I hope Dems aren't putting any faith in this idea that this time, finally, the Epstein files will be The Thing that turns MAGA against Trump..the guy found liable for sexual abuse in civil court, before he was re-elected by a bigger margin than the first time.
There is no silver bullet. Those women absolutely deserve justice, and Trump deserves all the criticism he gets (as well as his GOP defenders), but pinning hopes on the idea that this will be The Thing That Saves Us does not help the fight for democracy.
I'd like to be clear here-I am not saying that anyone is wrong for thinking this alone, SHOULD be enough to permanently disgrace anyone, including Trump...this level of scandal, even just what is already known, should have stopped him from getting even near the White House years ago.
But that is the point. I know I have done it myself..I couldn't believe someone could win after the Access Hollywood tape, after the open support from Russian intelligence, after all the criminals in his staff, after January 6th, the felony convictions, the fraud cases....but here we are....there is no bottom to the MAGA cesspool.
Go after him hard, but don't think this will be the thing that take him down. It won't . We still need grassroots organizing and supporting a party that stand FOR something, not just opposed to Trump...same as always.
I couldn't believe anyone would be dumb enough to vote for him in 2016, either. But all kinds of balls are now in motion that weren't before. It's amazing how much can change on a dime, and so often does, with so many later claiming they never saw it coming. We shall see.
You just never know what’s going to be the proverbial straw breaking the camel’s back. Syria’s Assad looked like he was never going to leave until suddenly fell.
There’s no shortage of issues Trump is vulnerable on:
-The tariffs- they are making life miserable for Americans, adding to the cost of groceries and goods. The case before SCOTUS now may confirm the tariffs are illegal (in which case Trump has willfully & recklessly usurped power and violated the law while screwing all of us over in the process and all to offset the cost of the big billionaire bill granting billionaires huge sweetheart tax breaks)
-Affordability- Trump literally ran his campaign on inflation and lowering prices. He’s done nothing to make inflation better and in fact inflationary pressures are worse now than they were under Biden
-Attacks on communities- nobody likes an occupying force and the heavy handed authoritarian military police tactics Trump has been using for his mass deportation policy is pissing people off.
-Pedophile ties- the Epstein files and ties to Epstein are not going away. Thousands of federal agents were forced to review them as part of Bondi and Patel’s redaction blitz. You can’t keep a lid on that type of thing forever. Sooner or later more details will drop. Epstein’s financial transactions look sketchy as hell- there’s enough there to warrant deep investigation of potential money laundering, blackmail, and human trafficking. The Epstein financials are bound to implicate Trump in his own shady deals.
It's astonishing to me and a great disappointment in our elected leaders that Trump and his administration has been allowed this much time to do the damage he has done and plans to do. Many of us knew and others now know and certainly should what a disgrace, a hateful, lying, a mentally unfit person and a lawless president he is. But we don't even have the beginnings of an impeachment process going.
I keep waiting for more talk about Epstein's death in which I've read that the guards who were supposed to prevent any chance of suicide have never been debriefed. Do we know conclusively that he killed himself?
Do we know conclusively that he killed himself? More like the opposite. The preponderance of the evidence points to his being murdered. Listen to what his brother, Mark Epstein, has said in interviews about it.
I lived in the DC area during the Watergate era and knew a few people involved with those legal cases and others that arose from the Pentagon Papers. I figured most people knew how corrupt government could be and was shocked at how violent the backlash could be when the tipipng point of disgust happened. Media was much different then. We shall see.
I keep posting. According to Congressman Eric Swalwell (D-CA) Trumpepstein may cause an "Epstein bomb" causing over 100 Republican members to "jailbreak" from Trump.
Again, see above. The leaders of the organization behind the biggest protests in recent US history are furious - at the Democratic Party.
As long as the Democratic Party finds ways to lose, like it did this week, and infuriate its base, the never ending mantra of 'now we got 'em!' is empty words.
That does not mean these files shouldn't be released and Trump should be help accountable wherever possible, It does mean that this will not save the Democrats from themselves.
You are the only negative voice posting regularly. Why is that?
It's like you don't want us to succeed. Do Boyle and Swawell know more Congressional MAGATs than you? Tom Massie, R. Ky says many Republicans will vote to open the records. We may help convince them to come forward.
Many of them are from Dem majority districts -- like the 3 from Baghdad By the Sea. I also keep posting:
Miami healthcare CEO Michael “Mike” B. Fernandez wrote the following open letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and members of the Republican Cuban-American Miami-Dade congressional delegation: U.S. Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart, Carlos Giménez and Maria Elvira Salazar.
"For decades, I have stood with you in defense of the freedoms we cherish, those we were denied in the country of our birth and found in the grace of this one. I know what it means to flee tyranny.
"Like you, I carry that history in my bones and that pain in my heart.
"But like a growing number in our community, I have watched with dismay as the very values we once found sanctuary in are now being attacked by a previously unthinkable threat — the sitting president of the United States.
"In the face of all of this, the silence from our own leaders — the sons and daughters of exiles — has become deafening."
Comments that point out hard truths are not negative; they are real, and the reality is that, while there are good strong people in Congress (Swalwell is one, as is Van Hollen, Sanders, Garcia; several others), there are not enough without big $$ backers requiring their obedience. More than half of Democrats and 99.8% of Republicans are simply unable to govern because of dark money (and cowardice for some R's). So they open the Epstein files; that alone will not save this country.
No, I am just bored of your posts, saying the same weak points over and over. it is comedy to say that I am the 'only negative voice posting regularly'..you must have been asleep for the past few days, and few months..and many be the last ten years.
You posted two links above, one is to another rally, same as a hundred other rallies..worthwhile but will not overthrow Trump in one fell swoop..the other is to an Indivisible page, and organization which as I have noted, is absolutely furious at the Democratic Party right now, for good reason. Their main front page is calling for Schumer to step down and to primary Democrats everywhere.
I suppose they are 'negative' too? I guess Rubin must also be a negative nellie.
Then you post a link to an open letter to an editorial page. Wow, amazing! I can see Trump running for cover already!
My notion of 'success' is not rooted in pipe dreams, like yours apparently is. Accountability for Democratic leadership is an essential component, something you are loudly uninterested in.
Your constant zombie mantra about the 'Epstein bomb' and the Big Day when the 'records are opened' is just silly at this point.
Go ahead and respond with more cut and paste, I have wasted too much time already responding to you.
Whatever "the base" means. The Democrats held together for over a month. They accomplished a lot, enough in fact. They were never going to bring this government down with the shutdown either anymore than with Epstein's revelations.
Democrats are not in lock step . This is not evidence of losing.
The 'base' is consistent Democratic voters and organizations that consistently support Democrats...obviously.
