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this post was submitted on 06 Oct 2026
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politics
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I think Democrats embracing Epstein-ism are going over about as well as Republicans hysterical over transgender players in the WNBA. This isn't a GOTV tactic, it's a fundraising gambit. "Look, I'm totally owning the other guys! Send me more money so you can keep seeing these ads!"
And the other half is vacationing with the Clintons on Martha's Vineyard.
That's got nothing to do with the price of diesel, though. It's got nothing to do with rent or childcare or AI data centers spiking your electricity bill or the latest recall of tainted grocery stock.
Or just run an ad of your candidate drawn South Park style, farting on Donald Trump's head.
Just don't talk about Palestine. Don't talk about ICE. Don't talk about how the City of Corpus Christi is in a permanent water shortage crisis.
We saw with MAGA that Epstein is a motivating force for people to become politically active. Voters on both sides of the aisle want pedos to be prosecuted and voters on both sides became politically apathetic when no consequences materialized.
While it's true that there are other levers that the Dems could be pulling, I'm just happy they are pulling a popular lever at all. To me, this signals a change in strategy from, "Advertise ourselves as Republican-lite" to, "Make some sort of delineation from Conservatives".
The political consultants the Dem leadership listens to must be feeling the pressure from the Progressive wing; I'm hoping this means the party can be forced to move further left on other issues. Not too long ago, Epstein was on the list of things Dems wouldn't talk about.
They want their rivals to be prosecuted. And they like to accuse their rivals of something heinous enough to shout down any supporter as a supporter of the heinous thing. But when you have a bipartisan sleezebag like Epstein, the web of supporters and affiliates between parties gets too tangled. You can't go after Jamie Diamon or Elon Musk without goring your own ox. So you campaign as "anti-pedophile" or make a big show of saying "Lock Them Up!" with no real intention of going after anyone once you're in office.
Dems burned through their credibility after Obama and Biden. Only the heaviest kool-aid drinkers seriously believe Mueller Time is an election away. FFS, you only need to hear Schumer and Jefferies talk to be utterly disabused of the notion that anyone in the Trump Admin is ever getting prosecuted for anything. These fuckwits won't even entertain a 10th SCOTUS judge. They're toothless and everyone knows it.
Epsteinism isn't a progressive force. It's ambient internet blather.
I agree with you that the current leadership and most of the Democrats in power do not want to prosecute Epstein affiliates. However I would also note that even 6 months ago, Establishment Dems would not approve a message of going after Epstein affiliates. This ad is a movement from "Don't talk about Epstein" to "Say Epstein was a bad guy". Yes, this is a pretty minimal movement, but any movement towards the populist position is a sign of Establishment Democrats' arrogance and entitlement being curtailed.
I view the Democratic Party like a disobedient dog in need of training. This dog has been behaving extremely poorly, pissing on the kitchen floor and refusing to come to heel. Lately though, through rigorous training, this dog has shown minimal improvement, at least considering potential punishments before enacting bad behavior. This improvement should be encouraged while the training continues.
Yes, I agree with you that the idea of punishing pedophiles is a very easy and uncontroversial position. The fact that Democrats have to even consider the population's opinion is a progressive shift in strategy, when in the past, they have felt very comfortable simply ignoring their constiuents. The only thing that's really changed is that Progressives are getting big wins and becoming more popular amongst the voter base. The Dem leadership is trying to stay in power by appealing to their left flank. This should be encouraged while the training continues.
Which just proves they're cowardly and opportunistic. Hardly evidence of sincerity.
I'll spot you the metaphor, but I've been bitten by this dog far too many times to believe a few treats and a clicker are going to change it.
It's a shift in messaging... kinda. With the Hillarycrats largely on the sidelines this election, you're stepping on fewer toes when you run ads like this. But compare it to the upsets in states like New York, Michigan, and Ohio. Nobody watching these ads who wasn't already going to vote Dem will care. The issues aren't at the top of anyone's mind. We aren't even seeing Dems put this as "Epstein's War In Iran", because the bulk of the Dem Party agrees with Trump on bombing Iran.
Just like with Obama criticizing Bush or Biden criticizing Trump, the issue isn't the policy but the execution. Trump's just doing a bad job of mass arrests and corporate bailouts and foreign invasions and market manipulations. Democrats (outside of the narrow band of progressives who have been upsetting party-favored campaigns) are running on "we'll do Trumpism better" in the same way that the Obamacrats ran on "we'll do Reaganism better".
Democrats can retake the Senate without winning Michigan, Schumer suggests
That does not sound like a party leadership tacking towards its progressive flank. Just the opposite.
Yeah, I can't really blame you for being disillusioned with the current Dem Party. I will note that the article you mentioned is from last month, and is likely refelctive of Schumer's current opinions and desires, but I choose to read the OP's article from yeaterday as folks like Schumer making poltical movements against their internal desires. I read it as Schumer understanding that the country is moving in a more progressive direction and he is trying to appease his masters by lying to them.
Not to be too contentious, but I hope you are wrong about the future of the Democratic Party and that things do move in a more Progressive direction. That more Dems will tie the Iran War to Isreal or advocate for taxing the ultra wealthy.
Really helpful comment there, let's just shit on everybody so that the world fills up to a utopian level of equal shit.
All of the economic problems, fascism, and environmental problems can be traced by their money-flow lines right back to the same Epstein cabal, so it's pretty well related actually.