Your questions answered on Dem party failures, GOP crimes, Die Hard, and more!
By Sarah Kendzior | December 4 2024
Steve: I’ve read all of your books and essays. When I pass along some of your essays or when I had our book club read Hiding in Plain Sight, many people say you’re too depressing for them. How do you respond to this?
SK: Fellow Missourian Harry Truman, when accused of giving people hell, said: “I never gave anyone hell. I just told the truth and they thought it was hell.” The same applies to me. Only I never nuked a civilian population.
Our global plight is objectively depressing. But the most depressing thing of all is dishonesty. A problem must be acknowledged in order to be solved. I write because I believe that things can change for the better. The more we know, the greater our ability to create a just world. If truth didn’t matter, elites wouldn’t try so hard to suppress it. So I’ll keep telling the truth, hard as it is to hear, and hard as it is to write.
Kas: I just started rewatching The X-Files (having not watched since it originally aired) and I’m finding the show so comforting. I think because of the 90s throwback vibe and its basic premise that the government is always lying to you. I’m wondering if you have thoughts on The X-Files, especially since you wrote beautifully about Twin Peaks —which I assume has some similar motifs.
SK: I was and remain a big X-Files fan! It debuted when I was 15 and was a formative influence. I wrote about it in my book They Knew, along with its spinoff, The Lone Gunmen, that negated the “no one could have imagined 9/11” canard by having the World Trade Center nearly attacked by a plane in the first episode. I also wrote about it in The Last American Road Trip because of course my first teenage road trip was to Roswell. (Millennium also appears in that book — and you should watch Millennium season two along with Twin Peaks; they are excellent and reflect our era well.)
The X-Files is an exceptional series, especially the Morgan and Wong conspiracy arcs and the Darin Morgan episodes. I relate to Clyde Bruckman and wish I didn’t. I could go on about XF forever; when I was in college, I covered the show for Fangoria and interviewed Kim Manners, among others. (I just discovered someone put that interview online back in 2000; how delightfully mortifying now.) I may write about X-Files for this newsletter. But I feel like I wrote several X-Files books that are, unfortunately, non-fiction. The X-Files wasn’t quite ahead of its time: it reflected a dark continuum and debuted in the decade with the greatest freedom to discuss it. [ . . . ]
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Donna: I know this will not go over well with a lot of people because he is very well respected and loved (including by me), but I’d like to know your opinion of how President Obama fits in with everything that has been happening in our country since forever. How do we square his public persona and seemingly outraged righteousness to Trump and his regime with him being smack dab in the middle of Bush/Trump? Did he know and do nothing, was there nothing he could do? Tom: I wonder if in part we got Trump given that nothing was done by the Obama administration after W and Cheney lied us into Iraq? No consequences was a reward for continued behavior.
SK: This is a legitimate concern. I wish people would chill and let elected officials be criticized by the public they are supposed to serve, and in this case, failed. Obama knew about the severe threat Trump and his criminal cohort posed. If I knew based on information in the public domain, then of course the president knew — as did the FBI, CIA, Congress, etc. This is not solely on Obama.
But Obama was a popular president who focused on appeasing his enemies instead of telling painful truths and preventing greater harm to the American public. His popularity gave him unique leverage to push for accountability for the crimes of prior administrations, but he squandered it. Many of his crises were inherited — Bush’s economic crash, the Iraq War, etc — but Obama hired horrible cabinet members who made them worse. (Some of whom, like Lawrence Summers, worked with Epstein.)
Obama at times displayed a cavalier attitude about the carnage his admin caused abroad and economic misery at home. That cavalier attitude extended to Trump, who was a known mafia associate even while he was hosting The Apprentice. It was always an emergency that Trump could grab the presidency — and it would have been easy to emphasize that Trump was a national security threat since his history was public. Obama treating Trump like a joke made people believe the threat was not serious.
