Don’t Be Distracted from Trump’s Filth
I had been wondering what the Sydney Sweeney thing was … in truth, this old lady was wondering who Sydney Sweeney is, mostly for the reason Rob Flaherty addresses in this column. In recent days, the right wing had used some dumb dogwhistle to distract from the thing — Russia Russia Russia — they had used to distract from Trump’s Epstein scandal.
Whatever it was, whoever she is, I knew, it was another demonstration of how well the right can distract and focus attention.
You might be wondering why anybody cares about this. But here’s the thing: The fact that this moment became a thing at all — that a stupid pun could metastasize into a full-blown political moment — says something real about the media ecosystem we’re all trapped in. And it says even more about why Democrats keep losing the culture war, and with it, the narrative war that inevitably shapes who wins elections.
The Sweeney thing is an example of how memes can arise from some randos and filter up to elected politicians, including Trump and JD Vance, and once they do, dominate the online ecosystem.
On the left, we start with a set of messages we’d like for people to believe. We then test (like, wow, do we test) messages for their persuasive impact. We use paid media to get those messages in front of people, at which point we meet public perception for the first time, and fight against it. We treat politics as the slicing and dicing of issues, not the formation of perceptions.
The right understands that virality is as much of a barometer for success as whether an argument is seen as persuasive. Conservatives use the internet as a testing ground for what has heat, and they work it up the ladder. Organic media wags the dog. Campaigns simply add kerosene to what people are already telling them they find resonant. In a world where voters don’t trust institutions, messaging that feels native to their own conversations will be significantly more effective than what’s being pushed to them in ads.
This isn’t to say that campaigns don’t matter, or that ads don’t work (in fact, another lesson from 2024 ought to be that they do). But they’re the last mile. If all you’ve got are ads after years of withering cultural definition, you’re going to be playing from behind. Our space is just optimized for return on campaign investment, not shaping the narrative terrain on which they’re fought. Republicans have an always-on machine that shows — not tells — people a story about cultural values. And that’s where real political resonance comes from.
Caroline Orr Bueno had a great piece on the danger posed because of the left’s inability to do this — in significant part because the right has stacked the algorithmic deck against them.
[T]he left typically uses this tactic reactively — responding to narratives that the right has already established. Trump’s ecosystem uses it proactively, often launching narratives from scratch to get ahead of potential negative stories coming down the pipeline.
This is what LOLGOP and I have tried to address in our Cat Turd Deficit videos.
The left, giddy with the brief (but very real) success of their recent focus on Epstein (which piggybacked on that right wing ecosystem and required cooperation with Thomas Massie), often thinks of this solely in terms of attention, and as a result does little more than claim one after another thing is a distraction of the thing.
But it’s not. It’s more than that. It’s the ability to test and reinforce on the fly.
Yesterday was an example of the stakes. There were several Epstein developments:
- A judge called out Todd Blanche’s obvious diversion in his request for grand jury materials
- After Sheldon Whitehouse focused some attention on the Ghislaine Maxwell transfer to comfier digs by sending a letter, Allison Gill published actual details of it, including that the sex predator may have the same privilege to leave the facility to “work” that Jeffrey Epstein had
- Ghislaine’s former cellmate revealed that Ghislaine had tried to pitch the Biden Administration on dirt she had on Trump, but they ignored her
All that was drowned out by Trump’s announcement he will invade DC because a boy named Big Balls was assaulted by unarmed teenagers. That happened, by chance or perhaps not (because Trump is really more tactical on these legal assaults than people credit), on the first day of the California trial over Trump’s invasion of Los Angeles. Indeed, during the trial, the two DOD witnesses admitted they had absolutely no advance notice of the DC deployment or Whiskey Pete Hegseth’s public comments on it, and DOJ desperately tried to keep the comments Hegseth made at the presser out of evidence, even though he is a named defendant. (Politico has a good report on the trial and the split screen it created with the DC announcement, including how a major general was accused of disloyalty for objecting to a stunt in MacArthur Park.)
A lot of Dems responded by claiming that the invasion of DC was an intentional distraction from Epstein. That gets things entirely reversed: the invasion of a second blue city is another step in a mostly pre-planned map for fascism, and Trump’s brief inability to redirect his online mob’s focus on Epstein merely created a speed bump in that march of fascism, one Sydney Sweeney seems to have corrected.
