As I listened to this, I kept remembering an interview I saw decades ago, with Gideon Yago, former correspondent / reporter for MTV. He lamented the news "stars" and personalities in news media. Their 7 figure salaries represent the very real loss of thousands of rank and file reporters and staff that could be out there uncovering news, checking facts, digging deep and uncovering lies, scandals and the kind of corruption that is now a de rigueur in our government.
So as all these media darlings that are losing their jobs - or taking buyouts so they don't have to defend their willful mis mal and nonfeasance - good riddance. Here's to hoping the publishers and owners wise up and start hiring hundreds and hundreds of people in the news rooms, sharing desks, correcting each others' stories and helping them "get it right"!!
Matt seems to be the only one I notice holding it down. I’m sure there are more but they seem to have student loans for their journalism degrees to pay down. MSM is a vertically integrated industry now that thankfully is collapsing. In High school they introduced to narratives that align with their youthful liberal tendencies. In college they are given the validation of their world view that will never be challenged except to push further left. they are taught the tools and detailed context in order weaponize their view which leads them right into the news rooms so they can become activists on behalf of the same views which ultimately grants them access to the contacts in government who are looking for cover in which to manifest the world view. All the while the news rooms are bleeding subscribers, viewers , readers and money. A good reporter should be perceived by anyone with power as herpes.
This schadenfreude by Matt Taibbi and many of his readers is transparently self-serving and simplistic. If we’re to believe Matt, the reason ‘legacy media’ is failing is because they’ve betrayed the public trust. The insinuation being that Taibbi is making boatloads of money because he is a paragon of honesty, not because he is dependably parroting deceptive White House and MAGA talking points every week. No mention of media fragmentation, the collapse of advertising models, and the mushrooming of new social media platforms that offer content for free. Also no mention of the fact that this change is sinking the career of many quality reporters and publications. Those that survive are usually the screeds and the rags that peddle the most sensationalist content. Listening to Taibbi, you’d think this is a positive state of affairs.
Trump was elected as a giant middle finger to the current prostituted liberal media and political machine. Matt has his finger on this like nobody else and writes so incredibly well.
Here is a list of known media figures who have been purged (e.g., fired, quit in protest, or resigned amid shifts) or taken buyouts in 2025, along with the companies they left:
I guess it is a small comfort to see a growing list of these WEF / Democrat operatives lose their influence, but it would be much more comforting to start a list of the bad actors from the "intelligence" and political classes being referred for criminal charges.
I'd say a full, transparent, dot-connecting exposure of both Epstein and Russiagate stuff is what the Trump people owe us, at the minimum. I'd say the Epstein thing, in particular is up there (maybe just below immigration) as far as what the MAGA base is expecting and deserves.
Watch where they go. It is entirely probable that one group leads to the other.
Edit: it'll also be interesting to see how desperate the news people get for new work, compared to how many just end up working closer to who their real boss has been over the last decade.
Matt and Walter, it dawns on me that the business angle may be that there's no commercial future in TDS because Trump can't be re-elected. For a long time there was, but in a strong sense media TDS has a limited horizon of returns now. Before I retired from the academy I studied the behavioral consequences of limited horizons... it means that there finally comes a time when it dawns on decision makers that the game's end is approaching. Sure, there's the possibility that a dem-controlled house will make Trump's life miserable after the 2026 midterms. But we're getting close to the "three years away" end of game that even Milton Friedman once said was how far out most people could plan about the future. My own life in behavioral research about this makes me roughly agree with that. The end of the TDS media game is now in sight, and the decision makers at the businesses realize it's time to cut and run on it.
I like your thesis. There is validity to it. My only pushback against it is this: They called George W. Bush a nazi too. President Trump just pulled the band aid off the festering hate boil that was always there. Now, after oozing puss for so long, the media has completely discredited itself. They'll fire/let go of most of the personalities, and start from scratch, only to continue the same charade. Just with new names and new faces. It might take sometime, perhaps years. Actually your thesis is better. Mine is pretty cynical. As a behavioral scientist, do believe TDS is a real condition and will it be studied as such in the future by Graduate Students?
Regarding your closing question, future graduate students in several fields will continue to study fads and fashions as they have for a long time--but as a general feature of us social critters rather than any particular one except as it might illustrate some argument. I think you're right to think criticism of the other side will move from one fixation to the next, but I also think your "new names and new faces" will be key. Individuals for the most part have a vintage and mostly don't adapt their obsessions to a new villain. A new vintage, new Maddows, grow up around new villains. My main point was that term limits imply a declining commercial value to investing in villification of term-limited political villains. And that this declining value becomes salient to media decision makers as the term limit horizon approaches. It's a plausible reason why we're seeing a wave of media separations from particular pundits, comedians, and so forth. And it's not rocket science.
There is a small but noisy contingent for more TDS . It’s nourishing for them. I’ve seen it in the past with Rush Limbaugh. Everyone said his show would die after Clinton left office. What will he talk about ? They said. That certainly didn’t happen there are layers to ideological capture.
Trump will absolutely run in 2028 in complete defiance of the Constitution and every one of you MAGAts WILL vote for him. He’s already selling “Trump 2028” hats. Quit pretending that he won’t be president until he dies or that you won’t support everything he does.
All Trûmp Nazi shit is a joke except it isn’t. You can claim that the most horrible statements are jokes until Trûmp or his supporters actually DO the horrifying thing. I think we should treat jokes by the President about canceling parts of the Constitution thé same way thé TSA treats bomb jokes in airports. Any other response is insulting and demeaning to the citizens of the US.
I can remember how freaked out you were over the impending implementation of Project 2025, and nothing ever came of that, did it?
