Richard Wolfe: You're not moderate. You're MAGA

“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing. He is not a good man who, without a protest, allows wrong to be committed in his name … because he will not trouble himself to use his mind on the subject.” — John Stuart Mill, 1867

Were those some crazy primaries, or what?

MAGA candidates did well(?) insofar as many lucid and productive Republican candidates will not be on November’s ballot. Depending on the source, Republican incumbents lost at a rate of between 6.2% and 7.1%. This is more than twice the Democratic Party’s erosion of experience (2.6% to 2.7%) and it significantly exceeds the 3.6% average Republican incumbent loss rate over the previous decade.

Supporters of the disgraced and discarded (and perhaps felonious?) former president are giddy with the prospect of a "student body right" sweep come Nov. 8. Behind a sweep of orange and ever-thinning hair.

They’re in for a disappointment. MAGA candidates make solidly "red" seats instantly vulnerable. Ask Sarah Palin.

Some Republican voters will still hold their nose and check the R box, primarily because they can’t fathom ever voting for a Democrat. But there will be others that stay home rather than participate in the further corruption of our American experience.

There are voters who understand that even so-called moderate Republican candidates — down ballot, too — are complicit in the MAGA nightmare by virtue of their silence.

Case in point:

Our congressman, Bill Huizenga, as always, has stayed safely in the weeds. He had no challenge in the August primary election and he’ll be running unopposed in the November general election.

The wonderful thing about being Bill is that you hail from a congressional district (the new, redistricted 4^th) that persists in voting theocratically rather than logically. The defeat of the Jamestown millage to support the Patmos Public Library is a fine example of the ethos — about which Bill simply looked on and said nothing.

But he did, y’know, get busy in July.  More accurately, the Democrat led House of Representatives got busy, bringing to the floor votes on significant legislative initiatives. Bill, no doubt, suffered a bout of something like carpal tunnel syndrome whilst turning his thumb down and voting Nay on:

• July 13: H.R.6538 — Active Shooter Alert Act of 2022. He seems, then, to support having no federal coordination of communications regarding emergencies involving an active shooter. [This vote taken less than seven weeks after the Uvalde, Texas, school massacre.]

• July 15: H.R.8296 — Women's Health Protection Act of 2022. He seems, then, to support forced birth, with no stated exceptions for rape, incest, or the health of the mother. [This vote taken exactly three weeks after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.]

• July 15: H.R.8297 — Ensuring Women's Right to Reproductive Freedom Act. He seems, then, to support prohibitions on a woman’s ability to travel between states to access out-of-state abortion services. [This vote also taken three weeks after Roe v. Wade overturn.]

• July 19: H.R.8404 — Respect for Marriage Act. He seems, then, to support the criminalization of same-sex marriages.

• July 21: H.R.8373 — Right to Contraception Act. He seems, then, to support forced conception as a consequence of sexual intercourse, with no discernible exception for being married.

• July 28: H.R.4346 — CHIPS Act of 2022. He seems, then, to support the hobbling of domestic production of semiconductors (and other tech initiatives).

• July 29: H.R.1808 — Assault Weapons Ban of 2022. He seems, then, to support unfettered access to weapons of war.

On Aug. 12, after vacation, Bill took the splint off his recuperating hand and voted Nay on H.R. 5376 (the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022). He seems, then, to support, in turn, corporations paying nothing in taxes, large deficits, tax dodging scofflaws, skyrocketing prescription drug prices (most notably, insulin), and catastrophic climate change.

Congressman Huizenga’s voting record, and his thundering silence regarding the disgraced and discarded (and perhaps felonious?) former president underscore the harms that even "moderate" Republicans bring to bear.

So don’t let Republicans’ recently scrubbed websites and suddenly tender rhetoric fool you. Scratch the surface and you’ll see MAGA bleed through — if you care to look.

— Community Columnist Richard Wolfe is a resident of Park Township. Contact him at wolf86681346@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Richard Wolfe: You're not moderate. You're MAGA