Every president gets targeted by operatives for exploitation. Trump is being used as a bulldozer to break the US down for parts. I said in 2023 that Biden would be a Placeholder President between two terms of Trump. Many yelled at me for saying it, but that’s exactly what happened. Obama was used by operatives to hurt the national imagination: to get America’s hopes up and crush them and to stoke racist vitriol (the latter of which was obviously not his fault.) But Obama is an intelligent man with great self-control. It is worth asking why he, at the least, played along with bad actors.
Dennis: The amount of fundraising texts I get daily is ridiculous. Have the Democrats looked at the possibility that these non-stop requests are doing more harm than good?
SK: I couldn’t tell you, since I, Sarah Kendzior, blocked the Democrats long ago. But “Stanley Kendzior” continues to get spammed, so I’ll share his view. Stanley tells me that the Democrats are digging their own grave and sealing democracy inside. First, election integrity is in jeopardy and party panhandling is salt in the wound. Second, the great unifying issue of the 2026 election (should we have one) is corruption. Begging broke Americans for cash while being backed by billionaires is grotesque. Stanley also doesn’t appreciate the threatening tone of the Democrats’ emails. (Scroll to the end for an example!) “Stanley Kendzior” says he is relieved he does not exist and wishes the Dems would stop soliciting his specter through my phone.
Richard: I’m of the opinion that the biggest threat to humanity isn’t climate change or a pandemic (or even Trump and his minions) — it’s AI and the scary, relentless development thereof. Our intellectual development as a species has far outpaced our moral development; cognitively, we’re still operating with the same tribal, heuristic brain we had a hundred thousand years ago. Except now, the billionaire/trillionaire tech bros are in charge. Is this something you might address?
SK: I agree with you and have addressed AI in these articles:
“Soul Stripping”: https://sarahkendzior.
“Eating Rocks”: https://sarahkendzior.
“The Red, White, and Blue Screen of Death” https://sarahkendzior.
“The Confluence”: https://sarahkendzior.
I also touch on AI in other articles and Q & As. I hate AI. I do not use it. I ban it in my home. I believe it is ruining the world in every way a world can be ruined. I agree with you that it is much more frightening than Trump and his minions. AI works to destroy the parts of ourselves — our empathy, creativity, defiance — that combat authoritarianism. They are attempting to mold the ideal fascist objects. They are aggressively pushing technology we did not ask for and removing the ability to opt out. I wish articles written by AI were labeled, like food tainted with poison. AI works should be shunned. I’m somewhat encouraged that my view on AI is not a fringe one: this is the oligarchs’ imposition, and we must push back.
Rebecca: Kash Patel doesn’t fit the ethnic profile for this administration. He’s lazy and ignorant because he doesn’t care to learn anything about his job. He’s stealing from taxpayers IN PLAIN SIGHT by flying to bro events and with the SS protecting his girlfriend. Do you think the GOP will join Dems in ousting him? And Hegseth? My real question is, why are they being tolerated. What do they have on whom?
SK: The new Trump administration members are stand-ins for power players behind the scenes. The real kleptocracy is being run by people like Kushner, Thiel, Witkoff, Adelson, Bannon, Musk, and other plutocrats and mafiosos — including foreign leaders like Netanyahu, MBS, and Putin. Patel and other cabinet officials are cast members in a White House reality show that even Trump holds in such low regard that he gleefully bulldozed his own set.
Trump’s backers wanted a younger and more ethnically diverse group for his cabinet because it makes the Dems, until recently led by weak white octogenarians, seem outmoded. Trump’s cabinet picks required no attribute other than shamelessness and cult loyalty. There are valid grounds to impeach several of them, especially Hegseth. But both parties are so tainted by the lack of accountability for the first Trump admin — which set a standard of normalizing sedition, among other crimes — that they feel attempts at accountability are futile. However, impeachment sets a moral standard that matters even if they stay in office. The worst sin is not to try. I wish Democrats had learned that the first time around: if they had, we wouldn’t be here for the second.