No, they accomplished next to nothing, except damaging the Party's credibility and showing the GOP they have no reason to negotiate with Dems.
The point was not to 'being the government down'. It was to lock in the ACA subsides for at least another year. Now there will be a vote which will almost certainly lose and likely won't even be taken up in the House.
Is there really something big happening in DC on Nov. 18th? After your posts I've looked for this and the only thing that points to a DC event is the flare.usa site. Whatever is going to take place doesn't seem well-organized or well-publicized. Not at all on a plane with No Kings Day. What gives?
I am glad you noticed that too....I also looked in all those links and saw nothing for Nov 18th. I even searched on Google a bit and haven't seen anything. It's either not well publicized like you said, or Daniel here doesn't even know what he is cut and pasting...maybe both.
What about it? Every rally and protest helps, but there have already been a couple of the biggest US protests in recent memory just in the past few months. Those are definitely worthwhile and are a component to a grassroots movement, but no single protest is going to stop Trump either.
PS side note - Ezra Levin, the primary organizer behind Indivisible, responded to the shutdown capitulation with 'incandescent rage' on Rubin's interview.
I noticed Levin's "incandescent rage". I allow him that for reasons he deserves. Hopefully he has settled down to reality of what is and keeps on with his excellent work. We are not in lockstep though. This is a feature, not a fault of being a Democrat. This shutdown was not an act of togetherness that was a going to go on indefinitely with some ultimate result. We need mass. This has to build.. I agree about Epstein and never thought this was the thing that would save us-- a fantasy, people wanting this nightmare to just go away.
He has not taken your patronizing suggestion to 'settle down'. Indivisible is carrying on its 'excellent work' by openly calling for Schumer to resign as Senate minority leader, and leading 'the largest primary campaign in Indivisible's history'.
'This shutdown was not an act of togetherness that was a going to go on indefinitely with some ultimate result. '
Um, then what was it? What was the point of doing it at all if not fore 'some ultimate result", which btw is exactly the opposite of the clear demands that were made...until they weren't...and actually, very large solid majorities of Democratic supporters backed the shutdown.
It is clear that the Dems need a change in leadership. Schumer was a bad choice from the very start. He never should have ben chosen after the 2024 debacle.
That Levin will have to settle his incandescent anger down is not patronizing. That is accepting reality to get on and working with reality. There you go again being negative. This Ezra Levin is doing. He is leading a pushback movement. But he has to accept that Schumer is there now. And if he pushes too strongly he will undermine the Democrat's position. We could use new leadership, I agree. But that will take time we do not have. We need to get people positive for the prospect of winning the 2026 election, both houses and not to be very negative about who is leading at the moment.
I believe btw that Schumer's rejected offer to the Republicans, was the precursor to the Senators cave-in. Clearly it's part of the Democratic DNA to go along to get along. The real fighters we need, we don't have on top. This is why Democrats have been polling poorly. People are angry we don't fight hard enough. But we are not all on the same page about that. You can't say "base" and be credible. We are multitudes- which is a kind of disadvantage. But we have very strong positives... which you know, or should. So please check your negativity. You don't know the future... nor do leaders.
Must agree; I have little faith that MAGA faithful will draw the line with pedophilia and other variations of sexual assault. How many of them have themselves been outed for that very same behavior - quite a few. I believe there is more to the story, given the depth and breadth of efforts to distract and redirect.
That said, I think Indivisible has one of the best plans - focused efforts to support Dem challengers to the old guard; replace current listless Democrats with people who are ready to fight for a better system; create Mamdani-level energy and bring out voters to overwhelm GOP election suppression efforts. That, in coordination with ongoing non-stop legal challenges, could do it.
Time for the millionaire(D)/billionaire(R) country club in Washington to move on so we can build a Congress that works for the people.
The maga faithful--the evangelicals---will likely not consider sexual activity with a post pubescent female a negative. They want to marry 14 year olds.
I don't put any faith in it. I know what the trumptrolls comment on my local newspaper's website. They "love" him no matter what he does, and whatabout is their favorite phrase. I do hope it might at least make a dent in their self imposed armor against the truth.
Trump has never had true popular support. He only won the original primaries because the ludicrous number of other candidates diluted the non-lunatic fringe vote. He first won the Presidency against a candidate that had been vilified for decades. His second win was against a candidate that a large portion of the electorate would never vote for on racial/gender grounds.
We don't need to take down MAGA. We just need to wound it. The Epstein files debacle is helping do that. While the files aren't some magic dagger that will take him down by themselves, they are reaching a different part of MAGA than any other issue could. MTG, Boebert, and Mace are actually all going against Trump.
Anything that Trump is willing to fight this hard to conceal is worth fighting to reveal. Seeing the predicted 50 or more Republican House members vote against his wishes would be a victory by itself. The contents of the files are less importantly politically than the act of forcing the DOJ to release them.
But, releasing the Epstein files isn't just about politics. It would be a fight that's worth undertaking even if Trump weren't involved. So, while we shouldn't get our hopes up too high, pushing hard on Epstein seems the right move. And, let's face it, getting rid of Trump won't fix everything. We still need the grass roots efforts to oppose Vance.
I think in addition to the horrific sexual abuse crimes, there is a story of financial wrongdoing and blackmail involving a lot of powerful people in high places, and all of it would make these people do anything to keep it from coming to light.
Agreed that there is likely a lot more to this story than we know. A couple of points come to mind. These files have been in the hands of the FBI under two different administrations. There’s a good chance there’s nothing in there that is sufficiently incriminating to get a conviction in a court of law; the court of public opinion is another matter. If there is anything criminally incriminating, then the Biden era DOJ has some serious explaining to do.
Also, while Trump may be protecting someone else, he campaigned on releasing them. No one reached out to him to tell him to shut up about them. While obviously everything is speculation until we see FBO has, it likely means no one with the power to influence Trump is worried about what will come out.
I totally agree it should be pursued and investigated, and that it is important regardless of Trump himself.
And agree with your last sentence that 'getting rid of Trump won't fix everything'....that is absolutely true.
But I really question how much he will be wounded, and even if he is, for some time, how much that will mater right now. He has gotten away with so so much, the GOP doesn't care....there are some now that need to watch their backs for sure, but i still don't see the GOP turning against him. Even those three MAGA women yo mention continue to support Trump fundamentally (MTG is wavering more but she is still a hard MAGA Republican)
But hey, lets see...if this in fact breaks the MAGA spell, great.
In the meantime I am looking forward to lots of primary challenges.
It’s also possible that Trump was not involved with Epstein’s pedophilia. The files that Trump is desperate to hide may be about money laundering for Russian organized crime. Follow the money!
still, even what has already been shown, even without full on criminal charges, would have been more than enough to sink any politician in a normal time.
