Both American political parties continue to shoot themselves in the foot... | Forum

#1

The Epstein files thing was a gift to Democrats straight from heaven. Even with how much Trump tends to shoot himself in the foot, it looked like the files dominating the news cycle was going to damage his image more than usual. Progressives online of course swore they weren't going to get distracted with another issue.

Yet somehow, this was the time that certain people chose to get offended by Sydney Sweeney's commercial. The controversy is stupid, everyone knows it's stupid, and most people, even on the left, don't care. That makes it even more embarrassing that they've allowed it to get the attention it's getting when they really need as much of the news cycle as they can get to cover the Epstein files. But enough people on the left can't help but take the bait. Attacking an attractive woman for being a registered Republican and accusing her of being a Nazi is almost the absolute worst thing the left could do right now, and yet somehow it seems like announcing they don't care about it is just giving it more attention.

I'd say most Democrats don't think Sweeney is a Nazi, but certain communities on the left absolutely do, and it's looking more likely that other Democrats are going to feel a need to justify the attack on the commercial because of the herd mentality parties always seem to have. I haven't seen anyone take the bait this hard since Kamala mentioned Trump's rally sizes in the debate.

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The Epstein files thing was a gift to Democrats straight from heaven. Even with how much Trump tends to shoot himself in the foot, it looked like the files dominating the news cycle was going to damage his image more than usual. Progressives online of course swore they weren't going to get distracted with another issue. Yet somehow, this was the time that certain people chose to get offended by Sydney Sweeney's commercial. The controversy is stupid, everyone knows it's stupid, and most people, even on the left, don't care. That makes it even more embarrassing that they've allowed it to get the attention it's getting when they really need as much of the news cycle as they can get to cover the Epstein files. But enough people on the left can't help but take the bait. Attacking an attractive woman for being a registered Republican and accusing her of being a Nazi is almost the absolute worst thing the left could do right now, and yet somehow it seems like announcing they don't care about it is just giving it more attention. I'd say most Democrats don't think Sweeney is a Nazi, but certain communities on the left absolutely do, and it's looking more likely that other Democrats are going to feel a need to justify the attack on the commercial because of the herd mentality parties always seem to have. I haven't seen anyone take the bait this hard since Kamala mentioned Trump's rally sizes in the debate.

#2

@Savant

Tell me about it man. Just because we once in a while sneak subliminal messaging in our commercials to get people to vote for Jeb! Bush doesn't mean we're in on a conspiracy to get the another Bush elected. I mean it. Stop investigating. That's not what we're doing.

-RealMcDonalds

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#3

@Savant

Jean Ad?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK8s3iqL99c

Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans | American Eagle

. . . It's 'just an Ad. . . . . .

(Shrug) Well, I've never really understood some people's hyperfixation on celebrities and gossip either.

I doubt it'll 'keep people's attention.

Though I'm not sure how much people will care about the Epstein issue either.

. . . Still, there's at least a 'few threads about Epstein and Trump on this site.

And I 'just heard the some news station on the TV complaining about Maxwell being moved to a less security prison.

I'd 'imagine it's still on people's minds.

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#4

There are two outrageous things about this whole situation.

First, the gaslighting that, actually, they were never bullying Sydney Sweeney and the whole thing was a figment of an overactive Republican imagination. Like, no, here's an article from July 29 that covers the ongoing backlash:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/soniathompson/2025/07/29/5-marketing-lessons-from-the-sydney-sweeney-american-eagle-backlash/

It links to a TikTok video with 17.5K comments, which were apparently mostly negative (I can't verify this for myself since I don't have a TikTok account).

Here's an MSN article from one week ago:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lifestyle-buzz/sydney-sweeney-s-new-american-eagle-good-jeans-ad-accused-of-being-nazi-propaganda-who-approved-this/ar-AA1JrUWe?ocid=BingNewsSerp

An influential breadtuber named HasanAbi made a whole video about her, presumably one with a negative slant.

And here's an article from literally yesterday by a black woman screaming about "white supremacy" and "eugenics".

https://19thnews.org/2025/08/american-eagle-good-genes-ad-history-eugenics/

Second, that a black or Asian woman could've made the same ad and nobody would've batted an eye. Same jean/gene pun with the same "problematic implications" or whatever. Legit nobody would've cared. And in the aftermath of this whole debacles? No apologies. Instead, Sydney Sweeney is being doxxed as a registered Republican, as if by some insane troll logic that justifies how they treated her, so the cycle of rabid unblinking hate from the "anti-hate" crowd continues.

