INFLECTION: The Backlash Begins As Elon Goes Wild
February 21, 2025
Against the backdrop of a month of chaos and destruction, something began to shift more or less in the middle of this week. I don’t want to overstate what it portends in the short term. Elon Musk remains firmly in the saddle. And even as many of Trump’s advisors grow concerned about the impact of Musk’s rampage, Donald Trump himself appears to be maintaining his support. The moment was captured yesterday at what are now the more or less constant CPACs where Steve Bannon tossed off a Nazi salute and Musk appeared in a “Dark MAGA” baseball cap sporting a chainsaw and basking in the adulation of the MAGA/CPAC faithful awash in the joy a certain kind of individual derives from destruction and pain. The picture itself is a key signpost in the story. Make a note of it. Musk himself posted it to Twitter, labeled with “The DogeFather” and flexing with the text: “This is a real picture.”
But there’s something else going on — not so much the tide turning as a certain battle being joined. Beginning this week, local TV stations around the country have begun running human interest stories about veterans, members of military families or Trump supporters getting fired as part of Elon’s purge. Meanwhile, we can see a growing cleavage between what congressional Republicans are saying in Washington and what they’re saying back in their districts.
The tenor of the moment first registered in a series of polls which came out midweek showing the first signs of Trump’s approval rating dipping into negative territory. I don’t think we should make too much of those poll numbers either way. Trump’s aggregate approval numbers had already dropped about five points just over the last month. And some of that is simply the inauguration support subsiding. What the polls did was puncture the impression within the mainstream media that political gravity has been suspended or canceled along with all the government contracts DOGE has left in its wake. Meanwhile, you’re seeing House Republicans in all but the most MAGA districts get nervous about what this titanic battle was always going to come down to: your health care coverage for Elon’s tax cuts.
A constituent who’d been fired in Alaska confronted freshman Rep. Nick Begich (R-AK) about losing their job, inspiring Begich to lamely reply that he was only in Congress and couldn’t do anything about budget cuts. Two-term Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) got grilled about the massive round of firings at CDC in Atlanta and awkwardly responded that “a lot of the work they do is duplicitous with AI,” which led to a new round of boos from the crowd. Rep. Troy Balderson (R) from Ohio said simply that the wave of executive orders and mass terminations were “out of control.”
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), who somehow still gets billed as a “moderate” notwithstanding her hard MAGA turn, is out there throwing up red flags about cuts to Medicaid which will float the big tax cuts and calling out the Freedom Caucus as running the show, despite the the size of their caucus. Remember that Republicans can only lose literally a couple votes to pass anything through this House. That reminds you of the instability of this juggernaut and the power in Democrats’ hands. If the likes of Malliotakis are getting spooked, she’s far from the only one. Hard MAGA districts are among the most reliant on Medicaid and Obamacare. And not just non-MAGA people in those districts but the MAGAs themselves.
Hard for anyone other than the true cultist to accept them losing their job, or that they have to make room for Grandma/Grandpa in their house now that the Medicaid Payment to the Nursing Homes are stopping…
Or the Farmers who are waking up to all that Government socialism that they get, called subsidies…
Or, the person who was about to enter a scientific trial on a new medicine that might save their lives.but has been stopped due to the cuts in research..
Or, those young people who applied to the scholarship program for land grant colleges…scholarships for those who actually want to study agriculture and make helping our American Farmer their life’s work….only to be told that the scholarship program has been cancelled…
Or the young people, who come from the cream of the crop of law school graduates, who applied and were accepted into the Justice Department’s career program, only to be told that it was cancelled.
That, it’s all OK , because Apartheid Clyde and his ilk, will get their tax cuts
BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
MeidasTouch
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The screens at the Department of Housing and Urban Development were playing this video this morning
https://bsky.app/profile/meidastouch.com/post/3liwom2nyjk2y
NR_Garrett (@NR_Garrett) posted at 5:26 AM on Sun, Feb 23, 2025:
My only solace is that GOP orgy of Government cuts will finally expose to carelessly ignorant white people just how much they depend on actual Government.
