Someone posted a note about the YR chat on a Facebook page related to the town I live in, so there were many MAGA responses — all of them, in fact. And I read all of them. And I am here to report that there is not a unanimity of opinion among MAGAns. Sure, there were some who took the No big deal, boys will be boys, Democrats do much worse line.
Racism has always been the common denominator that binds MAGA. Talking heads on cable news blame the Democrats for abandoning the working middle class (ie white people). That is Bullshit. Trump emboldened the hatred and the white working class that used to not care about politics all crawled out from under their rocks and became this big club so they all feel safe to spew what we saw on these chats.
It will be ignored, and will have no impact whatsoever on "normie" Republicans who are largely getting what they want from Trump/MAGA (own the libs, reduce taxes, deregulate).
Absolutely, Trump/MAGA give "normie" Republicans and the Christian right what they want and in return they give them their vote. Selling their souls is worth it. Sad.
Btw, to anyone who might read this who either is a Republican supporting Trump's agenda or the family member of a Republican, the gnawing feeling they experience at the back of their head that "something's not quite right", the guilt that might sometimes come in the form of nightmares, the unusual degree of irritability when someone gainsays you, all these ARE the stirrings of conscience, the grumblings of indigestible human kindness that will not allow itself to be fully ignored without consequence. No one knows this as fully as the perdon who, down deep, knows he has betrayed his own values. Psychopaths may not experience these rumblings, but I doubt that all Republican supporters of Trump are that. The presence of love and family connection proves they are not heartless, certainly not soulless. These original sources, Heart and Soul, are the parents of conscience.
It is disgusting that these people care absolutely about no one but themselves. They don’t give a shit how the gross languages harms their fellow Americans because they don’t consider them AMERICANS like they are! The Republican Party has in common one thing: RACISM. It has been the reason they’ve existed for quite a long time and no matter what their so called message is, the only underlying message is always racism. They are gunning for the end of the Voting Rights Act so they can redraw their maps so more white republicans get power (preferably white men). Hitler would he proud of these fascists. They are all repulsive.
For what it's worth, the Kansas GOP (not by any stretch a trad Republican group) swiftly disbanded the KS Young Republicans organization, and the vice chair of the KSYR was fired from his state government job.
Jonathan Chait has an interesting take on Vance excusing the Young Republicans group chat. It goes like this:
“… When a political ally does something controversial, there are three ways to respond: defend it, repudiate it, or deflect attention away from it. Defense is the obvious option if you think the action is acceptable enough to the public. Repudiation makes sense if the matter is so toxic that you can’t afford to keep the guilty party in your coalition.
Deflection is the response of choice only when the behavior of an ally is too toxic to defend, but so widespread within your coalition that you cannot afford to criticize it...”
Chait then says that Vance chose Deflection because he instinctively knows that the vast majority of young Republicans think and speak the same way those on the group chat do. Thus, if Vance wants to inherit the throne after Trump, he has to stay in their good graces. This is the future of the GOP.
VANCE’S TELLING DEFENSE OF A RACIST GROUP CHAT
How a trove of bigoted and violent texts among young Republicans indicates the future of the party.
Interesting headline for the story, because the party doesn't really seem to be trying to respond at all.
There are just a few professional chatterers who seem to think it should.
There's no "split." The party is fine with white nationalism and chatting about mass murder and such, and there's nothing wrong with that.
It just means the only reasonable thing to do is laugh at them when they try to "clutch pearls" about how calling them fascists is an incitement to violence.
All these guys ‘safe spaces’ to say vile shit and everyone should just get over it and stop ‘pearl-clutching’ as JD Vance echoes the ‘it’s just locker room talk’ of Trump circa 2016.
Remember how that ‘don’t make such a big deal’ out of the Access Hollywood confessions of a self-professed sexual predator turned out when elected to high office a decade ago and then was rehired?
Who do we think these dudes model their behaviour after, surely not POTUS, right?
Ignoring it doesn’t make it go away, it makes it worse and allows it to multiply, unchecked.
...also 'vulgar'.
Of the chatters: “disbanding them would deprive participants of the self-love safe spaces they need.” Snowflake much? So much hypocrisy!
Someone posted a note about the YR chat on a Facebook page related to the town I live in, so there were many MAGA responses — all of them, in fact. And I read all of them. And I am here to report that there is not a unanimity of opinion among MAGAns. Sure, there were some who took the No big deal, boys will be boys, Democrats do much worse line.
