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Lisbeth Farnum's avatar

It’s TUESDAY🎉This piece is PERFECTION!👏🏻👏🏻🎯

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Greg Olear's avatar

Thank you! : )

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Derek Smith's avatar

What a wonderful epistle to cogitate over whilst enjoying my morning repast! Huzzah! I raise my mug of earl grey, hot, to you sir!

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Greg Olear's avatar

Thanks, good sir!

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Dennis's avatar

Pretty bad when our only hope is the self-destruction of the enemy while we watch.

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Greg Olear's avatar

They are all self destructive, which works to our advantage, but to your point...yes.

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Christine's avatar

Excellent piece of writing Greg! Especially enjoyed the last chapter. 🖕 trump and all his sycophants.

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Greg Olear's avatar

Thanks, Christine!

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Beverly G. D. Hale's avatar

I was frightened before, but the amazing truth you share makes me realize how broad and deep we are in this nightmare. Shared on LinkedIn.

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Greg Olear's avatar

Thanks, Beverly. Yes, we are in deep deep deep.

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Deepak Puri's avatar

Leonard Leo isn’t above the law. He is the law! Follow Leo's dark influence with this interactive relationship map.

https://thedemlabs.org/2024/04/14/leonard-leo-rejects-subpoena-project-2025-supreme-court-corruption/

Follow Leonard Leo's connections to Opus Dei, the secretive ultra extreme Catholic Group pushing Project 2025. How does Project 2025 turn women into handmaids? Follow along:

https://thedemlabs.org/2024/04/29/william-barr-leonard-leo-opus-dei-push-project-2025/

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Greg Olear's avatar

Great work, Deepak!

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Sara Frischer's avatar

OMG. Tremendous article Greg. I must say I am glad I started my reading this morning seeing that Ukraine hit the Kerch Bridge last night, that news gave me strength. We as a country have really been drawn into a dark place. I am part of a group that rallys every Saturday in a Red CT Town. We need more People coming out on a regular basis to fight. Beautifully written, Thank you!

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Greg Olear's avatar

Thanks, Sara. All the Ukraine stuff is so heartening. The drone strike was almost like blowing up the Death Star.

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Earl Heflinger's avatar

I did manage to catch the Leonard Sleazebag Leo segment on The Five 8. This is an awesomely comprehensive piece on the overall sleazebaggery. You rock!

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Greg Olear's avatar

Thanks, Earl. Yes, I enjoyed that segment thoroughly!

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Old Man's avatar

Greg, great piece, thanks.

In 4547 chapter one the well publicized evil villain was Steve Bannon. It amazes me that in the Redux the cast of characters makes him look sane, this is so scary.

Early on you mention smart, sane people holding their noses to further their own ambitions. When the intent is to deliberately cause harm to many people, calling those wishing harm sane and smart is an oxymoron.

I have long held the belief that if given enough rope the imbecile would hang himself. So far this has not been the case. The rope is part the growing fissures you point out but for me importantly it is using 4547's favorite tool against him, namely, name calling. Robert Armstrong of the FT coined TACO, this has really gotten to the imbecile. I recently heard on Substack a commentator note that the Republicans speak in three word phrases while Dems use paragraphs, the former a much better form of communication in today's TikTok world. We need more TACO and three word sobriquets to rattle 4547 and get under his thin skin, pushing him to tie the noose and jump off the chair, metaphorically speaking. At a minimum, keep him off his game.

Lastly, I must wonder if we are better off leaving 4547 in situ than the alternative, JD the vampire. He and Thiel are really scary, the latter most frightening as he works quietly in the shadows, a much more scary person than Elon the Musk.

The very sad state of affairs is best summed up as heads we lose, tails we lose. As Art Linklater once said, keep those cards and letters coming, pushing 4547 to grab the rope.

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Greg Olear's avatar

Thanks, Old Man.

I was being generous about the sane and smart part.

Vance is awful, but he's not a criminal in the way Trump is, and while we already know the presidency did not change Trump at all, I suspect Vance, once in power, might rise to the occasion. The odds are against it, but it's at least POSSIBLE. Also, there will be no personality cult led by Couchfucker.

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Old Man's avatar

I think you are right about JD. Suspect JD/Thiel do have a bit of sanity about them, something Trump/Musk sorely lack.

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Sally Stokes's avatar

Brilliant!

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Greg Olear's avatar

Thanks, Sally!

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Richard Turyn's avatar

To maybe reach or entertain a few more readers while you slog through the thousand swamps like these where no promise lurks, humbly suggest that for pomade, instead say Brylcreem. And for pusillanimous, scaredy-cat.

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Greg Olear's avatar

Is pomade that obscure? I think George Clooney says it in one of the Coen Brothers movies and it struck me as a funny word.

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Richard Turyn's avatar

The prosecution rests.

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Randall D Ainslie's avatar

Again, a beautiful synopsis of the quagmire of rancid wealth seeping into our government, supporting various individual dedicated plans, only to collide with each other. If this nightmare were followed by an anti-Republican song, we could all sing on the way to vote for some fresh change. Thanks Greg!

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Deepak Puri's avatar

Thanks! And for recommending my SubStack. Here's my post from this morning :)

Pass the Republican Budget: Give billionaires a GET OUT OF JAIL FREE CARD!

https://thedemlabs.org/2025/06/04/republican-budget-gives-billionaires-get-out-of-jail-free-card/

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Truscha Quatrone's avatar

I have missed reading your incredible substack for 3 days. This article was the best thing I have read in over a week by anyone. Thank you for your brilliance and humor. Please put me back the email list truscha@gmail.com

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Dennis's avatar

Boy! From my lips to God's ear.

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Chopinsheart's avatar

I’ll look forward to a piece on Thiel from you. And an update on Bannon/. Nobody should get to hide now

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