Edwin Edwards said "The only way I can lose this election is if I'm caught in bed with either a dead girl or a live boy." The point, of course, is that scandals which shock the moral conscious, especially the sex scandals, move voters. The more Trump pushes back and tries to stem the tide and looks guilty, the more Dems should pile on the pressure.
And why not keep the pressure on the Epstein stuff *and* talk about affordability in contexts where it matters?
Also the two concepts can be linked - Donald Trump is only about himself and will do anything to cover up that he knew Epstein was peddling young girls to skeezy rich men. Meanwhile, you can't buy a house or eat out very often and Trump only cares about himself and his corrupt inner circle.
Precisely. I think Brian's piece here is very good, but my two quibbles would be
1. What you said -- 2026 isn't a presidential race where there's only one bully pulpit. Make it a referendum on Epstein, fine, although Cons will lie and say they're for transparency. It's what they do. But don't shy away from the economic message.
2. Claim the voters are outraged at the shutdown agreement. Is there any empirical evidence of this? The Extremely Online Left is outraged, and maybe most of them (us) are Democratic voters. Looks to me like low-info voters are simply going about their business as low-info voters do.
THIS RIGHT HERE --> "This is how Democrat Doug Jones became a senator in Alabama—not because he talked about affordability, but because Roy Moore was a child predator."
And not because of the prurience; it comes down to values: who has them and who does not. Are you Snidely Whiplash, or are you Dudley Do-Right? It's a distinction so clear a child[/the American voter] can understand it.
Good grief, there is none so blind as he who will not see. There is none so weak as he who will not pound wedges into the opposition.
Which issue has brought irredeemable MAGAs like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert into opposition to Donald Trump? Hint: it wasn’t affordability. Any Democratic officeholder who is getting advice from McKinnon should find themselves a new consultant.
Well, every so often Josh Hawley feints at standing up for his constituents' economic wellbeing, and then gives in. Generally agreed though, the *passion* among many of them is to get to the bottom of the Epstein case. As it should be!
If more elected democrats and their strategists were able to, as you said, “remember that they are the opposition party, and this is a multi-front war” I don’t think the country would be in the situation we’re in.
While I do hope that maybe they’ll finally figure their shit out and stop listening to their big money backed consultants and mealy mouthed pundits about what “real Americans” care about and start linking the gross corruption, cover ups and atrocities with the ‘affordability’ crisis I’m not gonna hold my breath.
It would be informative to hear a discussion of the difference between the speaking styles of democrats and republicans. There is a notable difference to me: one explains facts while the other screams inanities. A lot of people, including me, are turned off by the screamers but I’m probably in the minority. When people are feeling a variety of negative emotions like angry, hurt, anxious, offended, and/or disgusted it’s the screamers who will get their attention. Democrats seem incapable of grokking the visceral value of displaying real emotion in sympathy with their constituents. And even when they try they end up droning on trying to explain their emotion where republicans choose a handful of angry insults provided in easily digestible soundbites. I’m sure there’s a Myers-Briggs explanation for these differences, but whatever. Swim with the tide.
It's slightly depressing that we even have to have this discussion. How much more obvious does it have to be, that politics has always been emotional, and in this era of ubiquitous screens and images and videos is even more so? Furthermore, the Republican approach to politics is ONLY emotional, since they hate government and have no ideas to present. What do they run on? Bigotry, fear, xenophobia, religion, homophobia, etc.
How much more viscerally "salient" an issue do you want, than to run against the party that seeks to hide or ignore elite men sexually abusing children? Please tell me Democrats don't have to be convinced of that. I'm beggin' ya.
I think this is a "both, and" situation. I personally didn't appreciate how much this divides MAGA until this summer because I honestly didn't recognize the lengths to which they go to convince themselves Trump is a saint. (My personal favorite argument is "if Trump were guilty of something, we'd all know about." With Merrick Garland in charge of DOJ? I doubt it!) But this sets up a real dilemma for Republicans: a vote to protect their guy will be seen as a vote to protect pedophiles. I'm guessing Dem electeds, who generally live in the real world with the rest of us, likely think, "It's obvious Trump is covering something up, probably his own involvement" but I don't think it's obvious to MAGA. I think some Dems are doing a good job keeping attention on this, but those who find it unseemly could fold it into a larger message about Trump's lawlessness and corruption, which even connects back to affordability. He bailed out Argentina, but cut SNAP and Medicaid. He's building a ballroom but not doing anything to bring down prices. He's protecting the rich and powerful but not you. Etc.