Jesse: What is the last movie you saw in a theater? I wonder what someone with your knowledge/perspective thinks about recent films like One Battle After Another, Civil War, and The Zone of Interest, among others. I wish we had more movies about the current political moment like they did in the 60s and 70s. My recommendation for you is First Reformed.
SK: I’ve been to a movie theater only three times since 2019 because of covid concerns. The only new film I saw was Sinners, which I loved. It combined so many of my interests and surprised and thrilled me! The other two I saw at the revival theater: The Lost Boys, because vampire Jack Bauer with a mullet is something my children needed to experience on a big screen; and Bubba Ho-Tep, which I had to see in theaters after waiting 20 years. Only the classiest fare for me! (I truly adore Bubba Ho-Tep though.) I will watch the movies you recommended at home, even though they feel like documentaries. Granted, The Lost Boys feels like a documentary these days too…
N Compton: We are moving to the east coast to be closer to our kids and grandkids. I am making myself crazy trying to game out whether life will be better for us if we live in a blue state or purple state. Do you have any wisdom to share that will make our decision more reassuring?
SK: Moving is a personal decision. In the Q & As listed here I answer questions from people with different concerns. Every state is a purple state: what place is right for you varies. St. Louis, Missouri is right for me because it’s cheap, full of historical sites and nature, and half of my family lives here. But I would never tell, for example, the parents of a trans child to stay in a state whose government has decided to revoke their child’s rights. That’s why I don’t give broad advice about moving.
Mary: I spent Thanksgiving out of town with family who are mostly Trump supporters. I didn’t enjoy myself and you could cut the tension with a knife. Took me a couple of days back home to relax some. Do you have to deal with this tension with family and friends?
SK: I don’t have Trump supporters in my family. I do talk to Trump voters, but rarely about politics. The only time I tend to engage with Trump fans in depth is when I try to bring facts about Trump and Epstein to light. Sometimes I’ve helped Trump voters understand the broader story of that network. When those folks feel better informed, I’m glad. It doesn’t always go well; sometimes folks get angry at me. I’m sorry you had to deal with stress in your family — that’s very hard, especially on holidays.
N: There’s online talk about the New York Times and its political coverage, but very little online talk about the Sulzbergers—the family that has run the NYT since the 1800s. How is it that a multi-generational media dynasty has managed to evade scrutiny so completely, even as its crown jewel is constantly under a microscope?
SK: Great question. I would love to read something in-depth, well-sourced, and written by a human being on that dynasty. I am wary of Americans who play outsized roles in shaping history but dodge scrutiny. (Roy Cohn and Meyer Lansky, two of the most influential Americans of the 20th century who are rarely taught in school, come to mind.) I assume the NYT has a rigorous legal team that dissuades exposure of internal affairs. What exposes exist (like The Trust) tend to be old and timid. Furthermore, reporters likely do not want to anger a media giant. When I was writing Hiding in Plain Sight, I was urged to omit references to NYT’s complicity, even when that complicity was conceded by the NYT itself. I left most of it in anyway.
Brennan: Have you read Jörmungandr by Adam Zarnowski yet? He cites you frequently. I just finished reading it and haven’t felt this enlightened about what’s going on right now after reading a book since I read Hiding in Plain Sight or They Knew.
SK: I have not and wasn’t aware he cited me! I will have to look into that.
Marina: I believe Ukraine will win but with the US throwing brave people of Ukraine under the bus, will Europe finally collect their scaredy-cat asses? They will be next.
SK: I worry Ukraine will lose territory. I believe the reason the war has dragged on so long, and that Biden did not act quickly in giving Ukraine the tools it needed to win, is because of a mafia/oligarch war beneath the traditional imperial land invasion Putin is waging. That underground criminal network, always there, has risen to the surface. The long war weakened the economies of both Ukraine and Russia, making them ripe for manipulation by terrible actors like Trump, Kushner, and Witkoff. European states should grasp that what happened to Ukraine could happen to them. I worry corrupt European leaders will seek to emulate the mafia tactics of the Trump admin instead.