Democrats have no strategy. They don’t deserve power. They’re just a bunch of renters afraid to participate in Republican primaries. They refuse to take any risks, relying on someone else to rescue them. They’re banking on Epstein’s files, hoping the courts and corporate media will stand up where they are caving in themselves. Otherwise, why are they gossiping about it day in and day out?
I do think its worth pressing the Epstein files and whatever other evidence comes up..not just to hold Trump accountable but because the crimes committed are really disgusting and should be paid for, not just by Trump, but by anyone else implicated.
So I do think it is more than 'gossip' it is important..but I agree that the Dems (esp the mainstream national Dems) lack a cohesive message and certainly lack backbone, as was proven this week...
again that is why SCHUMER and JEFFRIES NEED TO GO, NOW! That would at least be a start.
Held accountable by whom? His personal lawyers now lead the DOJ and the FBI. that’s why I say it’s pure gossip for the mainstream media to pretend there’s something to see there. The shutdown was a maneuver by Democratic elites to get their friends into Governor’s Mansions here and there. Once the election was over, Schumer revealed the hideous plan. I almost cried when I saw that Trump-themed racist AI video of Schumer and Jeffries after their meeting in the Oval Office. Now I tell myself: hate Trump, but sometime pay attention to what he says about people.
You aren't wrong about the DOJ of course. I too am livid about the way the shutdown ended.
Still I do think its important, if for no other reason than for those survivors of sexual abuse that yet to see anything even approaching accountability by Epstein's many gross buddies. Maybe there will be grounds for civil suits, Maybe some further evidence will uncover some actionable crimes.. I dunno.
The fact that Trump is so dead set against thee releases and his team is doing backflips to spin it says it truly is getting to him.
But hey, I wont argue that this will somehow save the Democrats, that's what I have been saying here.
Salon put it well today: "Epstein emails have Democrats confident they’ll catch the roadrunner"
The only reason any of this evidence is coming to light is because of the political fight to do so.
But I do agree this shouldn't become 'the thing' .. Dems have been doing that for 10 years...I think it was more understandable early on, but at this point, we should know the GOP will not turn against him in any meaningful way based on scandal. If prices stay high, maybe that's something else ... but none of it matters too much if Dems remain feckless and backbone-less.
Unless one of those victims comes forward and names the president as her abuser, I'm not sure anything less will lead to a wholesale departure of either his Congressional toadies or his MAGA followers.
About 23 women have credibly accused trump of sexual abuse. What makes you think the testimony of abused children will make a difference? What makes me angriest about all this "release the Epstein files" hype is that the testimony of literally hundreds of women was apparently not enough, people needed proof, ie the actual "Files". The cover up is staggering.
This is what you get when billionaires like Trump, Bessent, and Lutnick can't get enough at the trough through ordinary business success. Now the government's thumb is on the scale. Marie Antoinette and Louis XIV only wish they had had it this good. Wonder how Thune and Grassley spin this excess on FOX to their $50,000/yr average Joes and Janes?
JR: "As if the big, ugly bill did not give billionaires enough tax cuts, The New York Times reports, “The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service, through a series of new notices and proposed regulations, are giving breaks to giant private equity firms, crypto companies, foreign real estate investors, insurance providers and a variety of multinational corporations.” That sort of stomach-turning excess at the expense of ordinary Americans—accelerating already pernicious inequality—constitutes an economic and political powder keg, not to mention a moral abomination."
" Wonder how Thune and Grassley spin this excess on FOX to their $50,000/yr average Joes and Janes?"
Just a clarification: There are many of us who don't even make that $50,000/yr. mark, even with two jobs. With rising costs all around, it is getting more difficult to eke out a living.
Neither Joe nor Jane will ever hear about it. Any of it. And even if they did, they would attribute it to fake news or lying Democrats. The level of willful ignorance is stupefying.
The news deserts that are in parts of the country goes a long way to explaining the swath of red states. Which unfortunately are each entitled to two senators.
I will not be drawn into another, "Oh boy, he's toast this time" frenzy. I quit Twitter, then Threads, then BlueSky because every day people were posting, "This is it! He's going to jail." We keep drawing a red line in the sand, and he keeps crossing it with no accountability. It's more like a red blob at this point.
I agree, he does something every day that would have ended it for literally any other president. The goalposts keep getting moved closer and closer to the gates of hell.
Although he does seem rattled by the files, I've actually begun to wonder whether the Epstein files are in fact themselves the diversion, from something more damning and more prosecutable. Maybe there is actual evidence of Russian election-fixing connection or an Israeli election connection we've seen little of to date. Maybe there's something about the Eptstein suicide, but of course that's not in the Epstein files.
As for these files, I don't see a smoking gun yet, not in the emails. They're hints and suggestions from a dead moral reprobate whose credibility would be in shreds before he reached the witness box. Unless a lot more is in those files, we who would love to see "him" in jail are whistling in the wind.
For the record, there was already been reporting on Epstein’s deep connection with Israeli intelligence, although it’s been barely mentioned in most US media.
Drop Site News has had extensive reporting in this.
There has been a lot of reprinting the Bank of America’s shady dealings with Epstein too, although I haven’t seen much mention of that this week.
But I agree, all the hints and suggestions given so far haven’t demonstrated any actionable crimes, yet.
I’ll settle for seeing him deeply “rattled” for now / but since any release of the FBI files needs both Senate approval and his own signature, the chance of the big release seems next to zero as of now.
I've seen only glancing mention of the Epstein-Israel connection in the MSM. But: Putin, Netanyahu, Epstein and Trump are believably a twisted cabal with a common interest.
I'm afraid he'll wiggle out of accountability for his ties to Epstein as he's wiggled out of so much. Unless we can get a Biden-like autopen to accommodate us. :)
Drop Site News and of course Democracy Now! are good sources for reporting like this that many will never touch ( this will never be mentioned in this particular outlet)
And I agree with you, although I would grant this does feel a bit different..if a substantial number of GOP reps even vote for the FBI release, that is a bigger break than usual .... still, I don't know what it will amount to, other than a way to bludgeon Trump in the press...
Meanwhile though, lots of bad things keep happening that have been virtually ignored, like 'Operation Southern Spear' and of course the still-ongoing daily atrocities in Gaza, that have been all but forgotten...
The whole cabal in and around the desecrated WH are moral abominations. The shambles of the East Wing are a metaphor for the utter contempt that this group of inhuman Nazis has for the well-being of We the People and all that the United States has stood for during the last 249 years. Let's celebrate our 250th by ridding ourselves of this corrupt gang of thieves.
"He not only does not know how to help Americans; he does not want to. He only helps himself."
