It’s mid afternoon now and yes, the whole Epstein Files story is in the news. I was going to write this first thing but chose to wait and see what, if any developments and/or coverage today would bring. Well, it seems the Wall Street Journal is sticking with its guns, Trump is furious and now we have him (via Bondi) tossing out the ‘Release’ of (ahem) “Pertinent’ Grand Jury materials.
Don’t count Trump out. Not yet. There are greased pigs and then there’s Trumpty-Dumpty. Maybe that’s why he slathers on that ugly orange makeup – it’s got some super-slippery ingredient that prevents even a gang of people from wrestling him to the ground and trussing him up. He’s done a hell of a lot of damage in his despicable life, and history will look back on him and our entire country for somehow allowing him to attain the powers of the Presidency and doing damage to the entire world that will never be completely fixed.
From the first time I read it when young I loved Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky and it wasn’t long into his first term that I thought of Trump as the mythical beast. Before reading it consider this: ‘Brillig’ as the era of Trump in politics. “Slithy Toves” are Trump supporters of any type, or those who fear him and slink away. The “Wabe” is MAGA world which sometimes expands in scope to encase the entire country, even world in MAGA-ism. “Jubjub Birds” are those close enough to Trump to help him craft his awful agenda and policies and implement them. A “Frumnious Bandersnatch” is someone who talks the talk about standing up to Trump but when it counts caves in and allows him to inflict his damage. Now tell me the poem doesn’t describe Trump and the environment we are forced to live in! And that Trump isn’t a real life version of the Jabberwock.
Think of Trump’s obvious traits. Ugly, even horrible to look at. Hateful, spiteful, venomous, vile, disgusting, hurtful (in both word and deed) and sometimes out-of-control dangerous. Many tried to stop, to slay the Trump-Jabberwock yet all have failed. Even when some have inflicted a wound they’ve shied away from finishing off the beast. And I’ve kept wondering, where is the hero confident they have the weapon and courage to engage in that fight to the death and prevail. Who possesses the will, the the proverbial Vorpal Sword?
Why I’m writing this is because some pundits and politicians are saying things might be different this time. That the Epstein scandal could be Trump’s undoing. I’ll confess to feeling it might be different this time. But something got me to consider that what I’m feeling might, just might be more than wishful thinking. I watched a bit of cable last night and the handover to The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell at ten p.m. I’m a huge fan of his and since he doesn’t normally work Friday’s wanted to hear if he had anything to say on the Epstein matter. Two things. First, he noted that this is a rare week in which he will do his show on a Friday night so I recommend tuning in. Second, while O’Donnell hesitates to make predictions he said he believed today would be an explosive day for Trump – due to the Epstein story.
As I’ve indicated nothing that would qualify as bombshell/explosive has come up so far today. However the fact O’Donnell is going to go on air tonight suggests to me he’s gotten some pretty good leads about what might be in the works. For the moment let’s take a look at the big picture. Keep in mind that in the political news business early Friday evening is “take out the trash day” for those who want unfavorable news to not get noticed.
Next, keep in mind Epstein and those files has been a major daily story for what will soon be a couple of weeks. Trump has tried like hell to make it go away, to the point of even ordering MAGAs to shut the hell up about it and move on. Even news outlets including MSNBC are making a BFD that there really isn’t an Epstein “Client List.” I suppose if one want to say there’s no file folder with a sheet(s) of paper with names/info. that’s labeled “OFFICIAL Jefferey Epstein List of famous/powerful people I can blackmail” that might be true. On the other hand the govt. collected a sh*tload of evidence decades ago, and again during Trump’s first administration. All kinds of records. Who was at parties, financial records, travel records, visitor logs. And videos of goings on at Epstein’s places neatly labeled with dates and names! Not to mention talk that’s come up about a “book” or some type of leather bound journal/binder that the WSJ relied on.
So yes, since Trump made such a big deal out of publishing EVERYTHING in the “Epstein Files” during the campaign and even initially after being sworn in for the second time MAGAs were primed. I’ve written myself is that after years of batshit insane CT about the Clintons being at the head of a ‘Democrat Cabal’ of child sex trafficking they could finally get their rocks off. And somehow the Clintons and many other Democrats would be thrown into prison for the rest of their lives. Trumpty has denied them that release and now MAGA is afflicted with a case of “blue balls” and they are PISSED.
More importantly they are saying so, even if they are finding ways to rationalize still sticking with Trump. That doesn’t mean they are keeping their mouths shut though. I guess, as Ursula reported here on Politizoom long stream of his MAGAs blasting Trump on Truth Social, his own freaking platform got Trumpty’s attention. This LA Times story says in the title that Trump’s ‘MAGA spell is broken, and that MAGA is realizing their Trumpty is a lame duck.
I’m not so sure the spell is broken but I do think it’s been weakened. Severely. I say that because I watched a bit of Morning Joe this a.m. and saw polling that at least among Republicans support for Trump has actually just gone UP! (to ninety percent) On the other hand while MAGAs don’t tend to read the WSJ they do pay attention to Fox which had dick to say about the WSJ story on Trump Birthday Letter to Epstein years ago. I agree with the suggested possibility that they didn’t know what the hell to do last night. With no ‘marching orders’ from their parent company Fox is saying as little as possible.