Trump is great at trolling, and his Trump 2028 merch is nothing more than a massive troll. If all you TDS goofballs would stop falling for this stuff, he'd stop doing it.
I would never support him running again in 2028, because it’s unconstitutional, and he’s way too old.
Ànd thé President of the United States SHOULD NEVER BE TROLLING ANYONE.
This is the basic reason I hate Trûmp ànd Trumpers. He and you don’t want me in this country àt all. You want me and people like me silenced ànd eliminated, and if you can’t do that you’ll torture us every chance you get. You cannot compromise or seek solutions with us — you ànd Trûmp want us gone. He hates me. Why shouldn’t I hate back?
All of Project 2025 has been implemented. You just aren’t paying attention. Frôm privatizing thé National Weather Service through — ILLEGALLY, no matter what the Shadow Docket says — eliminating 14th Amendment citizenship, every single plank of Project 2025 is in place. Pay attention.
Pangloss, everything happens for a reason, was arrested for talking and Candide for listening. I never forgot it.
Another good book you guys should do is Travels with Charley, how America was changing, Monterey's wild hills covered with little box houses with blue TV lights, everything was plastic, the loss of local dialects, what Steinbeck saw in the 60s. Yacht club at the end of the I reread it every few years. Montaigne's essays. A few, anyway.
I'd rather listen to Matt and Walter go into a Truck Stop on I-40 somewhere between Memphis and Oklahoma City and just talk to people about America.
Just talk about being citizens in our nation. That's it.
Almost like de Tocqueville. Or Evans-Wentz in Ireland (if anybody knows what I'm referreing to. LOL)
This media obsession about a few thousand people in a nation of 350 million is just not interesting. The people aren't interesting. Their lives aren't. What they did isn't.
But you guys are! Would love a different topic and hear you both mediate and opine.
Best idea I've heard in awhile: "I'd rather listen to Matt and Walter go into a Truck Stop on I-40 somewhere between Memphis and Oklahoma City and just talk to people about America."
There are two YouTube channels that come to mind as being close to this, just FYI:
I think Walter gets it wrong when he talks about the Epstein thing "jumping the shark".
The MAGA base, and really the general public feel like Trump and his people committed to cutting through all that bullshit and connecting all the dots. I'd say it's right up there with immigration in terms of expectations.
If they think they can pretend its not an issue and it will go away, they are very, very wrong.
It's not jumping any sharks...It IS the shark, and it's getting bigger and hungrier.
I'm obviously not saying that every person obsessed about Epstein right now is a raging, unhinged anti-trumper who still believes trump is a russian spy...
but every raging, unhinged anti-trumper who still believes trump is a russian spy is obsessed about Epstein right now.
This is not in any way random or accidental. This is the obvious continuation of RussiaGate.
I'm willing to hear arguments about why, this time--definitely this time, the accusations are serious and true, as opposed every other time this game has been played during this travesty--but everyone trying to sell this story needs to very strongly present evidence, not act as if they speak for others.
Isn't anyone tired of having to do this all over again?
I agree with you totally on the first part. The Democrats are jumping on the bus. They are pathetic.
But that doesn't change the core, white-hot passionate expectation that the MAGA Base has to see the veil lifted on the entire thing. Bongino and Patel totally get this. Tucker get's it. Frankly, I think the most Trump supporters have already factored in the possibility that Trump is dirty in all of it, and while he will lose something if true, the MAGA base will stick with him, and appreciate him exposing the truth.
If he doesn't and this obfuscation continues, he will lose their support BIGTIME.
It's a very shitty situation for Trump.. But you can't spin it away. It's there and it's not going anywhere, and the more people feel they are being fucked around and gaslit by people like Pam Bondi, Charlie Kirk, etc the angrier they will get and the more Trump loses.
It's not a continuation of Russia Gate. The two have very little connection to each other. For the Democrats, it's just the best, most obvious new thing they have to attack Trump on. They saw the fracture and dove into it. They are disgusting and will seize ANY opportunity to attack Trump rather than fix their shitty, fucked up, elite-captured party.
It seems to me that, maybe, Trump had developed a case of overconfidence in his support. Him and his administration floated this idea that there was "nothing to see here" and very quickly saw that MAGA voters expect promises to be kept. I think they also felt emboldened due to the disarray of the Democrat Party, and there may be some thinking along the line of "What are they going to do? Vote for Democrats?"
"Frankly, I think the most Trump supporters have already factored in the possibility that Trump is dirty in all of it, and while he will lose something if true, the MAGA base will stick with him, and appreciate him exposing the truth."
Do you have any data for this? Do you not see this as massive demonization?
However you are defining maga, you are saying that they will still follow Trump if he proved to be molesting children on Epstein Island.
You realize this isn't a complement right. It's not even a backhanded compliment. You are saying Trump is a pedo and his followers don't care.
This is just endless reddit slop.
Do you have any data for this? Or just a gut feeling about maga?
You wrote:
"...and the more people feel they are being fucked around and gaslit by people like Pam Bondi, Charlie Kirk, etc the angrier they will get and the more Trump loses."
So if Trump admits he is pedo, then maga is going to be fine and stick with him--but if Trump doesn't release any documents proving he is a pedo then maga is going to be pissed? And this makes sense to you?
This is connected to RussiaGate because it is the obvious next plan to get rid of Trump--this isn't complicated or organic or accidental.
Your post makes no sense at all unless you truly believe you are the next Nate Silver.
There is a huge difference in the minds of most MAGA males between "molesting children" and fucking a 15-16-17 year old girl. Sorry, but it's true and if you don't understand that, go work at a construction site near a high school in Alabama for a couple of days. You'll get it then.
