed ever since Captain Ketchup ear first descended in his golden elevator. “Never MAGA” got up behind podiums. They ran for office. They published endless articles. They even testified before congress.But have they actually achieved anything? Fascism is alive and well, while “Never MAGA” sits around shaking their head and counting their money. It’s noteworthy that the most petty, spiteful man in American history never goes after them. There has been no retribution for the January 6th committee. Is it possible that the Republicans assigned to that effort were tasked with sabotage? After all, that’s the fundamental Republican practice when it comes to anything.Other than words, what have they offered to make us think we should trust them? Why are liberals giving Republicans so much money for actions that ultimately lead to nothing?Throughout the years, the legitimate, underfunded progressives have looked to “Never MAGA” with hope. But rather than lead us to salvation, they’ve stood on the sidelines as we’ve marched right into the rotten heart of fascism.“Never MAGA” has built up huge platforms where they sit behind desks in their gated communities and lecture us on how we can’t blame “all” Republicans for the deplorable actions of those in power. From my seat on the frontlines of this conflict and as the target of Republican economic terrorism, it seems as if all “Never MAGA” has managed to do is prevent us from embracing the true action that might yet lead us to victory.We keep getting more oppressed, and “Never MAGA” keeps getting richer.Whenever I talk about this, I receive criticisms from people who defend the “Never MAGA” movement. They tell me that these groups “understand conservative ideology.” The way I look at it, these groups lecture on conservative ideology from the viewpoint of rose tinted glasses. These are groups that have profited from cruelty in the past.My perspective is from one who has been abused by conservatives. Granted, neither of these viewpoints tells the whole story, but only mine is deliberately censored from the dialogue.When was the last time you saw a “Never MAGA” publication platform a marginalized voice? They simply refuse to engage with challenges to their ideology. That’s not activism. That’s indoctrination.All they do is criticize their fellow Republicans. But in doing this, they normalize even the most extreme comments those Republicans make. “Never MAGA” has contributed to the removal of virtually all rational content from our media ecosystem.Trusting them is an act of wishful thinking, and that’s a polite way of putting it.At some point decent people have to recognize that even though we’re in need of allies, we can’t invite the enemy through the gate to sabotage us from the inside.“Never MAGA” is more interested in shaming us for denouncing all republicans than stopping MAGA from murdering people in the street.By any metric, “Never MAGA” has completely failed in their stated objective of halting the march to fascism. They’re either completely incompetent or complicit. In either case, you shouldn’t sponsor them. Over the years, I too have been a progressive activist and I haven’t made a significant impact either. But the difference between me and the “Never MAGA” Republicans is that they have had the advantage of immense fortunes, which they acquired during their allegiance to other Republican regimes, and they’ve also had access to political power. Why is it that we’ve never seen “Never MAGA” Republicans launch investigations into the crimes of the MAGA members they claim to revile? All we have to do is watch the news for five seconds, and there is evidence of lawless behavior that needs to be prosecuted. “Never MAGA” Republicans have been in positions where they could prosecute these criminals, and yet they never do.Personally, I believe the true purpose of “Never MAGA” is to discredit and defund the activists who are aware of the urgency of the moment“Never MAGA” is always the first to come on independent platforms to ensure that no publication that actually promotes effective activism can ever gain any momentum. If “Never MAGA” was serious, they would be quite happy to discuss strategies with people who have a fundamentally different ideology. But that’s not the case.Instead, these platforms deliberately freeze out anyone who does not march in lockstep with their beliefs. I’ve personally been blocked by dozens of them. They have no interest in discourse.They have no interest in elevating other ideas or opinions. They want to protect the status quo of cruel conservative ideology and that’s all. They are Republican in every sense of the word, and they are quite happy to maintain a corrupt system that allows them to profit.They claim not all Republicans are alike, or that MAGA doesn’t represent “real” Republicans. They insist on defending conservative ideology as if it doesn’t inevitably lead to authoritarian abuses. They lecture us, and insist we have an obligation to separate the “good” actors from the bad, even though there is no evidence of any good actions on their side. They exhaust us with their insistence that they deserve credit despite all the atrocities happening in plain sight. They engage in these arguments to shame us and distract us from the abuses we’re being forced to endure.Even though they claim to be opponents, their actions suggest they are committed to normalizing MAGA behaviors. They always stop short of effective criticism, and they make lazy suggestions that the end of this regime is “inevitable,” rather than an objective we can only achieve through unity, community, and effective strategy.We have have to stop allowing ourselves to be deceived. Our salvation does not lie among the members of the radical right. We have to recognize they are bad faith actors, and direct our attention to the people who are truly committed to creating a better world.Those are the ones who platform diverse opinions and who listen rather than lecture. It’s delusional to believe anyone who has spent their entire life benefitting from the systemic oppression of conservative ideology is suddenly going to switch sides.They’re not.Above all else, “Never MAGA” is quite happy to continue to cede territory to the most incompetent, cruel, and abusive men who have ever lived. They are knocking at our doors claiming to be our friends, but all they want is to steal the liberal money that might have been more effectively spent elsewhere.“Never MAGA” is rich enough. They don’t need your donations.At the heart of everything, they are Republicans. The only thing Republicans stand for is silencing the voices that disagree with them and enriching themselves in the process. As far as I’m concerned, “Never MAGA” is nothing but another deceitful Republican grift.Thanks for your support: 30% off 💙 40% off 💙 50% off 💙 60% offI'd Rather Be Writing is a reader-supported publication. 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