Sorry, we work to elect Democrats here. That's it. And of course the lesser of two evils line is complete bullshit. I've refunded your subscription and encourage you to take all this somewhere else.
I don't know if this is disinformation. It reads a lot more like the permission structure that moral weaklings and intellectual frauds used to justify their rancid 2024 decisions. Just sayin'.
Disinfo and/or lazy thinking and/or young with trite statements from social media - at least that's who I've heard such statements from. But to still be using such statements now... no.
Some people are upset because the Epstein files are being released drip by drip, perhaps over weeks or even months. I disagree. If the entire document dump happened in one day, media, pundits, bloggers, and others would be overwhelmed and would note a few key points, after which the story might give way to other headlines. Instead, with the releases spread out over time, each release will be carefully scrutinized. Each new set of findings will keep the files in the headlines for a long time, which is a good thing.
Democrats should be crying crocodile tears over the slow release, which keeps the files, Epstein, and Trump "twisting slowly, slowly in the wind." (A quote from the Watergate era.)
So Agree Jon!!!!! I remind my husband how long it took to capture “All The Presidents Men” after Watergate!! Bit by bit with fierce unyielding pressure. That sounds like Hopium Community! Fiercely unyielding pressure to save our Democracy 🙌🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Yes, Trump is working hard to destroy America, but he has activated and unleashed a massive wave of citizens who are determined to save our country. We have seen the results in this year's elections, and expect to see the results next year as well.
If Dems take the House next year, they could (and would) hold hearings, issue subpoenas, and pass bills, all of which would keep the story going, as you say. That means there would be benefits for 2028--if the Dems don't overplay their hand. The problem would be if Dems spend so much time on the Epstein-Trump files that voters think that that's their main focus rather than affordability. BTW, given how Trump loves to put his name on everything (including Trump battleships that will be 100 years obsolete before they are built (though they will not be built)), why not call the files the Trump-Epstein files?
Donald Trump’s post is demented and pathetic. It sounds like he plans to blow up the world. Watching the Trump regime is like watching endless reruns of Beavis and Butthead.
Hard to know what they are "permanently hiding" (= destroyed?), but some of those docs will inevitably come out, and since there was reason to hide them, they should be meaty. Can't wait!
More than 1,000 victims noted in the Trump-Epstein Pedo-files are here to speak the truth. That should be more important and more compelling than anything else.
Yup, it would be nice to have the "hidden" files, but what isn't hidden will be more than enough to make the point to voters, at least to those voters who are concerned about decency and who recoil at child abuse.
I agree. The key thing is to not jump at any particular revelation. It seems to me this is like raw intelligence, like the Steele Dossier, and there will be real things and false or misleading things.
They will look to discredit the whole thing if people focus on one false item there. Like the postcard to Larry Nasser... to me that looks like it is probably fake. Or at least it makes zero sense if it is real.
That happened in Watergate, too. The Post (which used to be a reliable source) printed a story in error, and that set things back for a while. Yes, Dems and pundits need to be careful. It's ironic, isn't it, that one false report by mainstream media can discredit a lot of reporting on the Trumpstein Files, yet Trump and his acolytes lie all the time without consequence.
Joyce White Vance addressed the Nassar letter/post card in a post on Christmas Eve, urging caution: "So, as people talk about sensational new information, be cautious.
An example of that is a supposed Epstein letter to convicted sex offender Larry Nassar. It seemed a little too convenient and appeared to be lacking information, like a prisoner number, that would have been needed for Epstein to place it in the prison mail system. I was hesitant about its legitimacy when it first surfaced, and now DOJ is claiming it is not authentic. We still don’t know the truth of the matter. The point is, with the utter chaos surrounding the release and DOJ’s mixed, and clearly conflicted, motivation for at least some of how it is being handled, this is a good moment for caveat emptor."
Right, Jon, about the timing of the Epstein files. We want it to remain a major issue thru the midterms. Although not an issue like inflation, the renaming of the Kennedy Center is an issue people can understand. With all the shows pulling out, it will remain dark or just have cheap second raters nobody will pay to see. Simon, keep score! And the "ballroom"
is another issue people can understand. It will cost 3 times what Trump says. It will be torn down and something presentable to all must go up. Easy issues to understand.
