“Spineless,” “yes men,” and “rubber stamps”
Americans have Republicans’ number.
Navigator Research’s May 15 – 18, 2025 survey finds that, never mind Democrats’ branding woes, Americans see Republicans in Congress as cuplable bystanders, Trump enablers, not leaders. Phrases like “spineless,” “yes men,” and “rubber stamp” best define their relationship to Donald Trump. Over half of Republicans think so. Independents, key voters in the 2026 midterms, have developed an increasingly negative view of Republicans since November 2018.
Respondents don’t see the GOP as merely complacent, but as willful enablers of the MAGA agenda. The survey was complete before the U.S. House passed Trump’s #MAGAMurderBudget on May 22.
Navigator reports:
A third (35 percent) of independents and 34 percent of Republicans say Republicans in Congress support Trump and largely give him unchecked authority. A third (36 percent) of Americans overall say Republicans in Congress “know better but are too spineless.” Republicans who are close to Trump are seen as “Yes men” and putting party over country.
Now, square those impressions of Republican men with the press fascination with the “manosphere.” Speaker Mike Johnson (God made him speaker, remember) is so unbothered at Elon Musk not talking his calls or calling him back that he mentions it several times in the clip below. Elon, if you’re listening?
Maybe if the baby-faced Johnson grew a Moses-like beard?
Yes, it’s nice seeing that Republicans are in the toilet with independent voters. But it is a long way to the 2026 midterms when Democrats might regain some control in Congress (January 2027). A lot can happen between now and then. Like Trump invoking the Insurrection Act and martial law by summer’s end. This summer.
Stopping the MAGA White House cannot wait. Trump already has immigration raiders in the streets tricked out for combat and masked like an Iron Curtain secret police force. He’s weaponized his Department of Justice to exact revenge on perceived enemies and is moving with speed against individuals like Miles Taylor. He and Nazi-wannabes like Stephen Miller and Christian theocrats like Russ Vought mean to stay in power by any means necessary, no matter who gets hurt. (Talk about “unelected staffers.”)
The Trump Department of Justice is pretextually targeting state boards of election in swing states like North Carolina and Wisconsin over voter registration lists with an eye, I argue, for banning same-day registration. ALEC has not been idle either. It’s going after eliminating “grace periods for mail-in ballots.”
The MAGA White House is following the authoritarian script and working at a fevered pace. Adam Bonica provided advice last week on how to fight back, but issued a warning:
The good news? Other countries haven’t just shown us the danger—they’ve shown us the best ways to fight back. The bad news? They’ve also shown us what happens when we wait too long.
Don’t be keyboard warriors. Get out there. Make noise. Raise hell. Now.
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