Connie: What’s the real game plan for getting rid of immigrants? To get the “lazy white boys” to work and off welfare/disability?
SK: Top officials seeking to get rid of immigrants, like Stephen Miller, are evil and racist. I don’t think their motive is economic because they ultimately seek to replace nearly all workers with AI. They don’t care about poor white people either. They are sadists who get off on tormenting immigrants, especially immigrants who aren’t white. They also target people who’ve been in the US for decades in order to flaunt their power and cultivate a climate of fear. They want the very concept of citizenship to be in question and its protections to be diminished for all.
Victoria: Is there any hope left that our government would work to stop child predation in this country? It’s ubiquitous and fathomless, and one of the most heart-breaking aspects of these times. I know it always existed, but it’s a daily onslaught of perps, with a faux-shocked media. BTW, I never in my life imagined thinking about Trump giving Bill Clinton a bj, but here we are.
SK: There should be a limit to how many generations of teenagers have to discuss Bill Clinton getting a blow job. I did my time as a 1990s teen and now my poor teenage son and his generation have the Worst Boomer Image Ever in their heads. This should not be an American rite of passage!
As to more serious matters, I’m watching more people investigate the Epstein case — but I keep wondering where they were before 2025. The evidence was already there; victims spoke out for decades. I also wonder why reporters won’t trace the history of child abuse weaponized by the government — like the Craig Spence case or the Franklin Scandal — and reconsider it in light of Epstein; or look more closely at the mass abuse of migrant children by the state. Loathing of pedophiles is something almost all Americans share. Unfortunately, our government is run by pedophiles, friends of pedophiles, and people blackmailed by pedophiles. I do not expect them to provide a solution since they are a big part of the problem.
Guari: A non-politics q for you bc I can’t take much more right now! I know you are an avid kayaker. What are your thoughts on foldable / inflatable kayaks? I have never owned any kind of kayak and as a petite woman, I’m intimidated by lifting one up onto a car roof and hauling it around. Please share your wisdom!
SK: I love non-politics questions! Last month I bought an Oru foldable kayak — the most basic model on sale at half price. I only got to try it out once before winter came, but I’m cautiously optimistic. I wouldn’t take it on a river with rocks and rapids, but it seems great for paddling around a lake. I wanted a kayak that I could lift easily, and this seems to fit the bill! I’ll let you know more when the temperature rises.
Patricia: It is obvious US wants Venezuelan oil. Mass media is pushing the “narc” rationale for our involvement. What is your take on the situation? Jendi: Why is Trump targeting Venezuela? It makes no sense from a foreign policy standpoint, so is this some kind of mafia shakedown? What do you think he wants from them?
SK: I am not a Venezuela expert, but I have some theories. For the sake of space, I discuss Venezuela in this podcast interview starting at minute nine: Trump Ties to Russian Mob, Sarah Kendzior. I’m interested in the role of Elliott Abrams, who was a key Iran-Contra player. I think we are seeing a shakedown plot akin to Iran-Contra, with multiple countries and multi-state actors involved. Trump’s network is a mafia network: for Venezuela, it is useful to view it as a rival cartel.
Jennifer L: Sarah, do you boycott Spotify and Amazon? Understanding that boycott may play into the hands of those wanting to tank our economy, I also feel like it’s one small thing we can all do along with supporting small businesses. For me it means being more mindful about purchases. I’d love to hear your thoughts about this on a deeper level if you’re comfortable to share more about this.
SK: I boycott Spotify. It was easy because I never streamed music. I wanted to own my collection and not rely on internet when it doesn’t work on Missouri backroads. When I learned about how Spotify rips off artists, it became a moral boycott. As for Amazon, I use it as little as possible. I make part of my living from Amazon, so when there is a Kindle sale, I’ll tell people, since not everyone can afford my books. But I hype up independent bookstores much more. (Speaking of, get signed copies at Left Bank Books in St Louis!) Supporting small businesses is the way to go: the strike against big corporations is less important than strengthening the underdog for the long run.
