There’s so much to write about this week. A government shutdown wreaking havoc on everyday lives. A small startup helping to fund Zoom calls between National Park rangers and classrooms so they can get a paycheck. ICE detaining people who shouldn’t be detained. The National Guard marching into Portland to face blowup frogs and unicorns and threatening Chicago and San Francisco with the same. The Epstein files inching toward daylight. And Marjorie Taylor Greene, of all people, urging her own party to protect Affordable Care Act credits. It’s a strange moment when chaos feels less like a headline and more like a strategy.
What do people do when they’re trying to hide from the truth? They create a distraction. Or many, big distractions that get people to lose focus.
The noise works. Each crisis competes with the next until it’s a blur of chaos. The shutdown story gets replaced by an airport story, which gets replaced by a celebrity scandal, which gets replaced by the latest congressional meltdown. By the time the headlines circle back, the damage is done. Federal employees miss mortgage payments. Small businesses delay payroll. The economy slows not because of market forces, but because some elected officials mistake theater for work. And everyone is exhausted.
It is important here to call out that when the government shuts down, the bills don’t stop for the around 750,000 federal employees. And yet, members of Congress still get paid.
Meanwhile, unredacted Epstein files hover on the edge of public release, promising a rare look into how proximity to wealth and power bends the rules of accountability. There are nearly enough bipartisan votes to unseal them, but the timing is telling — unfortunately, Congress needs to be in session to hold a vote.
And then there’s the theater of force. ICE detaining the wrong people. National Guard troops deployed to “restore calm” in Portland against inflatable art. Is it a display of strength or insecurity? A government that cannot manage its budget or maintain public trust often instead tries to show its relevance through motion and muscle. When leadership loses moral authority, it too frequently compensates with spectacle.
Even the ideological lines have started to blur. Marjorie Taylor Greene arguing to save ACA subsidies is less a sign of unity than of exhaustion. Have even the loudest chaos agents are starting to call for calm, not because they’ve changed, but because chaos has stopped serving them?
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We’ve been here before. The Pentagon Papers and Watergate. COINTELPRO and Iran-Contra. The Clinton investigations, the Iraq intelligence failures, the revolving door between Wall Street and Washington, and the bailouts that followed. Each generation gets its own lesson in distraction and denial. The details change, but the pattern doesn’t. The scandals get bigger, faster, more photogenic and amplified like never before.
When power fears light, it reaches for chaos. Not always deliberately, sometimes just instinctively, because institutions protect themselves first. But the danger is more than too much noise, it’s that we forget “the people” still have the power to turn the volume down and focus on what matters. Attention is a muscle, and discipline is still a choice. We can demand better, ask harder questions, and refuse to mistake performance for progress. The point must be to tune in with purpose.
Somewhere along the way, distraction became its own form of governance. Keep the public overwhelmed, and outrage replaces accountability. The bandwidth for civic attention shrinks. People stop expecting clarity or truth because confusion and closed door meetings start to feel normal.
But distraction has both an economic cost and a democratic one. Every shutdown undermines the faith that work will be rewarded and service will be honored. Every spectacle chips away at the idea that power can be used responsibly. The result is a slow corrosion of trust, the one currency democracy can’t print more of. And, it’s what we need to protect the most.
Here’s the thing, the American promise was built on a simple idea: no kings. No one above the law, no one immune to consequence, no one too powerful to question. That’s what the Founders meant by a government of laws and not of men. But when distraction becomes the dominant political language, laws start to bend toward volunteer puppeteers often with the biggest reasons to raise their hands.
The only cure for distraction is focus. The only antidote to fear is light. And the only protection for democracy is participation. No kings means paying attention even when it’s exhausting. It means looking past the noise and asking who benefits when the public is too dizzy to notice. It means voting not for personalities or parties, but for accountability.
Democracy isn’t undone in a single moment of corruption, it erodes each time we stop looking, each time we decide the noise is too much. Don’t look away.
Annie Tsai is chief operating officer at Interact (tryinteract.com), early stage investor and advisor with The House Fund (thehouse.fund), and a member of the San Mateo County Housing and Community Development Committee. Find Annie on Twitter @meannie.
Anybody interested in the Epstein situation should read the books Thanks for the Memories by Brice Taylor and Tranceformation of America by Cathy O'Brien
It would be great if there were similar distraction pieces on State and Local government. Who are doing many horrible things, but use national issues to distract the harm they are doing.
