Every week on Daily Kos, certain stories rise above the rest. Not just because they’re outrageous or entertaining, but because together they tell a bigger story about the political moment we’re living through.
This week, the conversation revolved around two very different stories unfolding at the same time.
On one side, we have President Donald Trump and his Republican Party running the country like a chaotic talk show—the really trashy ones from the old days hosted by the likes of Jerry Springer, Geraldo Rivera, and Phil Donahue—lurching from scandal to scandal, recklessly launching a new war with Iran, and waging civil war on itself.
On the other side, the Democratic Party is quietly putting together the pieces for a return to power this November.
Republicans are certainly doing their darndest to make Democratic victories possible, starting with Trump himself. What better way to sell an unpopular, unnecessary, and stupid war with Iran than to, well, brag about his unpopular, unnecessary, and stupid ballroom? Trump is literally condemning people to death, and he can’t even pretend to appreciate the gravity of the moment. Yes, six American servicemembers died, but hey, let’s talk about my ballroom!
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wasn’t much better, gleefully boasting about the bloodshed in Iran, bragging that “it’s not a fair fight,” and offering little clarity about the administration’s actual strategy. The result is a conflict that even Trump’s usual cheerleaders on the right are struggling to defend.
Remember, don’t call it a “war,” even though Trump, Hegseth, and every other Republican are calling it a “war,” and Hegseth has renamed himself the “Secretary of War,” and Trump rebranded the Defense Department the “Department of War,” and, well, it’s a freakin’ war. But sure, it’s a “Special Combat Operation,” because why not borrow a page from Vladimir Putin’s very successful “Special Military Operation” in Ukraine?
Trump is so evil that his soul rot is now spreading outward.
Of course, the theme of reckless leadership permeated the entire week. The other non-war headliner this week was former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, way out of her depth and barely lasting a year on the job before getting fired. As consolation, Trump gave her the role of “Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas,” whatever the heck that made-up thing is supposed to be.
Kristi Noem appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee for an oversight hearing on March 3.
Meanwhile, the administration’s immigration apparatus may finally be facing consequences. Trump’s top deportation enforcer, Border Patrol’s big tough guy Gregory Bovino, suddenly finds himself under scrutiny that could threaten his position.
Of course, none of this dysfunction has stopped Republicans from returning to one of their favorite hobbies: obsessing over Hillary Clinton. You have to distract the rubes from the Epstein files, the unpopular war, higher inflation, failed tariffs, and other broken promises somehow, right?
Republicans thought they had uncovered a political bombshell when they pushed to release old Clinton deposition material. Instead, it mostly reminded everyone how empty the GOP’s decade-long crusade against Clinton has always been.
And while Republicans dominate the chaos cycle, Democrats are competently assembling the pieces for a very different story heading into November.
The biggest sign of that came out of Texas this week.
State Rep. James Talarico won his Democratic primary, setting up a Senate race that suddenly looks far more competitive than anyone expected. The victory comes as Republicans prepare for a brutal internal fight of their own, one that could leave the GOP nominee damaged heading into the general election.
James Talarico speaks at a primary election watch party on March 3 in Austin, Texas.
Texas hasn’t elected a Democrat statewide in decades, but Republicans seem hell-bent on serving it up. And Democrats are taking full advantage of the opportunity.
And that was the conversation this week.