I don’t mind if people claim that the invasion of DC is the distraction, because the Epstein thing still has salience, but let’s at least aspire to do that effectively!
I spent much of the day on Xitter, watching and trying to contest what Flaherty and Orr Bueno describe. Over the course of several hours, the right tried several different messaging strategies.
- Responding to journalists and Democrats’ factual observation that crime in DC is actually falling quickly by pointing to the suspension of an officer last month over claims about whether MPD was bringing crime rates down by misclassifying crimes. Given how the police union — which initiated the complaint that led to the suspension — loudly backed Trump’s invasion, I don’t rule out the fight over stats being a set-up in anticipation of this invasion. In any case, this dispute ignored that Eagle Ed Martin had claimed credit for lowering crime in DC by 25% in April.
- Having women talk about their fear of walking in DC and others talk about how they’ve moved out of it.
- Accusing Democrats of being pro crime, repeating Stephen Miller’s fascist othering language, and then, ultimately, repeating Trump’s racist dogwhistle that DC and Democrats are filthy. This is eliminationist language and must be contested.
I tried a bunch of things to respond (I make no claims about whether I had any success). Even before the announcement, I did this post on how Eagle Ed, now in charge of weaponizing DOJ, had not signed a domestic violence arrest warrant MPD drew up for Cory Mills, allowing Mills to allegedly threaten a second woman with revenge porn. When elected Republicans, including Jim Jordan, spoke out in favor of the DC invasion, I RTed them, noting that then they of course would demand that Pam Bondi arrest Mills in one of the first things she does.
During the presser, I posted one after another image from the January 6 assault cases, covering just a fraction of the ones on this list. After the presser and my bleg, someone put Trump’s comments from the presser, talking about how people disrespect cops, to video from January 6.
Both of these things made me realize that the January 6 archive has degraded in searches; until I remembered my own post of the assault arrests, I was struggling to find spectacular images of Trump’s criminals. But once I had this video, I used it as a rebuttal to all the people who claimed Democrats support crime. It must have had some effect, because one of the main far right January 6 propagandists — who made her grift on January 6 — complained that Dems will never stop talking about it.
I also tried to respond to Chuck Grassley’s (and that of Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans, generally) enthusiastic boosting for this invasion by pointing out that many of their states are more dangerous than DC.
This is a problematic response, I now recognize. All it serves to do is highlight how majority minority cities around the country have been neglected. Indeed, Marsha Blackburn will likely run for Governor by demonizing one of Tennessee’s great cities, Memphis. Plus, Missouri already did invade St. Louis in an effort to reverse criminal justice reforms.
Through all of this, almost no one (including me) mentioned that Congress had cut funding for DC, creating the problems Trump claims to want to fix.
But ultimately (just before bedtime my time, which is totally not a healthy use of my time), it came down to those claims of filth.
A man just moved the woman who “stole” his spa girls and turned one into a sex slave into comfier prison digs to prevent her from revealing the dirt she has on him, and we’re losing the battle over who is filth.
It is my belief that this failure of messaging — the left’s inability to remain laser-focused on not just Trump’s crimes, but the impact of them — is the real reason Trump got reelected in spite of the fact that he’s a thuggish criminal (though the fact that most lefties wanted to spread conspiracy theories about Merrick Garland instead of focusing on Trump’s crimes didn’t help). I mean, some of the voices who were most focused on Trump’s crimes — Dan Goldman and. Ryan Goodman — confessed during the transition not only that they didn’t know what had been made public before the election, much less hammer Trump on those public details, but were misinforming people about key details.
People got bored and that created a vacuum Trump exploited.
Voters didn’t factor Trump’s history of sex crimes, fraud, and fascism into their vote because Trump’s opponents failed to prosecute the issue in the public sphere on a daily basis even as Trump spun a tale of grievance that actually attracted younger voters. And unless we fix this — unless we find a message that a President who pardoned cop assailants, freed terrorists, and may soon free the sex predator who “stole” his girls is filth — we will not defeat this fascist onslaught.
Update: Fixed the description of the dispute over crime classification in DC.
It has been a long time since I’ve seen something some one has done described as “filth”. That is what Trump is, filth. He and his reek of “filth”.
My take on it is “invading” L.A. was to send a message and hope it scared people. D.C. ditto. Trump and his will continue to send the military into cities which have a majority population of people of colour and have elected politicians who are Democrats.
