MAGA Mike Panics as GOP House Threatens Mass Resignation

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1:30Ben Meiselas:This is the news that MAGA Mike and Donald Trump feared the most, and we've been calling it here on the Midas Touch Network. It seems that there are numerous other MAGA Republican Congress members who are getting ready to resign and in dramatic fashion, according to new reporting from Punchbowl News, which focuses their coverage on the happenings in the House of Representatives. Now, you'll recall that over the weekend, we reported first on the Midas Touch Network that we were hearing that more GOP House members were likely going to be resigning after Marjorie Taylor Greene resigned on Friday.

2:11Ben Meiselas:And I went through the analysis that with the upcoming election, special election in Tennessee's seventh congressional district, where it's possible, it's going to be tough, but it's possible that the Democrats could pick up a seat there. and based on other special elections, if there was just another two potential resignations of MAGA Republicans, the House could flip and MAGA Mike Johnson could lose his speakership and the Democrats could gain control of the House of Representatives even before the midterms. That's even looking more likely than I expected. I still don't want to inject hopium into your veins yet.

2:51Ben Meiselas:So I want to be very circumspect. But what we are hearing is that our reporting has been confirmed by this Punchbowl news report, and they have great sources on the Hill. So let's talk about what they're reporting. Again, here was the video that we posted over the weekend. You can see it right there. It's got about 800 ,000 views. So Jake Sherman runs Punchbowl, one of their top reporters also, says the following, a few other GOP members messaged us, meaning Punchbowl, over the weekend, saying that they too are considering retiring in the middle of the term. Here's one particularly exercised senior House Republican.

3:31Ben Meiselas:So this is a senior House Republican Congress member saying the following. This entire White House team has treated all members like garbage, all. And Mike Johnson has let it happen because he wanted it to happen. That is the sentiment of nearly all appropriators, authorizers, hawks, doves, rank and file, meaning all of the Republican Congress members, regardless of kind of what their specific viewpoint they're known for is. The arrogance of this White House, these Republican Congress members are saying on background, the arrogance of this White House team is off-putting to members who are run roughshod and threatened.

4:15Ben Meiselas:They don't even allow a little wins like announcing small grants or even responding from agencies. Not even the high profile, the regular rank and file random members are more upset than ever. Members know they are going into the minority after the midterms. More explosive early resignations are coming. It is a tinderbox. Morale has never been lower. Mike Johnson will be stripped of his gavel and they will lose the majority before this term is out. Now go back to the report that I did over the weekend on Saturday. And for those who were saying, oh, Ben, you're being hyperbolic and this and that, this is a senior Republican Congress member source telling this to Punchbowl that exclusively reports on the happenings in the House of Representatives.

5:06Ben Meiselas:Then Jake Sherman said the following, since this ran this morning, what I just read for you, Four hours ago, I've gotten countless text messages from House Republicans agreeing with this sentiment and saying, why the hell should we stay in Congress if all we're going to do is vote on censure and be a potted plant? Look, it's important to realize that Congress is a co-equal branch of government, but MAGA Mike Johnson has turned the House of Representatives. And frankly, the MAGA Republicans in the Senate did this as well. they've turned Congress basically into just an arm of the presidency. And it wasn't intended to do this.

5:48Ben Meiselas:The Speaker of the House should zealously and jealously guard the independence of the House. But that's not what MAGA Mike did. Congresswoman Victoria Sparks wrote the following. Unfortunately, there's a lot of truth to what Marjorie Taylor Greene said when she resigned. I can't blame her for leaving this institution that has betrayed the American people. And that's strong words considering it's run by the Republicans right now in the House and in the Senate. Paul Cain writes, it's clear now that Johnson's defense of closing the House for two months, that 99 % of all Republicans in the Senate and in the House heartily agree with what we're doing, is what Magamike said, was willful ignorance.