Why don't you give us your list of everyone who you think believes raping a 15 year old doesn't count.
So far it's most MAGA men and construction workers from Alabama (presumably also male).
But I've got to believe from your colorful narrative and certainty that your list is very long.
There is still time to delete this:
"There is a huge difference in the minds of most MAGA males between "molesting children" and fucking a 15-16-17 year old girl. Sorry, but it's true and if you don't understand that, go work at a construction site near a high school in Alabama for a couple of days. You'll get it then."
Well for starters: John F Kennedy (and his friends), Grover Cleveland, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Ted Nugent, Rob Lowe...It's a very, VERY long list.
Sorry if that reality offends your sensibilities.
And fuck you, again, for trying to shoot the messenger.
You're pathetic.
And we're done, here, kid. Good luck trying to make the Epstein thing go away.
Democrats screaming, now, about Epstein is the height of hypocrisy. While they were in control of the WH and congress they fought against any release of information concerning Epstein. I'd wager that there are plenty of guilty parties from both sides of the aisle that would like nothing better than a continuation of the cover up.
I've been asking myself why dems are pushing the story so hard, as if they know their side will not be harmed by the info.
1 - There really isn't anything left to disclose with Epstein. 2 decades is a lot of time to find and destroy documents, if they existed to the rumored extent in the first place.
or
2 - There is A LOT of epstein info and Trump hasn't just gotten lucky. He's been using it to get things done at a pace I have never seen, against levels of resistance I have never seen. It's the holy grail of negotiating tools, and oh boy I'd be tempted to use it too.
Personally, the most damning fact that drove me away from the Ministry of Propaganda aka. mainstream media was their continuous lying about the Covid plandemic .. As well as the relentless promotion of the fake Covid vaccines which in reality turned out to be a [slow kill genetically engineered bio weapons created in one or more GOF labs], and was actually ordered months before the announcement of discovery of the Covid virus in Wuhan by none other than the DOD.. Which Issued explicit instructions to Pfizer with a list of ingredients all being lethal...
mRNA ect. ect. A master poison, if ever one existed..
Yet big Pharma and Bill Gates continue to this day to promote this on mainstream media..
The genetically engineered slow kill bio weapons continue to be created and dispersed around the world as the central means of de population..Big Brother-- Bill Gates/WEF/WHO/CDC/NIH/FDA/CIA .. all continue to be actively promoting murder of millions more human beings.. the change of administrations has done very little, really to slow the murder, maiming, mass poisoning.. disappointed RFK Jr. Is.
Not really having that much impact...
I never got the jab. My intuition warned me.
Working on five years now of continuous study and research regarding vaccines and their various formulas and ingredients.. one discovery I found is that they are NO safe vaccines... there is never been a single vaccine with bona fide safety studies proving safety.. not the polio vaccine nor any other.. every single solitary manufacturer cooked the books... some vaccines are less than lethal, but all have adverse effects and are completely and utterly unnecessary...
if you want to cut to the chase, I recommend taking a hard look at Jessica Rose's[a true genius] body of research regarding the Covid jab, Dr. Peter McCullough another wizard who sounded off against the Covid vaccination. 4 1/2 years ago...
when doing research well the verification process of bona fide data requires a lot of time and patience.. I never use mainstream search engines.. use Brave..
really appreciate Matt and Walter.. rare intelligence, rare honesty, two of America's best investigative journalist and writers.. without question..
The whole "Pied Piper" thing shows just how out of touch people like Hillary Clinton, John Podesta, Robby Mook, and the entire Democratic National Committee are, as if each member of the professional managerial class got 3 votes or something...the American People, both on the left and right, hate their guts...Hillary voted for Iraq, I would have voted for Bozo before voting for her.
Now, I would vote for any non-Democratic Party candidate, whether Natural Rights Party, Green, Libertarian, or the "Rent's Too Damn High” Party.
But the Republicans have also jumped the shark with their base. Trump is great, but I can only think of, like, two Republicans in Congress that the MAGA base actually likes (Thomas Massie, and maybe like 2-3 others on a good day).
Both parties are finished. The GOP is going to go down like the Democrats after Trump leaves.
Massie is NOT a "DeSantis surrogate. . . working against Trump."
Massie is the one and only Congress Critter we have, who consistently adheres to the Constitution. Trump should have listened to Massie's criticisms of his Big Dumb Ugly Bill, and pressured Congress to get all the crap out of it. Trump despises Massie because Massie actually points out inconvenient facts. Trump didn't want to mess with all the crap in the bill; he just wanted it to pass, regardless. Trump's ego gets in the way of his common sense sometimes.
Trump hates Massie, but the MAGA base don't. They like his principled stand on the national debt, and can't stand the part of the BBB that jack the debt. They see that as a massive, intolerable betrayal (and it is). They like Matt Gaetz (although he's now gone). They like MGT with some exceptions.
Trying to think of other Republicans in Congress they really like...not really coming up with many though. They kinda like Rand Paul, although they like his dad more.
They like Steve Bannon. A Lot.
They like Tucker Carlson. A Lot.
They LOVED that talk Tucker gave at CPAC about Epstein.
Joe Rogan too...
Do you see how reviled Charlie Kirk is now, today, after losing his spine on Epstein? That tells the tale. He lost as much credit over that as Elon Musk loss with the "Fuck you in your face" thing about H1B Visas... Charlie is a clown now, and I don't know that he'll be actually liked by MAGA ever again.
That the Democrats now smell blood in the water and are pilling on about Epstein really doesn't change the core passion that has been out there for a LONG LONG TIME.