But that wasn’t the only response.
Others said Fake News, it never happened.
Racism has always been the common denominator that binds MAGA. Talking heads on cable news blame the Democrats for abandoning the working middle class (ie white people). That is Bullshit. Trump emboldened the hatred and the white working class that used to not care about politics all crawled out from under their rocks and became this big club so they all feel safe to spew what we saw on these chats.
One thing the current and aspiring leaders of the Young Republicans have in common is that they are male, white, fat and wear poorly fitting suits.
JD says they are young and say and do stupid things. So what is JD's excuse?
I try to follow a don’t be an a—hole policy.
1. Don’t be an a—hole.
2. Encourage, by words or example, a—holes to stop being a—holes.
3. Don’t try to cancel those who say things you disagree with, or even hate. Address such matters with words, not censorship.
4. Don’t be a hypocrite.
It will be ignored, and will have no impact whatsoever on "normie" Republicans who are largely getting what they want from Trump/MAGA (own the libs, reduce taxes, deregulate).
Absolutely, Trump/MAGA give "normie" Republicans and the Christian right what they want and in return they give them their vote. Selling their souls is worth it. Sad.
The hypocrisy knows no bounds!
Btw, to anyone who might read this who either is a Republican supporting Trump's agenda or the family member of a Republican, the gnawing feeling they experience at the back of their head that "something's not quite right", the guilt that might sometimes come in the form of nightmares, the unusual degree of irritability when someone gainsays you, all these ARE the stirrings of conscience, the grumblings of indigestible human kindness that will not allow itself to be fully ignored without consequence. No one knows this as fully as the perdon who, down deep, knows he has betrayed his own values. Psychopaths may not experience these rumblings, but I doubt that all Republican supporters of Trump are that. The presence of love and family connection proves they are not heartless, certainly not soulless. These original sources, Heart and Soul, are the parents of conscience.
It is disgusting that these people care absolutely about no one but themselves. They don’t give a shit how the gross languages harms their fellow Americans because they don’t consider them AMERICANS like they are! The Republican Party has in common one thing: RACISM. It has been the reason they’ve existed for quite a long time and no matter what their so called message is, the only underlying message is always racism. They are gunning for the end of the Voting Rights Act so they can redraw their maps so more white republicans get power (preferably white men). Hitler would he proud of these fascists. They are all repulsive.
For what it's worth, the Kansas GOP (not by any stretch a trad Republican group) swiftly disbanded the KS Young Republicans organization, and the vice chair of the KSYR was fired from his state government job.
Jonathan Chait has an interesting take on Vance excusing the Young Republicans group chat. It goes like this:
“… When a political ally does something controversial, there are three ways to respond: defend it, repudiate it, or deflect attention away from it. Defense is the obvious option if you think the action is acceptable enough to the public. Repudiation makes sense if the matter is so toxic that you can’t afford to keep the guilty party in your coalition.
Deflection is the response of choice only when the behavior of an ally is too toxic to defend, but so widespread within your coalition that you cannot afford to criticize it...”
Chait then says that Vance chose Deflection because he instinctively knows that the vast majority of young Republicans think and speak the same way those on the group chat do. Thus, if Vance wants to inherit the throne after Trump, he has to stay in their good graces. This is the future of the GOP.
VANCE’S TELLING DEFENSE OF A RACIST GROUP CHAT
How a trove of bigoted and violent texts among young Republicans indicates the future of the party.
By Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 10/16/25, https://apple.news/AxDCd78iCS9KKuSykk6Ysng
Of course not. It's the party of toxic masculinity.
Interesting headline for the story, because the party doesn't really seem to be trying to respond at all.
There are just a few professional chatterers who seem to think it should.
There's no "split." The party is fine with white nationalism and chatting about mass murder and such, and there's nothing wrong with that.
It just means the only reasonable thing to do is laugh at them when they try to "clutch pearls" about how calling them fascists is an incitement to violence.
All these guys ‘safe spaces’ to say vile shit and everyone should just get over it and stop ‘pearl-clutching’ as JD Vance echoes the ‘it’s just locker room talk’ of Trump circa 2016.
Remember how that ‘don’t make such a big deal’ out of the Access Hollywood confessions of a self-professed sexual predator turned out when elected to high office a decade ago and then was rehired?
Who do we think these dudes model their behaviour after, surely not POTUS, right?
Ignoring it doesn’t make it go away, it makes it worse and allows it to multiply, unchecked.