Why Matt Gaetz joining Newsmax is a bigger problem than you think

Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz is reportedly considering abandoning his House seat to take a position at Newsmax. And how appropriate that is. The fact that Gaetz would rather foam for a partisan peanut gallery than address serious policy issues is no surprise to anyone familiar with his career, or with the Republican Party. The GOP has become so entangled with its own media propaganda wing that pundits and politicians are nearly indistinguishable. That’s bad for the party, but even worse for the country.

As a Congressman, Gaetz is known for being as irresponsible as he is obsessed with media exposure. In 2019, he led a group of Congressional Republicans in storming a closed-door impeachment hearing, demanding “transparency” even though more than 45 Republicans were already present in the meeting. Following the January 6th insurrection at the Capitol, he baselessly and falsely claimed that the right-wing hate mob which invaded Congress was a false-flag operation staged by the left. And, of course, he’s tirelessly pushed the dangerous conspiracy theory that Joe Biden and Democrats somehow “stole” the 2020 election.

In short, Gaetz has built his reputation by making intemperate, bad-faith, nonsense attacks on the workings of Congress and the underpinnings of democracy. Occasionally, he takes time out to get involved in shady real-estate deals. 

To no one’s surprise, this has not resulted in an impressive or stellar record of important or serious Gaetz-sponsored legislation. Even HBO’s 2020 documentary “The Swamp,” which tries to paint Gaetz in a flattering light, is forced to acknowledge that his accomplishments are thin. After praising Gaetz for his principled stance against American intervention abroad, the film shows him meekly voting for the defense appropriation bill he opposed, because it included a salary increase for the troops and because his party told him to.

Still, Gaetz is one of Congress’ most visible figures; he constantly appears on right-wing media and his stunts and intemperate babbling grab headlines. This is not despite his lack of substance. It is because of it. Such media thrives on partisan, red-faced bellowing about Dr Seuss, voting machine conspiracy theories, and Qanon-fueled Satanic panics.

Donald Trump’s ascent to the leadership of the GOP was the apotheosis of right-wing media bloviation: A ranting reality television star out-demagogued all the boring career politicians with their tedious moralism and their slightly more restrained expressions of bigotry. Some commenters have concluded that this means Gaetz will actually gain stature within the GOP by leaving Congress. AsWired and CNN contributor Garrett M. Graff puts it, “If you want to understand the true power structure in the GOP, look at Gaetz… hoping to trade a seat in Congress for a true position of influence: A job at Newsmax.”

This is a bit of an oversimplification. Trump had a lot more power as president than he did as the star ofThe Apprentice, and Gaetz has got more potential influence as a Congressman than he will as a talking head. But it’s undeniably the case that the affect and the style of right-wing media is becoming the affect and the style of GOP politicians. Politicians like Gaetz watch right-wing media; they cater to right-wing media; they know their constituents watch right-wing media. And they know that with luck, they may be able to cash in eventually by becoming a media pundit. As a result, they want right-wing media to approve of them more than they want to fight for the health, safety, or wellbeing of their constituents. And they know that, often, right-wing media rewards unhinged fascist drivel, not sober policy responses.

Politicians who want to be opinion bloviators aren’t interested in doing any serious policy work; why bother, when serious policy work isn’t rewarded? The GOP made it their top priority for years to replace the ACA, but no one was willing to actually come up with a substitute plan, since any plan requires compromise that plays poorly on Fox News. As a result, even when they controlled the presidency and Congress, they weren’t able to repeal the law, or put in a conservative alternative. 

Similarly, Republicans could have contributed to the recent massive Covid aid bill — but they preferred to posture for OANN and Newsmax. Then they voted as a bloc against a hugely popular bill which even most of their voters supported because they care less about those voters than about whatever the latest Fox News talking point happens to be.

Gaetzian right-wing media brain doesn’t just hurt Republicans, though. When politicians abandon logic and decency in pursuit of Tucker Carlson’s imprimatur, the consequences can be disastrous. Trump’s disconnected, disinterested, often bizarre Covid response (what else to say about a recommendation to inject bleach?) led directly to the US being one of the worst hit countries on earth, with more than half a million dead so far. And the way Gaetz and his ilk failed to condemn an insurrection is an obvious threat to the future of democracy.

The Republican Party is not ruled by Newsmax. But it is ruled by politicians who want to be on Newsmax more than they want to pass legislation or help their constituents. That’s ridiculous and sad. It’s also, unfortunately, a threat. Unless we’re lucky, the face of the future is Matt Gaetz’s smug mug, adorned with helmet hair, smiling as the Constitution burns.