Accusations of racism, especially Nazism, are thrown around as a borderline terroristic cudgel against white people to keep them from getting too uppity and to make them learn their place in the new demographic hierarchy (re: "progressive stack").

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There are two outrageous things about this whole situation. First, the gaslighting that, actually, they were never bullying Sydney Sweeney and the whole thing was a figment of an overactive Republican imagination. Like, no, here's an article from July 29 that covers the ongoing backlash: https://www.forbes.com/sites/soniathompson/2025/07/29/5-marketing-lessons-from-the-sydney-sweeney-american-eagle-backlash/ It links to a TikTok video with 17.5K comments, which were apparently mostly negative (I can't verify this for myself since I don't have a TikTok account). Here's an MSN article from one week ago: https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lifestyle-buzz/sydney-sweeney-s-new-american-eagle-good-jeans-ad-accused-of-being-nazi-propaganda-who-approved-this/ar-AA1JrUWe?ocid=BingNewsSerp An influential breadtuber named HasanAbi made a whole video about her, presumably one with a negative slant. And here's an article from literally yesterday by a black woman screaming about "white supremacy" and "eugenics". https://19thnews.org/2025/08/american-eagle-good-genes-ad-history-eugenics/ Second, that a black or Asian woman could've made the same ad and nobody would've batted an eye. Same jean/gene pun with the same "problematic implications" or whatever. Legit nobody would've cared. And in the aftermath of this whole debacles? No apologies. Instead, Sydney Sweeney is being doxxed as a registered Republican, as if by some insane troll logic that justifies how they treated her, so the cycle of rabid unblinking hate from the "anti-hate" crowd continues.Accusations of racism, especially Nazism, are thrown around as a borderline terroristic cudgel against white people to keep them from getting too uppity and to make them learn their place in the new demographic hierarchy (re: "progressive stack").

#5

Ames v. Ohio was a very good start, but we need even stronger protections for "majority groups" in this country. Like making it easier to sue big outlets and breadtubers for defamation when it comes to phony racism allegations, whenever those allegations incite an internet hate mob against you.

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#6

And as for Trump reportedly being mentioned in the sealed Epstein documents, and his freakout that makes him look guilty no matter what's factually in them, it seems he truly is Teflon Don. There's no way Bush or Obama could've politically survived that. Or I guess the zone has been so flooded that no one can be bothered to care about any one scandal anymore.

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#7

Trump seeing on the roof of the White House searching for lost golf balls.

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#8

I'll agree that both political parties make a news cycle shooting themselves in the foot; that's the nature of politics. I thought it was hilarious to call it "political science: when I was in high school, being a credentialed degree in college, only to find out later in high school that it became such in the 19th century. Science? That sure took that topic down a few notches. Lately, the Democrats seems to have heightened the drama by shooting themselves in the head. That's more permanent than a simple 24 hours.

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We tell God what to do and then blame Him for our errors.

- Dr. Pet Dragon of Sorbonne University

#9

@fauxlaw

There are enough guns in America to shoot both parties.

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#10

@Debby

Yeah, and neither have yet to figure out it accomplishes nothing.

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We tell God what to do and then blame Him for our errors.

- Dr. Pet Dragon of Sorbonne University

#11

@Savant

Culture war is definitely brain rot that makes both sides look bad but I’m not sure that people who matter were mad about the Sweeney commercial. I didn’t see Gavin Newsom or someone seething about it. I could be wrong.

meanwhile POTUS stating that Epstein was a “hoax” was definitely a bad look especially when they were known to be associates. I don’t actually think Trump is a pedophile (his type seems pretty clearly trashy middle aged women, not jail bait) but it was certainly a “bad look”

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#12

@Thett3

I’m not sure that people who matter were mad about the Sweeney commercial

People who matter doesn't just include politicians. People will see a few crazies raging on TikTok and think less of the party as a whole, especially if the videos get a lot of engagement or if those people are "influencers." There's a reason that people raging about the Trump win in 2016 got a lot more attention than they probably deserved.

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