Term ‘out-MAGA’ takes center stage in Democratic attacks on GOP

NEWS AND OPINION:

Political terms come and go when elections are afoot.

This week, we shall consider the term “out-MAGA,” which more or less entered the political lexicon when President Biden predicted in August that Republican presidential hopefuls would try to “out-MAGA” one another in the first GOP debate.

And the term lives on, in this case referring to a designated pair of those Republican presidential hopefuls.

“Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis are desperately trying to out-MAGA each other with their support for a nationwide abortion ban and cruel abortion bans across the country, including the extreme ban passed by Iowa Republicans earlier this year that was made possible by Donald Trump’s crusade to overturn Roe v. Wade,” Democratic National Committee press secretary Sarafina Chitika said in a written statement shared with Inside the Beltway.

Meanwhile, it could get interesting if Republican candidates try to out-MAGA Mr. Trump — who launched the acronym for “Make America Great Again” during his 2016 campaign for the White House.

THE ANGER FACTOR

Are Republican voters angry at the moment? One longtime Republican source thinks so.

Former Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus and ABC’s “This Week” host Jonathan Karl had a conversation about the current mood of Republican voters.

The host wanted to know if GOPers were still in a feisty mood — one that was left over from the days when President Trump was in office. They are, it appears.

“I think you’re all misreading the electorate. I think that the electorate is not looking for less blood. I think they’re looking for more blood,” Mr. Priebus responded.

“I think that people are more angry about crime than they’ve ever been before. I think they’re more angry about the border, the fentanyl, the sanctuary cities, the boys competing against girls in sports. School is out of control. I think — as I’ve said before, people are looking for a bigger middle finger this time than they were in 2016,” Mr. Priebus said.

CHRISTIE ON THE MOVE

Republican presidential hopeful Chris Christie begins a four-day campaign blitz in New Hampshire on Tuesday — and the push appears revved up, to say the least. Here’s the quick take on the candidate’s 96-hour itinerary in the Granite State.

He’ll host a “Tell It Like It Is” town hall in Bedford on Tuesday, followed by four appearances on Wednesday.

The former New Jersey governor will present an “Addiction Policy Speech” in Rochester followed by a tour and a town hall at Turbocam International — a manufacturer of turbomachinery components in Barrington.

Then it’s on to a “New Hampshire State House Beer Caucus Q&A” at the Sea Dog Brewing Co. in Exeter in late afternoon, followed by a “Tell It Like It Is” town hall in Portsmouth.

The next morning, Mr. Christie will attend a private “Breakfast House Party,” also in Portsmouth.

His campaign slogan, by the way, is “Because the Truth Matters.” Find his campaign at ChrisChristie.com.

VIVEK HAS A ‘BONANZA’

It’s busy, busy, busy elsewhere. A simple statement from one Republican presidential campaign offers a window on yet another candidate who is in blitz mode, beginning Tuesday.

“2024 Republican presidential candidate and political outsider Vivek Ramaswamy will continue campaigning in Iowa, embarking on another five-day bonanza with a lineup of 38 scheduled stops. This follows a highly active week, where Ramaswamy announced he would hold events in 29 counties in five days,” the campaign said in a written statement to Inside the Beltway.

Here are the cities and towns in Iowa on Mr. Ramaswamy’s “bonanza” tour, which began at 10 a.m. Tuesday:

Webster City, Fort Dodge, Humboldt, Algona, Forest City, Garner, Mason City, Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Grundy Center, Allison, Hampton, Iowa Falls, Marshalltown, Pella, Washington, Fairfield, Mount Pleasant, Columbus Junction, Walcott, Davenport, Winterset, Leon, Mount Ayr, Creston, Corning, Bedford, Clarinda, Red Oak, Hamburg, Toledo, Vinton, Independence, Fayette, Deborah, Cresco, New Hampton and Waverly.

Find Mr. Ramaswamy’s campaign at Vivek24.com.

SCROOGE 101

Hillsdale College is offering a free, timely six-lecture course centered on “A Christmas Carol,” perhaps the most beloved story penned by Charles Dickens.

“The course is taught by the excellent Dwight Lindley, an English professor here at Hillsdale who loves both reading Dickens and teaching Dickens. In this six-lecture course, Dwight will help you understand more fully the causes of Ebenezer Scrooge’s conversion in the novel and what the story teaches us about leading a happy and complete life,” the college noted in a statement.

Find the course at Hillsdale.edu — check under the “Courses” pull-down menu. You will find other courses covering politics, foreign policy, religion, history, literature, economics and more.

POLL DU JOUR

• 12% of registered U.S. voters trust the news media “a great deal” to report accurate information about political elections.

• 19% of those who voted for Joe Biden and 5% of those who voted for Donald Trump agree.

• 33% of registered U.S. voters trust the news media “a fair amount” to report accurate information about political elections.

• 51% of Biden voters and 13% of Trump voters agree.

• 26% of registered U.S. voters do not trust the news media “much” to report accurate information about political elections.

• 22% of Biden voters and 29% of Trump voters agree.

• 27% of registered U.S. voters do not trust the news media “at all” to report accurate information about political elections.

• 7% of Biden voters and 51% of Trump voters agree.

• 2% of registered U.S. voters are not sure about the issue.

• 2% of Biden voters and 2% of Trump voters agree.

SOURCE: An Economist/YouGov poll of 1,320 registered U.S. voters conducted Dec. 9-12.

• Follow Jennifer Harper on X @HarperBulletin, on Facebook @HarperUniverse.