Amen, Mark. I live in the DC metro area. The Trump-Kennedy Center (TKC) has lost about half its patrons; in fact, I was chatting with someone at a concert (not at the TKC!) who said a musician friend of hers offered her free tickets to a TKC concert in order to add some bodies to the audience, and she declined. This drop in attendance was BEFORE the "renaming." The TKC will now lose even more performers and audience members and may as well go dark. That said, I think Dems need to be laser focused on affordability, and can't risk diluting their message with minor points that, while zingers, don't affect people directly.
These points can be brought up under the heading of Corruption, or Grift, or whatever, but remember that the court cases against Trump didn't hurt him a bit, and probably helped him. What looks good to committed Democrats may not play well in Peoria. Remember the case of the ill-fated campaign of Al Gross in Alaska and Amy McGrath in KY, both in 2020. They both looked like winners to out-of-state donors, but lost badly.
Plus when Bondi and other culprits in the DOJ are charged, indicted, convicted and fined for Criminal Contempt of Congress, penalties can be imposed on a daily basis once the deadline to release the files passed. During the Watergate Scandal in 1974, Richard Kleindienst and G. Gordon Liddy both pled guilty to criminal contempt.
What a shame that Merrick Garland prosecuted the bottom of the insurrection and not the top, and that Biden didn't fire him after a couple of months. Justice delayed is ... better than nothing, in this case.
Hope all had a good Christmas. It's been some kind of year. But, I believe the Democrats are in a better condition. We all must work to make sure the we get the House, maybe the Senate, and more down ballots. Framing is important. I think Trump will try and find an excuse to not have the 2026 election. Could be wrong. I'm goin going to give it everything I can. Happy New Year and lets do this.
Happy Holidays all (any holiday you celebrate, however you celebrate!) I note that several minions of the current maladministration are posting overtly "Christian" messages on government websites. This is totally illegal, but what do they care? One point however: the media (NY Times specifically) is reporting this as a "religious" message, despite the fact that it is repugnant to Moslems, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Wicca and adherents to Native American spiritual traditions, most of whom fervently support separation of church and state.
I will be checking later for postcarding opportunities and am glad that I bought so many stamps!
Please understand that the posting of “Christian” messages on a government website is deeply repugnant to most Christians as well. Maintaining the separation of church and state is fundamental to ensuring the freedom to worship period. This is a repulsive regime destroys all it touches.
Holy buried documents, Batman! JFC, is anyone minding the proverbial store (never mind, don't answer that). Sundowning Grandpa Befuddlepants had a rough night, it seems. It's embarrassing and downright terrifying.
Going to leave voicemails w electeds regarding keeping heat on Epstein (if they aren't already doing so), and staying on Vlad and all this international garbage. I mean, bombing Nigeria - do they even know what continent that's on? Sigh...
Working on my news boosting postcards to GA that are due in Feb.
Once again, thank you to you all, and most of all to Simon, for being tireless in bringing things into focus, for synthesizing important facts and trends, and for bringing us the essential voices of the pro-democracy movement.
If you are looking for places to contribute your time:
On Christmas day -- when most folks, whether they celebrate it as a religious holiday or not, are enjoying spending time with friends and family, watching movies or ballgames, or just having some down time -- psychotic old man is sitting alone in his room at a hotel rage tweeting at a demonic pace, spewing hatred and bile. His lies on Epstein aren't even vaguely consistent with each other. Bondi, Blanche, and Patel have to go to jail. As should he.
I'm working today on postcard to voters.
I hope everyone here had a nicer holiday than Trump and, in the words of the song, "I wish you a brave new year."
I was enjoying a peaceful, happy holiday yesterday, so i missed the bombing of..Nigeria? This regime is psychotic and criminal. I had s feeling they’d wait for Christmas to unleash yet more evil into the world.
Nigeria, Syria, the Carribean , saber rattling in Colombia, Greenland, plus his mucking up in Ukraine and Gaza, stealing oil tankers, grifting foreign nations...
Meanwhile his attacks on Americans at home exceeds what he is doing abroad.
How do we as a nation tolerate this a**hole any longer? He is completely off the rails and must be stopped!
