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JON ZAL

Your front-row seat to my nervous breakdown

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Trump

‘All we needed was a competent president’

September 10, 2020 3 Comments

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On February 7th of this year, President Donald Trump, having been fully briefed on the danger posed by COVID-19, stepped to the podium in the White House briefing room and warned the American public that the virus was both airborne and lethal.
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Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: coronavirus, COVID-19, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Trump

Is it November yet?

June 30, 2020 7 Comments

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For a while there, before things got as unimaginably bad as they’ve gotten, I somewhat enjoyed writing about the unprecedented incompetence, corruption, scandal, and cartoon-like madness of Donald Trump’s chaos presidency. There was mystery and intrigue and reasons galore for me to vent my righteous outrage about the petty, self-obsessed, lizard-brained conman who had ridden a wave of racism, misogyny, ignorance and greed into the most powerful office on earth … and, most compellingly, there was what, on multiple occasions, appeared to be the very real possibility that damning and richly deserved consequences were about to befall him.

It is adorable that Old Me had the capacity for that sort of optimism. I miss him.

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Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: Trump

Kamala Harris is running for president, and I am here for it

January 28, 2019 5 Comments

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When I was much younger and didn’t follow politics closely enough to understand what really was going on, I believed that, regardless of who held the office, the president of the United States was mostly a figurehead — more of a symbol than an actual policymaker with the power to steer the country in one direction or another. Having lived through and followed rather closely the Clinton, Bush, Obama, and, unfortunately, Trump presidencies, and having compared the policy positions of those men with those of the opponents against whom they ran, I know now that I, of course, was wrong — mostly.

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Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: Barack Obama, Kamala Harris, Trump

Game Theory: Stupid Watergate, Part 2

January 17, 2019 5 Comments

Agnew/Trump

Time for a thought exercise. (Don’t worry; it’s an easy one.) Imagine, if you will, that there is a criminal in the White House. Investigators know it. Prosecutors know it. The people closest to him know it. And, of course, the criminal himself knows it.

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Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: Donald Jr., Eric Trump, Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, Melania, Richard Nixon, Robert Mueller, Spiro Agnew, Trump, Trump-Russia

Game Theory: Stupid Watergate, Part 1

December 5, 2018 8 Comments

It is human nature to try to make sense of the crazy thing happening before your very eyes by looking at it through the lens of the most similar thing to which it compares, so holding Trump’s aberrant presidency up against that of Richard Nixon is a natural response. The ways in which those two men, their presidencies, and their respective scandals differ, however, are at least as effective at predicting Trump’s fate as are the ways in which they are similar — the most notable difference, of course, being that Nixon was a smart and savvy politician who committed a crime, while Trump is an arrogant fool and dimwitted criminal who accidentally stumbled into the presidency while executing what he thought would be his greatest con.

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Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: Adam Schiff, D.C., Devin Nunes, Nixon, Nunes Memo, Paul Ryan, Trump, Trump-Russia, Watergate

There Is No Resistance Inside The Trump Administration. That I Can Tell You. Believe Me.

September 9, 2018 5 Comments

I work for the president and I can tell you that no one in the White House wants to meddle with his agenda because he is a smart person who hires the best people. And I am not the only one who thinks so. Many people are saying it.

Jon Zal is taking the rare step of publishing an anonymous Op-Ed essay. He has done so at the request of the author, a very, very, very senior official in the Trump administration whose identity is known to Jon Zal and the stature of whose formerly dignified and revered office would only be further sullied by the disclosure of that person’s identity. Jon Zal believes publishing this essay anonymously is the best way to make this bit funny. He does not care what you think about his vetting process. Keep it to yourself.

***

President Trump — who, in a recent poll, was found to be even more popular than Abraham Lincoln, and who probably is the best president in the history of presidenting — is facing a test to his presidency unlike any faced by the 44 much less popular presidents who came before him.

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Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: #TheResistance, Trump

Endurance in the age of Trump, Part 3

September 3, 2018 4 Comments

Well well well … we’ve sure had a full and busy day, now, haven’t we? Yes we have … so much so, in fact, that, were we to write about it, it might end up being an overwrought trilogy that would take us four months to complete. Can you even imagine?

That's a lotta footsteps“Previously, on ‘Endurance in the Age of Trump: An Overwrought Trilogy That Took Us Four Months To Complete’: Jon went on The Most Patriotic Jog of All Time, and then visited Awe-Inspiring Memorials Dedicated to People Far Greater Than Those Currently In Charge, during which he clocked a combined total of almost 25,000 footsteps and covered nearly 14 miles.”

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Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: John Lewis, John McCain, Rod Rosenstein, Trump

Endurance in the age of Trump, Part 2

August 5, 2018 5 Comments

[Click here to read Part 1]

Wow. That was a long shower, eh?

Sorry about the delay; I was busy watching, you know, the country burn down.

Listen, I’m not gonna lie to you: I knew things were going to be very bad under a President Donald Trump, but even I didn’t think they’d get this bad. I mean, yes, I knew he was an unfit, unqualified, ignorant, racist, sexist, misogynistic, xenophobic, narcissistic, pathological liar and conman with a total disregard for the rule of law … but I never imagined he’d be given such free reign to dismantle the presidency, trash America’s standing in the world, and foment distrust of our most critical democratic institutions. Turns out the nearly microscopic sliver of hope onto which I had held that congressional Republicans might actually care more about America than their own selfish interests was wasted on the pack of unAmerican invertebrates who currently control Congress.

