HCR: REPETITION, REVOLUTION, AND MAKE-BELIEVE- JULY 2, 2025

ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL AND HOW IT LEAVES HCR SLEEPLESS IN MAINE

Heather Cox Richardson’s newsletter offers a predictable medley of liberal alarmism, recycled rhetoric, and selective outrage. At this point, her newsletters could be republished with the title “If I Say It Often Enough, It Becomes True.” Once again, we find ourselves correcting the same distortions she’s peddled for months, this time wrapped in melodrama over the budget reconciliation bill. HCR, schoolmarm of the Substack chapel, keeper of the Sacred Narrative, and high priestess of Political Immaculacy, has graced the world with yet another psalm about how the budget bill is an apocalypse wrapped in red, white, and Trump.

So let us pull up our rocking chairs, pour a stiff glass of perspective, and proceed to untangle this yarn of half-truths, holy indignation, and highfalutin hysteria.

Let’s dissect it point by point.

HCR CLAIM #1:

“The bill is hugely unpopular. It cuts taxes for the wealthiest Americans and corporations and slashes Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, energy credits, and other programs that help the American people.”

THE FACTS:
This framing is the backbone of her ideological storytelling, repeated ad nauseam. But it’s false by omission and dishonest in scale.

• Tax Cuts for the Wealthy? As we’ve rebutted before (June 29 and July 1 articles), the bill also cuts taxes for the middle class. According to the Joint Committee on Taxation, over 80% of American households receive some form of tax relief. Small business owners, middle-income earners, and families with dependents benefit greatly from expanded deductions and adjusted thresholds. But HCR only sees “wealthy donors” when she looks at working families in red states.

• “Slashing” Medicaid and SNAP? The bill introduces modest efficiency audits and work requirements in limited categories, primarily targeting fraud and long-term dependence, while protecting coverage for seniors, children, and disabled individuals. Even progressive publications admitted this in earlier cycles. Calling that “slashing” is like calling a haircut a beheading.

• Energy Credits? What HCR doesn’t mention is that the bill phases out inefficient credits, especially those going to underperforming green companies that received massive subsidies under Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which, as we previously covered, funneled cash into political allies rather than innovation.

Her sentence reads like a progressive Mad Libs exercise: pick 3 social programs, throw in “tax cuts for billionaires,” and voilà, you’ve got a headline. In marketing terms, we call that clickbait, but surely HCR would not resort to such things?

HCR CLAIM #2:

“People from across the country are flooding lawmakers with calls and demonstrations against the bill…”

THE FACTS:
This is anecdotal politics dressed up as mass consensus. What she fails to report is the growing number of grassroots conservative and independent voters, particularly from swing states, who support the bill for its fiscal responsibility and national security provisions.

For every “die-in” stunt staged by professional protesters outside Rep. Fitzpatrick’s office, there are thousands of Americans quietly cheering for less wasteful government and a balanced budget. Richardson gives airtime to every performative leftist gesture while ignoring real polling trends that show disillusionment with bloated spending.

Also worth noting: if we used “die-ins” as a national barometer of popularity, we’d be electing Greta Thunberg president tomorrow.

HCR CLAIM #3:

“Far-right Republicans think the bill doesn’t make steep enough cuts; Republicans from swing districts recognize that supporting it will badly hurt both their constituents and their hopes of re-election.”

THE FACTS:
Let’s translate: “Some Republicans disagree, therefore the GOP is in chaos.” This is another HCR staple: inflate intra-party debate into an existential crisis. It’s also rich coming from a party that can’t define “woman” or agree on whether biological sex exists.

Yes, there are differing opinions within the GOP, but that’s what grown-up legislating looks like. Meanwhile, the Democrat Party is a monolithic echo chamber that votes 100% in lockstep, no matter how bad the bill (see: the original version of the Green New Deal or the Build Back Better monstrosity). Republicans hashing out real disagreements should be praised, not mocked.

HCR CLAIM #4:

“Trump has demanded Congress pass the measure before July 4, an arbitrary date he seems to have chosen because of its historical significance.”

THE FACTS:
HCR’s disdain for symbolism is selective. When Biden signed executive orders surrounded by rainbow flags in June, it was “powerful messaging.” When Trump ties policy to Independence Day, it’s “arbitrary.”

But let’s entertain the idea that it is symbolic: a budget that curbs reckless spending and prioritizes national sovereignty passed on Independence Day? That symbolism is perfectly appropriate, unless you believe national independence is outdated.