Frankly, I think most MAGA's would...just barely...give Trump a pass if it turned out he went to the island and fucked 15 year olds. They'll live with that in exchange for seeing the veil pulled back, and knowing how deep that weird network actually goes, whoever it brings down. They want that. I haven't seen a stronger vein of passion from MAGA on any issue except immigration.
Massie is the Bernie Sanders of the republican party. He has no principles.
There is much more evidence that DeSantis tortured people at gitmo than Trump is a russian spy or a pedo. Massie sucked hard on that for power. Principles indeed.
Seriously, are you you the new Nate Silver? Because you are very confident in you assertions about what everyone else believes.
Define your terms and show me your numbers!!!!! Where is your data for this slop?
If you're trying to sell the narrative that MAGA will be fine with Bondi dropping the Epstein case, you're embarrassing yourself, and you should stop gaslighting. It's irritating.
Joe Rogan vowed for years he would never interview Trump because it would help Trump politically and he didn't want to do that.
Like Massie, Rogan was never ever a Trump supporter. He just got bodied by Trump (and Musk (who also got bodied by Trump)) and forced to do that interview.
And Tucker Carlson at CPAC--what a nightmare. who the fuck would listen to that?
Are you really not aware that every argument you are making and every hack you are summoning is just word for word endless reddit slop? This crap is pumped 24/7.
I assume you are not dissing Bozo. I grew up in early 60s watching his original iteration. There was a lot like about B. He was probably way more intelligent than HRC and had a love for children - a fatherly love, not the creepy/perverse vibe that Pee Wee and other scum like Blippi (Ask ChatGPT about "Steezy Grossman", his other alter ego) later put out.
We have to include John (James?) Brennan with a "Planet of the Apes" reference. I have never seen a public figure who looks so: SIMIAN. The guy looks Cro-Magnon as F***. He always looks like he is leaning on his forearms with his fists on the ground growling and threatening.
Wow he is so very un-interesting I can't even remember his name. A Gray Man, an attention-deflecting visage.
As I listened to this, I kept remembering an interview I saw decades ago, with Gideon Yago, former correspondent / reporter for MTV. He lamented the news "stars" and personalities in news media. Their 7 figure salaries represent the very real loss of thousands of rank and file reporters and staff that could be out there uncovering news, checking facts, digging deep and uncovering lies, scandals and the kind of corruption that is now a de rigueur in our government.
So as all these media darlings that are losing their jobs - or taking buyouts so they don't have to defend their willful mis mal and nonfeasance - good riddance. Here's to hoping the publishers and owners wise up and start hiring hundreds and hundreds of people in the news rooms, sharing desks, correcting each others' stories and helping them "get it right"!!
Totally true.
Where have the actual, shoe-leather, dig up facts, and report them fearlessly reporters anymore?
I just don't see them anymore. I only see journalists chasing narratives.
And fame and fortune.
And like the people they're writing for, and about, they'll lie, cheat, and steal to get it.
Oh right. Totally that too!
Matt seems to be the only one I notice holding it down. I’m sure there are more but they seem to have student loans for their journalism degrees to pay down. MSM is a vertically integrated industry now that thankfully is collapsing. In High school they introduced to narratives that align with their youthful liberal tendencies. In college they are given the validation of their world view that will never be challenged except to push further left. they are taught the tools and detailed context in order weaponize their view which leads them right into the news rooms so they can become activists on behalf of the same views which ultimately grants them access to the contacts in government who are looking for cover in which to manifest the world view. All the while the news rooms are bleeding subscribers, viewers , readers and money. A good reporter should be perceived by anyone with power as herpes.
You're on one of their sites right now!
This schadenfreude by Matt Taibbi and many of his readers is transparently self-serving and simplistic. If we’re to believe Matt, the reason ‘legacy media’ is failing is because they’ve betrayed the public trust. The insinuation being that Taibbi is making boatloads of money because he is a paragon of honesty, not because he is dependably parroting deceptive White House and MAGA talking points every week. No mention of media fragmentation, the collapse of advertising models, and the mushrooming of new social media platforms that offer content for free. Also no mention of the fact that this change is sinking the career of many quality reporters and publications. Those that survive are usually the screeds and the rags that peddle the most sensationalist content. Listening to Taibbi, you’d think this is a positive state of affairs.
Trump was elected as a giant middle finger to the current prostituted liberal media and political machine. Matt has his finger on this like nobody else and writes so incredibly well.
Yes. And stringers!!
Here is a list of known media figures who have been purged (e.g., fired, quit in protest, or resigned amid shifts) or taken buyouts in 2025, along with the companies they left:
- Glenn Kessler: The Washington Post
- Jonathan Capehart: The Washington Post
- Philip Bump: The Washington Post
- Joe Davidson: The Washington Post
- Eugene Robinson: The Washington Post
- Ann Telnaes: The Washington Post
- Ruth Marcus: The Washington Post
- Jen Rubin: The Washington Post
- Catherine Rampell: The Washington Post
- Michael Sneed: Chicago Sun-Times
- Richard Roeper: Chicago Sun-Times
- Rick Morrissey: Chicago Sun-Times
- Lorraine Forte: Chicago Sun-Times
- Tom Frisbie: Chicago Sun-Times
- Marlen Garcia: Chicago Sun-Times
- Rick Telander: Chicago Sun-Times
- Dan Haar: Chicago Sun-Times
- Scott Fornek: Chicago Sun-Times
- John O’Neill: Chicago Sun-Times
- Alex Wood Morton: Fortune
- Oliver Smith: Fortune
- Ryan Hogg: Fortune
- Prarthana Prakash: Fortune
- Mike Butcher: TechCrunch
- Rob Wotton: Sky Sports News
- Teddy Draper: Sky Sports News
- Jasper Taylor: Sky Sports News
- Jeremy Langdon: Sky Sports News
- Melissa Reddy: Sky Sports News
- Fadumo Olow: Sky Sports News
- Lindsay Dodgson: Business Insider
- Marty Swant: Digiday
- Kristina Monllos: Digiday
- Chelsea Stark: Polygon
- Chris Plante: Polygon
- Tony Maglio: IndieWire
- Erin Strecker: IndieWire
- Tom Brueggemann: IndieWire
- Natalie Berry: UK Climbing
I guess it is a small comfort to see a growing list of these WEF / Democrat operatives lose their influence, but it would be much more comforting to start a list of the bad actors from the "intelligence" and political classes being referred for criminal charges.