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Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: Barack Obama, D.C., Guns, NRA, Trump

Endurance in the age of Trump, Part 1

May 29, 2018 3 Comments

Last October, I visited Washington, D.C., for the first time in over a decade. By the time I left, I felt humbled, inspired, and confident that, when held up against the great Americans, historic accomplishments and tremendous sacrifices memorialized throughout that city, Trump’s shambolic presidency will go down in history as little more than a disgraceful con job that tested and, ultimately, strengthened our democracy.

My faith was further restored during my return this month for what proved to be an unforgettable trip—one that included a chance meeting with a civil-rights legend, no less, but we’ll get to that part a bit later. First, I want you all to know that, minutes after arriving in the city, I tried to save us all:

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Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: D.C., Trump

Nothing is more expensive than regret … and no one is less prepared to pay the tab than Donald Trump

April 18, 2018 2 Comments

SPOILER ALERT: Firing James Comey isn’t actually Trump’s “great honor.”

In much the same way that Donald Trump’s limited intellect and malignant narcissism rob him of the ability to demonstrate compassion, empathy or humility, so, too, do they make it impossible for him to process regret. When you’ve convinced yourself that you are the center of the known universe, and that everything you do is the crowning achievement in the history of whatever it is you’ve done, the cognitive dissonance required to accept that you’ve actually done the most moronic thing possible is simply a bridge too far. And, so, instead of admitting — at least to yourself, if to no one else — that you regret the quantifiably stupid thing you’ve done, you double down, like so:

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Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: James Comey, Trump, Trump-Russia

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ABOUT ME

Jon Zal @ The Capitol

I was born in 1970, raised just outside of Boston, and now live near Philadelphia. As a child, I thought I was going to be…
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  • Jon Zal on We did itThanks for the continued support, Robert. Always appreciate it! (And, yeah, meeting John Lewis will always remain an incredible memory,...
  • RUTH FEIERTAG on There must be a reckoningJon, I could not agree more. You point to two of the most dangerous aspects of the last four years:...
  • Jon Zal on We did itAgreed, Geoffrey. The Georgia win is huge. I didn't even let myself hope we'd get both seats. An unbelievably welcome...
  • Jon Zal on We did itI feel your pain, Christinne! Glad you found me. Thanks for writing! -JZ
  • Jon Zal on We did itHi, Ruth. Both the kiddos are very happy about the election outcomes, and horrified by what happened Wednesday. I share...
  • robertleepotter500 on We did itI so love that picture of you with Congressman John Lewis. What a lifetime memory! You are putting your words...
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  • Geoffrey Dix on We did itAnd now it appears that Georgia has handed Biden the Senate as well. I believe Democrats will manage this advantage...
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Husband, father, writer, drummer, Army vet (M.P. K-9), ex-music journalist, Democrat, Boston-sports fan • BLOG: https://t.co/wkEwZclWEe • IG: https://t.co/9PB3Virbbu

Jon Zal
OfficialJonZal avatarJon Zal@OfficialJonZal·
4 Mar 1367281106740011014

"OK, you guys keep talking about the non-existent genitals of an anthropomorphic plastic potato.” - The funniest thing @chrislhayes has ever said on live television

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OfficialJonZal avatarJon Zal@OfficialJonZal·
14 Feb 1360931972915359765

Actual American patriots.

Actual American patriots.
͏Postcards4USA@postcards4USA

Thank yous and admiration to the House Impeachment Managers and their Staff!
You made America proud!
And now we FIGHT on!
@repraskin @JoaquinCastroTX @RepCicilline @RepDean @StaceyPlaskett @RepDianaDeGette @RepTedLieu @RepJoeNeguse @RepSwalwell

#43Traitors #GOP43

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OfficialJonZal avatarJon Zal@OfficialJonZal·
14 Feb 1360929009870241793

Congress should establish a law whereby twice-impeached former presidents whose two impeachments stem from attempts to steal the presidency are not entitled to ongoing, taxpayer-funded Secret Service details for themselves, their birther wives, or their wretched adult offspring.

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OfficialJonZal avatarJon Zal@OfficialJonZal·
13 Feb 1360694691759607812

Every single time Republicans have been given the chance to choose America & the Constitution over a dangerously unfit, racist, reality-TV host, they’ve chosen the latter. What an utterly worthless & disgusting party.

Thank you to the Republican senators who did the right thing.

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OfficialJonZal avatarJon Zal@OfficialJonZal·
13 Feb 1360691760142417921

It’s wild that almost every Senate Republican is a dishonest, unAmerican garbage human.

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OfficialJonZal avatarJon Zal@OfficialJonZal·
12 Feb 1360035476980314113

Just realized that, despite how messed up so many things are right now, it is absolutely delightful to not see, hear, or read a single dumb thing Donald Trump has been thinking for the past three weeks.

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What a day. Cheers, America. 🥂🇺🇸 What a day. Cheers, America. 🥂🇺🇸
I took this back in May of 2018, when D.C. wasn’ I took this back in May of 2018, when D.C. wasn’t a war zone.

Looking forward to making a course correction on Wednesday and bending that moral arc Dr. King spoke of back toward justice. #MLK #MLKday
51 🎂 It was a Very Boston Birthday. New @RedSo 51 🎂

It was a Very Boston Birthday. New @RedSox pullover, @BostonGlobe longsleeve tee, & an Alex Cora tee ... and the pièce de résistance: four pies delivered (deep freeze 🥶) from @reginapizzeria! 😋
Lots of losses this year, but I hope you’re find Lots of losses this year, but I hope you’re finding joy this holiday season. Wishing you & yours a safe, healthy & rockin’ 2021. 🎅🏻🎄🎸🥁
My indoor/outdoor tree game is strong, y’all. 
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Thanks for getting it right, America. 🇺🇸🤘 Thanks for getting it right, America. 🇺🇸🤘🏻
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