Thank you, Simon, for everything you do for our Hopium family.
For those interested in working on voter registration, here's a link to Field Team 6. They're a great group who have been focused on registering new Democrat voters for several years. They will teach you how to text using your own phone but not your own number -- you use Google Voice. Once it's set up, it's easy!
This link takes you to the sign up for their first training session of the new year and also includes information on their process.
I'm so glad, Irene. I thought many people might already know this and that it might not be useful. We have time to plan before the meeting in January. I have done lots of texting and phone banking using Google Voice for GOTV, ballot curing, etc. so you can always get back to me if you have any problems when this start starts up in January.
In the files there’s mention of an FBI tip from a woman (13 at the time) who says she was trafficked in 1984 while pregnant, and she alleges that Trump was present on a yacht on Lake Michigan when he allegedly helped her uncle dispose of her baby.
Turns out there was a yacht on Lake Michigan that had ties to Trump. The Trump Princess. Trump says he doesn’t like being on boats and that sounds like one of those Trump denials that are actually confessions veiled by guilt.
The yacht was originally built for Adnan Kashoggi, Jamal the journalist’s uncle, who was implicated in Iran Contra. He was also the uncle of the man dating Princess Diana when she was killed. He brokered deals between Lockheed and Saudi for arms AND was a financial client of Jeffrey Epstein, according to NY Magazine.
Adnan K owned the yacht until 1988 until he sold it to the Sultan of Brunei who then sold it to Trump for $29 million. Roger Stone and Paul Manafort were involved in the sale and fast tracking permitting for it to be rehomed to Atlantic City.
It’s an anonymous tip, so who knows, but given all the insanely shady shit going on, I’m gonna demand that my elected officials pay attention to how deep and insane all this stuff is and ask that they determine whether this was investigated properly.
What are we to do about these strikes on Nigeria -- will he come for Congressional approval in 60 days? I doubt it... With "immunity" he seems to think he has a pass.
This is unhinged and deplorable. It is. Also the mark of hubris and desperation. The whole world is watching and this regime is not as all powerful as it believes.
Donald Trump and his entire regime are a gigantic lump of coal in our global Christmas stocking. These folks are on a suicide mission targeting Mother Earth.🌏
Self report: donated to Simon’s list throughout December. Added Sherrod Brown and Iowa trifecta running ahead. Strategy has changed to send ( very) small dollars to multiple candidates newly entering politics. I still choose carefully, but seeking to support those good people answering the call to “ run for something” especially military or staffers purged by trumps firings. Also physicians running as candidates. My larger $ still focus on Simon’s list.
Also, I am responding to all candidate surveys which ask: what is your highest concern? By letting them know all of these concerns are important However please recognize “ the Barn is Burning “ and we need all comers to 1. Recognize this 2. Form coalitions to fight against this takeover before we can truly progress forward in business as usual. I received back a response from RCooper acknowledging such! I’m working on any and all survey responses I receive now to voice the same; just like Simon has us do with our representatives. If donations are being sought let’s set our expectations to our candidates now!!🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Please support Independent candidates when possible. Democrats are usually a lesser of two evils but many are part of how we got here.
For Iowans in Ashley Hinson’s district
https://www.davebushaw.com/issues
Sorry, we work to elect Democrats here. That's it. And of course the lesser of two evils line is complete bullshit. I've refunded your subscription and encourage you to take all this somewhere else.
yep, sounds like some disinfo to me.
I don't know if this is disinformation. It reads a lot more like the permission structure that moral weaklings and intellectual frauds used to justify their rancid 2024 decisions. Just sayin'.
Disinfo and/or lazy thinking and/or young with trite statements from social media - at least that's who I've heard such statements from. But to still be using such statements now... no.
As Trump's 150 Christmas posts prove... he is unfit to serve.
25 47
Deranged mind, black heart
and no soul
Indeed
Thank you, Simon, for all you are doing to help educate us all. You deserve a low key year end.
I think we all do. Time for some fresh air.
Some people are upset because the Epstein files are being released drip by drip, perhaps over weeks or even months. I disagree. If the entire document dump happened in one day, media, pundits, bloggers, and others would be overwhelmed and would note a few key points, after which the story might give way to other headlines. Instead, with the releases spread out over time, each release will be carefully scrutinized. Each new set of findings will keep the files in the headlines for a long time, which is a good thing.
