The People Are Pissed. This Georgia Townhall Shows The Trump Backlash Is Here

Summary

Bulwark Takes: Episode Summary

Title: The People Are Pissed. This Georgia Townhall Shows The Trump Backlash Is Here
Host/Author: The Bulwark Team (Tim Miller, Sam Stein, and Bill Kristol)
Release Date: February 21, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of Bulwark Takes, hosts Tim Miller and Sam Stein delve into the emerging backlash against former President Donald Trump within the Republican Party. Centered around a heated town hall in Georgia, the discussion highlights growing frustration among Republican constituents and elected officials alike. This episode draws parallels to historical political movements and examines the potential future trajectory of the GOP amid internal dissent.

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Georgia Townhall: A Spark of Backlash

Tim Miller introduces the episode by referencing a recent town hall hosted by Georgia Republican Rich McCormick, representing the state's 7th district—a solidly Republican area with a 64% vote margin. Unlike swing districts, McCormick's audience is not typically a battleground, making the intense pushback during his town hall particularly noteworthy.

Key Points:

• Rich McCormick's Approach: McCormick characterized his constituents as "January 6th insurrectionists," attempting to equate their frustrations with the events of January 6, 2021.
• Community Impact: The town hall addressed concerns over recent government cuts and firings affecting the local community, including the CDC's significant staff reductions.

Notable Quote:

Sam Stein [02:50]: "This reminds me of 2009, 2010, and the Tea Party stuff. And it was specifically the Obamacare town halls."

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Historical Parallels: Obamacare and the Tea Party

Sam Stein draws a comparison between the current Republican backlash and the Tea Party movement's response to the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) during 2009-2010. He recalls how the Obama administration's ambitious healthcare policies faced intense scrutiny and opposition in town halls, leading to significant political turbulence.

Key Points:

• Visceral Reactions: Unlike written complaints, the emotional and visual nature of town hall confrontations creates a more immediate and intense response.
• Democrats' Unpreparedness: Just as Democrats struggled to manage the Tea Party's protests during Obamacare debates, Republicans may be facing a similar unpreparedness in handling internal dissent.

Notable Quote:

Sam Stein [03:50]: "People were freaking out and Democrats just were completely ill-equipped and ill prepared to handle. They almost killed Obamacare, frankly."

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Republican Internal Struggles and Anxiety

The hosts explore the growing anxiety within the GOP as members express concerns over the administration's executive orders and staffing decisions. Representative Troy O'Balderson of Ohio is cited, highlighting unease over President Trump's "flurry of executive orders."

Key Points:

• Executive Overreach: Republicans are increasingly worried about perceived overreach by the Trump administration, leading to internal conflicts.
• Concerns Over Cuts: The indiscriminate firing of officials at agencies like FEMA and the CDC has caused backlash even among Republicans, who question the rushed and sloppy implementation of these cuts.

Notable Quote:

Representative Troy O'Balderson [10:07]: "President Donald Trump's flurry of executive orders is getting out of control."

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Democratic Perspectives and Potential Opportunities

Tim Miller and Sam Stein discuss how Democrats are responding to the GOP's internal struggles. An overwhelming majority of Democrats feel their elected officials are doing too little to counteract Trump's influence, presenting both a challenge and an opportunity.

Key Points:

• Public Demand for Action: Approximately 70% of Democrats believe their representatives are not doing enough to fight against Trump’s policies.
• Opportunity for Leadership: This sentiment opens avenues for Democrats to emerge as leaders by effectively channeling public discontent and offering viable alternatives.

Notable Quote:

Tim Miller [09:29]: "An overwhelming majority… when asked, are Democratic elected officials doing enough to fight Trump, it's like 70% was too little."

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Potential Outcomes and Future Implications

The episode speculates on the future dynamics within the Republican Party and the broader political landscape. The current backlash may signal a pivotal moment where the GOP faces either internal reform or continued fragmentation.

Key Points:

• Governance Challenges: Republicans may struggle to implement cohesive policies if internal dissent remains unresolved.
• Democratic Advantage: Democrats could capitalize on Republican vulnerabilities by positioning themselves as the party of stability and effective governance.

