Hmm, old school Karl Rove and Charles Koch reasserting control? Meet the new boss, same as the old boss except with dental floss and without pedo baggage?
That’s the irony, isn’t it, Frank? Every “restoration” cycle...just swaps one brand of control for another...polished tone...same incentives. They’ll call it reform...but it’s really reclamation. The real shift isn’t moral...it’s managerial. The machine...just learned to smile again. (Which reminds me, Melania was a trained model...but never smiles. How does that work? ;)
It’s more than irony. It seems like the GOP is now just a consortium of the damned, with various forms of damnation, each vying for leadership within factionalism. I used to be able to tolerate the country club Republican because they kept their racism just under the surface to be civilly acceptable and could even civilly debate the occasional libertarian or at least those that understood me and acknowledged that libertarianism had roots in anarchism, before it sold its soul to (L) Ron Paul-ism and then traded that for monarchist Yarvinism and apocalyptic Thielism. But now, the GOP is just a collection of freaks who race with one another to out-freak the MAGA freaks. Rove and Koch created the conditions for the ascendance of the damned because they lost the thread from the Powell memo. Along the way, people I used to consider the enemy like the founders of the Bulwark, the Lincoln Project, Stuart Stephens, Liz Cheney, Kizinger et al., stepped up, revealed their humanity and innate goodness and changed some minds, mine included. Rove and Koch don’t stand a chance with the damned. They don’t have enough hateful methamphetamine to fuel them. The shit is getting real, the crack-up has begun and who knows where this is heading. But W didn’t need Turd Blossom to come to the conclusion nine years ago that Chumpism is some “weird shit.”
It feels like we’re getting mighty close, doesn’t it? I’m going to be watching for the code words now.
P. S. Jack was my grandmother’s brother and I adored him. He was the youngest of that set of siblings, so his kids were closer to our age than my dad’s.
The name always brings a smile. Even if it belongs to a Great Pyrenees or a beagle. 😉
It really does feel that way, Rae....once you start spotting the code words...you’ll see them everywhere. They hide the pivot in plain sight. And I love that story about your uncle Jack...sounds like he had the same spark. I’ll take good care of the name...for both of us. Deal?!
It is a repackaged, remarketed with refunneled donor money for a new set of players to distribute a controllable narrative that they have calculated to sell to save their grip on power.
Exactly, John. Same machinery...new packaging. They’ve just swapped slogans for strategy...refunneled the cash...rebranded the chaos...and called it “renewal.” It’s not reform...it’s asset protection disguised as patriotism. It would be laughable...if not for the number of people who will think, "Okay...they've gone back to common sense" in the R party.
Perfect, Karen....this is definitely a popcorn moment. The plot’s getting thicker by the hour. Thanks for the reStack...and for staying in the fight… the more eyes on this...the faster the mask slips.
First, Laura...I busted out laughing when I first read your comment...because that is the EXACT thought that popped into my head as I wrote Cassidy into the article lol.
Yeah, it’s hard to disagree with that pulse check. The “respectable” faces of chaos...are often the most dangerous...because they make dysfunction...look professional. Until that strain burns itself out...the infection’s still in the bloodstream.
That means a lot, Teri. That’s exactly why I lay it out this way...so more of us can spot the patterns before they hit the headlines. Once you know what to watch for...the noise turns into signals...real fast.
Not closed, CLF...just tighter. The Inner Circle isn’t going anywhere… but the doorway might narrow down the road. Think of it like a velvet rope that stays open for the people who got in early...and helped build this thing.
You’re already locked in...rate...access, and all...for as long as you decide to stay.
The next wave? They’ll have to knock louder...pay more...and prove they’re serious.
I’m thinking two to five years ahead. I want JHN to keep expanding its reach while keeping that small-room feel where real intel...strategy...and connection still happen.
Bottom line: you’re not just safe...you’re first class on a flight that’s only getting harder to board.
I’ve got a vision for what The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter becomes...and it’s big.
Not just in numbers...but in depth.
I want reach measured in influence...and readers measured in impact...the kind of people who don’t just skim headlines...but use what they read to think sharper...act smarter...and move the needle in their communities.
That kind of movement doesn’t grow on “free.”
Free has no gravity.
Free teaches the reader it’s optional.
