By John Q. Hosedrinker 
Senator Josh Hawley, who publicly denounced Medicaid cuts as “morally wrong,” voted in favor of a budget reconciliation bill containing an estimated $930 billion in cuts to the program. The bill’s tax cuts, disproportionately benefiting high-income households, were predicated on the false promise of expiration, with Republicans now admitting their prior deception. Furthermore, the reinstatement of state and local tax deductions, though temporary, is another example of misleading budgeting practices. Ultimately, under real scoring, the Senate bill is projected to significantly increase the budget deficit, yet the Republican’s preferred scoring method attempts to hide this fact.
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The Republicans Are About to Get Away With the Most Outrageous Lies is, in many ways, a headline that’s been playing on repeat for a long time. It’s not like this is some new phenomenon; it’s a well-established pattern. They’ve been building a political strategy on a foundation of misinformation and outright fabrications for ages. It’s a bit like watching an old movie, except the plot keeps getting replayed.
The core issue seems to be a fundamental disconnect between what’s real and what’s being presented. The fact that a bill might be deeply unpopular, yet Republicans are still pushing it through, is a glaring sign that they might not fear consequences. They appear to be operating on the assumption that accountability doesn’t matter anymore, or at least, that it won’t matter enough to affect their power. This is a worrying prospect for the future of democracy.
The short-term memory of the electorate plays a significant role here. The voters who support the Republican Party are, unfortunately, very easily conned. By the time the next election rolls around, the outrage over current events is often forgotten, or effectively re-framed by the right-wing media ecosystem. The strategy appears to rely on blaming Democrats for problems and hoping that the base, conditioned by years of propaganda, will simply accept the narrative.
The constant barrage of untrue statements and conspiracy theories, amplified by dedicated media outlets, creates a parallel reality for a significant portion of the population. They live in an alternate universe where facts are subjective and truth is whatever serves the current political agenda. This is facilitated by propaganda, lies, and short-term memories. This is not a new development. The playbook has been used for decades, with the rise of the Nazi Party as a chilling historical parallel.
It’s about power, plain and simple. Truth is secondary. If the two conflict, power wins. We’ve seen this time and time again. The tax cuts at the risk of insolvency. The constant cuts to social services. They continue to use the same tricks but it still works because the right-wing media is their filter, and many of their constituents will only believe the Fox News reality.
The phrase “about to” feels almost quaint at this point. It’s not as if they’re just starting this; they’ve been doing it for years. They have been getting away with it, by some measure. There are instances of voter suppression, questionable judicial appointments, and the erosion of democratic norms. These are not isolated incidents; they’re part of a larger pattern.
The whole thing is reminiscent of a cult of personality, not a political party. The focus is on loyalty to the leader and the ideology. Policy takes a backseat. This is what happens when the attention span of a significant portion of the population is limited, making them easily manipulated by simplistic messaging.
This is also further amplified when looking at the blatant corruption and dishonesty of their actions. They seem to care very little about things like the truth. There seems to be no real accountability for the actions of the Republican Party, so it’s no wonder they are being so brazen.
Ultimately, the question is whether this pattern can be broken. Will the electorate wake up and see through the lies? Or will they continue to fall for the same old tricks? It seems the answer, sadly, remains uncertain. This is a dangerous game.