Are America First populists making the fake news media nervous?
Several U.S. House Representatives’ decision to vote against a bill that would have ended normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus caught the attention of the folks at NBC News. In a piece titled “Trump-aligned ‘America First’ holdouts don’t follow GOP in backing Ukraine”, Peter Nicholas, Jonathan Allen, and Allan Smith noted that several Republican House members have deviated from the neocon/neoliberal standard and voted against this bill. The bill was crafted to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
Among the Republicans who voted against this bill were:
Lauren Boebert (R-CO)
Matt Gaetz (D-FL)
Andy Biggs (R-AZ)
Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA)
Dan Bishop (R-NC)
Chip Roy (R-TX)
Glenn Grothman (R-WI)
Nicholas, Allen, and Smith described this cohort of Republicans as “far right wing” and “tightly bound to former President Donald Trump”
What was curious about this bill was the strong bipartisan consensus present in the final vote count. 202 Republicans and 222 Democrats voted for this bill. Despite how culturally polarized America is, elected officials strongly agree with maintaining the US’s global consumer imperium.
Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene stressed that the things “real Americans care about are gas prices that they can’t afford” and are not obsessed about what’s going on in Ukraine. When it came to how she voted, Greene said, “Congress keeps focusing on distractions abroad and not our own challenges brought on by Joe Biden at home.”
America First populists are much more skeptical about military adventures abroad and focus more on tackling immigration and confronting the Left in cultural spaces.
As a result, most of the political establishment is scared of the rising populist current with the GOP. Nicholas, Allen, and Smith made sure to smear paleoconservative figures like Nick Fuentes along with Greene and Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar for their participation in the America First Political Action Conference, which the former organized.
The NBC writers observed:
Last month, Greene and Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona spoke at the America First Political Action Conference. (Gosar addressed the gathering of white nationalists in a prerecorded video.) The organizer, Nicholas Fuentes, is a white nationalist activist who, before introducing Greene, urged support for Putin in the war with Ukraine. The crowd then chanted “Putin! Putin!”
Clearly, these journalists are uncomfortable about the rise of the America First movement. For the neocon/neoliberal establishment, America First populism represents an existential threat due to its laser-like focus on rolling back military interventions abroad and restoring order on America’s southern border.
One can only expect more hit pieces against America First representatives. When someone breaks away from the globalist status quo they can surely expect a volley of media-driven vitriol launched against them. One thing is certain: The populist Right cannot relent in the face of constant media blood libel.
Standing strong in the face of media invective is crucial in this battle to retake our country.
