We could see it coming a mile away, but even our most cynical self was struck by the amateurish idiocy of the effort.

We knew the Democrats, desperate to avoid getting their clocks cleaned in this year’s midterms, would pull out all the stops. We knew they’d somehow resort to fearmongering the American people between now and November 8. And we figured they’d do everything they could to make it about their favorite bogeyman, Donald Trump.

But still. “The Ultra-MAGA Agenda”? Really?

So sorry are the Democrats’ prospects this fall that they’ve apparently turned their campaign’s messaging strategy over to 79-year-old Scranton Joe “Big Guy” Biden. How else to explain the administration’s seizure of “MAGA” as the cornerstone of their efforts? And sure enough, we saw it being rolled out just last week: “This MAGA crowd,” he rambled, “is really the most extreme political organization that’s existed … in recent American history.”

Sensing he was onto something big, really big, Biden this week coined the phrase “Ultra-MAGA,” which the happiest person in Washington, outgoing Press Secretary Jen Psaki, says is her boss’s very own creation. “I think what has struck him is how extreme some of the policies and proposals are,” Psaki fumbled along, “that a certain wing of the Republican Party, that is taking up too much of the Republican Party, are for.”

All this makes perfect sense, coming from the guy who gave us such linguistic gems as “Jim Crow on steroids” and “Jim Eagle.”

This time, though, the wordplay is weapons-grade. Note the clever use of the word “ultra,” which for Democrats has long symbolized something sinister. Think: ultra-conservative. And anytime a leftist puts the word “ultra” in front of something conservative, it’s meant to scare folks, not to inform them.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the shellacking: The Republicans decided to play along. As columnist Kerry Picket writes:

Those whom President Biden branded derisively “Ultra-MAGA” on Tuesday were quick to embrace it and warn Democrats that waging war on the Trump agenda was tantamount to waging war on the American dream. “I’m proud to be an Ultra-MAGA,” said Rep. Matt Gaetz, Florida Republican. “The president’s remarks signify a true shift. He’s moving away from an indictment of President Trump specifically to now trying to indict an entire political movement that they fear.”

Or, as our Mark Alexander observes, “So Biden uses ‘Ultra-MAGA’ as a pejorative? Since when is being ultra-committed to making America great again a bad thing?”

Then there’s former Trump senior adviser Stephen Miller, who’s been tabbed by Democrats as one of the most dastardly of The Deplorables. What does he have to say for himself and this newfound focus on MAGA? “Ultra-MAGA means always putting America First,” he said. “It is the heart of the mainstream of public opinion across all groups. It means voters over special interests. Strong borders over bloodthirsty cartels. American workers over guest workers. Domestic production over foreign production. National security over needless war. … Cops over criminals. Education over indoctrination. American values over woke ideology. Adoption over abortion. Family over government. Equality over equity. Free speech over censorship. Individuals over corporations. Patriotism over globalism. The United States over the United Nations.”

In short, the MAGA-minded Democrats think they have a winning message, and the resurgent Republicans are egging them on.

Go ahead, they’re saying. Make our midterms.