Sarah: Trump is clearly unwell. It seems like he has had a couple of strokes, and by now we know that when he says something like, “it wasn’t my brain they scanned,” that it was definitely his brain. He’s constantly falling asleep, even in the creepy all-praise-the-great-leader cabinet meetings. Yet there is no clear successor and the bond his voters have with Trump doesn’t seem to extend beyond Trump. What do you think the mafia’s plan is for handling this situation?
SK: I still don’t trust reports that Trump is unwell in a serious way, through the MRI gives me pause. He is old and showing signs of senility. I’m inclined to think he’s using the old mobster tactic of feigning frailty to deceive people for personal gain. I also think he doesn’t care about any of his responsibilities as president, so if he’s falling asleep, it’s because he doesn’t bother with a pretense of concern — he flaunts his lack of concern. As for the successor, see the next question:
Jack A: How can we explain the whole Republican Party offering such loyalty to Trump? They act as if his regime will go on forever. Even now, with some fissures appearing in his support, he still seems to command a tightly run ship. Does it all boil down to money, which always seems to be available to the GOP? John T: What happens to the Republicans after Trump? Who wins the game of thrones?
SK: There have been many attempts to groom a Trump successor: DeSantis, Haley, Vance, etc. They all failed. In a horrible way, Trump is an advertisement for the limits of AI, because he has a human charismatic draw that is impossible to emulate. The mafia network — which is the real danger — may pass through different hands, but the cult will die with Trump. That leaves openings for a new frontman. (Trump is not running this ship; he’s a passenger wearing a captain’s costume.) Some who now oppose Trump after years of supporting him, like Tucker Carlson, are eyeing those openings. The “Never-Trump” GOP may try to make a move, but they have historically failed to win elections and instead coopted the Democrats into GOP Lite.
Donors will have the biggest impact on who the successor is. How Americans react, though, is in our hands. We do not have to accept a corrupt successor, just like we do not have to accept Trump. We should build up community power now, so we won’t be scrambling when there is an opening. The departure of an authoritarian leader does not always lead to democracy but there tends to be a chaotic period where rights can be regained and new power built.
Bert: My view is that the US Supreme Court Majority is issuing unconstitutional opinions on its ‘shadow’ docket, also known as its ‘emergency’ docket. Unless this unsustainable process continues to the end of time, it will someday end. What is your vision of SCOTUS returning to actual US legal scholarship? (Extra) Ordinary People: How does the Supreme Court, its rulings, its abuse of the shadow docket, its laughably false public facing messaging, etc. and the Republican/Trump appointments over the last couple of decades fit into the international crime syndicate masquerading as a government? Who is using whom? Are they on equal power footings? What are we all missing about the courts?
SK: SCOTUS is a tyrannical body. It protects organized crime and protects institutions like the FBI who also protect organized crime. We would not be in this position if they opposed organized crime, and you should view cheerleaders of the FBI — and especially of people like Garland and Mueller — as handmaidens of organized crime. They are rewarded for covering up criminality under the guise of “institutionalism.”
Future candidates should push for the abolishment or expansion of SCOTUS so that its tyrannical reach is suppressed. Corrupt members, like Clarence Thomas, should be ousted. The timidity around this serves no one but the criminal elite.
Kelly: Do you have any advice on parenting in an anti-AI way that isn’t going to completely backfire?
SK: Encourage analog hobbies: reading, art, music, sports, exploring nature, etc. It is more effective to show kids how fun the world is than to take their gadgets away. If that doesn’t work, show them examples of AI gone awry. AI often botches details of kids’ shows and video games when it spits out its summaries, and that can prove to a young child that it is not to be trusted.
Andrea K: The corruption and criminality in government is so thorough and systematic with Private Equity bleeding the entire country dry. Do you think that there is anything that will be able to cut through? William: Do you see any countervailing organized political movement to our fascistic kleptocracy?