Thank you Annie for a great piece! You hit the nail on the head! Not only are Americans losing focus, which is what Trump wants, but, America is losing its moral fiber of our country. From a frequent LTE writer.
All good points about the chaos in Washington DC ...
.. but when someone points one finger at someone else, four fingers are pointing back.
The Democratic Party in the Bay Area has the power to do better. They could have done better the last 20 years and provided a showcase. Harris lost the election because her party couldn't provide that showcase, basically stands for nothing, and can't get the things done they claim they want to:
- San Mateo and Redwood City school districts are segregated on purpose - with the blessing of San Mateo Democrats.
- San Mateo County has a plan to provide "Transportation Equity" - and then builds more highways through more lower-income neighborhoods.
- Menlo Park politicians Becker, Berman, Mueller were all in on protecting speeding and reckless driving on I-92, but when it comes to protecting pedestrians or cyclists along SR-01 - all three stay quiet.
- San Mateo created at least 10 plans that called for building more bike lanes ... and Nicole Fernandez (Josh Becker's mentee) is removing them in her Equity Priority Area .. and against the will of several PTOs and PTAs.
- Five San Mateo council members must think lower-income families don't deserve nice or safe things.
- SamTrans is now fully funded through Measure A/W, but instead of giving customers a free ride, they keep increasing fares.
- Caltrain keeps getting more expensive, while driving is getting cheaper - thanks to Gavin Newson bribing the oil industry to keep exploding refineries open.
- The local party of the Green New Deal is using Peninsula Clean Energy (PCE) to greenwash San Mateo's carbon emissions.
- Burlingame is banning e-bikes - while PCE is handing them out for free, because it's the only real Zero Emission Vehicle in existence today.
- Basically while Texas has now the most windmills and South Dakota now has the highest percentage (>50%) of energy from wind, San Mateo County does not even have one wind turbine in a whole county with a enormous stretch of coast.
Or in other words. I can bike from red state Moab, UT to two National Parks along miles and miles of nice bike paths and bike lanes, but our kids can't even ride a bike safely to any school or neighborhood park in San Mateo County.
So let's not get confused with the chaos in Washington DC. We have enough chaos here locally.
Thanks for your column today, Ms. Tsai, giving us an inside look at the Democrat playbook of creating a distraction or many, big distractions that get people to lose focus. Fortunately, just about everybody is wise to Democrat fake news and lies that attempt to lay the blame on President Trump. In your 800-word attempt to criticize Trump’s efforts to make blue cities and America great again, you’ve completely ignored the fact that Democrats could easily vote to open the government and take care of federal workers. You’ve completely ignored the fact that blue cities, especially Portland and Chicago, are attempting to resist ICE from doing their jobs. If one doesn’t think violence is happening in those cities, I dare any of our resident contributors to go onsite and film in front of the Portland or Chicago ICE detention centers for a week. As for No Kings loitering parties, they might want to rebrand. If Trump were a king, these hate Trump more than they love America attendees wouldn’t be allowed. In fact, attendees would likely be shipped off to Ukraine where they’d be conscripted into joining the war.
Meanwhile, almost half a million illegals have been arrested in the past 9 months. Over 1.6 million have self-deported. CNN (yes, left wing CNN) is reporting that Trump’s approval ratings have risen after the shutdown. The Trump administration is reducing workers in the federal government, with the blessing of Democrats. Trump is canceling $billions in projects. What are Democrats trying to hide? I’d recommend folks to not look away. Democracy being undone by Democrats is being strengthened by President Trump, the greatest President in our lifetime, twice. More power to Trump to keep his promises. BTW, how about King Trump’s “Danger Zone” meme? If Trump really were king…I’d recommend future No Kings loiterers wear ponchos or more of their furry and blowup characters.
Two for one… Ah yes, faux outrage and personal attacks from the left because they have no valid arguments.
Same old, same old - throwaway comments club president – JustMike650. Membership cards are U.S. citizenship documents such as US passports. Meanwhile, if one is in the country illegally, expect to see a fine of $1000/day, being arrested, and deported without a possibility of returning legally. More power to Trump and patriots to Make America Great Again, Again. Trump 2028.