I think this multi-faceted demise WAS his plan all along. Once he was able to evade jail from the the White House, his whole focus has been on CREATING chaos, confusion and most of all, division.
His lust for dictatorship, all the power and all the trappings, could happen so much more quickly once we turn on each other. I see every action the regime has taken in furtherance and acceleration of this outcome.
There is some evidence that people are getting tired of the chaos. People who had Trump signs in their yards have been seen at the recent protest rallies carrying other signs in support of protest (personally observed). There is growing resistance, and in resistance there is a unity forming. It will only increase as the madcap mayhem continues.
Ya, I've noticed similar dynamics, Steve. And I fully believe we have to welcome them aboard. We need them in the fight going forward. Unfortunately, trumpism won't die with trump. JD doesn't have trump's charisma, but he's definitely got the evil to move the movement forward, IMO.
The "influencers" like Bannon, Miller, and Vought (as well as the Heritage Foundation) are not going anywhere either. It will also take a long time to roust Trump's governmental implants from the cabinet, judiciary, congress, and other agencies.
I’ve witnessed the same thing. Trump signs disappearing from people’s yards in this rural red part of a blue state. I hope you’re right about growing unity and I believe you meant between formerly Red and Blue groups. If we could just get Democrats to stop defecting at anything that doesn’t give them everything, I’d consider that a positive.
(I say “Red” and “Blue” but I think more people are understanding these are no longer partisan issues. It’s more about “Right” and “Wrong”, “Decency” or “ Cruelty”).
I feel like somebody who's been beat up by a bully and I'm just lying on the ground screaming make them stop. It is difficult to comprehend how extraordinarily harsh life is going to be for the great majority of Americans in just a few weeks. As if it was not already bad enough.
"Whatever Democrats’ Senate leadership difficulties, they have plenty of time before the midterms to hang all of that around Republicans’ necks."
Before-the-midterms is a year. How do you suggest we survive an obviously coming major recession for that year we have to wait before anything can be done? WE THE PEOPLE need action now, not a year from now. Where's the plan?
Included in that bill was the ability for 8 Senators to sue the US. government and they will receive at least $1 million each. This is because their phone records were provided during the Jan 6 investigation. They didn't listen to the calls, just the times and duration of calls around that time.
Why hang your hat on "Epstein Stuff"? Better to go after trump's illegal power grabs to dictatorship and oligarchy, adding those who are complicit and complacent in Congress and the Supreme Court.
Anne, you don't give fruit flies enough credit. They are remarkable, even if tiny, able to follow the scent that ripe fruit emits on a waft of a breeze directly to its source. What's left of MSM can't (or won't) track the stench of corruption and cruelty emanating from windows in the White House, the Capitol and the Supreme Court building.
A case against trump's involvement with Epstein will never go anywhere. Meanwhile, our United States, our representative democracy, is shattering in pieces under "trump & co.".
The lost 30% will say, Trump is a great businessman and we are sure he has a plan which will eventually make America great for everyone. The recent extravagant Gatsby party at the Mar-a-Lago palace was the perfect illustration of the new gilded age of Trump
I feel like that may have come across as, “Wow! Things must be fab if he is throwing that kind of party. Boy, I can’t wait to see what he hosts in the Ballroom during his 3rd term/dictatorship!”
F Scott Fitzgerald wrote his novel The Great Gatsby in 1925, a hundred years ago, at the height of the previous gild age in the roaring 20’s. It was a time of declining moral values when infidelity and lack of empathy were common. The elite society was focused on wealth, appearances, and shallow personal relationships. It was a society of privilege and extravagant parties covering underlying rot. Gatsby’s pursuit of immense wealth through swindling and criminal bootlegging during Prohibition led to moral decay and, ultimately, tragedy. That is why I commented that the recent extravagant Gatsby party at Mar-a-Lago was a perfect illustration of the new gilded age of Trump.
I definitely wasn’t clear with my comment. Sorry. I think I read the Gatsby Gala comment in an ‘everyone should know that is a bad look so this will break through to them.’ And was saying that it wouldn’t. They would rationalize it—which is what you had alluded to. Oops.
Can Daisy please show up so he can stop throwing parties?
Excellent summary of ALL the corruption…..so blatant. I just callled Ron Johnson’s office - one of the 8 senators who benefits from sliding the amendment into the CR that they can sue the feds…..same kind of scheme the man in the WH is proposing to steal $230m…..it’s all so disgusting.
What a thorough exposé Jennifer Rubin presents us with.
Just exactly what has Donald John Trump's administration and the other two GOP laced branches of the government done for the majority of American people? We would have to look very har to find more than the damage that they have inflicted upon us..
"Whatever Democrats’ Senate leadership difficulties, they have plenty of time before the midterms to hang all of that around Republicans’ necks."
Actually, we don't. The time is now to start counteracting the lies, deceit, damage and misinformation. It takes a long time to pound the truth in and to get it around and sink in. We can not wait for "the eleventh hour" to bring light to all that is currently facing us.
Thank gods this story has pushed the “Schumer leadership” story off the front page, which didn’t seem to be helping out the prospects of getting democrats elected, as, why vote, if they’re so awful.
A succinct summary of our national jeopardy. Now is the time to support our midterm candidates capable of turning this situation around and taking legislative, boycott, and criminal action (where it’s possible) against Trump and the trough pigs.
I hope Dems aren't putting any faith in this idea that this time, finally, the Epstein files will be The Thing that turns MAGA against Trump..the guy found liable for sexual abuse in civil court, before he was re-elected by a bigger margin than the first time.
There is no silver bullet. Those women absolutely deserve justice, and Trump deserves all the criticism he gets (as well as his GOP defenders), but pinning hopes on the idea that this will be The Thing That Saves Us does not help the fight for democracy.
I'd like to be clear here-I am not saying that anyone is wrong for thinking this alone, SHOULD be enough to permanently disgrace anyone, including Trump...this level of scandal, even just what is already known, should have stopped him from getting even near the White House years ago.
But that is the point. I know I have done it myself..I couldn't believe someone could win after the Access Hollywood tape, after the open support from Russian intelligence, after all the criminals in his staff, after January 6th, the felony convictions, the fraud cases....but here we are....there is no bottom to the MAGA cesspool.
Go after him hard, but don't think this will be the thing that take him down. It won't . We still need grassroots organizing and supporting a party that stand FOR something, not just opposed to Trump...same as always.
I couldn't believe anyone would be dumb enough to vote for him in 2016, either. But all kinds of balls are now in motion that weren't before. It's amazing how much can change on a dime, and so often does, with so many later claiming they never saw it coming. We shall see.
Confronted by Trump, face to face, Laura Boebert stood her ground! Who'd have thunk it?