Exactly. Far more important.
I'd say a full, transparent, dot-connecting exposure of both Epstein and Russiagate stuff is what the Trump people owe us, at the minimum. I'd say the Epstein thing, in particular is up there (maybe just below immigration) as far as what the MAGA base is expecting and deserves.
Watch where they go. It is entirely probable that one group leads to the other.
Edit: it'll also be interesting to see how desperate the news people get for new work, compared to how many just end up working closer to who their real boss has been over the last decade.
💯
Wow. TYVM.
I’m sure this is only the beginning
This pleases me.
I wouldn't be surprised to see half of this list working for the Atlantic Council or some other blob org
Ugh
Matt and Walter, it dawns on me that the business angle may be that there's no commercial future in TDS because Trump can't be re-elected. For a long time there was, but in a strong sense media TDS has a limited horizon of returns now. Before I retired from the academy I studied the behavioral consequences of limited horizons... it means that there finally comes a time when it dawns on decision makers that the game's end is approaching. Sure, there's the possibility that a dem-controlled house will make Trump's life miserable after the 2026 midterms. But we're getting close to the "three years away" end of game that even Milton Friedman once said was how far out most people could plan about the future. My own life in behavioral research about this makes me roughly agree with that. The end of the TDS media game is now in sight, and the decision makers at the businesses realize it's time to cut and run on it.
I like your thesis. There is validity to it. My only pushback against it is this: They called George W. Bush a nazi too. President Trump just pulled the band aid off the festering hate boil that was always there. Now, after oozing puss for so long, the media has completely discredited itself. They'll fire/let go of most of the personalities, and start from scratch, only to continue the same charade. Just with new names and new faces. It might take sometime, perhaps years. Actually your thesis is better. Mine is pretty cynical. As a behavioral scientist, do believe TDS is a real condition and will it be studied as such in the future by Graduate Students?
Regarding your closing question, future graduate students in several fields will continue to study fads and fashions as they have for a long time--but as a general feature of us social critters rather than any particular one except as it might illustrate some argument. I think you're right to think criticism of the other side will move from one fixation to the next, but I also think your "new names and new faces" will be key. Individuals for the most part have a vintage and mostly don't adapt their obsessions to a new villain. A new vintage, new Maddows, grow up around new villains. My main point was that term limits imply a declining commercial value to investing in villification of term-limited political villains. And that this declining value becomes salient to media decision makers as the term limit horizon approaches. It's a plausible reason why we're seeing a wave of media separations from particular pundits, comedians, and so forth. And it's not rocket science.
This, makes sense.
I've wondered if the media can continue with TDS past the mid-terms. Everyone will be looking ahead after that.
There is a small but noisy contingent for more TDS . It’s nourishing for them. I’ve seen it in the past with Rush Limbaugh. Everyone said his show would die after Clinton left office. What will he talk about ? They said. That certainly didn’t happen there are layers to ideological capture.
I don't think it's TDS dying.
I think the internet is forcing the reality of supporting the deep state into modern Dems. It is happening much faster than it did for Bush Repubs.
Frankly, looking at Dem polling numbers, never-Trump Bush Repubs may be the only persistent "democrats" left, as the rest of the party is splitting.
And I've gone full circle into believing it is TDS dying out after all :)
Trump will absolutely run in 2028 in complete defiance of the Constitution and every one of you MAGAts WILL vote for him. He’s already selling “Trump 2028” hats. Quit pretending that he won’t be president until he dies or that you won’t support everything he does.
If Trump runs in 2028 I will finally vote for him, just for the lulz
No, a Karen changes nothing.
Congrats on falling for another Trump troll, Karen.
Nothing gets past you!
All Trûmp Nazi shit is a joke except it isn’t. You can claim that the most horrible statements are jokes until Trûmp or his supporters actually DO the horrifying thing. I think we should treat jokes by the President about canceling parts of the Constitution thé same way thé TSA treats bomb jokes in airports. Any other response is insulting and demeaning to the citizens of the US.
Simmer down, Karen.
I can remember how freaked out you were over the impending implementation of Project 2025, and nothing ever came of that, did it?
Trump is great at trolling, and his Trump 2028 merch is nothing more than a massive troll. If all you TDS goofballs would stop falling for this stuff, he'd stop doing it.
I would never support him running again in 2028, because it’s unconstitutional, and he’s way too old.
Ànd thé President of the United States SHOULD NEVER BE TROLLING ANYONE.
This is the basic reason I hate Trûmp ànd Trumpers. He and you don’t want me in this country àt all. You want me and people like me silenced ànd eliminated, and if you can’t do that you’ll torture us every chance you get. You cannot compromise or seek solutions with us — you ànd Trûmp want us gone. He hates me. Why shouldn’t I hate back?
