The New Normal: WEIRD, Wonderful, and Wrecking Trump’s Day

Gather round, folks, because it’s time to dive into the latest craze that’s sending Trump and his merry band of misfits into a tailspin: the new Democratic rallying cry, “WEIRD.” Kat Abughazaleh from Mother Jones recently shed light on why this simple word is doing what decades of other Democratic slogans couldn’t—flipping the script on GOP lunacy.

So, why is “WEIRD” driving Trump and his cultish cronies batty? Well, it cuts through the usual Republican bull like a hot knife through butter. For years, the right-wing demagogues have been peddling a myth of normalcy, claiming to speak for the so-called “silent majority” of Americans who, supposedly, share their regressive values. This delusion has been their bread and butter, a way to wrap bigotry and hatred in a veneer of mainstream acceptance. Cue the violins for the “forgotten man”—the productive white people allegedly burdened by the unworthy “others.”

But here’s the kicker: “WEIRD” flips the narrative. It’s like telling Trump and his band of merry misfits, “Nah, you’re not normal. You’re just plain weird.” It’s a stroke of genius that punctures the GOP’s self-victimizing balloon. While Republicans harp on their twisted version of family values—anti-trans bigotry, restricting no-fault divorce, slashing public school funding, xenophobia—”WEIRD” exposes these as the aberrations they truly are.

Now, Democrats sound like real people. No more scripted, focus-group-tested platitudes. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s off-the-cuff remark wasn’t just another political jab—it was a human reaction, raw and unfiltered. It’s a far cry from Hillary Clinton’s infamous “basket of deplorables” comment, which, though accurate, reeked of sanctimonious pity and painted a huge swath of Americans as pitiable dupes. No, “WEIRD” doesn’t pity or condescend—it calls out the absurdity for what it is.

J.D. Vance, with his “Hillbilly Elegy” shtick, tries to intellectualize the Trump voter experience, painting them as culturally broken souls in need of understanding. Fast forward to 2024, and Vance is now Trump’s echo, trying to sell the same broken narrative to the MAGA masses. But “WEIRD” sees through this facade, recognizing that Trump’s policies—and the people who peddle them—aren’t just misguided. They’re downright bizarre.

The beauty of “WEIRD” lies in its specificity. Unlike “deplorables,” it can’t be co-opted to rally the troops. It’s an indictment of the strangeness that Trumpism has imposed on American life. The GOP’s draconian cultural politics, masquerading as a return to “normal,” are anything but. They’re a straitjacket for the American family, imposing outdated, restrictive norms under the guise of morality.

Remember the Weyward Sisters from Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”? Those witches weren’t just quirky—they channeled fate with a twisted sense of morality, actively making the world worse. That’s what “WEIRD” captures about Republican policies: a dark, imposing freakishness that disrupts lives and communities. It’s not just eccentricity; it’s malevolent.

Flashback to 1964, when LBJ’s “Confession of a Republican” ad painted Goldwater supporters as oddballs. Fast forward to now, and Trump has dragged his party so far into the bizarre that his followers don’t seek absolution, just permission. Vance’s transformation from a Trump critic to a sycophantic sidekick epitomizes this shift. He’s the living proof of how Trump’s America has turned semi-normal politicians into absolute freaks.

So, as we march towards another election, remember this: calling out the GOP’s absurdities isn’t just a strategy—it’s a necessity. Because sometimes, the best way to fight fire is to shine a spotlight on just how weird it really is.