A Crash Course on U.S. Politics in 2025: No Timeouts, No Referees, No Mercy

Stop waiting for the old rules to come back. They’re gone.

A Crash Course on U.S. Politics in 2025: No Timeouts, No Referees, No Mercy

The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter #405

Let’s cut through the noise. U.S. politics in 2025 is not some polite chess match where everyone takes turns…shakes hands…and plays by the same rulebook.

Like you, that’s the model I was taught back in middle school in the ’70s. It no longer applies. Anyone telling you otherwise has been asleep…for at least 8-9 years.

This isn’t the America you grew up learning about in school.

This is the America where the gloves are off…where the institutions you thought were bulletproof are cracking…and where the fight isn’t just for policies anymore…it’s for the survival of the whole damn system.

So here it is. No fluff. No filler. Just a crash course on U.S. politics in 2025—Jack Hopkins style.

1. The Big Battlefield: The United States vs. Itself

Forget the lazy left vs. right framing. That’s the kiddie pool. The real fight is between those who want to hold on to democracy and those who want to bulldoze it to build a power playground for themselves.

Trump’s grip isn’t nostalgia—it’s strategy. He’s not the end of the story. He’s the battering ram.

Our side? Democratic leadership? Too many of them are still fiddling around with wordy policy papers while the house is on fire.

People like us? We are choosing sides now not by ideology…but by whether they want a fight that leads to freedom or one that leads to the boot on your neck.

2. The MAGA Machine: Still Alive, Still Dangerous

Let’s get something straight. The MAGA machine didn’t pack up and go home. It didn’t shrink. It morphed. It spread. It fortified.

It’s got the Supreme Court, it’s got local school boards…it’s got state legislatures…and it’s got a pipeline of young…hungry political operatives who aren’t playing fair…because they’re not here to play.

They’re here to win.

And while a lot of people were busy praying the fever would break…MAGA doubled down. They play the long game. They don’t just show up every four years. They show up to everything.

3. Democrats: Too Polite, Too Slow, Still Playing Catch-Up

I’m not going to sugarcoat this.

Democratic leadership moves like it’s walking through molasses. The base? The people on the ground? They’re out there busting their asses…out-organizing…out-hustling…but they’re often left wondering if the people at the top even know there’s a street fight going on.

The winning play? Out-organize…out-communicate…outlast. Stop treating this like a think tank. Start treating it like a survival course…that evolves into a surTHRIVAL course.

4. Courts: The Stealth Battleground

The courts are the quiet power grab most people don’t see coming.

The Supreme Court isn’t just tipping the scales—they’re rebuilding the scales in secret.

Lower courts? They’re being stacked like sandbags in a flood. These are lifetime appointments that don’t give a damn who wins the next election.

Whoever controls the courts controls the rules.

If you’re not paying attention to the courts…you’re not paying attention to the fight.

5. Media: Attention is the New Currency

The media landscape is a warzone. Outrage drives clicks. Outrage fuels narratives. Outrage is the engine. (BTW, controversy and outrage…are not the same)

Mainstream media? Half of them are still chasing the ghosts of "both sides" journalism like it’s 1995.

Meanwhile, extremists aren’t playing by the rules at all…they’re manufacturing reality in real time.

Independent media…podcasts…newsletters? That’s where the raw fight is happening now. That’s where people are getting their marching orders…their fire…their sense of urgency.

If you’re still waiting for cable news to lead the charge…you’re already ten steps behind.

6. Voters: Exhausted, Divided, Manipulated

Voters are tired. And you know what? That’s by design.

Voter suppression has gone digital. It’s not just closing polling places anymore. It’s flooding people with misinformation.

It’s swamping timelines with fake stories. It’s making the whole process feel hopeless and dirty so people give up.

The people who win are the ones who fight through the exhaustion…who keep showing up even when the system tries to beat them down.

7. The Money: Still Corrupting Everything

Follow the money. Always.

Dark money groups, corporate PACs…billionaire influence….they are everywhere. They are invisible hands shaping who gets heard…what gets passed…who gets buried.

The corruption is not a bug—it’s the whole business model.

But here’s the good news: movements without money can still win—if they’re scrappy…relentless…and smarter about how they use the resources they do have.

8. The Fight Ahead: No Referees, No Timeouts

There are no fair punches anymore. No one is coming to save us. The fight ahead has no referees and no timeouts. The side that moves faster…hits harder…and refuses to quit will win.

This is not a game of who has the best policy. This is a game of who has the guts to stay in the ring.

Waiting to get comfortable? Waiting for the old rules to come back? Bad news…they’re not coming back.

The future is being built right now…by the people who are willing to pick up a hammer today…and chisel the future they want..and demand.

The One Thing You Need to Understand

U.S. politics in 2025 is no longer about mild disagreements. It’s about power. It’s about momentum. It’s about who can fight longer and dirtier without losing their soul.

The MAGA machine isn’t interested in governing. They’re interested in controlling. They’re interested in rewiring the entire system so they never have to worry about losing again.

And the Democrats? They’d better decide fast whether they’re here to lead or…well…do whatever it is they’ve been doing. There are many of them whom I just love…personally. I do.

However, I never confuse that with how much work of importance they are actually getting done. For the people who do, sure…it makes them feel safer, but comfort based on lies…is one of the most unsafe things I know of.

Movements that win don’t beg for power. They seize it. They build it. They organize it block by block…voter by voter…school board by school board.

They show up everywhere.

If you want to know how to win in 2025, it’s not complicated. It’s just hard.

• Keep showing up.

• Move faster.

• Hit harder.

• Outlast them.

• Get comfortable being uncomfortable.

This is not a polite fight. It never was. It never will be.

It’s not like it was in the pre-Trump era. It’s not. It never will be again, not in our lifetime. That narrows it down to this: We better learn to exist…thrive…and win in this new territory…and fast.

If you’ve read this far…I know you’ll be one those who is doing just that. You will.

I’ll be back soon….

Jack