6:32Ben Meiselas:At best, equating member support because of silence on a conference call is misguided. And by the way, look, even former MAGA Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy went on Fox last night and said Marjorie Taylor Greene resigning is the canary in the coal mine. Congress better wake up because we're going to see a lot more resignations of other MAGA Republican Congress members. This is coming from Kevin McCarthy, former Speaker of the House. Play this clip. Whatever. What happened, by the way, with MTG? she's she's leaving Congress she's leaving Congress but I don't think that's the end that you'll see about her and I I think look at I've always believed that anytime you have an elected official that's known by three initials they're effective on what they do and I found Marjorie to be very effective but she's almost like a canary in a coal mine and this is something inside Congress they better wake up because they're going to get a lot of people retiring and they got to focus.

7:32I think keeping members out of Congress, you only get two years to be in the majority. And if the Democrats get you not to work every day for two months, that's losing two months of the majority.

7:43Ben Meiselas:And then Donald Trump announced without consulting anybody in the House of Representatives that he was going to be rolling out a health care plan that could have extended the Affordable Care Act tax credits, the Obamacare subsidies, extending them to which the MAGA Republicans in the House have said, no, we don't want that to happen. We've been the ones working with you, believing that our goal is to kill Obamacare. Isn't that the instruction that you gave us? Now you want to extend the tax credits. We've been out there saying, kill the tax credits. That's been your and our policy, Donald. That's what the MAGAs were saying.

8:21Ben Meiselas:So Trump tries to drop a health care plan on the Monday of Thanksgiving week without briefing any member of Congress. So the member of Congress is then revolted. The Republicans did. The Democrats want the Affordable Care Act subsidies extended, as do the American people. But the MAGA Congress members revolted and they threatened to resign. And they said, if you announce this plan without explaining to us, without including us, we're gone. We're gone. So then right after Trump announces they're doing the press conference to announce the plan, they then withdraw it. So So they put out a press release.

9:00Ben Meiselas:I'll show you right here. CNN announces like other networks do, we're about to be moments away from Trump unveiling a plan. Trump gets the call from all these MAGA Republicans, you do it and we're gone. And then in the same breath as this is being reported on by CNN and other networks, they go, now actually we've heard the healthcare plan has been terminated by Donald Trump. Watch how this was reported by CNN. Let's play this clip right here. We're learning President Trump is planning to unveil a new health care proposal. And at this point, we're still waiting to know exactly what's in it. But we're told it could include a temporary extension of the Enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, which are due to expire at the end of the year.

9:39They were at the center of the government shutdown. However, the subsidies could come with some fresh guardrails that could include new income limits and a requirement that everyone pay some form of a premium. Now, we should note that if the subsidies do expire, millions of Americans are expected to see their premiums more than double next year. Zach Cooper is joining us now. He's a professor of health policy at Yale University. Zach, thanks for being here. As I noted, we are very much still waiting for specifics here. But, and I'm sorry, this has actually been, sorry, Zach, we're getting breaking news while I'm talking to you.

10:13I have learned that the White House has postponed its inspected unveiling of this new health care proposal. It was expected to be unveiled today. We'll learn more, hopefully, about that in the coming moments. But again, this is postponed, but we can talk about the ideas here.

10:30Ben Meiselas:And now I want to show you as well, this is where MAGA Mike Johnson stated that like 99 % of Republicans agree with him, which we know is not the case. This is what was being referenced in that prior post by Paul Cain. Here, let's play this clip. The CR is only one way to fund the government, and some of your members are kind of uncomfortable with being out on recess for a month. So why not bring everybody back, work through the appropriations that you haven't passed yet, and sort of do an end run around hockey and jeffards? Yeah, so a couple of things. First of all, 99.5 % of the House Republicans understand exactly what we're doing.

11:06They agree with it. We talk regularly. We'll have another conference call later today. They have been out doing very essential, very important work in their districts and their constituents appreciate that. I mean, they've been everywhere because as Chairwoman McClain said, they've got to help cover the basis for the crisis that's been created by the Democrats.

11:23Ben Meiselas:I'm Ben Micellis from the Midas Touch Network. here to tell you we are supported by MS Now. We the people in order to form a more perfect union. These words are more than just the opening of the constitution. They're a reminder of who this country belongs to and what we can be at our best. They're also the cornerstone of MS Now, whether it's breaking news, exclusive reporting, election coverage, or in-depth analysis, MS Now keeps the people at the heart of everything they do. Home to the Rachel Maddow show, the briefing with Jen Psaki, deadline White House with Nicole Wallace and more voices you know and trust.