This will be a test run to see how the general population reacts. Once they know that, things will start for real. These are all practice runs.
What I find interesting is the two large t.v. corporations CNN and MSNBC don’t report much on the protests. They have a lot of talking heads who are all saying the same thing but its a lot of hot air. They might want to get out into the world and film and broadcast what is really going on.
Living North of the 49th, we have a number of American t.v. stations being broadcast on cable t.v. from some major American cities and of course CNN and MSNBC. iF I relied on those stations I would conclude Americans are just fine with what Trump is doing.
Maxwell is doing just fine during this on going b.s. show. No one is releasing files. No one seems to be providing information. What truly amazes me is that no one has gotten their hands on files or spoken out. For all the people involved in this, you’d think some one would be saying something. When I look at news clips showing Trump and Epstein at the party or club I remember those times and the behavior of some men during those times, in Canada, the U.S.A., Europe you’d look at men like that and you would want to take a shower. They were and still are filth.
Thank you for the post and the reminder of how the word “filth” was once used to describe people who just oozed sleaze.
I think these invasions of blue cities are a way of “conditioning” the citizenry (and the military).
Probably in preparation for actions to retain power down the road.
I think maybe you’ve slightly mischaracterized the police suspension? The officer suspended was the one who complained that supervisors were downgrading violent crimes to massage the stats, and the police union backed his claims. Maybe he was making changes in the other direction? Hard to say, but the link you provide doesn’t really match your summary. Love the piece otherwise.
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Do we know why Biden ignored Maxwell in custody? One can only speculate.
Apparently speculation turns into accusation, which turns into a criminal taking over the DC police- all in the name of distraction from his own crimes involving sex with children.
I guess all we can do is watch and “vote”. Perhaps the recent narratives are to make the public feel powerless.
We have yet to hear from Maurene Comey.
It may be Ghislaine offered her a deal and Comey refused.
Ghislaine has 1001 stories to tell. At least. Naturally, she knows how to cut and paste her memories to serve her own interests. If it didn’t work with Biden’s DOJ, she knows that Trump is much, MUCH thirstier. Why, she’s already played him for a cushy transfer that’s totally against the rules!
Never mind those “victims” that the judge kept having to remind Blanche about. Ghislaine knows where the real power lies. And lies and lies and lies.
Might the fact that Maxwell perjured herself have led the Biden administration or Maurene Comey to ignore her?
Her word was known to be unreliable.
Trump’s mob beat police and threatened to kill the VP on January 6th and DT sat on his arse doing nothing as the Capital Building was violently damaged and officers were beaten and killed.
Now that Mike P knows DT is capable of calling up the National Guard in DC, the omission of this action to protect VP Pence on Jan 6th has clarified a potential premeditated attempted murder. Correct?
Filth is a good word. Slightly OT from the filth theme but directly related to Trump militarizing LA and now DC, and the democrats sub par messaging – I’ve wanted to know why the dems don’t repeatedly message about the immigration bill that Trump pressured the republicans to vote against. Wouldn’t that bill have addressed many of the genuine immigration issues- thus removing trump’s arguments for his authoritarian immigration actions? Why are we not reminding people that this could have been mitigated if the bill were passed, therefore trump’s actions are all a set up? A deliberately self inflicted justification?
Am I reading this wrong or missing something?
He barely touched L.A. ICE is a problem, but only because they’re intentionally cruel.
“because Trump’s opponents failed to prosecute the issue in the public sphere on a daily basis”. Exactly.
I always wonder why Democrats are so timid about just speaking the truth or pointing out the obvious. And just about every GOPper will run to every mic and spew a firehose of falsehoods.
If I had any influence on the party, I would have every Congressman and Senator run to every microphone out there, daily, forcing the narrative with some of these questions.
“When is Trump going to resign over the Epstein coverup? “. “Why does the President support sex traffickers?”
“Why do my GOP colleagues support Trump’s Soft On Sex Traffickers policies”?
“Why do Trump and the GOP despise law enforcement so much that they pardon the people who beat them with flagpoles, bear spray and hockey sticks”?
Sure, Trump is the champion of narrative control, but I don’t think he could control it if the Dems would take the opportunity to point out his filth en masse.