SK: I don’t know but I don’t rule it out. What’s most likely to succeed are targeted local movements that serve community needs, including emotional needs, like simply showing you care. The heartlessness of kleptocracy leaves people feeling scared and alone. Just knowing that other people are trying can help. It’s an important first step.
Paul D: Do you think a new, third party should be formed, possibly in an effort to escape the baggage of the existing Dem party, or whether the Dems can be redeemed?
SK: Both parties are tarnished brands. Multiple generations have grown up with no faith in them, and that lack of faith is warranted. Many refuse to vote Dem out of anger for unforgivable acts, like backing wars or genocides, even if they recognize the danger of the GOP. Dem politicians should, at the least, experiment with third parties.
I was rereading an article I wrote about Election Day in 1990 and remembered that my childhood governor was an independent who started a party called “A Connecticut Party” the year he ran for election — and won! This is a murky childhood memory for me, but it’s both weird and a little inspiring. Given public frustration with foreign money in politics, an independent party named for a state can be an appealing entity. I can envision new parties that lose the tainted national Democratic brand while still retaining the good parts of the Democratic platform.
Whitney: Hi, Sarah. I think these are end times, but I don’t get depressed about it. I do wonder how it will all turn out, though. I could see how moving power back to local governments would be much more accountable, but how might that work, if you think it would work? Thanks.
SK: It’s hard to answer because each state and city is different and has its own issues of corruption, but yes, the smaller the scale, the better chance at accountability. Reviving local media would be paramount to that endeavor.
Tracy: It seems each day brings another depraved action/policy/statement that feels surreal in its ignorance and cruelty, not to mention illegality, and yet our so-called opposition party is mostly silent. Calling my “representatives” feels pointless. What’s the best thing we as citizens can do to push back against this normalization of fascism? Janine: Writing about the current climate — this perfect storm of government corruption, conspiracy, capitalistic excess and authoritarianism with a dash of big tech takeover —feels to be like trying to run in quicksand. Given that you are an expert in writing about collapse(s) before, during and after they happen, how do you manage that quicksandy feeling?
SK: Honestly, it’s hard. It gets to me the same way it gets to you. I have to seek out experiences that give me joy, usually exploring outdoors or listening to music. There’s a cruelty in the world that is hard to bear. That’s why it feels worse than the first Trump term: we didn’t have the level of algorithmic control, exploitation of crisis, and political betrayal that we have now. I try to write beautiful things. There is so much beauty being stolen from the world that I want to reset the balance. I document what’s happening: accurate information is hard to find, and I want a record of this time. If we move toward a better future, we will need detailed accounts of how we got here so we do not revert. Those are just things I’m doing though —they’re right for me and reflect my skills. Think about what’s best for you — and don’t feel bad about taking breaks. These are tough times.
Dan R: Does Steve Witkoff know Jeffery Epstein? It would help with my ‘connect the dots’ game of ‘Worldwide Crime Syndicate Bingo’.
SK: Not sure, but I suspect yes. I also appreciate that this question is in present tense.
Will B: You take a lot of epic long road trips. So do I. Do you have any rituals or tricks you use to stay awake during long stretches of the more boring parts of your drives?
SK: I sing really loud. It keeps everyone in the car awake!
Rebecca: On a lighter note, what holiday movies do you like to watch this time of year?
SK: We have Christmas at my sister’s house. My brother-in-law and I have little in common — except our awesome shared taste in Christmas movies. We watch them together with the kids. Our favorites are National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and Die Hard. I can watch the scene with Chevy Chase in the attic a thousand times and never stop laughing. Die Hard is a perfect movie — and of course it’s a Christmas movie! Scroll down to see the holiday cross stitch I made in loving tribute to Die Hard.
OK, that’s it — thanks again, everyone! If you’d like to submit a question for next time — or simply keep this newsletter going — become a paying subscriber:
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