11:59Ben Meiselas:MS Now is your source for news, opinion and the world. Their name is new, but you'll find the same commitment to justice, progress and the truth you've relied on for decades. Same mission, new name. MS Now. Learn more at MS. Now. That's MS. Now. As Jake Traylor writes, White House had to delay the health care proposal after this massive backlash by MAGA Republicans in Congress. They said, uh-uh, no way are we supporting anything like this. Now, we've been hearing a lot of vocal opposition from MAGA Republicans in both the House and the Senate. For example, Republican Congress member Dan Bacon, who's on his way out anyway at the end of the term, but who knows, maybe he wants to leave sooner.

12:47Ben Meiselas:He is saying we support Japan's policy to protect Taiwan against a China invasion because Trump has refused to say that. And Xi Jinping called Donald Trump to threaten Trump that you better not do anything regarding Taiwan on Monday morning. So in Trump's silence and weakness, Republican members of Congress are saying we stand with what Japan is doing, their new Prime Minister, Takeishi, because Trump is weak. Also, Bacon was very critical of the Department of Defense and Donald Trump for trying to now court-martial or institute military tribunals against Democratic Senator Mark Kelly, who's a former decorated veteran, fighter pilot, astronaut, and now United States Senator, because he put out a video telling members of the military do not follow unlawful orders, especially now that we know the top military lawyer put out a memo to the military before it was removed saying that these killings were war crimes off the coast of Venezuela and Colombia, and that these were war crimes.

13:59Ben Meiselas:And then that memo was overruled by Pambandi at the Department of Justice. And so anybody who's involved with this is now engaged in war crimes. But Congress member Don Bacon says, amateur hour, once again, at the Department of Defense. He goes, look, I don't agree with what the Democrats were doing. He goes, but threats of sedition charges by the Department of Defense and court martial in response are crazy. Let's show some common sense and restraint. So then J.D. Vance starts attacking the MAGA Republican Congress members for their support of Ukraine. And J.D. Vann says, you know what really fires up the Beltway GOP?

14:40Ben Meiselas:The political class is really angry that the Trump administration may finally bring a four-year conflict in Eastern Europe to a close. I'm not even talking about the substance of their views. Much of what these people have said about the Ukraine war has been proven wrong, but whatever. We can agree to disagree. But the level of passion over this one issue when your own country has serious problems is bonkers. It disgusts me. Show some passion for your own country. That's a message attacking MAGA Republican members in Congress like Don Bacon. And they've been pissed that Donald Trump and the regime took Russia's plan of surrender that Russia wanted Ukraine to agree to, to surrender.

15:23Ben Meiselas:And the U.S. just translated it from Russian into English and then claimed it as the U.S. plan. So then Congress member Don Bacon says to J.D. Vance, many of us are Reagan fans. We hate appeasing Putin's Russia and throwing Ukraine who wants freedom and independence under Putin's bus. The Thursday 28 point surrender plan was disgusting. We don't want to see Trump and Neville Chamberlain always mentioned in the same breath right there. And then you had Republican Senator Mitch McConnell come out and say, I'm told that to criticize a proposed deal that initially you'd closely to Russia's preferred outcome is to misunderstand or misstate some critical reality on the ground.

16:06Ben Meiselas:So let's talk about the reality on the ground. The most basic reality on the ground is that the price of peace matters. A deal that rewards aggression wouldn't be worth the paper it's written on. America isn't a neutral arbiter and we shouldn't be acting like one. We support Ukraine. That's from McConnell. Now the civil war in MAGA is also taking this shape and form as well. Steve Bannon told ABC that he's warning the Trump administration's AI agenda could crush the working class, fracture MAGA, and cost the GOP in 26 and 28. And now Bannon is working to turbocharge the base to revolt against Trump's AI agenda.