CNN reported the other day that public interest, based on Google searches for the story, had (unfortunately) fallen off a cliff. I wonder if our Democratic leaders had continued pushing the issue would it have remained more relevant. The story has basically vanished from my national news feeds which is likely a result of the media’s attention span and this administration’s conveyor belt of new daily outrage. I still see it in the lefty outlets though.
Two of my local channel evening news had 2 stories each on Trump and Epstein last night.
That is excellent. The drips of that coverup really seem to bother Trump.
The more, the better.
You won’t find out what most Dems are doing from the MSM. It’s getting better clicks from reporting on the GOP and The Felon Guy.
America, America,
He’s spread his cheeks o’er thee.
The only thing I’ve actually seen Sydney Sweeney in was her portrayal of Reality Winner in the HBO movie “Reality” which was basically a dramatization of the transcripts of her arrest, and so was a fascinating watch on many levels. And should be right up the alley of most of the readers here.
Also the kind of project that made me instantly dismiss all discourse around her.
Oh. That’s why I knew the name.
Ironically, Sweeney’s first brush with fame came in the cult Netflix series “Everything Sucks!” About 8 years ago. She played a popular High School Mean Girl who (SPOILER ALERT) becomes the love interest of the closeted lesbian teen who was the main character in the series.
It’s actually a sweet coming of age show that was, of course, cancelled after only one season (and what a cliffhanger ending!). All the Sweeney MAGA-meme-makers’ heads would explode if they knew about her role in this “woke” series, especially her same-sex kiss…
Sweeney is a minor Hollywood celebrity using her looks to become a bigger Hollywood celebrity, because it pays a lot better. It’s a defining characteristic of Hollywood.
The problem is that Republicans are so good at utilizing such pop-up hits in real time, while Dems virtually ignore them, bringing disregard to a knife fight.
I’ve actually enjoyed Sweeney’s work. She (along with everyone, frankly) was great in the first season of White Lotus. I don’t really care about her politics, though I’d look sideways at anyone who would support Trump. That said, she came to Hollywood late, that is after starring in a single successful movie or TV show would set you for life. Residuals are pretty much garbage these days. She also does not come from money. So that’s left her, a moderately successful actress, doing WAY more endorsements than would traditionally have been done for a young star on the rise. I have no clue if she grokked the potential (probable?) dog-whistle in the AE campaign, but that’s interesting context for that whole story.
This isn’t TMZ. Sweeney’s work, or that she’s trying to monetize her looks – as I said, par for the course in Hollywood – is not what’s at issue.
Excerpted from the Rob Flaherty piece:
“What’s really necessary isn’t an effort to influence a specific election, but a long-term war plan aimed at shifting the cultural environment around us. If our party’s awakening to new media ends up with Democrats running “influencer campaigns” that are just a paid-media line item, we’re losing.”
Yep. Influencer campaigns seem mostly a path to defeat for Democrats- they are ineffective at best, and backfire at worst. We have to start playing the smart long game(s) like Republicans have done since forever. What does that mean though? How many election cycles will that take to accomplish? And can Democrats still win elections in the absence of that long game- the answer to that is yes, at least some of the time. The good news is there is a new, young crop of Democrats on the way up the political ladder who I think will help improve our long game.
In the meantime amplifying whatever we can to highlight Republican failings, improving our understanding of the cultural environment, and promoting good Democrats and fair Democratic policies is always a reasonable idea.
He’s party insider so I would take this differently.
The right did this from outside the party–it’s one way the party moved far right, bc literal Nazis were at the core of it.
The point is this shouldn’t br run by elected Dems at all. Especially now when opposition to Trump needs to be larger than that.
I disagree and expect our Democratic politicians, who asked for the job, to be leaders of the charge. What more important task do they have at the moment, especially now after that bloodbath that left us the minority party in D.C. ?
You may disagree.
But that wildly misconceives how you fight both fascism generally and the mob online.
Are you also of the mistaken belief that if you sit back and wait until 2026 everything will get better?
Oh honey, no. Check yourself before you hurt yourself, Pedro.
