Jonathan V. Last

I mean – Yes, they have fought for decades on these principles. I mean, the Republican Party has been utterly rock solid, consistent on opposing economic redistribution for rich to poor for decades. And, you know, they paid a heavy price in the past and will continue to do so.

I mean – Yes, they have fought for decades on these principles. I mean, the Republican Party has been utterly rock solid, consistent on opposing economic redistribution for rich to poor for decades. And, you know, they paid a heavy price in the past and will continue to do so.

I'm not saying that they wish they could keep the people on health care. I guess I do think that there's more of just a straight cultish political element like straight into this. I was listening to Bannon yesterday. Bannon can, you know, use the muscle to muscle these guys into not to voting against stuff. We've seen that. I mean, Bannon basically deposed a speaker by himself with Matt Gaetz.

I'm not saying that they wish they could keep the people on health care. I guess I do think that there's more of just a straight cultish political element like straight into this. I was listening to Bannon yesterday. Bannon can, you know, use the muscle to muscle these guys into not to voting against stuff. We've seen that. I mean, Bannon basically deposed a speaker by himself with Matt Gaetz.

I'm not saying that they wish they could keep the people on health care. I guess I do think that there's more of just a straight cultish political element like straight into this. I was listening to Bannon yesterday. Bannon can, you know, use the muscle to muscle these guys into not to voting against stuff. We've seen that. I mean, Bannon basically deposed a speaker by himself with Matt Gaetz.

Right. So he didn't do that. Yeah. But still on the merits. Bannon was basically like, we should have increased taxes on the rich more. There should have been fewer cuts to Medicaid. There should have been cuts in other places so that we would have got the deficit number down. Like, that's basically the Bannon position on this.

Right. So he didn't do that. Yeah. But still on the merits. Bannon was basically like, we should have increased taxes on the rich more. There should have been fewer cuts to Medicaid. There should have been cuts in other places so that we would have got the deficit number down. Like, that's basically the Bannon position on this.

Right. So he didn't do that. Yeah. But still on the merits. Bannon was basically like, we should have increased taxes on the rich more. There should have been fewer cuts to Medicaid. There should have been cuts in other places so that we would have got the deficit number down. Like, that's basically the Bannon position on this.

And I feel like had Bannon been the chief of staff and had Trump tried to jam that through, I think they would have jammed it through. Do you not think that's right? You think there would have been a principled objection among House Republicans to maintaining Medicaid and letting tax rates rise on the rich? I don't know. It's a counterfactual, so I don't know.

And I feel like had Bannon been the chief of staff and had Trump tried to jam that through, I think they would have jammed it through. Do you not think that's right? You think there would have been a principled objection among House Republicans to maintaining Medicaid and letting tax rates rise on the rich? I don't know. It's a counterfactual, so I don't know.

And I feel like had Bannon been the chief of staff and had Trump tried to jam that through, I think they would have jammed it through. Do you not think that's right? You think there would have been a principled objection among House Republicans to maintaining Medicaid and letting tax rates rise on the rich? I don't know. It's a counterfactual, so I don't know.

they've pushed in this direction. They haven't laid down the hammer, as you said, but they pushed pretty hard. They said, like, what if we just do like a small tax increase on the rich, just to give us a talking point, right? Just to give us something to say, like, hey, we raised the tax rate by two points and the rich are paying their share. It's not all the sacrifice going on the poor.

they've pushed in this direction. They haven't laid down the hammer, as you said, but they pushed pretty hard. They said, like, what if we just do like a small tax increase on the rich, just to give us a talking point, right? Just to give us something to say, like, hey, we raised the tax rate by two points and the rich are paying their share. It's not all the sacrifice going on the poor.

they've pushed in this direction. They haven't laid down the hammer, as you said, but they pushed pretty hard. They said, like, what if we just do like a small tax increase on the rich, just to give us a talking point, right? Just to give us something to say, like, hey, we raised the tax rate by two points and the rich are paying their share. It's not all the sacrifice going on the poor.

Even if the overall thrust was still very regressive, you'd still have a talking point. And House Republicans just absolutely refuse to go along with There was almost no support for that anywhere. So, I mean, I don't think they completely lack power. I think this is the deal.

Even if the overall thrust was still very regressive, you'd still have a talking point. And House Republicans just absolutely refuse to go along with There was almost no support for that anywhere. So, I mean, I don't think they completely lack power. I think this is the deal.

Even if the overall thrust was still very regressive, you'd still have a talking point. And House Republicans just absolutely refuse to go along with There was almost no support for that anywhere. So, I mean, I don't think they completely lack power. I think this is the deal.

The reason the House Republicans have been willing to overlook the corruption in the authoritarianism and even some of these old line Republicans don't love that stuff, but they're willing to live with it because there is a payoff in the end. And this is the payoff. You take away that payoff and the whole bargain that holds together this party unravels.

The reason the House Republicans have been willing to overlook the corruption in the authoritarianism and even some of these old line Republicans don't love that stuff, but they're willing to live with it because there is a payoff in the end. And this is the payoff. You take away that payoff and the whole bargain that holds together this party unravels.

The reason the House Republicans have been willing to overlook the corruption in the authoritarianism and even some of these old line Republicans don't love that stuff, but they're willing to live with it because there is a payoff in the end. And this is the payoff. You take away that payoff and the whole bargain that holds together this party unravels.