16:51Ben Meiselas:They think that this is absolutely horrible. And then meanwhile, you've got Trump AI people saying, no, we need AI. And if you don't go all in on AI and give these AI companies everything they want, you're going to send the country into a Great Depression. Now, meanwhile, the CBS YouGov poll that just came out shows that Trump's approval in handling the economy has fallen 15 points since March. from 51 to 36%. Now, four in 10 Republicans even say Trump portrays prices and inflation as better than they really are. Four in 10 MAGAs say Trump lies about the economy. That should obviously be more, but where 40 % of your MAGA base now calls you a liar, think about that.

17:38Ben Meiselas:And Trump's approval has collapsed nationwide, turning several deep red states negative. Florida, Texas, for example, very, very negative against Donald Trump. Florida is like negative 5%, 10 % against Donald Trump right now. So what else do I want to share with you here as well? Republican Senator right here, Mike Rounds of South Dakota. Here was how he framed it over the weekend, what Rubio told him about the 28 point plan that it actually came from Russia. Again, this is a Republican senator saying this publicly. Here play this clip. Senator Shaheen mentioned that Secretary Rubio did make a phone call to us this afternoon.

18:26I think he made it very clear to us that we are the recipients of a proposal that was delivered to one of our representatives. It is not our recommendation. It is not our peace plan. It is a proposal that was received and as an intermediary, we have made arrangements to share it and we did not release it. It was leaked. It was not released by our members or our representatives. So as we move through on this thing here, Representative Rubio has made it clear that this is an opportunity to have received it and that it has been utilized and delivered to the Ukrainians and that they will have an opportunity to respond.

19:18Ben Meiselas:And I think what a lot of these Republican senators and Congress members are pissed about as well is to see these Trump regime members show up and just lie every day about everything. Like here's Treasury Secretary Scott Besant this weekend claiming that inflation is going down when it's just clearly going up. Here, play this clip. And yet some prices are going up. Of course, we have seen prices increasing on staples like coffee, bananas, bacon. inflation has gone up it's it's three percent now up from two percent in april when the tariffs were imposed no no no no they weren't so inflation hasn't gone up and kristen the one thing that we're not going to do is do what the biden administration did and tell the american people they don't know how they feel they are traumatized and the over the biden inflation we have slowed inflation and we are working very hard to bring it down.

20:19Ben Meiselas:And I just finally want to remind everybody as well before we go that back on July 19th of 2020, here's what Trump said about the health care plan then, that he was going to have one in two weeks. This is Trump July 2020. Play this clip. I want to talk to you about Obamacare. Since the pandemic hit, millions of people have lost their jobs and thereby lost their health insurance and almost a half a million have signed up for Obamacare. Your administration just announced that you're signing on to a lawsuit to overturn Obamacare and replace it. Why does it make sense to overturn Obamacare with which people now are relying on?

20:59Democrats are going to say the man who's wanted to kill Obamacare is going to take away the protection for pre-existing conditions. First of all, we got rid of the individual mandate. Pre-existing conditions will always be taken care of by me and Republicans, 100%. But you've been in office three and a half years. You don't have a plan. Well, we haven't had. Excuse me. You heard me yesterday. We're signing a health care plan within two weeks, a full and complete health care plan that the Supreme Court decision on DACA gave me the right to do. So we're going to solve. We're going to sign an immigration plan, a health care plan and various other plans.

21:36and nobody will have done what I'm doing in the next four weeks. The Supreme Court gave the president of the United States powers that nobody thought the president had by approving, by doing what they did, their decision on DACA. And DACA is going to be taken care of also. But we're getting rid of it because we're going to replace it with something much better.

21:56Ben Meiselas:So in other words, the GOP is in an utter panic mode. They're in an utter mess right now. and we're seeing the potential for mass resignations. It's what Maga Mike feared the most. Can we have Speaker Jeffries in the next few months? It's becoming increasingly likely and I think we're gonna see some major, major announcements sooner than many people realize. That's what I'm hearing as well. So hit subscribe. Let's get to 6 million subscribers and thank you so much for watching. Love this video? Support independent media and unlock exclusive content, add free videos and custom emojis by becoming a paid member of our YouTube channel today.

22:34Ben Meiselas:You can also gift memberships to others. Let's keep growing together.

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