I agree. Drip, Drip, Drip keeps the Epstein files in the news.
Democrats should be crying crocodile tears over the slow release, which keeps the files, Epstein, and Trump "twisting slowly, slowly in the wind." (A quote from the Watergate era.)
So Agree Jon!!!!! I remind my husband how long it took to capture “All The Presidents Men” after Watergate!! Bit by bit with fierce unyielding pressure. That sounds like Hopium Community! Fiercely unyielding pressure to save our Democracy 🙌🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Yes, Trump is working hard to destroy America, but he has activated and unleashed a massive wave of citizens who are determined to save our country. We have seen the results in this year's elections, and expect to see the results next year as well.
Oh ya I mean it looks like it’s going to be a continuing story through the midterms and beyond, how could that not be a good thing.
If Dems take the House next year, they could (and would) hold hearings, issue subpoenas, and pass bills, all of which would keep the story going, as you say. That means there would be benefits for 2028--if the Dems don't overplay their hand. The problem would be if Dems spend so much time on the Epstein-Trump files that voters think that that's their main focus rather than affordability. BTW, given how Trump loves to put his name on everything (including Trump battleships that will be 100 years obsolete before they are built (though they will not be built)), why not call the files the Trump-Epstein files?
Yep, during Watergate, it was the drip, drip, drip that did it.
Donald Trump’s post is demented and pathetic. It sounds like he plans to blow up the world. Watching the Trump regime is like watching endless reruns of Beavis and Butthead.
While this is true, think about what they’re hiding …perhaps permanently hiding
Hard to know what they are "permanently hiding" (= destroyed?), but some of those docs will inevitably come out, and since there was reason to hide them, they should be meaty. Can't wait!
More than 1,000 victims noted in the Trump-Epstein Pedo-files are here to speak the truth. That should be more important and more compelling than anything else.
Yup, it would be nice to have the "hidden" files, but what isn't hidden will be more than enough to make the point to voters, at least to those voters who are concerned about decency and who recoil at child abuse.
Yep. Everyone wants the instant solution to Trump, which doesn't exist. The drip drip or death by 1000 cuts will serve us better, I believe.
I agree. The key thing is to not jump at any particular revelation. It seems to me this is like raw intelligence, like the Steele Dossier, and there will be real things and false or misleading things.
They will look to discredit the whole thing if people focus on one false item there. Like the postcard to Larry Nasser... to me that looks like it is probably fake. Or at least it makes zero sense if it is real.
That happened in Watergate, too. The Post (which used to be a reliable source) printed a story in error, and that set things back for a while. Yes, Dems and pundits need to be careful. It's ironic, isn't it, that one false report by mainstream media can discredit a lot of reporting on the Trumpstein Files, yet Trump and his acolytes lie all the time without consequence.
Good point.
Joyce White Vance addressed the Nassar letter/post card in a post on Christmas Eve, urging caution: "So, as people talk about sensational new information, be cautious.
An example of that is a supposed Epstein letter to convicted sex offender Larry Nassar. It seemed a little too convenient and appeared to be lacking information, like a prisoner number, that would have been needed for Epstein to place it in the prison mail system. I was hesitant about its legitimacy when it first surfaced, and now DOJ is claiming it is not authentic. We still don’t know the truth of the matter. The point is, with the utter chaos surrounding the release and DOJ’s mixed, and clearly conflicted, motivation for at least some of how it is being handled, this is a good moment for caveat emptor."
Right, Jon, about the timing of the Epstein files. We want it to remain a major issue thru the midterms. Although not an issue like inflation, the renaming of the Kennedy Center is an issue people can understand. With all the shows pulling out, it will remain dark or just have cheap second raters nobody will pay to see. Simon, keep score! And the "ballroom"
is another issue people can understand. It will cost 3 times what Trump says. It will be torn down and something presentable to all must go up. Easy issues to understand.
