Trump Is Exposed as a Massive Failure

The New York Times report is the final and conclusive evidence that the president failed at a time in which politics and government were rearranged to keep his particular genre of failure ever from being fatal. If you have trouble reading this message, view it in a browser.       Trump's Tax Returns Have Exposed Him as a Massive Failure Who Thrived in the Age of Plutocracy   After the New York Times' bombshell story, Donald Trump stands exposed as a failure who was allowed to thrive because he failed at a time in which politics and government were rearranged to keep his particular genre of failure ever from being fatal. In fact, if he hadn't run for president*—and, especially, had he not been elected president*—he likely would have floated gracefully into eternity, leaving a complex disaster for his heirs to straighten out, and remembered in history as a crude, wealthy wastrel with some interesting eccentricities. And measured only against his fellow plutocrats, posterity might have gotten away with remembering him that way. But measured against the presidency, he was what Wayne Barrett said he was in 1979: small and venal, with no ideas big enough to transcend profit, a fitting epitaph for the republic in the age of the money power. Charles P. Pierce reflects on this monumental moment. Read More           The Taxes Matter Less Than the Revelation   The president is a hologram of a real-estate mogul, an invention. His businesses, already poorly run propositions, are now getting battered by the pandemic economic downturn, which raises the prospect of whether the president's war on lockdown restrictions was a personal financial issue. We already knew his foreign entanglements were a mess of conflicts-of-interest. The Times' big report makes clear that, as he has $300 million in personal liabilities that will come due over the next four years and there's little indication he has any way to pay, he's essentially squatting in the White House. His core supporters will never give it up, but if the American republic is to survive a little longer, all that's necessary is for a few more people on the margins to opt out of this scam. Read More           Yes, It's Time to (Start) Thinking About Buying a Winter Coat. Here's 16 of the Best.   The ideal winter coat should be warm. It should protect you from wind, snow, sleet, and all sorts of nasty weather. And it should look halfway decent doing it. So much so, in fact, you won't look forward to those atypically warm days in the slightest. Sound like a tall order? Worry not. Because we tracked down some of the best options to buy now, long before that neighbor you secretly hate has the chance to scoop the one you had your eye on—ruining it for you forever—and you're forced to call an audible and go with a different choice in a moment of last-minute desperation. Don't let him have the last laugh. Read More           The Best Classic Kicks You Can Score on Sale Right Now from Amazon   You want to buy some new sneakers? Boy, have we got a deal for you. Amazon is currently slashing prices across a curated selection of classic sneaker styles, and if you long since busted through the last pair you scooped with all the running you've been doing lately, there are plenty of solid options to choose from. No matter where your brand loyalties lie, Bezos' trillion-dollar brainchild has you covered. We're talking Nike, Adidas, New Balance, and more! The gang's all there. God, what a motley crew. Here are our 8 picks. Read More           Bill Murray's Golf Apparel Line and the Doobie Brothers Are in a Notably Hilarious Legal Tiff   Here's a back and forth you'll want to read. And it's between lawyers associated with two heavyweights: Bill Murray and the Doobie Brothers. Last week, Peter T. Paterno—who represents the Doobie Brothers—wrote a legal demand to Bill Murray, claiming that his golf apparel line, William Murray Golf, was using "Listen to the Music" in commercials without compensation. Now, when you come at the King, you don't go LSAT jargon on him. You lob a couple bombs, call the apparel ugly, and make the thing funny as hell. After writing, "It seems like the only person who uses our clients' music without permission more than you do is Donald Trump," Paterno went for Murray's jugular. Here's how it's all playing out. Read More           Ask Dave: My Neighbor Put Up a Trump Sign. How Should I Respond? Should I Respond At All?   Every Monday, Esquire's editor-at-large and resident (unlicensed) therapist Dave Holmes answers a question from readers. This week, a resident of suburbia reached out with what's probably a common conundrum these days: What do you do when your neighbors are shamelessly endorsing fascism on their front lawn? "I'd like to put up a Biden sign, or a 'Hate Has No Home Here' sign, to at least show the other neighbors, the people who drive by, and the delivery people that we don't share our neighbor's politics. But is that just an escalation? A middle finger to his middle finger?" writes Liberal Neighbor. Here, Holmes offers a level headed response, which includes, but is not limited to, an armchair psychiatric analysis of your Trumpy neighbor's decision-making process. Read More         Read More on Esquire.com       Follow Us     Unsubscribe  Privacy Notice   esquire.com ©2020 Hearst Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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