HCR CLAIM #5:

“Elon Musk… warning he would start a new political party… threatened to run primary challengers… already donating to Rep. Massie…”

THE FACTS:
Musk’s role here is exaggerated for dramatic flair. He’s not a political kingmaker; he’s a tech billionaire expressing concern about more government spending. Unlike George Soros, who actually funds progressive DAs that let criminals loose, Musk is just... tweeting.

And HCR conveniently omits the fact that many Democrats have welcomed billionaire interference for years, as long as it’s their billionaire. If Musk supports transparency and fiscal sanity, suddenly he's a “threat to democracy.”

Let’s not forget her previous musings that Musk’s purchase of Twitter (now X) was akin to state capture. Every time Musk breathes in a way that doesn’t support progressive causes, HCR sounds the alarm.

HCR CLAIM #6:

“Mike Johnson does what Daddy says, and Daddy said pass it before July 4.”

THE FACTS:
This juvenile phrasing comes not from a columnist but from Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL), whom HCR quotes approvingly. She’s adopted a tone of snark and sarcasm under the guise of journalism.

Also, imagine the outrage if a Republican had said, “Mommy Kamala said do it.” HCR would be writing a 2,000-word treatise on misogyny and institutional disrespect.

The broader implication, that Johnson is a puppet, is contradicted by every bit of internal GOP negotiation HCR describes. If Johnson were a puppet, the bill would already be passed. Reality check: Shepherding a budget through a fractious Congress isn’t weak leadership, it’s actual leadership.

HCR CLAIM #7:

“Trump seemed to believe the lie that the bill doesn’t cut Medicaid…”

THE FACTS:
Now we’re psychoanalyzing Trump’s meeting notes through unnamed sources. Even if the report is accurate, Trump’s instinct, to avoid cutting Medicaid, Medicare, or Social Security is consistent with his populist promise to protect entitlement programs while trimming fat elsewhere.

HCR tries to paint Trump as ignorant. What’s really happening is Trump outmanoeuvring both moderates and hardliners by insisting the bill walk a tightrope: fiscal sanity without gutting safety nets. That’s not a “lie”, that’s a negotiation.

HCR CLAIM #8:

“We never fix it later, and America knows that.” Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN)

THE FACTS:
One Republican expresses skepticism about future amendments, and HCR frames it as a national consensus. The irony? Democrats passed trillion-dollar spending bills under Biden on exactly this logic: “Let’s pass it now and refine it later.” (Remember “We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it”?)

She’s quoting Republicans only when it suits her narrative. Meanwhile, dissent among Democrats is either ignored or punished with primary threats.

HCR CLAIM #9:

“Most of America doesn’t want this bill to pass…” —Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL)

THE FACTS:
HCR uses this Frost quote as her mic drop, but it’s built on air. No reliable polling suggests that “most Americans” even understand what’s in the bill, much less oppose it. What many Americans do want is less inflation, more secure borders, and a Congress that functions, all goals this bill moves toward.

If anything, Americans are tired of spending packages with 2,000 pages and a trillion-dollar price tag. So when this bill arrives with cuts and clarity, it doesn’t scare voters, it reminds them someone’s finally being an adult in the room.

HCR’s CONCLUSION: Meltdown by Memes

The article concludes with tweets from BlueSky users mocking Speaker Johnson and longing for the iron-fisted control of Nancy Pelosi. It’s revealing.

• When Pelosi whipped votes through fear and coercion, it was “strong leadership.”

• When Johnson negotiates publicly, he’s a clown.

HCR's audience is spoon-fed commentary from a curated list of progressive influencers, most of whom have never passed a bill or balanced a budget. It’s meme-driven journalism for the emotionally dependent.

Final Thoughts: Repetition Is Not Truth

This isn’t journalism, it’s ideological programming. By repeating terms like “hugely unpopular,” “far-right,” “slashing Medicaid,” and “Trump puppet,” HCR hopes that if she says it enough, you’ll stop asking for evidence.

We’ve refuted her claims on:

• Tax cuts and middle-class benefits (June 29, July 1)

• Medicaid misinformation (June 28 and 30)

• Elon Musk boogeyman narratives (multiple times)

• Trump’s policy instincts and negotiation tactics (June 25 and July 1)

But like a glitchy jukebox, Heather hits the same tunes with the same scratched records. Eventually, readers may stop dancing and start asking why the same song keeps playing when reality sings a different tune.