I didn't see that he was there in the Situation Room - reports indicate it was "just" Bondi and Patel.
You just never know what’s going to be the proverbial straw breaking the camel’s back. Syria’s Assad looked like he was never going to leave until suddenly fell.
There’s no shortage of issues Trump is vulnerable on:
-The tariffs- they are making life miserable for Americans, adding to the cost of groceries and goods. The case before SCOTUS now may confirm the tariffs are illegal (in which case Trump has willfully & recklessly usurped power and violated the law while screwing all of us over in the process and all to offset the cost of the big billionaire bill granting billionaires huge sweetheart tax breaks)
-Affordability- Trump literally ran his campaign on inflation and lowering prices. He’s done nothing to make inflation better and in fact inflationary pressures are worse now than they were under Biden
-Attacks on communities- nobody likes an occupying force and the heavy handed authoritarian military police tactics Trump has been using for his mass deportation policy is pissing people off.
-Pedophile ties- the Epstein files and ties to Epstein are not going away. Thousands of federal agents were forced to review them as part of Bondi and Patel’s redaction blitz. You can’t keep a lid on that type of thing forever. Sooner or later more details will drop. Epstein’s financial transactions look sketchy as hell- there’s enough there to warrant deep investigation of potential money laundering, blackmail, and human trafficking. The Epstein financials are bound to implicate Trump in his own shady deals.
It's astonishing to me and a great disappointment in our elected leaders that Trump and his administration has been allowed this much time to do the damage he has done and plans to do. Many of us knew and others now know and certainly should what a disgrace, a hateful, lying, a mentally unfit person and a lawless president he is. But we don't even have the beginnings of an impeachment process going.
I keep waiting for more talk about Epstein's death in which I've read that the guards who were supposed to prevent any chance of suicide have never been debriefed. Do we know conclusively that he killed himself?
Do we know conclusively that he killed himself? More like the opposite. The preponderance of the evidence points to his being murdered. Listen to what his brother, Mark Epstein, has said in interviews about it.
I don't think tariffs will bring him down. His backers don't feel the pain and obviously don't give a flying f about ordinary americans.
I lived in the DC area during the Watergate era and knew a few people involved with those legal cases and others that arose from the Pentagon Papers. I figured most people knew how corrupt government could be and was shocked at how violent the backlash could be when the tipipng point of disgust happened. Media was much different then. We shall see.
So what about our day of action, November 18?
Maybe it'll work. Read the Jerry Weiss scenario. https://jerryweiss.substack.com/
I keep posting. According to Congressman Eric Swalwell (D-CA) Trumpepstein may cause an "Epstein bomb" causing over 100 Republican members to "jailbreak" from Trump.
Massive Congressional visits November 18.
https://www.instagram.com/flare.usa/p/DP_mdOyjdiG/
Visit CongressionalRepublicans.
https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/event/851451/
I think that if we play our cards right, many can be convinced by the election outcome to come forward.
Yes, you keep posting.
Again, see above. The leaders of the organization behind the biggest protests in recent US history are furious - at the Democratic Party.
As long as the Democratic Party finds ways to lose, like it did this week, and infuriate its base, the never ending mantra of 'now we got 'em!' is empty words.
That does not mean these files shouldn't be released and Trump should be help accountable wherever possible, It does mean that this will not save the Democrats from themselves.
You are the only negative voice posting regularly. Why is that?
It's like you don't want us to succeed. Do Boyle and Swawell know more Congressional MAGATs than you? Tom Massie, R. Ky says many Republicans will vote to open the records. We may help convince them to come forward.
Many of them are from Dem majority districts -- like the 3 from Baghdad By the Sea. I also keep posting:
Miami healthcare CEO Michael “Mike” B. Fernandez wrote the following open letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and members of the Republican Cuban-American Miami-Dade congressional delegation: U.S. Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart, Carlos Giménez and Maria Elvira Salazar.
"For decades, I have stood with you in defense of the freedoms we cherish, those we were denied in the country of our birth and found in the grace of this one. I know what it means to flee tyranny.
"Like you, I carry that history in my bones and that pain in my heart.
"But like a growing number in our community, I have watched with dismay as the very values we once found sanctuary in are now being attacked by a previously unthinkable threat — the sitting president of the United States.
"In the face of all of this, the silence from our own leaders — the sons and daughters of exiles — has become deafening."
Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/op-ed/article304271841.html#storylink=cpy
Comments that point out hard truths are not negative; they are real, and the reality is that, while there are good strong people in Congress (Swalwell is one, as is Van Hollen, Sanders, Garcia; several others), there are not enough without big $$ backers requiring their obedience. More than half of Democrats and 99.8% of Republicans are simply unable to govern because of dark money (and cowardice for some R's). So they open the Epstein files; that alone will not save this country.
No, I am just bored of your posts, saying the same weak points over and over. it is comedy to say that I am the 'only negative voice posting regularly'..you must have been asleep for the past few days, and few months..and many be the last ten years.
You posted two links above, one is to another rally, same as a hundred other rallies..worthwhile but will not overthrow Trump in one fell swoop..the other is to an Indivisible page, and organization which as I have noted, is absolutely furious at the Democratic Party right now, for good reason. Their main front page is calling for Schumer to step down and to primary Democrats everywhere.
I suppose they are 'negative' too? I guess Rubin must also be a negative nellie.
Then you post a link to an open letter to an editorial page. Wow, amazing! I can see Trump running for cover already!
My notion of 'success' is not rooted in pipe dreams, like yours apparently is. Accountability for Democratic leadership is an essential component, something you are loudly uninterested in.
Your constant zombie mantra about the 'Epstein bomb' and the Big Day when the 'records are opened' is just silly at this point.
Go ahead and respond with more cut and paste, I have wasted too much time already responding to you.
I agree about the "negative voice posting".
Whatever "the base" means. The Democrats held together for over a month. They accomplished a lot, enough in fact. They were never going to bring this government down with the shutdown either anymore than with Epstein's revelations.
Democrats are not in lock step . This is not evidence of losing.
The 'base' is consistent Democratic voters and organizations that consistently support Democrats...obviously.
No, they accomplished next to nothing, except damaging the Party's credibility and showing the GOP they have no reason to negotiate with Dems.
The point was not to 'being the government down'. It was to lock in the ACA subsides for at least another year. Now there will be a vote which will almost certainly lose and likely won't even be taken up in the House.
Is there really something big happening in DC on Nov. 18th? After your posts I've looked for this and the only thing that points to a DC event is the flare.usa site. Whatever is going to take place doesn't seem well-organized or well-publicized. Not at all on a plane with No Kings Day. What gives?
I am glad you noticed that too....I also looked in all those links and saw nothing for Nov 18th. I even searched on Google a bit and haven't seen anything. It's either not well publicized like you said, or Daniel here doesn't even know what he is cut and pasting...maybe both.