Amen, Mark. I live in the DC metro area. The Trump-Kennedy Center (TKC) has lost about half its patrons; in fact, I was chatting with someone at a concert (not at the TKC!) who said a musician friend of hers offered her free tickets to a TKC concert in order to add some bodies to the audience, and she declined. This drop in attendance was BEFORE the "renaming." The TKC will now lose even more performers and audience members and may as well go dark. That said, I think Dems need to be laser focused on affordability, and can't risk diluting their message with minor points that, while zingers, don't affect people directly.
These points can be brought up under the heading of Corruption, or Grift, or whatever, but remember that the court cases against Trump didn't hurt him a bit, and probably helped him. What looks good to committed Democrats may not play well in Peoria. Remember the case of the ill-fated campaign of Al Gross in Alaska and Amy McGrath in KY, both in 2020. They both looked like winners to out-of-state donors, but lost badly.
Plus when Bondi and other culprits in the DOJ are charged, indicted, convicted and fined for Criminal Contempt of Congress, penalties can be imposed on a daily basis once the deadline to release the files passed. During the Watergate Scandal in 1974, Richard Kleindienst and G. Gordon Liddy both pled guilty to criminal contempt.
https://camden.rutgers.edu/news/criminal-contempt-congress-explained
Can't wait to see justice finally served.
What a shame that Merrick Garland prosecuted the bottom of the insurrection and not the top, and that Biden didn't fire him after a couple of months. Justice delayed is ... better than nothing, in this case.
The trumpery and his minions become more unhinged every day. Here's hoping the Epstein files lead him to dissolve into a pile of stinking muck.
Hope all had a good Christmas. It's been some kind of year. But, I believe the Democrats are in a better condition. We all must work to make sure the we get the House, maybe the Senate, and more down ballots. Framing is important. I think Trump will try and find an excuse to not have the 2026 election. Could be wrong. I'm goin going to give it everything I can. Happy New Year and lets do this.
Happy Holidays all (any holiday you celebrate, however you celebrate!) I note that several minions of the current maladministration are posting overtly "Christian" messages on government websites. This is totally illegal, but what do they care? One point however: the media (NY Times specifically) is reporting this as a "religious" message, despite the fact that it is repugnant to Moslems, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Wicca and adherents to Native American spiritual traditions, most of whom fervently support separation of church and state.
I will be checking later for postcarding opportunities and am glad that I bought so many stamps!
Please understand that the posting of “Christian” messages on a government website is deeply repugnant to most Christians as well. Maintaining the separation of church and state is fundamental to ensuring the freedom to worship period. This is a repulsive regime destroys all it touches.
The best thing I got for Christmas is that Kilmar Abrego Garcia got to spend it at home with his wife and kids. 💙 🎅 🎁 🇺🇸
Holy buried documents, Batman! JFC, is anyone minding the proverbial store (never mind, don't answer that). Sundowning Grandpa Befuddlepants had a rough night, it seems. It's embarrassing and downright terrifying.
Going to leave voicemails w electeds regarding keeping heat on Epstein (if they aren't already doing so), and staying on Vlad and all this international garbage. I mean, bombing Nigeria - do they even know what continent that's on? Sigh...
Working on my news boosting postcards to GA that are due in Feb.
Once again, thank you to you all, and most of all to Simon, for being tireless in bringing things into focus, for synthesizing important facts and trends, and for bringing us the essential voices of the pro-democracy movement.
If you are looking for places to contribute your time:
VoteRiders.org
Postcards to Swing States
Postcards to Voters
DNC's new Local Listener program
Keep going!
Simon, thank you for the update.
Trump really is truly, clinically insane.
On Christmas day -- when most folks, whether they celebrate it as a religious holiday or not, are enjoying spending time with friends and family, watching movies or ballgames, or just having some down time -- psychotic old man is sitting alone in his room at a hotel rage tweeting at a demonic pace, spewing hatred and bile. His lies on Epstein aren't even vaguely consistent with each other. Bondi, Blanche, and Patel have to go to jail. As should he.
I'm working today on postcard to voters.
I hope everyone here had a nicer holiday than Trump and, in the words of the song, "I wish you a brave new year."
And bombing Nigeria!
Yup, nothing says "Peace of Christmas" like bombing someone.