And optional doesn’t change a damn thing.
Every creator who decides, “I’ll just keep it all free,” writes their own obituary.
Because when everything’s free...the audience drifts. They don’t lean in...they scroll past.
Free is fine for therapy. But if your mission is to reach hundreds of thousands… maybe millions… and shape minds that shape outcomes...free is a coffin.
Paid doesn’t just fund growth...it focuses passion.
It creates a tribe that shows up...leans forward...and builds momentum.
And when those people move together...the message stops being words...it becomes power.
Two years in... I can say this with absolute conviction: JHN isn’t just a publication...it’s an engine.
It’s readers like you who make it run. You’re not an audience...you’re fuel.
I feel an obligation to that engine.
A duty to keep refining it...expanding it...and steering it toward impact on a national scale.
That’s what we’re building...one issue...one subscriber...one spark of clarity at a time.
And to everyone who’s already inside this circle...thank you.
You’re not passengers on this ride.
You’re the horsepower that’s making it move.
The need for this newsletter will never "not exist" again...not in our lifetimes. They're going to keep coming, and coming...and coming. As long as there is breath in me...I'll keep doing what I do.
I KNEW there was a story there! (I like to think I can pick up on nuance). I hope the Inner Circle remains invested enough to participate in the comments section so we can learn from (and help) one another. Thanks!
Fair take, Laura...Thune’s daylight came late...and careful. But in power politics...timing beats purity. He’s selling “steady-hand conservatism” now....because the market for chaos is shrinking. Don’t credit the courage...just watch the calculus.It will be interesting...at the very least.
New song same tune. The powers aren't going to give up control. I knew pressure was exerted when Trump did a full summersault, back flip, half Gaynor on the Trump Scandal Epstein files. They are moving on without him. A little quieter at first, but he'll soon be thrown out like yesterday's fish.
Hmm, old school Karl Rove and Charles Koch reasserting control? Meet the new boss, same as the old boss except with dental floss and without pedo baggage?
That’s the irony, isn’t it, Frank? Every “restoration” cycle...just swaps one brand of control for another...polished tone...same incentives. They’ll call it reform...but it’s really reclamation. The real shift isn’t moral...it’s managerial. The machine...just learned to smile again. (Which reminds me, Melania was a trained model...but never smiles. How does that work? ;)
-Jack
It’s more than irony. It seems like the GOP is now just a consortium of the damned, with various forms of damnation, each vying for leadership within factionalism. I used to be able to tolerate the country club Republican because they kept their racism just under the surface to be civilly acceptable and could even civilly debate the occasional libertarian or at least those that understood me and acknowledged that libertarianism had roots in anarchism, before it sold its soul to (L) Ron Paul-ism and then traded that for monarchist Yarvinism and apocalyptic Thielism. But now, the GOP is just a collection of freaks who race with one another to out-freak the MAGA freaks. Rove and Koch created the conditions for the ascendance of the damned because they lost the thread from the Powell memo. Along the way, people I used to consider the enemy like the founders of the Bulwark, the Lincoln Project, Stuart Stephens, Liz Cheney, Kizinger et al., stepped up, revealed their humanity and innate goodness and changed some minds, mine included. Rove and Koch don’t stand a chance with the damned. They don’t have enough hateful methamphetamine to fuel them. The shit is getting real, the crack-up has begun and who knows where this is heading. But W didn’t need Turd Blossom to come to the conclusion nine years ago that Chumpism is some “weird shit.”
It feels like we’re getting mighty close, doesn’t it? I’m going to be watching for the code words now.
P. S. Jack was my grandmother’s brother and I adored him. He was the youngest of that set of siblings, so his kids were closer to our age than my dad’s.
The name always brings a smile. Even if it belongs to a Great Pyrenees or a beagle. 😉
It really does feel that way, Rae....once you start spotting the code words...you’ll see them everywhere. They hide the pivot in plain sight. And I love that story about your uncle Jack...sounds like he had the same spark. I’ll take good care of the name...for both of us. Deal?!
-Jack
DEAL, baby!
It is a repackaged, remarketed with refunneled donor money for a new set of players to distribute a controllable narrative that they have calculated to sell to save their grip on power.
