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Elise Stefanik is in HUGE Trouble—And We Love It! | The Next Level

2025-12-10 News & Politics
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The Bulwark
The Bulwark
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GOP Fracture and Electoral Calculus: Navigating the MAGA vs. America First Divide

Analyze the bubbling internal GOP conflict exposing the weakness of Trump's control, and examine major Democratic electoral calculus shifts in Texas and beyond.

Short Summary

  • Republicans attacking Speaker Johnson highlight a growing schism between pure loyalty (MAGA) and policy focus (America First).
  • Elise Stefanik faces a primary challenger, signaling that political weakness creates openings for insurgents to challenge Trump loyalists.
  • Texas Democratic primary dynamics reveal that state-specific electability—not national ideological labels—dictates candidate suitability.
  • The impending Supreme Court rulings threaten long-term institutional stability by potentially cementing unprecedented expansion of presidential authority.

The hosts dissect the political fallout from a week where key GOP figures openly distanced themselves from Mike Johnson, framing it as a struggle over Trump's failing agenda and the emergence of an "America First" identity independent of strict MAGA dogma. The conversation pivots to state races, debating whether partisan fighters or moderate temperament wins in deeply red territory like Texas, before concluding with grave concerns over the Supreme Court's role in empowering the executive branch long-term.

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Description

Sarah Longwell, Tim Miller, and JVL sort through a wild week: GOP women turning on Mike Johnson, MTG flexing her new “America First” identity, Elise Stefanik scrambling as a primary threat appears in her race for NY governor, Trump’s snoozy decline, Hegseth’s utter incompetence around Venezuela, and the fight over tariffs and executive power heading towards SCOTUS. Get 20% off your entire order @LaundrySauce with code THENEXTLEVEL at https://laundrysauce.com/THENEXTLEVEL #laundrysaucepod This holiday, give your loved ones the only gift that keeps on giving — health. Go to https://Superpower.com/gift to get a free $49 gift box with your gifted membership. Get free shipping and 365 day returns with Quince at https://Quince.com/THENEXTLEVEL Become a Bulwark Youtube Plus Member here - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG4Hp1KbGw4e02N7FpPXDgQ/join

Top Comments (10)

@danswan1047 2025-12-10

As an independent voter I will never give a single vote to the Republican Party for the remainder of my life. I understand that there is corruption on both sides of the aisle, but what we have witnessed in this country over the last eleven months will require decades to recover from. So the Republicans are complicit with this disaster, so they need to be held accountable for their lack of integrity.

900 77 replies
@paulfiedler9128 2025-12-10

And a Democrat just won the Miami mayoral race! First time a Democrat has won the Miami mayoral race in over 3o years! Right in trumps backyard!

692 24 replies
@karenfetty1977 2025-12-10

Great conversation but the unchecked power of The Supremes account for a huge % of his power. Without it, he couldn’t run roughshod over the constitution.

303 9 replies
@user-n5l9o 2025-12-10

As a New Yorker thank you for seeing through Stefanik's multiple personalities - ugh she's terrible.

139 1 replies
@leeepps7165 2025-12-10

We hate Abbott in Texas for many reasons

134 13 replies
@Naptime2013 2025-12-10

The TX governor has earned his insults

101 2 replies
@wendimedling 2025-12-11

Gender is hugely important as our history of hating women so much that we still do/have not had a female president. This country is misogynist through and through.

73
@rkng1 2025-12-10

There have been times in American history that there have been as many as 12 justices on the Supreme Court. Increasing Court size is not unprecedented

62 5 replies
@luggagecombo12345 2025-12-10

The Democratic voters are solidly in favor of single payer healthcare, the elected officials aren't because they work for their donors.

37 2 replies
@andreasaueressig4018 2025-12-18

Term limits for the Supreme Court.

16 3 replies

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