Notable Quote:

Tim Miller [13:40]: "But maybe King Trump has other ideas."

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Call to Action and Community Engagement

Towards the end of the episode, the hosts encourage listeners to engage with ongoing political developments by attending town halls and sharing their experiences to support The Bulwark's reporting.

Key Points:

• Community Involvement: Listeners are urged to document and share their town hall experiences to aid in comprehensive reporting.
• Resource Promotion: References are made to The Bulwark's articles on recent congressional firings and internal GOP anxieties, available on their website and YouTube channel.

Notable Quote:

Sam Stein [13:47]: "If you're watching this, folks, and you're at a town hall… please. Video it."

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Conclusion

This episode of Bulwark Takes highlights a significant shift within the Republican Party, marked by increasing frustration and opposition to the Trump administration's policies. By drawing historical parallels and analyzing current internal conflicts, Tim Miller and Sam Stein shed light on the potential for a broader political realignment. The discussion underscores the importance of active community engagement and the opportunities it presents for both Republicans facing internal backlash and Democrats looking to seize the moment.

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For more insights and detailed analyses, visit The Bulwark and subscribe to their feed.

Transcript

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[Tim Miller]

Tim Miller from the Bulwark here with Managing editor Sam Stein. Subscribe to the feed we're starting to see the ramifications of the Trump administration's choices over the past month come to reality for Republican elected officials. And I think maybe the first what would you say inflection point of regular people pushing back that we've really seen is at this town hall that Georgia Republican Rich McCormick held last night. He represents Georgia's 7th district, which is northeast of Atlanta, but like exurbs. Exurbs northeast of Stone Mountain, like North Norcross. And people know the area. He won with 64% of the vote. So it's not a swing district. It's not the suburbs.

[Sam Stein]

This is the. Right. This is not suburbs. Yeah.

[Tim Miller]

And so he, he got some big pushback last night. We're going to play a couple of the clips. But, Sam, I'm curious just kind of your top line thoughts before we play a clip.

[Sam Stein]

So we kind of. The reason I find this interesting is we got a little inkling when we did that story about how the congressmen and women were responding to their constituent complaints, Right. They were writing these letters, they were posturing like, oh, I support Elon, but I'm making sure that he's not going too far and I have all these protections. And that kind of, when I, when we did that piece, my, my light bulb went off. I was like, oh, that's interesting. They're getting some pushback. This, to me, is much more visceral, right? Like, obviously every time you see something in footage, it's more visceral than if you are reading it in text. And when I saw this last night, my instinct was this is, and I'm not the only one who had this. This reminds me of 22,009, 2010, and the tea Party stuff. And it was specifically the Obamacare town halls. And then also if I'm another Republican in Congress, like, I'm, I see that. And that, that kind of spooks me a little bit.

[Tim Miller]

You were on, you were on the White House beat during those Obamacare.

[Sam Stein]

So back in 29, 2009, 2010, I was covering the Obama White House for HuffPost. And, you know, basically the context was they were pursuing this incredibly ambitious health care policy. And it was the third rail, right? Like Clinton had touched it and live to regret it. But no one else really wanted to do healthcare because, well, they wanted to do it, but they knew it was going to be problematic. And the first taste of just how problematic it was was in these town halls. Now, some of the Tea Party stuff was about the bailouts and the economic recovery program, but really it was people coming and be like, you are going to take away my health insurance. You're not going to let me go see my doctor. I, like, people were freaking out and Democrats just were completely ill equipped and ill prepared to handle. They just didn't know what to do. And it overwhelmed the town halls and it almost killed Obamacare, frankly.

[Tim Miller]

Yeah. Well, here's, I think our first taste about how Republicans are going to handle it. Rich McCormick telling an angry, a mob of righteously angry constituents who, who are upset about what is happening and the firings and the impact on their community, telling them that they are the same as January 6th insurrectionists. Let's watch.

[HelloFresh Advertiser]

Tyranny is rising in the White House and a man has declared himself our king. So I would like to know, rather the people would like to know what you congressmen and your fellow congressmen are going to do to rein in the megalomaniac in the White House.

