Weekly Roundup - Midterm Eve: “Non-Citizen” Voting Claims, Blocking Muslim Members, and Trump’s Fixation on Men’s Bodies
Straight White American JesusShow Notes
The midterms are Tuesday. Brad Onishi and Dan Miller give their read on what could happen, then cover the plans being set up for the weeks after.
In this episode:
1. The midterm outlook. Where Brad and Dan think things stand, why Trump’s switch to “tele-rallies” may signal worry inside the GOP, and why Brad says the only thing that matters now is getting people to vote.
2. The “non-citizens voted” campaign. Nearly 600 high-profile right-wing accounts, podcasts, and outlets have published more than 7,000 statements questioning the election’s integrity this year, with the focus now on non-citizen voting. Brad and Dan look at how big “alleged” numbers get headlines while the checked numbers, like a claim of about 190,000 in California that shrank to about 28, rarely get repeated. They also discuss why courts may respond faster this time.
3. The plan not to seat Democrats on January 3. Trump, Sen. Bernie Moreno, and Rep. Keith Self have each argued that certain Democrats, including Muslim and DSA-aligned candidates, shouldn’t be sworn in. Brad ties this to the Center for Renewing America and Russ Vought. Dan explains why a religious test for office conflicts with the Constitution. They also play Sen. Chris Murphy’s answer on CNN and discuss whether centrist Democrats could be pulled into the argument.
4. Hegseth’s spiritual advisor. A CNN report on Ryan Higgins, a senior spiritual advisor to Pete Hegseth, who called LGBTQ people a “satanic cult,” said there is no separation of church and state, and called abortion “demonic human sacrifice.” Dan and Brad connect it to Doug Wilson and to how Hegseth has brought religion into the Pentagon.
5. Netanyahu’s claims of election fraud. After a deadlocked election, Likud shared claims of fraud at Arab polling stations with no evidence offered, which Dan describes as exporting Trump’s election-denial playbook.
6. Trump’s fixation on men’s bodies. Dan goes through Trump’s recent comments on Husted, Rick Jackson, and argues that the underlying idea is that for MAGA traditional masculinity qualifies someone for office.
7. Reasons for hope. A Fox News interview clip, and Dan’s read on why the Trump campaign may be running out of energy.
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Books mentioned:
📕 American Caesar: How Theocrats and Tech Lords Are Turning America into a Monarchy by Brad Onishi — out September 15: https://static.macmillan.com/static/essentials/american-caesar-9781250427922/
📗 Defying Tyrants: Following Jesus in a World of Christian Antichrists by Matthew D. Taylor — out October 6: https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9798341900370/Defying-Tyrants
Full tour dates: https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/p/the-american-caesar-book-tour
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