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CBS News analyst Leonard Steinhorn claimed the "fundamental flaw" in the phrase "Make America Great Again" is that it harkens back to the America of the 1950s in a piece for the Washington Post on Tuesday.
While the "MAGA" slogan was popularized by former Presidents Donald Trump and Ronald Reagan, Steinhorn said it's about "a deep yearning and determination to restore an idealized version of 1950s America." Although Steinhorn acknowledged the decade was a time of "extraordinary economic growth," he lamented that the time was "not so great for everyone."
"In reality, however, the 1950s were great only for some Americans. Restoring that America — as many Republicans are attempting to do in places where they wield political power — would hurt almost everyone else," Steinhorn wrote.
He delved into various examples of discrimination in the era against Black people, women, religious minorities and homosexuals. In addition, he noted how "political diversity and the freedom to express unpopular opinions" was under siege by the McCarthy trials and the Subversive Activities Control Act.
Supporters cheer as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a rally at Wilkes-Barre Scranton International Airport in Avoca, Pennsylvania, U.S., on Monday, Nov. 2, 2020. (Getty Images)
"Few Americans want to bring back the worst injustices and excesses of the 1950s. But it’s becoming increasingly clear that those who want to restore this bygone era — to ‘make America great again’ — would re-create a society that resurrects some version of them. Talk as they may about the prosperity, respect and values of the 1950s, it’s the impact of their policies today that have the potential to reopen the wounds and inequities we have spent the following decades healing," Steinhorn wrote.
Since Trump’s use of the phrase "Make America Great Again" in his 2016 campaign, several Democrats and media pundits have asserted the slogan is actually a racist dog whistle. Former President Bill Clinton also implied the phrase was racist while campaigning for his wife Hillary despite previously using the same words several times in his political career.
Kim McGahey wears a MAGA hat during the Western Conservative Summit on Friday, July 12, 2019. (Getty Images)
In September, leaked Google documents from the company’s diversity and inclusion team also asserted that the phrase "Make America Great Again" was "socially acceptable White supremacy."
SOME CONSERVATIVE OUTLETS TURN ON TRUMP, BUT MOST REPUBLICANS STAND BY HIM
Steinhorn closed by suggesting that recent efforts by conservatives and Republicans are already working to bring back inequality akin to the long-past decade.
"In fact, the 1950s echo through recent Supreme Court rulings and ‘red state’ laws that promote Christianity, restrict women’s and LGBTQ rights, end affirmative action, limit voting, and criminalize books and ideas related to race and sexual orientation. While they won’t mirror the bigotry of the 1950s — they once again prioritize a society and culture in which some Americans dominate at a cost to everyone else," Steinhorn concluded.
Former President Donald Trump speaks during the 'Save America' rally at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds on January 29, 2022 in Conroe, Texas. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
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Although Trump reused his slogan "Make America Great Again" at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit on Saturday, he has yet to commit to running for president in 2024.
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