By the time midterms, and especially presidential elections happen, nobody will remember about Epstein, even if it turns out that Trump killed him personally. On the other hand, the healthcare question and affordability issue will still be important as ever, especially for the Midwest swing voters. By concentrating on Epstein, democrats tell these voters that they don't care about their problems, instead pursuing some esoteric crimes of a long dead man.
Enough voters still remembered all the shit Republicans threw at Hillary over the years. Even if it was just the vibe that she was corrupt. Acting as guilty as sin and making a bannister job of covering up records that tie you to the worlds most infamous pedophile is not a stink that will wash off in two or 4 years. The biggest problem will be getting it into republican voters bubble which means making it as big a deal as possible for as long as possible.
Agree with Jo, these are not separate issues. Epstein is abuse. Actions that are hurting affordability--chaotic tariffs, refusals on healthcare, mass fed layoffs, ICE sweeps, deportations, on and on--they're all abuse. Thinking about why so many Rs continue to say they want to see the files made public.. The only thing worse than knowing what really happened in my own political family is not knowing what really happened in my own political family. If I could know but cover my eyes, then the abuser retains power over me: I am subject to the abuse.
Of course it's not just a question of past-tense what really happened, it's what's continuing to happen: my vulnerability to these particular, safe to say noxious, elites. Reminding us that there are way many more of us than there are of them. Way many more people who are "real Americans," including all my neighbors and not just eligible voters, than there are people in these particular, noxious, elites.
"What would it mean, in practice, for Democrats to “get [Republicans] on their heels, but get back to affordability”?"
This reminds me of how boxing matches used to be fixed. Pretend to out up a good fight until about round 6 or 7, then back off , and then "get back" to falling to the canvas.
The GOP isn’t terrified of affordability, they’re terrified of Epstein. This is the one issue that cracks their base in half, and you can see it in all the panicked delays, gerrymanders, and sudden wobbling about releasing the files.
If Trump thinks he can bury this while running the country into the ground, then the midterms should be a referendum on the coverup.
Edwin Edwards said "The only way I can lose this election is if I'm caught in bed with either a dead girl or a live boy." The point, of course, is that scandals which shock the moral conscious, especially the sex scandals, move voters. The more Trump pushes back and tries to stem the tide and looks guilty, the more Dems should pile on the pressure.
And why not keep the pressure on the Epstein stuff *and* talk about affordability in contexts where it matters?
Also the two concepts can be linked - Donald Trump is only about himself and will do anything to cover up that he knew Epstein was peddling young girls to skeezy rich men. Meanwhile, you can't buy a house or eat out very often and Trump only cares about himself and his corrupt inner circle.
I've seen it out in the wild:
Trump is for ME/me.
Democrats are for YOU.
Precisely. I think Brian's piece here is very good, but my two quibbles would be
1. What you said -- 2026 isn't a presidential race where there's only one bully pulpit. Make it a referendum on Epstein, fine, although Cons will lie and say they're for transparency. It's what they do. But don't shy away from the economic message.
2. Claim the voters are outraged at the shutdown agreement. Is there any empirical evidence of this? The Extremely Online Left is outraged, and maybe most of them (us) are Democratic voters. Looks to me like low-info voters are simply going about their business as low-info voters do.
THIS RIGHT HERE --> "This is how Democrat Doug Jones became a senator in Alabama—not because he talked about affordability, but because Roy Moore was a child predator."
And not because of the prurience; it comes down to values: who has them and who does not. Are you Snidely Whiplash, or are you Dudley Do-Right? It's a distinction so clear a child[/the American voter] can understand it.
Democrats' biggest failure -- well, second biggest -- is thinking that issues are immutable. It's part of their biggest failure: lack of imagination.
"Voters don't care about ..." Oh, I'm sorry; is baby going to have to persuade?
Lack of imagination is most definitely their biggest failure!
“ They denied hundreds of thousands of New Mexico citizens due representation for 50 days to elongate their Epstein coverup.”
Yes walk and chew gum at the same time but at least get the state correct - it’s Arizona not New Mexico.
Good grief, there is none so blind as he who will not see. There is none so weak as he who will not pound wedges into the opposition.
Which issue has brought irredeemable MAGAs like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert into opposition to Donald Trump? Hint: it wasn’t affordability. Any Democratic officeholder who is getting advice from McKinnon should find themselves a new consultant.
Well, every so often Josh Hawley feints at standing up for his constituents' economic wellbeing, and then gives in. Generally agreed though, the *passion* among many of them is to get to the bottom of the Epstein case. As it should be!
Graf 18: Make it Arizona sted New Mexico.
