Props for MAGA
I’m not the first to say that we should be careful with our words. Ro Khanna, California congressman, said it just last week when he cautioned against condescension. His idea is that people react badly to denigration, especially when it comes from perceived elites. Sneering contempt is bad for the soul and it also makes for lost elections.
That is certainly true when it comes to our politics. MAGA exists for many different reasons, including fundamental rearrangements in the American economy and the rise of women to positions of authority. But there’s something to the argument that people on our side are careless when it comes to describing the Other. It didn’t help anyone, least of all Hillary Clinton, when she described half of America as a “basket of deplorables,” the weirdest phrase in political history. Hillary Clinton was a worthy candidate, but there is such a thing as self-immolation. Rule Number One: don’t punch down, and try not to trash or demean your opponents. Donald Trump may be the exception that proves the rule, but even he is losing ground with his base.
What’s interesting to me is that there is reason for admiration. This is the Epstein Moment in American politics. However hard he works to change the subject, Trump has been held accountable by his most avid admirers. They simply will not let go of this sordid story of greed and perversity in very high places. They want the documents released regardless of the consequences and they are ready to see their own heroes fall if it means that there will be justice for the victims.
You will argue (legitimately) that this is something else, and it certainly began as a partisan campaign. Trump himself stirred interest in Epstein, figuring he could bring his Democratic detractors to heel. MAGA piled on, looking for marquee malefactors like Clinton, Summers, and other deplorables. But it now feels obvious that there are others implicated, including Republicans up to and including the President. Why else would Trump be doing everything possible to change the channel and rewrite the script?
But MAGA continues to press the issue, fueled by a sense of righteous anger. Marjorie Taylor Green is the fascinating case of a crazy-pants fanatic with a streak of morality and genuine empathy for Epstein’s victims. What happens to her chances for future victories will depend on the voters of Georgia’s Fourteenth District, but she has cast herself as an attack dog for the truth. The fact that she’s also spoken for affordable health care might just mean that her fever has finally broken.
My point is that all of this came from MAGA, which seems fair and balanced where Epstein is concerned. If it finally brings Donald Trump to his knees, they could legitimately claim a moral victory. That’s at least one better than our side has achieved, and we should be scrupulous about acknowledging their strength and persistence.