But he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. It's all just so batshit insane.
gaslighter in chief. We should pin that nickname on him
I was enjoying a peaceful, happy holiday yesterday, so i missed the bombing of..Nigeria? This regime is psychotic and criminal. I had s feeling they’d wait for Christmas to unleash yet more evil into the world.
Nigeria, Syria, the Carribean , saber rattling in Colombia, Greenland, plus his mucking up in Ukraine and Gaza, stealing oil tankers, grifting foreign nations...
Meanwhile his attacks on Americans at home exceeds what he is doing abroad.
How do we as a nation tolerate this a**hole any longer? He is completely off the rails and must be stopped!
Thank you, Simon, for everything you do for our Hopium family.
For those interested in working on voter registration, here's a link to Field Team 6. They're a great group who have been focused on registering new Democrat voters for several years. They will teach you how to text using your own phone but not your own number -- you use Google Voice. Once it's set up, it's easy!
This link takes you to the sign up for their first training session of the new year and also includes information on their process.
https://mobilize.us/s/1u6ZWf
Thank you Claire- I had heard of this but never tried it. I’m ready to do so and appreciate the contact info 🙏🏻🇺🇸🇺🇸
I'm so glad, Irene. I thought many people might already know this and that it might not be useful. We have time to plan before the meeting in January. I have done lots of texting and phone banking using Google Voice for GOTV, ballot curing, etc. so you can always get back to me if you have any problems when this start starts up in January.
They are wonderful group to work with.
In the files there’s mention of an FBI tip from a woman (13 at the time) who says she was trafficked in 1984 while pregnant, and she alleges that Trump was present on a yacht on Lake Michigan when he allegedly helped her uncle dispose of her baby.
https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%208/EFTA00025010.pdf
Turns out there was a yacht on Lake Michigan that had ties to Trump. The Trump Princess. Trump says he doesn’t like being on boats and that sounds like one of those Trump denials that are actually confessions veiled by guilt.
The yacht was originally built for Adnan Kashoggi, Jamal the journalist’s uncle, who was implicated in Iran Contra. He was also the uncle of the man dating Princess Diana when she was killed. He brokered deals between Lockheed and Saudi for arms AND was a financial client of Jeffrey Epstein, according to NY Magazine.
Adnan K owned the yacht until 1988 until he sold it to the Sultan of Brunei who then sold it to Trump for $29 million. Roger Stone and Paul Manafort were involved in the sale and fast tracking permitting for it to be rehomed to Atlantic City.
It’s an anonymous tip, so who knows, but given all the insanely shady shit going on, I’m gonna demand that my elected officials pay attention to how deep and insane all this stuff is and ask that they determine whether this was investigated properly.
"...reputationally tarnished." Are not words used by trump. Someone else is writing this shit.
Miller on a Crazed speed ball high? Sounds like he speaks….
What are we to do about these strikes on Nigeria -- will he come for Congressional approval in 60 days? I doubt it... With "immunity" he seems to think he has a pass.
This is unhinged and deplorable. It is. Also the mark of hubris and desperation. The whole world is watching and this regime is not as all powerful as it believes.
150 times? WTF! Perhaps he got an appropriately sized lump of coal in his stocking next to the family grift-mas tree!
Donald Trump and his entire regime are a gigantic lump of coal in our global Christmas stocking. These folks are on a suicide mission targeting Mother Earth.🌏
Self report: donated to Simon’s list throughout December. Added Sherrod Brown and Iowa trifecta running ahead. Strategy has changed to send ( very) small dollars to multiple candidates newly entering politics. I still choose carefully, but seeking to support those good people answering the call to “ run for something” especially military or staffers purged by trumps firings. Also physicians running as candidates. My larger $ still focus on Simon’s list.
Also, I am responding to all candidate surveys which ask: what is your highest concern? By letting them know all of these concerns are important However please recognize “ the Barn is Burning “ and we need all comers to 1. Recognize this 2. Form coalitions to fight against this takeover before we can truly progress forward in business as usual. I received back a response from RCooper acknowledging such! I’m working on any and all survey responses I receive now to voice the same; just like Simon has us do with our representatives. If donations are being sought let’s set our expectations to our candidates now!!🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Thanks for the reminder about Sherrod Brown!