THE NEW ABNORMAL

Republicans Now Have an ‘Incentive to Be Terrible’

In the past, the GOP might pretend not to be terrible, Molly Jong-Fast says on The New Abnormal. But now? “The people who are terrible actually raise the most money,” she quips.

After four years of Donald Trump and the ultimate hangover that ensued, has the Republican Party learned from its mistakes?

Far from it, Molly Jong-Fast says on this episode of The New Abnormal podcast. “Trump definitely did something in the Republican Party. Right?” Molly asks. “They were always bad. They would do terrible things, but they would pretend not to be terrible. And now there’s like an incentive to be terrible. Like the people who are terrible actually raise the most money.”

Still, Democratic Rep. Mondaire Jones, who represents New York’s 17th District, says that while he faces an uphill battle against the Republicans and despite the disappointments of recent events, including the repeal of Roe v. Wade, there is hope on the horizon.

“I’m one of the poorer members of Congress and we need more working-class people in Congress. It makes a world of difference,” he says.

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“I have a lot of discussions about the right to an abortion and other fundamental rights like marriage equality, which have either been taken away already by the Supreme Court majority or are on the chopping block.

“These and some of the other things, including the fight to end gun violence, is stuff that my work is directly bearing on right now.”

Of the upcoming August primary, the freshman congressman says he is actively competing for every single vote in a new district after partisan redistricting would have pitted him against progressive Rep. Jamaal Bowman. Now Jones is facing off against former Mayor Bill de Blasio in a crowded field to represent Lower Manhattan and Park Slope.

“I’m not taking any community for granted,” Jones tells Molly. “I’m working really hard. We are well positioned to win this race. I’ve got the clearest path to victory of anyone.”

THE NEW ABNORMAL

Imagine What It’s Like to Be Anywhere Near Trump Right Now

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Then, Tim Miller, MSNBC analyst and the author of Why We Did It: A Travelogue from the Republican Road to Hell, reflects on what he learned about the Republican Party.

Miller, who in 2020 was described as one of the “most digitally fluent and social-media savvy” GOP operatives by Politico, told Molly that in his experience, “not all these people were sociopaths. Not all of them are bigots. Some of them are. There are plenty of that guy in there, but there are also people that were trying to rationalize going along with something they knew was bad.”

“I think that is hopefully gonna teach us something about the next round that’s coming in 2024, and maybe people who are outside of politics would get some value out of that.”

But ultimately, says Miller, “we’re a year and a half in, and there’s not really a lot of signs that anything has been done to make sure we’re better off the next time Donald Trump himself or somebody like him tries the anti-democratic nonsense that he tried. That’s concerning.”

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Martha MercerEditor

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