If Trump wants you silenced, then why are you still here spazzing out, Karen?
Are you hiding in someone’s attic, using a VPN?
Better watch out! They KNOW where you are!
All of Project 2025 has been implemented. You just aren’t paying attention. Frôm privatizing thé National Weather Service through — ILLEGALLY, no matter what the Shadow Docket says — eliminating 14th Amendment citizenship, every single plank of Project 2025 is in place. Pay attention.
what exactly are your co-workers when the best one is joy reid
???!!
hahaha they're that swill left in the dog's bowl after he gets done drinking.
st. bernard drool
Pangloss, everything happens for a reason, was arrested for talking and Candide for listening. I never forgot it.
Another good book you guys should do is Travels with Charley, how America was changing, Monterey's wild hills covered with little box houses with blue TV lights, everything was plastic, the loss of local dialects, what Steinbeck saw in the 60s. Yacht club at the end of the I reread it every few years. Montaigne's essays. A few, anyway.
I'd rather listen to Matt and Walter go into a Truck Stop on I-40 somewhere between Memphis and Oklahoma City and just talk to people about America.
Just talk about being citizens in our nation. That's it.
Almost like de Tocqueville. Or Evans-Wentz in Ireland (if anybody knows what I'm referreing to. LOL)
This media obsession about a few thousand people in a nation of 350 million is just not interesting. The people aren't interesting. Their lives aren't. What they did isn't.
But you guys are! Would love a different topic and hear you both mediate and opine.
Best idea I've heard in awhile: "I'd rather listen to Matt and Walter go into a Truck Stop on I-40 somewhere between Memphis and Oklahoma City and just talk to people about America."
There are two YouTube channels that come to mind as being close to this, just FYI:
> Channel 5 with Andrew Callaghan
> Status Coup News
I think Walter gets it wrong when he talks about the Epstein thing "jumping the shark".
The MAGA base, and really the general public feel like Trump and his people committed to cutting through all that bullshit and connecting all the dots. I'd say it's right up there with immigration in terms of expectations.
If they think they can pretend its not an issue and it will go away, they are very, very wrong.
It's not jumping any sharks...It IS the shark, and it's getting bigger and hungrier.
I'm obviously not saying that every person obsessed about Epstein right now is a raging, unhinged anti-trumper who still believes trump is a russian spy...
but every raging, unhinged anti-trumper who still believes trump is a russian spy is obsessed about Epstein right now.
This is not in any way random or accidental. This is the obvious continuation of RussiaGate.
I'm willing to hear arguments about why, this time--definitely this time, the accusations are serious and true, as opposed every other time this game has been played during this travesty--but everyone trying to sell this story needs to very strongly present evidence, not act as if they speak for others.
Isn't anyone tired of having to do this all over again?
I agree with you totally on the first part. The Democrats are jumping on the bus. They are pathetic.
But that doesn't change the core, white-hot passionate expectation that the MAGA Base has to see the veil lifted on the entire thing. Bongino and Patel totally get this. Tucker get's it. Frankly, I think the most Trump supporters have already factored in the possibility that Trump is dirty in all of it, and while he will lose something if true, the MAGA base will stick with him, and appreciate him exposing the truth.
If he doesn't and this obfuscation continues, he will lose their support BIGTIME.
It's a very shitty situation for Trump.. But you can't spin it away. It's there and it's not going anywhere, and the more people feel they are being fucked around and gaslit by people like Pam Bondi, Charlie Kirk, etc the angrier they will get and the more Trump loses.
It's not a continuation of Russia Gate. The two have very little connection to each other. For the Democrats, it's just the best, most obvious new thing they have to attack Trump on. They saw the fracture and dove into it. They are disgusting and will seize ANY opportunity to attack Trump rather than fix their shitty, fucked up, elite-captured party.
This is what true populism looks like.
It seems to me that, maybe, Trump had developed a case of overconfidence in his support. Him and his administration floated this idea that there was "nothing to see here" and very quickly saw that MAGA voters expect promises to be kept. I think they also felt emboldened due to the disarray of the Democrat Party, and there may be some thinking along the line of "What are they going to do? Vote for Democrats?"
Yep. I caught that same vibe. For sure.
You wrote:
"Frankly, I think the most Trump supporters have already factored in the possibility that Trump is dirty in all of it, and while he will lose something if true, the MAGA base will stick with him, and appreciate him exposing the truth."
Do you have any data for this? Do you not see this as massive demonization?
However you are defining maga, you are saying that they will still follow Trump if he proved to be molesting children on Epstein Island.
You realize this isn't a complement right. It's not even a backhanded compliment. You are saying Trump is a pedo and his followers don't care.
This is just endless reddit slop.
Do you have any data for this? Or just a gut feeling about maga?
You wrote:
"...and the more people feel they are being fucked around and gaslit by people like Pam Bondi, Charlie Kirk, etc the angrier they will get and the more Trump loses."
So if Trump admits he is pedo, then maga is going to be fine and stick with him--but if Trump doesn't release any documents proving he is a pedo then maga is going to be pissed? And this makes sense to you?
This is connected to RussiaGate because it is the obvious next plan to get rid of Trump--this isn't complicated or organic or accidental.
Your post makes no sense at all unless you truly believe you are the next Nate Silver.
Give me the data!!!! Not your fantasy.
Endless reddit slop.
Quit putting words in my mouth, guy.
Re-read my comments.
There is a huge difference in the minds of most MAGA males between "molesting children" and fucking a 15-16-17 year old girl. Sorry, but it's true and if you don't understand that, go work at a construction site near a high school in Alabama for a couple of days. You'll get it then.