What about it? Every rally and protest helps, but there have already been a couple of the biggest US protests in recent memory just in the past few months. Those are definitely worthwhile and are a component to a grassroots movement, but no single protest is going to stop Trump either.
PS side note - Ezra Levin, the primary organizer behind Indivisible, responded to the shutdown capitulation with 'incandescent rage' on Rubin's interview.
I noticed Levin's "incandescent rage". I allow him that for reasons he deserves. Hopefully he has settled down to reality of what is and keeps on with his excellent work. We are not in lockstep though. This is a feature, not a fault of being a Democrat. This shutdown was not an act of togetherness that was a going to go on indefinitely with some ultimate result. We need mass. This has to build.. I agree about Epstein and never thought this was the thing that would save us-- a fantasy, people wanting this nightmare to just go away.
He has not taken your patronizing suggestion to 'settle down'. Indivisible is carrying on its 'excellent work' by openly calling for Schumer to resign as Senate minority leader, and leading 'the largest primary campaign in Indivisible's history'.
https://indivisible.org/
'This shutdown was not an act of togetherness that was a going to go on indefinitely with some ultimate result. '
Um, then what was it? What was the point of doing it at all if not fore 'some ultimate result", which btw is exactly the opposite of the clear demands that were made...until they weren't...and actually, very large solid majorities of Democratic supporters backed the shutdown.
It is clear that the Dems need a change in leadership. Schumer was a bad choice from the very start. He never should have ben chosen after the 2024 debacle.
That Levin will have to settle his incandescent anger down is not patronizing. That is accepting reality to get on and working with reality. There you go again being negative. This Ezra Levin is doing. He is leading a pushback movement. But he has to accept that Schumer is there now. And if he pushes too strongly he will undermine the Democrat's position. We could use new leadership, I agree. But that will take time we do not have. We need to get people positive for the prospect of winning the 2026 election, both houses and not to be very negative about who is leading at the moment.
I believe btw that Schumer's rejected offer to the Republicans, was the precursor to the Senators cave-in. Clearly it's part of the Democratic DNA to go along to get along. The real fighters we need, we don't have on top. This is why Democrats have been polling poorly. People are angry we don't fight hard enough. But we are not all on the same page about that. You can't say "base" and be credible. We are multitudes- which is a kind of disadvantage. But we have very strong positives... which you know, or should. So please check your negativity. You don't know the future... nor do leaders.
This is different. It's a chance to personally make a difference. It's persuasion, lobbying, more than protest.
We only. need a few.
Trump & his DOJ: No credibility, no integrity...“The Trump regime is plagued by scandal, corruption, chaos, and cruelty."
Avoid circular firing squads; Eyes on the Prize. Resist the authoritarians. #VoteBlue
Must agree; I have little faith that MAGA faithful will draw the line with pedophilia and other variations of sexual assault. How many of them have themselves been outed for that very same behavior - quite a few. I believe there is more to the story, given the depth and breadth of efforts to distract and redirect.
That said, I think Indivisible has one of the best plans - focused efforts to support Dem challengers to the old guard; replace current listless Democrats with people who are ready to fight for a better system; create Mamdani-level energy and bring out voters to overwhelm GOP election suppression efforts. That, in coordination with ongoing non-stop legal challenges, could do it.
Time for the millionaire(D)/billionaire(R) country club in Washington to move on so we can build a Congress that works for the people.
The maga faithful--the evangelicals---will likely not consider sexual activity with a post pubescent female a negative. They want to marry 14 year olds.
Another 100%
100%
I don't put any faith in it. I know what the trumptrolls comment on my local newspaper's website. They "love" him no matter what he does, and whatabout is their favorite phrase. I do hope it might at least make a dent in their self imposed armor against the truth.
MAGA won't change...they just need to be outnumbered and defeated by a movement that has a solid platform.
"Whatabout?" Here's my answer. "I don't care who is in those files. Release them and let the chips fall where they may."
Trump has never had true popular support. He only won the original primaries because the ludicrous number of other candidates diluted the non-lunatic fringe vote. He first won the Presidency against a candidate that had been vilified for decades. His second win was against a candidate that a large portion of the electorate would never vote for on racial/gender grounds.
We don't need to take down MAGA. We just need to wound it. The Epstein files debacle is helping do that. While the files aren't some magic dagger that will take him down by themselves, they are reaching a different part of MAGA than any other issue could. MTG, Boebert, and Mace are actually all going against Trump.
Anything that Trump is willing to fight this hard to conceal is worth fighting to reveal. Seeing the predicted 50 or more Republican House members vote against his wishes would be a victory by itself. The contents of the files are less importantly politically than the act of forcing the DOJ to release them.
But, releasing the Epstein files isn't just about politics. It would be a fight that's worth undertaking even if Trump weren't involved. So, while we shouldn't get our hopes up too high, pushing hard on Epstein seems the right move. And, let's face it, getting rid of Trump won't fix everything. We still need the grass roots efforts to oppose Vance.
I think in addition to the horrific sexual abuse crimes, there is a story of financial wrongdoing and blackmail involving a lot of powerful people in high places, and all of it would make these people do anything to keep it from coming to light.
Agreed that there is likely a lot more to this story than we know. A couple of points come to mind. These files have been in the hands of the FBI under two different administrations. There’s a good chance there’s nothing in there that is sufficiently incriminating to get a conviction in a court of law; the court of public opinion is another matter. If there is anything criminally incriminating, then the Biden era DOJ has some serious explaining to do.
Also, while Trump may be protecting someone else, he campaigned on releasing them. No one reached out to him to tell him to shut up about them. While obviously everything is speculation until we see FBO has, it likely means no one with the power to influence Trump is worried about what will come out.
I totally agree it should be pursued and investigated, and that it is important regardless of Trump himself.
And agree with your last sentence that 'getting rid of Trump won't fix everything'....that is absolutely true.
But I really question how much he will be wounded, and even if he is, for some time, how much that will mater right now. He has gotten away with so so much, the GOP doesn't care....there are some now that need to watch their backs for sure, but i still don't see the GOP turning against him. Even those three MAGA women yo mention continue to support Trump fundamentally (MTG is wavering more but she is still a hard MAGA Republican)
But hey, lets see...if this in fact breaks the MAGA spell, great.
In the meantime I am looking forward to lots of primary challenges.
It’s also possible that Trump was not involved with Epstein’s pedophilia. The files that Trump is desperate to hide may be about money laundering for Russian organized crime. Follow the money!
could be! could be both! could be even more!
still, even what has already been shown, even without full on criminal charges, would have been more than enough to sink any politician in a normal time.