Read this since you apparently missed it, before you go any further:
https://www.emptywheel.net/2025/07/09/expecting-legislators-to-lead-the-resistance-is-a-category-error/
And then STFU if you are going to spout off undermining Democrats without facts to support your case against elected Democrats, like these:
Congressional level:
Senate Democrats try to force release of Epstein files using arcane law
by Lauren Fox, Katelyn Polantz, Sarah Ferris – CNN Politics – Jul 30, 2025, 10:49 AM ET
Epstein files: Oversight Democrats call for hearing with victims
by Rachel Scully – The Hill – Aug 7, 2025, 10:18 PM ET
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5442466-congress-hearing-epstein-maxwell-victims/
Rep. Crockett on investigating the Epstein files: ‘I want to know how deep this goes’
by Jonathan Capehart – The Last Word-MSNBC – Aug 8, 2025
https://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/rep-crockett-on-investigating-the-epstein-files-i-want-to-know-how-deep-this-goes-244634693889
Massie, Khanna bringing Epstein survivors to Capitol
by Emily Brooks – The Hill -Aug 12, 2025, 9:22 AM ET
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5447819-thomas-massie-ro-khanna-jeffrey-epstein-victims-capitol/
State level:
JB Pritzker Goads Trump: ‘Where Are The Epstein Files?’
by Graeme Demianyk – HuffPo News – Aug 11, 2025, 04:56 PM EDT
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jb-pritzker-trump-crime-epstein_n_689a3824e4b08fd59b640792
Tsernoglou, 24 Colleagues Sent a Letter to Michigan’s Congressional Delegation, Urging Them to Vote for the Release of the Epstein Files
MI House Dems – Aug 12, 2025
https://housedems.com/tsernoglou-24-colleagues-sent-a-letter-to-michigans-congressional-delegation-urging-them-to-vote-for-the-release-of-the-epstein-files/
It’s not the Dem politicos who the problem with America currently, is the Rwing VOTERS. MAGAts believe whatever their side tells them without question or the curiosity to fact check. Three examples:
1. MAGAts believe that Trump offered National Guard troops to Speaker Pelosi on J6 who turned down the offer.
2. MAGAts believe that Dems of the 1850s were liberal and conservatives won the civil war.
3. MAGAts sincerely believe our country was founded on Christian principles by conservative men. They have never heard of the Age of Enlightenment or the 1802 Treaty of Tripoli.
If MAGAts had even a basic understanding of human behavior or even a teeny introduction to psychology, sociology, or anthropology – they should question what they are told. But they don’t. What they are told becomes fact.
I don’t see this dynamic changing anytime soon.
So here we are with a sexual deviant and convicted felon as POTUS and every day that ahole chips away at our societal norms and American democracy. This time the ahole is challenging every country to bend to his will. It’s Donny’s world and we just live in it.
I don’t understand why he’s getting away with what he’s doing. He is not smart or clever. He’s really a dumb bully with a big mouth and a mean streak of vengeance who exhibits seriously small-d energy that Trey Parker and Matt Stone have picked up on.
I don’t know that I’ve seen this opinion voiced before – perhaps it has been in more nuanced words. But what you say “The point is this shouldn’t be run by elected Dems at all.” seems correct. We need a broader and less insider group to set the agenda.
Of course there are some incredible elected Dems that are fighting a wonderful battle, but they should continue with their efforts. The rest of those Dems who aren’t fighting are a dead-weight, drawing resources. Not sure I would want the DNC involved either.
Yes there are good Democrats who are leading on this such as AOC and Bernie, and some governors such as Newsom. They deserve credit for their efforts. I think other Dems are being vocal and trying to fight the good fight, but the media doesn’t always highlight them.
My impression is the DNC chair- Ken Martin- is currently focused on improving the fairness of Democratic primaries and how those are funded and conducted. That’s probably a good goal for him to pursue.
I think a lot of credit “the right” at large gets for their attention discipline really boils down to the fact that Fox News exists. It’s an obviously media-savvy propaganda outlet that sets the daily agenda for everyone on the right. Politicians definitely still watch to get the talking points. I suspect that even the social media graphs get a ripple out effect from that agenda setting. Once that groundswell builds, mainstream outlets like NYT, WaPo and other news outlets also cover the agenda bc “newsworthy.” Exceptions to the agenda setting include the Epstein thing, where grassroots interest could not be dissuaded for a few weeks and perhaps the Jan6 committee which Fox ignored but still held attention.
MSNBC is not the same. They are most left leaning, but they are not propagandists. Their morning show is hosted by a “Contract with America” Republican and his politics haven’t changed! He spent this morning railing about crime in DC. I’m just saying…..