The fact is, while Murdoch has allowed the WSJ to torch Trump numerous times Fox News is the key to Trump control over MAGA. To date they haven’t been given the okay, much less ordered to give Trumpty the treatment he gets from the Wall Street Journal. THAT my friends is the indicator to watch out for. And I’m not talking about the handful of actual news hosts or even the Fox & Friends morning Couch Crew. Nope, I’m talking about the ‘Big Three’, as in their weekday evening lineup of Ingraham, Waters and Hannity that I like to call the “Three Hour White Power Hour.” If one or more of them is openly critical of Trump over this then it’s all over but the shouting for Trumpty. A LOT of shouting.
What I know for sure is that today Trump isn’t backing down from threatening to sue the WSJ and Murdoch. If he thinks his threat has Rupert or son Lacklan panicking Trump is even more clueless and “stoopid’ than we know him to be. The Murdoch media empire is worldwide and while Fox taking a revenue hit would sting some when the dust settles it will still be the place conservatives, even pissed off MAGAs go to for actual ‘news’ that feeds them the bullshit they crave. In the meantime Trump has what at best is an unflattering and huge news story he’s tried desperately to make go away. And he’s failed. This isn’t going away no matter how much Trumpty huffs and puffs and threatens to blow houses down.
His problem is that while rank and file MAGAs STILL want to give him the benefit of the doubt and tell pollsters they are still “with him” there are indications this one is different. Yes, many have grumbled but chosen to accept there’s some sort of plan they’d agree with if they knew the details, yet others believe (and are saying so) there’s at least the perception of a cover-up. MAGAs even only thinking about there possibly being a cover up is dangerous territory for Trump. It means MAGAs no longer accept whatever he says without question. He simply can’t afford to have that happening because without the perception of his ‘invincibility’ he’s toast.
Not MAGA. Just Trump which leads us to the question that’s being talked about some but will become a much bigger topic if Trumpty goes down. Who takes over MAGA? Some elected official, or one of the powerful influencers MAGAs listen to in order to reinforce their Trumpian/MAGA beliefs. People who can (and do) say all the things they know even Trump can’t yet get away with openly saying. Guys like Bannon, Carlson, Fuentes and so on who are now trashing him. They have a far larger audience than Trump’s Truth Social. And, as the author of the linked LA Times piece notes most of these young males just want to give society the finger. They blame Democrats and I keep pointing out all this is rooted in the initial hatred of the Clintons and the desire to TAKE THEM DOWN.
Trump promised them. And he’s not only failed to deliver on a signature promise but he’s trashing supporters who are upset with him for breaking THIS particular promise! They desperately want to stick with their Trumpty but like I said, there are people who are known and respected with these asshats who are saying bluntly that Trump LIED to them, and worse that he is likely not just in the Epstein files but in a personally damaging way. who are telling them Trump has betrayed them. That’s why I say while I’m not sure the LA Times’ judgement that the MAGA Spell is broken is accurate some pretty damned powerful wizards are firing ‘Spell-Breaking Charms’ at it every day now. The author of the LA Times article sums things up well when addressing the question of ‘why this, and why now?’:
First: It speaks to where the passions of MAGA really lie. For some percentage of Trump supporters, exposing the satanic, blood-drinking pedophile cabal was supposed to be the deliverable — his raison d’être — the payoff.
Instead they got, what, corporate tax cuts?
Second: The Epstein narrative is too lurid and concrete to be handwaved away. Epstein really was a sex trafficker. There really are those photographs of him palling around with Trump. He really was on “suicide watch.” Minutes really are missing from the surveillance video near Epstein’s cell. Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi really did say on Fox News in February that Epstein’s client list was “sitting on my desk right now.” You don’t need to be in a tin-foil hat to notice the fishiness here.
And third: The incentives have changed for MAGA influencers. Trump finally feels like a lame duck, and the knives are out, not just to inherit the throne, but for the whole spoils system of the MAGA grift.
So where are we? MAGA is in civil war. One that’s led to it being ‘brillig’ and the ghost of Jeffrey Epstein or MAGA influencers (the ones I’ve cited and more) have set forth wielding the Epstein Files like the mythical Vorpal Sword to slay the Trump-Jabberwock. The confrontation is fierce and a proverbial to-the-death one. Epic in scale. And, if the beast IS slain yet another epic confrontation looms. It will be for who gets to hold up the head of the slain Trump-Jabberwock and proclaim “Now it is I who command you!”
Which leads me to the real question we’ll be facing in days and weeks ahead. ARE the Epstein Files the proverbial Vorpal Sword, and IS there a hero(s) brave enough to confront the Trump-Jabberwock and use the legal/political weapon to slay the beast? I don’t know, but like others I’ll be watching. And HOPING.
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Zoomers, if you can spare some change to keep the Little Political Blog That Could trekking through cyberspace, we appreciate it. This has been a dim and grim year compared to others before it. All we’re trying to do is survive until things get better. Thank you. Ursula