WOW!!!!
Why don't you give us your list of everyone who you think believes raping a 15 year old doesn't count.
So far it's most MAGA men and construction workers from Alabama (presumably also male).
But I've got to believe from your colorful narrative and certainty that your list is very long.
There is still time to delete this:
"There is a huge difference in the minds of most MAGA males between "molesting children" and fucking a 15-16-17 year old girl. Sorry, but it's true and if you don't understand that, go work at a construction site near a high school in Alabama for a couple of days. You'll get it then."
Well for starters: John F Kennedy (and his friends), Grover Cleveland, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Ted Nugent, Rob Lowe...It's a very, VERY long list.
Sorry if that reality offends your sensibilities.
And fuck you, again, for trying to shoot the messenger.
You're pathetic.
And we're done, here, kid. Good luck trying to make the Epstein thing go away.
Trump is implicated only insofar as he was an associate of Epstein's, for years.
Therefore, his name will show up in the "files."
I don't know of any Trump supporters who actually believe he molested underage girls.
Of course not.
No one is going to support Trump if he molested children, and the idea that "MAGA" will give him a pass is pure demonization.
The idea that "MAGA" will be ok with Trump molesting children--as long as Trump spills the beans on other molesters is also pure demonization.
Democrats screaming, now, about Epstein is the height of hypocrisy. While they were in control of the WH and congress they fought against any release of information concerning Epstein. I'd wager that there are plenty of guilty parties from both sides of the aisle that would like nothing better than a continuation of the cover up.
Yep. Agreed. A LOT of people are trying very hard to massage this out of existence. Offhand, I'd say more people on the left than on the right.
But...it ain't going to happen.
Really all you need to do is watch Tucker Carlson's speech at CPAC. And that wasn't even the MAGA BASE!!
I've been asking myself why dems are pushing the story so hard, as if they know their side will not be harmed by the info.
1 - There really isn't anything left to disclose with Epstein. 2 decades is a lot of time to find and destroy documents, if they existed to the rumored extent in the first place.
or
2 - There is A LOT of epstein info and Trump hasn't just gotten lucky. He's been using it to get things done at a pace I have never seen, against levels of resistance I have never seen. It's the holy grail of negotiating tools, and oh boy I'd be tempted to use it too.
or
3 - ???
The left was freezing you. LOL
Cancel culture's gotten out of hand, man.
Personally, the most damning fact that drove me away from the Ministry of Propaganda aka. mainstream media was their continuous lying about the Covid plandemic .. As well as the relentless promotion of the fake Covid vaccines which in reality turned out to be a [slow kill genetically engineered bio weapons created in one or more GOF labs], and was actually ordered months before the announcement of discovery of the Covid virus in Wuhan by none other than the DOD.. Which Issued explicit instructions to Pfizer with a list of ingredients all being lethal...
mRNA ect. ect. A master poison, if ever one existed..
Yet big Pharma and Bill Gates continue to this day to promote this on mainstream media..
The genetically engineered slow kill bio weapons continue to be created and dispersed around the world as the central means of de population..Big Brother-- Bill Gates/WEF/WHO/CDC/NIH/FDA/CIA .. all continue to be actively promoting murder of millions more human beings.. the change of administrations has done very little, really to slow the murder, maiming, mass poisoning.. disappointed RFK Jr. Is.
Not really having that much impact...
I never got the jab. My intuition warned me.
Working on five years now of continuous study and research regarding vaccines and their various formulas and ingredients.. one discovery I found is that they are NO safe vaccines... there is never been a single vaccine with bona fide safety studies proving safety.. not the polio vaccine nor any other.. every single solitary manufacturer cooked the books... some vaccines are less than lethal, but all have adverse effects and are completely and utterly unnecessary...
if you want to cut to the chase, I recommend taking a hard look at Jessica Rose's[a true genius] body of research regarding the Covid jab, Dr. Peter McCullough another wizard who sounded off against the Covid vaccination. 4 1/2 years ago...
when doing research well the verification process of bona fide data requires a lot of time and patience.. I never use mainstream search engines.. use Brave..
really appreciate Matt and Walter.. rare intelligence, rare honesty, two of America's best investigative journalist and writers.. without question..
If I see them start to report actual, significant facts (not propaganda) about the federal student loan program, we'll know this is real.
If we just see people with new names pushing the same old shit from Washington/Wall Street, then we'll know it's just re-arranging deck chairs.
Journalism could get even worse.
Frankly, I'd have to bet on the latter, not the former being far more likely.
Tell Walter it's pronounced my-SEE-lee-um, from a retired mycologist
Does anybody believe Blondie will actually issue any indictments on this info?
I keep hearing about "referrals" to the DOJ, but I haven't heard anything from her.
The whole "Pied Piper" thing shows just how out of touch people like Hillary Clinton, John Podesta, Robby Mook, and the entire Democratic National Committee are, as if each member of the professional managerial class got 3 votes or something...the American People, both on the left and right, hate their guts...Hillary voted for Iraq, I would have voted for Bozo before voting for her.
Now, I would vote for any non-Democratic Party candidate, whether Natural Rights Party, Green, Libertarian, or the "Rent's Too Damn High” Party.
I agree. The Democrats have lost it.
But the Republicans have also jumped the shark with their base. Trump is great, but I can only think of, like, two Republicans in Congress that the MAGA base actually likes (Thomas Massie, and maybe like 2-3 others on a good day).
Both parties are finished. The GOP is going to go down like the Democrats after Trump leaves.
Massie was a very early and very overt DeSantis surrogate and has been loudly working against Trump since then.