Trump need to be blameless will leave party in complete shambles over next 2 yrs
Dems need to sit back & let it all happen
(https://x.com/NR_Garrett/status/1893623404881670450?t=t36gyQ4XcGwoh0-R6adClQ&s=03)
AskAubry 🦋 🐆🦝 (@ask_aubry) posted at 8:00 PM on Sat, Feb 22, 2025:
I feel sorry for the kids but these parents knew exactly what he was and were fine with him hurting other people’s kids because they thought theirs were safe. https://t.co/p3P8ptHhIo
(https://x.com/ask_aubry/status/1893481002648961457?t=N-i3NrjFLo52tfqJMjc7bQ&s=03)
Propane Jane™ 🔥💣 (@docrocktex26) posted at 6:25 AM on Sun, Feb 23, 2025:
And what a lot of folk don’t realize is IEP/504 plans aren’t just for kids who have what are traditionally thought of as profound special needs or disabilities, tons of kids with ADHD and/or chronic discipline issues are on a 504 plan too.
(https://x.com/docrocktex26/status/1893638325090533399?t=tCLIs1Ve6swDSg36pYq_Ow&s=03)
ola (@olarchi) posted at 10:24 PM on Sat, Feb 22, 2025:
The red states are suing to end 504 federal disability protections already.
Parents are already in disarray https://t.co/NoviewIx71
(https://x.com/olarchi/status/1893517242848940463?t=3ZYxDf13rWNrG25BjZtXNg&s=03)
Propane Jane™ 🔥💣 (@docrocktex26) posted at 6:32 AM on Sun, Feb 23, 2025:
I’ve worked extensively with families on Texas Medicaid and though the benefits can still leave much to be desired, these folk (especially rural MAGA) will be up shit creek with no paddle if their benefits are drastically cut or eliminated. Either way, we tried to tell them. 🤷🏾♀️
(https://x.com/docrocktex26/status/1893640003663601751?t=o_Qr4yv32w76cXSPlwgZBQ&s=03)
Fly Sistah 🪷 (@Fly_Sistah) posted at 6:56 AM on Sun, Feb 23, 2025:
Those parents/grandparents are just learning that DEI diversity, equity, and inclusion, means inclusion of children with special needs. People caring for special needs kids thought only OTHER kids would suffer. https://t.co/BOIiIYKNGe
(https://x.com/Fly_Sistah/status/1893646125048946813?t=AKLYnCtbVfUvpm79wGx63w&s=03)
Paul Lambert (@sdterp) posted at 8:37 PM on Sat, Feb 22, 2025:
That’s the point I keep making. They were fine…gleeful even, thinking others will suffer and their lives ruined. It just wasn’t supposed to happen to them. Zero compassion.
(https://x.com/sdterp/status/1893490369469522318?t=OETMiSJOeQRiVvHU35wtGQ&s=03)
Judy Ellis (@JudyWhaleCove) posted at 8:32 PM on Sat, Feb 22, 2025:
Yep. They were so busy salivating at the promise of gleefully watching “others” – *their fellow Americans*! – suffer, they didn’t stop to think that any of this could touch *them*.
But all “fine Christians” no doubt.
(https://x.com/JudyWhaleCove/status/1893489067087564847?t=RUE4rX2BTLkSBrJ75ODy0A&s=03)
MMcConnell (@mattlogical) posted at 11:49 PM on Sat, Feb 22, 2025:
I feel for them as well. Kind of.
Look, every Trump and Republican voter voted KNOWING and WANTING trump Rs to put a hurting on someone they were convinced to hate. They just thought it would be limited to those “other” people.
(https://x.com/mattlogical/status/1893538685108527389?t=-2QIHDKcu1dldwjONxZnKQ&s=03)
🏴 Llewcalon 🏴 (@Llewcalon) posted at 4:49 AM on Sun, Feb 23, 2025:
Next, it’ll be MAGA women saying how they didn’t know DEI benefited them when they can’t get a job because they’re only hiring white men due to having no DEI programme anymore. This is what happens when critical thinking isn’t taught anymore.
(https://x.com/Llewcalon/status/1893614038673711279?t=zv57nXgkwBuB0Lh0u3hHyg&s=03)
Jerhee W (@JerheeW) posted at 9:36 PM on Sat, Feb 22, 2025:
Yep. Democrats vote for themselves and others, wanting all of us to have better lives. Republicans vote wanting the best for themselves and are more than willing to screw over others in the process.