Fox News is definitely a problem for us. The right also has the benefit of a much more unified tent- their steady antipathy of ‘big government’ (while running up the national debt), and preaching ‘freedom’ ( whatever that is) are just a few examples. They don’t have to contend with the complex issues that have the potential to divide Democratic factions.
Part of how they’ve maintained the unified tent is to excommunicate any dissent. The anti-democratic features of our democracy still gives them a decent shot at power every cycle in our first-past-the-post, federal system (see the Senate/EC). Not to mention the anti-democratic structure of the Senate is compounded by anti-democratic rules like the filibuster, with a nice carve out for the only 2 Republican priorities: judges and tax cuts. The House is structured more democratically, but the artificial cap still provides a growing advantage to rural, less populated areas.
We’d do well to think long and hard about what structural changes are needed to fix all this. I’d advocate for multi-member Congressional districts with proportional representation and a vastly enlarged House to match the population growth since 100 years ago. An expanded House partially fixes the EC without requiring an Amendment. Of course SCOTUS needs reform root-and-branch. And detrumpification of the civil service is a must. These are the things the anti-fascist coalition should start communicating before 26 or 28.
“…Fox News is definitely a problem for us…”
Absolutely. Faux spins every news story to paint Dems/the left in negative light. Every right-leaning story has a feel-good aura about it. Dems/the left stories are presented as filthy disgusting human beings hell-bent on destroying this Christian nation that conservatives built.
I believe this is apropos.
The Filth chant from the animated show, “The Tick”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eL1t5sGum2I
It’s even worse in Missouri that just St. Louis. The KC police have been under a state-controlled board for decades, with the governor appointing four members and the KC mayor being the fifth. This leaves the city of KC in a bind. It gets all the blame for any crime problems, but lacks the ability to make changes to the police department and its practices. Then, as the cherry on top, the GOP voters in MO passed a constitutional amendment in 2022 that requires KC to spend 25% of its revenues on the police department. (This was an increase over the earlier GOP-passed state law requiring 20%.) Meanwhile, the city is struggling to find the money to keep the city bus system running.
If Trump is looking for a model to screw over Blue cities in Red states, KC is it. Take over the local police board, push for heavy handed policing, and then force the locals to pay for what doesn’t work and isn’t wanted.
Whenever I see comments like Miller’s “filthy” people, I always think of this passage from the book Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland.
Not only is there the dehumanization, but it occurs as the result of the already existing fascist dehumanization.
Group,
I called my Fed. rep and both senators. I Said “She’s a sex predator and a pimp. Our President says, and I quote, “I wish her well.” What are you going to do when he pardons her? Are you going to say “Some of my best friends are sex predators and pimps”? are you going to say, “He’s my guy and he’s never made a mistake in his life”? Are you going to say, “Hey, ya win some ya lose some”? What are you (Sen, Rep, as indicated) going to do?”
At the last call I appended to the end, “Thank you for your attention to this matter.” I enjoyed the snark, but I actually wish I hadn’t said that… I had to leave voice messages at the Senators’ offices. At the Representative’s local office I spoke to a staffer.
Staying on the same general topic, There’s one thing that doesn’t get enough attention and a second thing that is a potential problem for us (American citizens still tethered to reality) in this matter. First is how the QAnon satanic panic maps directly onto the thousand year old Blood Libel, the fantasy, and “excuse” for pogroms down the centuries, that Jews use Christian baby blood for their matzo for Passover. This is updated by invoking the “scientific” word adrenochrome. I think this history is valuable when talking about “Q.” It helps to see what this is embedded in, and where this conspiracy hopes to take us. The second, and related, issue is that if, say, Maxwell stays in prison, and her clients are exposed, the free floating “Q” fantasy will not be quashed. It’ll still be out there, tickling the medulla oblongata of the susceptible. It will still be an invitation to Pogrom… I believe it was Josh Marshall of TPM who said that all the Q fantasies have not one iota of concern for the victims, (perhaps because the victims of the adrenochrome portion of the conspiracy are imaginary? The Maxwell victims are very very real.) All the focus of this conspiracy in the MAGAverse are on how it (the conspiracy) is a license for indulging in fantasies of “retribution,” “Settling scores,” and yes Pogrom.
Frogs on the slow boil, anyone?