Trump despises Massie. This is from six days ago.
---
Trump blasts Massie as 'the worst Republican Congressman' and says he's seeking a challenger to support
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-blasts-massie-the-worst-republican-congressman-says-hes-seeking-challenger-support
---
Are you maybe thinking of someone else?
Oh puh-leeze!
Massie is NOT a "DeSantis surrogate. . . working against Trump."
Massie is the one and only Congress Critter we have, who consistently adheres to the Constitution. Trump should have listened to Massie's criticisms of his Big Dumb Ugly Bill, and pressured Congress to get all the crap out of it. Trump despises Massie because Massie actually points out inconvenient facts. Trump didn't want to mess with all the crap in the bill; he just wanted it to pass, regardless. Trump's ego gets in the way of his common sense sometimes.
Literally the first DDG search link for:
Massie DeSantis surrogate
https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2023/12/20/top-desantis-surrogate-lowers-expectations-iowa-governor/
And there are a lot more.
Nobody cares about DeSantis, Enticing Clay. Your link is from 2023, and it is now 2025.
We care about the Constitution.
Massie's actions are on behalf of the American people and the Constitution, not DeSantis.
Whether you want to believe it or not, Massie is a Ron "Gitmo" DeSantis surrogate. Principles are out the window at that point, period.
DeSantis was at Gitmo and he wasn't a whistleblower.
That is more than enough!!!
Anyone sucking on that has zero beliefs and zero principles.
Massie is the Bernie Sanders of the Republican party.
Why are the true believers always so ridiculously easy?
Trump hates Massie, but the MAGA base don't. They like his principled stand on the national debt, and can't stand the part of the BBB that jack the debt. They see that as a massive, intolerable betrayal (and it is). They like Matt Gaetz (although he's now gone). They like MGT with some exceptions.
Trying to think of other Republicans in Congress they really like...not really coming up with many though. They kinda like Rand Paul, although they like his dad more.
They like Steve Bannon. A Lot.
They like Tucker Carlson. A Lot.
They LOVED that talk Tucker gave at CPAC about Epstein.
Joe Rogan too...
Do you see how reviled Charlie Kirk is now, today, after losing his spine on Epstein? That tells the tale. He lost as much credit over that as Elon Musk loss with the "Fuck you in your face" thing about H1B Visas... Charlie is a clown now, and I don't know that he'll be actually liked by MAGA ever again.
That the Democrats now smell blood in the water and are pilling on about Epstein really doesn't change the core passion that has been out there for a LONG LONG TIME.
Frankly, I think most MAGA's would...just barely...give Trump a pass if it turned out he went to the island and fucked 15 year olds. They'll live with that in exchange for seeing the veil pulled back, and knowing how deep that weird network actually goes, whoever it brings down. They want that. I haven't seen a stronger vein of passion from MAGA on any issue except immigration.
That's just true man.
Again any data for this--or just wishes.
Massie is the Bernie Sanders of the republican party. He has no principles.
There is much more evidence that DeSantis tortured people at gitmo than Trump is a russian spy or a pedo. Massie sucked hard on that for power. Principles indeed.
Seriously, are you you the new Nate Silver? Because you are very confident in you assertions about what everyone else believes.
Define your terms and show me your numbers!!!!! Where is your data for this slop?
You are delusional, if you believe that Massie has no principles.
He is the ONLY Congress Critter who consistently supports the Constitution. We need more like him.
Why do you keep demanding data?
Where is YOUR proof that Alan is wrong about Trump's base liking Massie?
SMH. "Data" my ass!
This guy...
And good point....He can't point to EVEN ONE MAGA diehard talking trash about Massie. It just doesn't happen.
I really don't think you can say that about any other Republican besides Trump.
Fuck the Democrats. Fuck the Republicans. And Fuck you.
Lol. Here's some "data": Tucker's talk at CPAC.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8i2zgViDPg
Here's some more "data" from Joe Rogan:
https://x.com/joeroganhq/status/1949956856970875069
If you're trying to sell the narrative that MAGA will be fine with Bondi dropping the Epstein case, you're embarrassing yourself, and you should stop gaslighting. It's irritating.
Joe Rogan vowed for years he would never interview Trump because it would help Trump politically and he didn't want to do that.
Like Massie, Rogan was never ever a Trump supporter. He just got bodied by Trump (and Musk (who also got bodied by Trump)) and forced to do that interview.
And Tucker Carlson at CPAC--what a nightmare. who the fuck would listen to that?
Are you really not aware that every argument you are making and every hack you are summoning is just word for word endless reddit slop? This crap is pumped 24/7.
I assume you are not dissing Bozo. I grew up in early 60s watching his original iteration. There was a lot like about B. He was probably way more intelligent than HRC and had a love for children - a fatherly love, not the creepy/perverse vibe that Pee Wee and other scum like Blippi (Ask ChatGPT about "Steezy Grossman", his other alter ego) later put out.
Ah, the good old days!
Why not on Rumble?? F youtube.
I believe Ambler's autobio is slyly titled "Here Lies"
Who'll Stop the Rain is Dog Soliders translated to film - Michael Moriarty, Nick Nolte, Tuesday Weld, Anthony Zerbe.
I saw that movie. It was cool.
We have to include John (James?) Brennan with a "Planet of the Apes" reference. I have never seen a public figure who looks so: SIMIAN. The guy looks Cro-Magnon as F***. He always looks like he is leaning on his forearms with his fists on the ground growling and threatening.
Wow he is so very un-interesting I can't even remember his name. A Gray Man, an attention-deflecting visage.
Damn dirty apes.