Democrats have no strategy. They don’t deserve power. They’re just a bunch of renters afraid to participate in Republican primaries. They refuse to take any risks, relying on someone else to rescue them. They’re banking on Epstein’s files, hoping the courts and corporate media will stand up where they are caving in themselves. Otherwise, why are they gossiping about it day in and day out?
I can't say I disagree.
I do think its worth pressing the Epstein files and whatever other evidence comes up..not just to hold Trump accountable but because the crimes committed are really disgusting and should be paid for, not just by Trump, but by anyone else implicated.
So I do think it is more than 'gossip' it is important..but I agree that the Dems (esp the mainstream national Dems) lack a cohesive message and certainly lack backbone, as was proven this week...
again that is why SCHUMER and JEFFRIES NEED TO GO, NOW! That would at least be a start.
Held accountable by whom? His personal lawyers now lead the DOJ and the FBI. that’s why I say it’s pure gossip for the mainstream media to pretend there’s something to see there. The shutdown was a maneuver by Democratic elites to get their friends into Governor’s Mansions here and there. Once the election was over, Schumer revealed the hideous plan. I almost cried when I saw that Trump-themed racist AI video of Schumer and Jeffries after their meeting in the Oval Office. Now I tell myself: hate Trump, but sometime pay attention to what he says about people.
You aren't wrong about the DOJ of course. I too am livid about the way the shutdown ended.
Still I do think its important, if for no other reason than for those survivors of sexual abuse that yet to see anything even approaching accountability by Epstein's many gross buddies. Maybe there will be grounds for civil suits, Maybe some further evidence will uncover some actionable crimes.. I dunno.
The fact that Trump is so dead set against thee releases and his team is doing backflips to spin it says it truly is getting to him.
But hey, I wont argue that this will somehow save the Democrats, that's what I have been saying here.
Salon put it well today: "Epstein emails have Democrats confident they’ll catch the roadrunner"
The Epstein's topic should better be to left ro influencers... Prominent politicians talking about are distracted distractors
The only reason any of this evidence is coming to light is because of the political fight to do so.
But I do agree this shouldn't become 'the thing' .. Dems have been doing that for 10 years...I think it was more understandable early on, but at this point, we should know the GOP will not turn against him in any meaningful way based on scandal. If prices stay high, maybe that's something else ... but none of it matters too much if Dems remain feckless and backbone-less.
America deserves its fought and died for democracy.
America (AND women) deserve justice.
Unless one of those victims comes forward and names the president as her abuser, I'm not sure anything less will lead to a wholesale departure of either his Congressional toadies or his MAGA followers.
About 23 women have credibly accused trump of sexual abuse. What makes you think the testimony of abused children will make a difference? What makes me angriest about all this "release the Epstein files" hype is that the testimony of literally hundreds of women was apparently not enough, people needed proof, ie the actual "Files". The cover up is staggering.
I hope those Senate leaders are taking notes on your cogent crushing summary.
Jen needs to correct inaccuracies about the ACA premiums. My comment is here.
https://contrarian.substack.com/p/frightening-wake-up-for-maga/comment/176807349
Others are noticing this as well.
This is what you get when billionaires like Trump, Bessent, and Lutnick can't get enough at the trough through ordinary business success. Now the government's thumb is on the scale. Marie Antoinette and Louis XIV only wish they had had it this good. Wonder how Thune and Grassley spin this excess on FOX to their $50,000/yr average Joes and Janes?
JR: "As if the big, ugly bill did not give billionaires enough tax cuts, The New York Times reports, “The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service, through a series of new notices and proposed regulations, are giving breaks to giant private equity firms, crypto companies, foreign real estate investors, insurance providers and a variety of multinational corporations.” That sort of stomach-turning excess at the expense of ordinary Americans—accelerating already pernicious inequality—constitutes an economic and political powder keg, not to mention a moral abomination."
" Wonder how Thune and Grassley spin this excess on FOX to their $50,000/yr average Joes and Janes?"
Just a clarification: There are many of us who don't even make that $50,000/yr. mark, even with two jobs. With rising costs all around, it is getting more difficult to eke out a living.
Neither Joe nor Jane will ever hear about it. Any of it. And even if they did, they would attribute it to fake news or lying Democrats. The level of willful ignorance is stupefying.
The news deserts that are in parts of the country goes a long way to explaining the swath of red states. Which unfortunately are each entitled to two senators.
Jessica Turlov is on the job, tries to keep them straight.
When Trump said "we are all going to be so rich", he was talking only to the people in the room (except the journalists who recorded him saying this)
And to his sons. I guess the Senate and House Ethics Committees have had all their staffs fired?
I will not be drawn into another, "Oh boy, he's toast this time" frenzy. I quit Twitter, then Threads, then BlueSky because every day people were posting, "This is it! He's going to jail." We keep drawing a red line in the sand, and he keeps crossing it with no accountability. It's more like a red blob at this point.
I agree, he does something every day that would have ended it for literally any other president. The goalposts keep getting moved closer and closer to the gates of hell.
Hopefully the "closer to the gates of hell" he goes will end with "being in hell".
My favorite quote on this today so far, from Salon: "Epstein emails have Democrats confident they’ll catch the roadrunner"
Although he does seem rattled by the files, I've actually begun to wonder whether the Epstein files are in fact themselves the diversion, from something more damning and more prosecutable. Maybe there is actual evidence of Russian election-fixing connection or an Israeli election connection we've seen little of to date. Maybe there's something about the Eptstein suicide, but of course that's not in the Epstein files.
As for these files, I don't see a smoking gun yet, not in the emails. They're hints and suggestions from a dead moral reprobate whose credibility would be in shreds before he reached the witness box. Unless a lot more is in those files, we who would love to see "him" in jail are whistling in the wind.
For the record, there was already been reporting on Epstein’s deep connection with Israeli intelligence, although it’s been barely mentioned in most US media.
Drop Site News has had extensive reporting in this.
There has been a lot of reprinting the Bank of America’s shady dealings with Epstein too, although I haven’t seen much mention of that this week.
But I agree, all the hints and suggestions given so far haven’t demonstrated any actionable crimes, yet.
I’ll settle for seeing him deeply “rattled” for now / but since any release of the FBI files needs both Senate approval and his own signature, the chance of the big release seems next to zero as of now.
I've seen only glancing mention of the Epstein-Israel connection in the MSM. But: Putin, Netanyahu, Epstein and Trump are believably a twisted cabal with a common interest.