[Rich McCormick]

When you talk about tyranny, when you talk about presidential power. I remember having the same discussion with Republicans when Biden was elected. The funny thing is, the funny thing is, the funny thing is you're sitting here in a lot of you would probably say those January Sixes who are yelling just as loud as you, who are upset just like you.

[Tim Miller]

You know, maybe not the talking point you're going to go for.

[Sam Stein]

Let me finesse that one a little bit.

[Tim Miller]

We're going to context where these people are heroes and get to go, to, get to perform at the Kennedy Center. Maybe he could spin it as I was trying to compliment you.

[Sam Stein]

Have you booked your tickets for the J6 choir at the Kennedy Center?

[Tim Miller]

I'm just, I'm waiting. It will be, I've never been to the Kennedy center for a show, so it'll be my first one.

[Sam Stein]

It's going to be great. Yeah, I'm going to pre game. No, I would have done a different, would have taken a different approach to that one. But look, it's that, that, that question was interesting because it had nothing to do with Doge. Although some other people asked about Doge. Right. And it didn't really have to do with the cuts, although it was related to the cuts. It was Trump's acting tyrannical and like, please reign him in. And that is just like, you know, if you're a Republican in Congress, that's even tougher than Doge, Right. Because Doge, you can be like, look, I don't want Elon to do this either. We're trying to make some, you know, guardrails here. I want to make sure he's not getting your privacy information, yada, yada, yada. This, this is different. This is our, your hero. Donald Trump has taken it too far. Please rein him in. And he doesn't have a response.

[Tim Miller]

Yeah, we also see a little bit on the Doge stuff itself. And Bulwark. Bulwark super fan Maggie Goldman, who's running for office down there in Georgia, was there at the, at the town hall and has a couple videos on show here. But he getting pressed specifically about the cuts because, you know, again, this is, it's not just touching D.C. it's touching all these.

[Sam Stein]

And this is c. Just to be clear. So this is near Atlanta. Again, that's the home of the cdc.

[Tim Miller]

Yeah.

[Sam Stein]

The center for Disease Control Prevention. They've cut like, I think like a thousand people. They want to cut there. It's crazy. So this is hitting close on, but this is everywhere. Like the cuts are national.

[Tim Miller]

What's not reasonable is taking this chainsaw approach, which they obviously admit when they.

[Sam Stein]

Fire these people and decide, oh, we.

[Tim Miller]

Hired the wrong people, we've got to bring them back in.

[Sam Stein]

Why is this being jammed down the pipe so rushed and, and sloppily.

[Rich McCormick]

So my understanding is when you say you have this many employees that you have to cut, that organization decides who they're going to cut. Now they make.

[Tim Miller]

I just, I don't know that he got. What are you signing up for here? You know, and the place is packed.

[Sam Stein]

Yeah.

[Tim Miller]

And you know, there's been kind of this discussion. We've been having it, it's, it's, everybody's been having it of like it felt different than 2016. There was an apathy, there was a nihilism. People were beaten down. They're like people wanted to check out. You didn't see the big protests. There been some protests here and there. But like this, the energy here is palpable in these, in these.

[Sam Stein]

And Tim, you talk. I think you were talking about this online or maybe you were tweeting someone else talking about it. But Democrats don't seem to be harnessing it. Right. Like Democrats almost might get engulfed by it too.

[Tim Miller]

Which is Democratic politicians, you mean?

[Sam Stein]

Yeah, yeah. Their people want something in terms of a reaction to this stuff. And I'm not sure what the politicians can give them. And that's like, that's a bad place for the Democrats too, because they might come for the Democrats and say, you're not doing enough.

[Tim Miller]

I mean, they can do stuff. They can give them fire and brimstone. They can block some of these stuff on the Hill. They can. You know what I mean? Like that that's.

[Sam Stein]

They should show more.

[Tim Miller]

Yeah, they gotta channel the energy. I mean, it was. I was talking about this on the pod yesterday. I don't have the poll in front of me right now, but it was an Overwhelming majority of Democrats, I think in the area of 70%, like, when asked, are Democratic elected officials doing enough to fight Trump, they're doing too much or too little? It was like 70% was too little. Right. As opposed to just the right amount. And it's overwhelming majority. And so I do think the Democrats could get, could get swept up in this. Obviously, the anger is pointed towards Elon and Musk, but the anger is also pointed to just kind of a lack of, you know, anything happening to slow them down. And to me, it's also an opportunity for some Democrats actually to like, really get famous and, like, and become a leader and, you know, channel.