Yours in safety,
I’m sure others can/will come up with something even better, but here’s an off-the-top-of-my-head one-liner (maybe I’ll paint it on a sign for our next local protest!):
Trump is the *real* FILTH (Felon I’d Like To Handcuff)
When the zone is “flooded with shit” it overwhelms the comprehensive ability. Humans ‘tune out’ because there isn’t anything that can be focussed on for any length of time. Right wingers figured this out and Trump is perfect for exploiting the weakness.
Something new every day. Trump puts a lackey in charge of the BLS. Trump o.k.s a lawsuit against the Fed chairman. It never stops. Trump has the Bully Pulpit, and he uses it.
Nobody knows how to stop it.
Don’t you mean “bully puppet”? That’s what MTG called it in her recent rant against Mark Levin and Laura Loomer.
“Bully puppet” describes Trump perfectly. I think I will use that.
It is going to be a slog to gain any traction in the 2026 race. Cook Political Report August 2025 rates GA-Ossoff and MI-Open (Stabenow retiring) as toss up with only NC-Open (Tillis leaving) rated the same. The last rating for House is June 2025-10 Dem seats rated toss up with 8 Con’s rated as such. 12 Dem and 1 Con Leaning D with 9 Leaning fascist. Even if the D’s prevail it’s a long stretch between Nov 3, 2026 and January 2027-lots of time for the felon to do even more damage/filth.
All of which means pick a Senate seat, more if you can afford it, and donate directly to the campaign. Contact the campaign and find out how to get engaged to help with phone banking and other supportive tasks as the mid-term season continues.
Figure out how to put pressure on GOP opponents to encourage errors on their part, ex. videoing townhalls to scrutinize for leverage.
Perhaps then you should focus on the more immediate ways you can fight fascism, which have the benefit that they are historically more effective?
A little off topic, but on the lowering of White House standards.
Dana White has stated that the White House will host a UFC fight next year on the July 4th.
Maybe that explains why Trump was on the roof last week. Looking for the perfect spot for his throne overlooking the new White House Cement Garden battlegrounds.
I’d have thought he’d put it at one end, elevated, so he could see the entire crowd (of, I home, about 50 people).
Trump has moved his palace to the Coliseum, so that his minions can more easily throw bread to the crowd, as they watch his games.
I wonder if he also owes his Sec’y of Education [sic] a favor.
Marcy spotted a favor Trump was obligated to repay about 6-8 months ago.
The report in Tass said it was to certain forces that led him to victory.
https ://tass .com/politics/1870713
Rayne, I hope this link is ok.
[Moderator’s note: I’ve deactivated the link adding a couple blank spaces to prevent accidental clickthrough. Readers should be aware TASS is a Russian media outlet, not hosted in the US or the EU. /~Rayne]
A citation to TASS? Really? Come on, it’s as reliable as a Trump promise.
Instead of citing to TASS, cite to Marcy’s post which points it out.
My apologies.
I looked for the statement, completely forgetting to use Marcy’s post.
https://www.emptywheel.net/2025/03/02/russia-russia-russia/
Let’s not forget the oval office interior decorations from the Dollar Store of Versailles.
* Dollar, twenty-five Store.
(Trump’s tariffs)
“four and under”?
https://www.rawstory.com/ghislaine-maxwell-work-release
It does appear they are preparing to free a pedophiliac. Where will she go? Will she star in a reality show? What is next for Ms. Maxwell?
“Dancing with the Stars.”
I agree in general with the take on messaging. However, I would like to point out that there is giant wads of cash behind Republican messaging. Both the visible wads in places like Fox News, etc. But also not so visible, in bloggers, vloggers, podcasters, and social media postings that look like “just folks” but are in fact paid advertising.
Seriously, it’s massive propaganda. I think the money there comes both from ideology and from big-money interests such as fossil fuels. And Russia. Which is kind of the same as fossil fuels, and kinda not.
That’s not to say we don’t need to get better as the opposition. I just think we need to understand what we are up against.
Seriously, welcome to the party. It’s in mid-swing.
I’m a bit unhappy with this quote: “the left’s inability to remain laser-focused on not just Trump’s crimes, but the impact of them”
This is an asymmetric fight. Plenty of influencers (the ones who aren’t getting paid) on the right have the same short attention span. The long attention span comes from money.
So complaining about it is kind of like complaining that the tide is coming in. Or going out.
Yes, I am picking a nit. And necroing an older thread, too.
I think Alexandra Petri is really on to something with her very serious article today at the Atlantic:
Yes, Stephen Miller Is Surrounded By Criminals