(https://x.com/JerheeW/status/1893505302365913343?t=tucEyyCSARFIcaVgcltGsw&s=03)
Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) posted at 8:18 AM on Sun, Feb 23, 2025:
Witkoff: “The war didn’t need to happen. It was provoked. It doesn’t necessarily mean it was provoked by the Russians. There were all kinds of conversations back then about Ukraine joining NATO. That didn’t need to happen. It basically became a threat to the Russians.” https://t.co/ZimoQk7wbV
(https://x.com/atrupar/status/1893666694028992601?t=G5DEkcLrUJsmy-SZI9chlw&s=03)
Adam Schiff (@SenAdamSchiff) posted at 0:42 PM on Sat, Feb 22, 2025:
The world is watching Donald Trump abandon Ukraine and our European allies to curry favor with the Kremlin.
All of us — Democrats, Republicans, elected officials and ordinary citizens — must push back with every tool we have if we are to save our own democracy and others. https://t.co/6iGWEqTwWt
(https://x.com/SenAdamSchiff/status/1893370720794669129?t=Fr8CEzi3q9r5TVTL2FH_VQ&s=03)
Acyn (@Acyn) posted at 7:43 PM on Sun, Feb 23, 2025
Crockett: Right now they have a Trump trifecta. So when and if the government shuts down, it is going to be on Trump and his minions. It is not going to be on us as Democrats because we weren’t elected to gut social security, to gut medicaid and medicare, to gut USAID, to gut any of these programs that they’re going after. That’s not what we campaigned on. So that’s not what we’re going to do.
https://t.co/h4batj2fNL
(https://x.com/Acyn/status/1893839103801860466?t=BsL5jvsECIexxJtd50idMg&s=03)
Eagles Nation (@PHLEaglesNation) posted at 5:28 PM on Sun, Feb 23, 2025:
According to “a well-placed insider,” discussions between #Eagles players and their front office resulted in a “massive no” when asked if they would accept an invitation to the White House to honor their Super Bowl Victory, per @TheSun. https://t.co/WOSCa4ZQ3C
(https://x.com/PHLEaglesNation/status/1893805067460894870?t=eNZTr9GhjSVxLSK7xufeTg&s=03)
Tim 🇺🇸 (@trouble_man90) posted at 4:24 PM on Sun, Feb 23, 2025:
We’re living with fascism right this very second because you all decided that fascism was an acceptable punishment for people not liking Bernie.
(https://x.com/trouble_man90/status/1893789045106335951?t=OdWGFSLZ4X3LEXM3wum84w&s=03)
Acyn (@Acyn) posted at 7:36 PM on Sun, Feb 23, 2025:
Crockett: Our strength lies in standing together. That actually applies to Democrats across the board. The more that we can stand together, the stronger we are. Everyone knows united we stand, divided we fall. We were divided in the election. We can’t allow them to divide us at this moment
https://t.co/HQWhVjNTcA
(https://x.com/Acyn/status/1893837409634357260?t=YSlWqzuaiN6fz21Xntoq2Q&s=03)
Daniel Goldman (@danielsgoldman) posted at 9:10 AM on Mon, Feb 24, 2025:
Hypocrisy and shamelessness are features, not bugs, for the GOP.
But if they are not going to stand up for congressional power and the Constitution while in control, then we Democrats are ready to fight the illegal Trump/Musk power grab. https://t.co/wCNj0jmCRO
(https://x.com/danielsgoldman/status/1894042337325515179?t=Tj2pfP3HIl_9znQLoXcbSw&s=03)
emptywheel (check) (@emptywheel) posted at 9:09 AM on Mon, Feb 24, 2025:
Hey @LaraLeaTrump?
Why didn’t you tell GOP voters that you let China hack the RNC?
https://t.co/0iaSLFLCUO
(https://x.com/emptywheel/status/1894041996672614658?t=684u0S9yp-_DTmDEOSN6FQ&s=03)
Daniel Goldman (@danielsgoldman) posted at 7:36 AM on Mon, Feb 24, 2025:
For a party that preaches “meritocracy,” this Administration is shockingly unqualified and incompetent.
Hiring based on wealth and loyalty alone is literally the opposite of a meritocracy.
(https://x.com/danielsgoldman/status/1894018612026827151?t=34CjeP_f4LYKWiTA2psjbg&s=03)
Variety
@Variety
Roberta Flack, ’70s R&B Vocalist Known for ‘Killing Me Softly,’ Dies at 88
https://x.com/Variety/status/1894044998351409350
Good Morning Everyone 😊😊😊