I'm afraid he'll wiggle out of accountability for his ties to Epstein as he's wiggled out of so much. Unless we can get a Biden-like autopen to accommodate us. :)
Drop Site News and of course Democracy Now! are good sources for reporting like this that many will never touch ( this will never be mentioned in this particular outlet)
https://www.democracynow.org/2025/11/12/epstein_israel
And I agree with you, although I would grant this does feel a bit different..if a substantial number of GOP reps even vote for the FBI release, that is a bigger break than usual .... still, I don't know what it will amount to, other than a way to bludgeon Trump in the press...
Meanwhile though, lots of bad things keep happening that have been virtually ignored, like 'Operation Southern Spear' and of course the still-ongoing daily atrocities in Gaza, that have been all but forgotten...
The whole cabal in and around the desecrated WH are moral abominations. The shambles of the East Wing are a metaphor for the utter contempt that this group of inhuman Nazis has for the well-being of We the People and all that the United States has stood for during the last 249 years. Let's celebrate our 250th by ridding ourselves of this corrupt gang of thieves.
"He not only does not know how to help Americans; he does not want to. He only helps himself."
I think this multi-faceted demise WAS his plan all along. Once he was able to evade jail from the the White House, his whole focus has been on CREATING chaos, confusion and most of all, division.
His lust for dictatorship, all the power and all the trappings, could happen so much more quickly once we turn on each other. I see every action the regime has taken in furtherance and acceleration of this outcome.
There is some evidence that people are getting tired of the chaos. People who had Trump signs in their yards have been seen at the recent protest rallies carrying other signs in support of protest (personally observed). There is growing resistance, and in resistance there is a unity forming. It will only increase as the madcap mayhem continues.
Ya, I've noticed similar dynamics, Steve. And I fully believe we have to welcome them aboard. We need them in the fight going forward. Unfortunately, trumpism won't die with trump. JD doesn't have trump's charisma, but he's definitely got the evil to move the movement forward, IMO.
The "influencers" like Bannon, Miller, and Vought (as well as the Heritage Foundation) are not going anywhere either. It will also take a long time to roust Trump's governmental implants from the cabinet, judiciary, congress, and other agencies.
I’ve witnessed the same thing. Trump signs disappearing from people’s yards in this rural red part of a blue state. I hope you’re right about growing unity and I believe you meant between formerly Red and Blue groups. If we could just get Democrats to stop defecting at anything that doesn’t give them everything, I’d consider that a positive.
(I say “Red” and “Blue” but I think more people are understanding these are no longer partisan issues. It’s more about “Right” and “Wrong”, “Decency” or “ Cruelty”).
Fingers crossed, Steve.
Everything Trump touches eventually dies.
Amazing how many times Republicans refuse to figure out this most self-evident of truths.
Jen, you are
a brilliant journalist. Thank you for sharing truth and clarity with us. Keep up this good work for our democracy👏
I feel like somebody who's been beat up by a bully and I'm just lying on the ground screaming make them stop. It is difficult to comprehend how extraordinarily harsh life is going to be for the great majority of Americans in just a few weeks. As if it was not already bad enough.
"Whatever Democrats’ Senate leadership difficulties, they have plenty of time before the midterms to hang all of that around Republicans’ necks."
Before-the-midterms is a year. How do you suggest we survive an obviously coming major recession for that year we have to wait before anything can be done? WE THE PEOPLE need action now, not a year from now. Where's the plan?
Included in that bill was the ability for 8 Senators to sue the US. government and they will receive at least $1 million each. This is because their phone records were provided during the Jan 6 investigation. They didn't listen to the calls, just the times and duration of calls around that time.
Why hang your hat on "Epstein Stuff"? Better to go after trump's illegal power grabs to dictatorship and oligarchy, adding those who are complicit and complacent in Congress and the Supreme Court.
We can and should do both, although admittedly the mainstream media seem to have the attention span of a fruit fly where Trump is concerned.
Anne, you don't give fruit flies enough credit. They are remarkable, even if tiny, able to follow the scent that ripe fruit emits on a waft of a breeze directly to its source. What's left of MSM can't (or won't) track the stench of corruption and cruelty emanating from windows in the White House, the Capitol and the Supreme Court building.
A case against trump's involvement with Epstein will never go anywhere. Meanwhile, our United States, our representative democracy, is shattering in pieces under "trump & co.".
True. We need a multi pronged strategy.
The lost 30% will say, Trump is a great businessman and we are sure he has a plan which will eventually make America great for everyone. The recent extravagant Gatsby party at the Mar-a-Lago palace was the perfect illustration of the new gilded age of Trump
I feel like that may have come across as, “Wow! Things must be fab if he is throwing that kind of party. Boy, I can’t wait to see what he hosts in the Ballroom during his 3rd term/dictatorship!”
It is all so sickening.
F Scott Fitzgerald wrote his novel The Great Gatsby in 1925, a hundred years ago, at the height of the previous gild age in the roaring 20’s. It was a time of declining moral values when infidelity and lack of empathy were common. The elite society was focused on wealth, appearances, and shallow personal relationships. It was a society of privilege and extravagant parties covering underlying rot. Gatsby’s pursuit of immense wealth through swindling and criminal bootlegging during Prohibition led to moral decay and, ultimately, tragedy. That is why I commented that the recent extravagant Gatsby party at Mar-a-Lago was a perfect illustration of the new gilded age of Trump.
I definitely wasn’t clear with my comment. Sorry. I think I read the Gatsby Gala comment in an ‘everyone should know that is a bad look so this will break through to them.’ And was saying that it wouldn’t. They would rationalize it—which is what you had alluded to. Oops.
Can Daisy please show up so he can stop throwing parties?
bankrupt 6 times
Excellent summary of ALL the corruption…..so blatant. I just callled Ron Johnson’s office - one of the 8 senators who benefits from sliding the amendment into the CR that they can sue the feds…..same kind of scheme the man in the WH is proposing to steal $230m…..it’s all so disgusting.
What a thorough exposé Jennifer Rubin presents us with.
Just exactly what has Donald John Trump's administration and the other two GOP laced branches of the government done for the majority of American people? We would have to look very har to find more than the damage that they have inflicted upon us..
"Whatever Democrats’ Senate leadership difficulties, they have plenty of time before the midterms to hang all of that around Republicans’ necks."
Actually, we don't. The time is now to start counteracting the lies, deceit, damage and misinformation. It takes a long time to pound the truth in and to get it around and sink in. We can not wait for "the eleventh hour" to bring light to all that is currently facing us.
"GOP laced" ? Maybe GOP infested.
Yes! your term is much more appropriate.
Thank gods this story has pushed the “Schumer leadership” story off the front page, which didn’t seem to be helping out the prospects of getting democrats elected, as, why vote, if they’re so awful.
A succinct summary of our national jeopardy. Now is the time to support our midterm candidates capable of turning this situation around and taking legislative, boycott, and criminal action (where it’s possible) against Trump and the trough pigs.