Yes I saw that too
If more elected democrats and their strategists were able to, as you said, “remember that they are the opposition party, and this is a multi-front war” I don’t think the country would be in the situation we’re in.
While I do hope that maybe they’ll finally figure their shit out and stop listening to their big money backed consultants and mealy mouthed pundits about what “real Americans” care about and start linking the gross corruption, cover ups and atrocities with the ‘affordability’ crisis I’m not gonna hold my breath.
It would be informative to hear a discussion of the difference between the speaking styles of democrats and republicans. There is a notable difference to me: one explains facts while the other screams inanities. A lot of people, including me, are turned off by the screamers but I’m probably in the minority. When people are feeling a variety of negative emotions like angry, hurt, anxious, offended, and/or disgusted it’s the screamers who will get their attention. Democrats seem incapable of grokking the visceral value of displaying real emotion in sympathy with their constituents. And even when they try they end up droning on trying to explain their emotion where republicans choose a handful of angry insults provided in easily digestible soundbites. I’m sure there’s a Myers-Briggs explanation for these differences, but whatever. Swim with the tide.
It's slightly depressing that we even have to have this discussion. How much more obvious does it have to be, that politics has always been emotional, and in this era of ubiquitous screens and images and videos is even more so? Furthermore, the Republican approach to politics is ONLY emotional, since they hate government and have no ideas to present. What do they run on? Bigotry, fear, xenophobia, religion, homophobia, etc.
How much more viscerally "salient" an issue do you want, than to run against the party that seeks to hide or ignore elite men sexually abusing children? Please tell me Democrats don't have to be convinced of that. I'm beggin' ya.
I think this is a "both, and" situation. I personally didn't appreciate how much this divides MAGA until this summer because I honestly didn't recognize the lengths to which they go to convince themselves Trump is a saint. (My personal favorite argument is "if Trump were guilty of something, we'd all know about." With Merrick Garland in charge of DOJ? I doubt it!) But this sets up a real dilemma for Republicans: a vote to protect their guy will be seen as a vote to protect pedophiles. I'm guessing Dem electeds, who generally live in the real world with the rest of us, likely think, "It's obvious Trump is covering something up, probably his own involvement" but I don't think it's obvious to MAGA. I think some Dems are doing a good job keeping attention on this, but those who find it unseemly could fold it into a larger message about Trump's lawlessness and corruption, which even connects back to affordability. He bailed out Argentina, but cut SNAP and Medicaid. He's building a ballroom but not doing anything to bring down prices. He's protecting the rich and powerful but not you. Etc.
By the time midterms, and especially presidential elections happen, nobody will remember about Epstein, even if it turns out that Trump killed him personally. On the other hand, the healthcare question and affordability issue will still be important as ever, especially for the Midwest swing voters. By concentrating on Epstein, democrats tell these voters that they don't care about their problems, instead pursuing some esoteric crimes of a long dead man.
Enough voters still remembered all the shit Republicans threw at Hillary over the years. Even if it was just the vibe that she was corrupt. Acting as guilty as sin and making a bannister job of covering up records that tie you to the worlds most infamous pedophile is not a stink that will wash off in two or 4 years. The biggest problem will be getting it into republican voters bubble which means making it as big a deal as possible for as long as possible.
Agree with Jo, these are not separate issues. Epstein is abuse. Actions that are hurting affordability--chaotic tariffs, refusals on healthcare, mass fed layoffs, ICE sweeps, deportations, on and on--they're all abuse. Thinking about why so many Rs continue to say they want to see the files made public.. The only thing worse than knowing what really happened in my own political family is not knowing what really happened in my own political family. If I could know but cover my eyes, then the abuser retains power over me: I am subject to the abuse.
Of course it's not just a question of past-tense what really happened, it's what's continuing to happen: my vulnerability to these particular, safe to say noxious, elites. Reminding us that there are way many more of us than there are of them. Way many more people who are "real Americans," including all my neighbors and not just eligible voters, than there are people in these particular, noxious, elites.
"What would it mean, in practice, for Democrats to “get [Republicans] on their heels, but get back to affordability”?"
This reminds me of how boxing matches used to be fixed. Pretend to out up a good fight until about round 6 or 7, then back off , and then "get back" to falling to the canvas.
"a multi-front war"--good line!
The GOP isn’t terrified of affordability, they’re terrified of Epstein. This is the one issue that cracks their base in half, and you can see it in all the panicked delays, gerrymanders, and sudden wobbling about releasing the files.
If Trump thinks he can bury this while running the country into the ground, then the midterms should be a referendum on the coverup.
*Arizona