[Sam Stein]

Exactly. If I were a young, up and coming Democrat, like, that's something you could tap into. It's very interesting because you're exactly right. In 2017, all of them were tapping into it. I mean, you watched them fundraising on Facebook. Numbers were astronomical. Now, less so quickly back to the Republicans, though, because it wasn't. I just want to be clear, this was not a isolated town hall. First of all, members don't really do town halls that much anymore because they don't. They want to avoid this stuff. But this is not isolated. So there's like a couple clips. Just this morning, CNN has a story out about how Republicans and state officials are worried about Trump's FEMA cuts. So that, that was one that I thought was interesting. Politico has a piece out. Of course, the headline makes your eyes roll, but the private GOP panic. Private GOP panic over the slash and burn doge firings. Like, come on, folks, you can speak up. It's okay. You don't have to do this. And this is one congressional anonymous congressional aide, quote, I thought we were supposed to be in a new era of meritocracy, not the indiscriminate firing of people, blah, blah, blah, blah. But this one is on the record. Representative Troy O'Balderson, he's of Ohio, he described President Donald Trump's flurry of executive orders as, quote, getting out of control at an event us at a Westerville Area Chamber business luncheon on Thursday. So you're starting to see, like, little bits and pieces here and there of anxiety of and, you know, worry from Republicans. We'll see where it goes.

[Tim Miller]

Yeah, they haven't done anything, I mean, to kill Republicans. This is like, I think the other interesting thing. And like the, the, like the idea of them being able to govern, I could completely crumble. Like, before they even actually get anything out the door, was there an idea that they Were able to, I mean this was part of the suggestion there was that not to get too wonky. But I didn't interview Liam Donovan a while back and there was. Who's like just a Hill watcher. And there was this debate happening internally in Republican circles. Do we do one big thing out of the gate that's like fund a bunch of. I think it was mostly immigration, right? Like fund a bunch of security, border security, new ICE officials and just get a bill out the door to have something that Trump signs and to have some momentum in the first 100 days. And then there were some technical reasons why they decided not to do that. They're going to do this kind of big omnibus thing that does some immigration and some tax cuts and doge and everything. And I mean it's just like initially I was, I just as an outsider who has no interest in them succeeding was like, well, obviously they should do the first option, right? And try to get something done. Because this big bill seems like a total clusterfuck. And I mean, you know, if you have random dudes like Troy, the idea.

[Sam Stein]

You do a huge bill when you have a two seat majority. Oh, gonna have to squeeze that one. No. And then we keep in mind they got to fund the government in like a month. Right. Like it's, I mean, it's just. You're absolutely right. Like this stuff that we've seen in the first month has not required any congressional Republican involvement whatsoever. They've had to confirm. Yeah. The confirmations. But at some point they're going to have to put their, you know, pencils to paper, I think, and we'll see what happens there.

[Tim Miller]

But maybe King Trump has other ideas. All right, well, good on the people that showed up to Richard McCormick's town hall last night got up their ass.

[Sam Stein]

If you're watching this, if you're watching this, folks, and you're at a town hall and you're at a town hall and you see something, video it and send it to us, please.

[Tim Miller]

Video it.

[Sam Stein]

Be your eyes and ears.

[Tim Miller]

Yeah, please. The Bulwark.com tips. Send it on. In some great articles today on the Bulwark Today about people who have reached out to us firing. I'm sure we have the video up on YouTube of the FEMA chief of staff who is a veteran, 32 year naval veteran who was fired. And then another article about all of the insanity at the nuclear firings and unfirings at Los Alamos.

[Sam Stein]

We're going to have a separate video of that on the YouTube later today. But you should read that piece.

[Tim Miller]

More on that to come. Go to the book.com subscribe to the feed. That's Sam Stein. I'm Tim Miller. We'll see you all soon. Peace.

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