Exactly, John. Same machinery...new packaging. They’ve just swapped slogans for strategy...refunneled the cash...rebranded the chaos...and called it “renewal.” It’s not reform...it’s asset protection disguised as patriotism. It would be laughable...if not for the number of people who will think, "Okay...they've gone back to common sense" in the R party.
-Jack
I've got lots of popcorn 🍿 Jack. Thank you again, and will reStack ASAP 🙏
Perfect, Karen....this is definitely a popcorn moment. The plot’s getting thicker by the hour. Thanks for the reStack...and for staying in the fight… the more eyes on this...the faster the mask slips.
-Jack
Fuck Bill Cassidy and the Kennedy nightmare he rode in on. Until RFK, Jr leaves we are still as sick as anybody on earth.
First, Laura...I busted out laughing when I first read your comment...because that is the EXACT thought that popped into my head as I wrote Cassidy into the article lol.
Yeah, it’s hard to disagree with that pulse check. The “respectable” faces of chaos...are often the most dangerous...because they make dysfunction...look professional. Until that strain burns itself out...the infection’s still in the bloodstream.
-Jack
Thanks for a good explanation for those of us that don’t have the same knowledge about these things. It gives us something to watch for.
That means a lot, Teri. That’s exactly why I lay it out this way...so more of us can spot the patterns before they hit the headlines. Once you know what to watch for...the noise turns into signals...real fast.
-Jack
Excellent!! Thank you!
Carol...you're most welcome!
-Jack
Jack, are you suggesting the Inner Circle might be closed in the future?
Not closed, CLF...just tighter. The Inner Circle isn’t going anywhere… but the doorway might narrow down the road. Think of it like a velvet rope that stays open for the people who got in early...and helped build this thing.
You’re already locked in...rate...access, and all...for as long as you decide to stay.
The next wave? They’ll have to knock louder...pay more...and prove they’re serious.
I’m thinking two to five years ahead. I want JHN to keep expanding its reach while keeping that small-room feel where real intel...strategy...and connection still happen.
Bottom line: you’re not just safe...you’re first class on a flight that’s only getting harder to board.
I’ve got a vision for what The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter becomes...and it’s big.
Not just in numbers...but in depth.
I want reach measured in influence...and readers measured in impact...the kind of people who don’t just skim headlines...but use what they read to think sharper...act smarter...and move the needle in their communities.
That kind of movement doesn’t grow on “free.”
Free has no gravity.
Free teaches the reader it’s optional.
And optional doesn’t change a damn thing.
Every creator who decides, “I’ll just keep it all free,” writes their own obituary.
Because when everything’s free...the audience drifts. They don’t lean in...they scroll past.
Free is fine for therapy. But if your mission is to reach hundreds of thousands… maybe millions… and shape minds that shape outcomes...free is a coffin.
Paid doesn’t just fund growth...it focuses passion.
It creates a tribe that shows up...leans forward...and builds momentum.
And when those people move together...the message stops being words...it becomes power.
Two years in... I can say this with absolute conviction: JHN isn’t just a publication...it’s an engine.
It’s readers like you who make it run. You’re not an audience...you’re fuel.
I feel an obligation to that engine.
A duty to keep refining it...expanding it...and steering it toward impact on a national scale.
That’s what we’re building...one issue...one subscriber...one spark of clarity at a time.
And to everyone who’s already inside this circle...thank you.
You’re not passengers on this ride.
You’re the horsepower that’s making it move.
The need for this newsletter will never "not exist" again...not in our lifetimes. They're going to keep coming, and coming...and coming. As long as there is breath in me...I'll keep doing what I do.
-Jack
I KNEW there was a story there! (I like to think I can pick up on nuance). I hope the Inner Circle remains invested enough to participate in the comments section so we can learn from (and help) one another. Thanks!
John Thune gave his balks to tRump too long ago to matter!
Fair take, Laura...Thune’s daylight came late...and careful. But in power politics...timing beats purity. He’s selling “steady-hand conservatism” now....because the market for chaos is shrinking. Don’t credit the courage...just watch the calculus.It will be interesting...at the very least.
-Jack
New song same tune. The powers aren't going to give up control. I knew pressure was exerted when Trump did a full summersault, back flip, half Gaynor on the Trump Scandal Epstein files. They are moving on without him. A little quieter at first, but he'll soon be thrown out like yesterday's fish.