Mike O, as usual, you are so pathetically biased, your comments are always rubbish. BTW, aren’t you the one who won’t accept the fact (even by the left wing press) that Obama put kids in cages and Pelosi, through her admitted dereliction of duty, failed to protect the Capitol from a so-called insurrection. If you’re willing to lie about those facts, what else are you willing to lie about? We don’t need to waste time - it's easier to ignore everything you say. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Thank you Annie - particularly for the historical perspective. I am right off center politically but like many others, very frustrated with the current state of affairs. It is hard not to look away as it is seemingly impossible to point fingers.
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(16) comments
Anybody interested in the Epstein situation should read the books Thanks for the Memories by Brice Taylor and Tranceformation of America by Cathy O'Brien
It would be great if there were similar distraction pieces on State and Local government. Who are doing many horrible things, but use national issues to distract the harm they are doing.
Feels like there’s a lot of local politics coverage already, but keep writing in if you have a pov to share on that!
Thank you Annie for a great piece! You hit the nail on the head! Not only are Americans losing focus, which is what Trump wants, but, America is losing its moral fiber of our country. From a frequent LTE writer.
Thanks Mike, appreciate your comment!
All good points about the chaos in Washington DC ...
.. but when someone points one finger at someone else, four fingers are pointing back.
The Democratic Party in the Bay Area has the power to do better. They could have done better the last 20 years and provided a showcase. Harris lost the election because her party couldn't provide that showcase, basically stands for nothing, and can't get the things done they claim they want to:
- San Mateo and Redwood City school districts are segregated on purpose - with the blessing of San Mateo Democrats.
- San Mateo County has a plan to provide "Transportation Equity" - and then builds more highways through more lower-income neighborhoods.
- Menlo Park politicians Becker, Berman, Mueller were all in on protecting speeding and reckless driving on I-92, but when it comes to protecting pedestrians or cyclists along SR-01 - all three stay quiet.
- San Mateo created at least 10 plans that called for building more bike lanes ... and Nicole Fernandez (Josh Becker's mentee) is removing them in her Equity Priority Area .. and against the will of several PTOs and PTAs.
- Five San Mateo council members must think lower-income families don't deserve nice or safe things.
- SamTrans is now fully funded through Measure A/W, but instead of giving customers a free ride, they keep increasing fares.
- Caltrain keeps getting more expensive, while driving is getting cheaper - thanks to Gavin Newson bribing the oil industry to keep exploding refineries open.
- The local party of the Green New Deal is using Peninsula Clean Energy (PCE) to greenwash San Mateo's carbon emissions.
- Burlingame is banning e-bikes - while PCE is handing them out for free, because it's the only real Zero Emission Vehicle in existence today.
- Basically while Texas has now the most windmills and South Dakota now has the highest percentage (>50%) of energy from wind, San Mateo County does not even have one wind turbine in a whole county with a enormous stretch of coast.
Or in other words. I can bike from red state Moab, UT to two National Parks along miles and miles of nice bike paths and bike lanes, but our kids can't even ride a bike safely to any school or neighborhood park in San Mateo County.
So let's not get confused with the chaos in Washington DC. We have enough chaos here locally.
Thanks Annie. Great job distilling truth from confusion and expressing it so eloquently.
Thanks Mick - appreciate the comment!
Thanks for your column today, Ms. Tsai, giving us an inside look at the Democrat playbook of creating a distraction or many, big distractions that get people to lose focus. Fortunately, just about everybody is wise to Democrat fake news and lies that attempt to lay the blame on President Trump. In your 800-word attempt to criticize Trump’s efforts to make blue cities and America great again, you’ve completely ignored the fact that Democrats could easily vote to open the government and take care of federal workers. You’ve completely ignored the fact that blue cities, especially Portland and Chicago, are attempting to resist ICE from doing their jobs. If one doesn’t think violence is happening in those cities, I dare any of our resident contributors to go onsite and film in front of the Portland or Chicago ICE detention centers for a week. As for No Kings loitering parties, they might want to rebrand. If Trump were a king, these hate Trump more than they love America attendees wouldn’t be allowed. In fact, attendees would likely be shipped off to Ukraine where they’d be conscripted into joining the war.
Meanwhile, almost half a million illegals have been arrested in the past 9 months. Over 1.6 million have self-deported. CNN (yes, left wing CNN) is reporting that Trump’s approval ratings have risen after the shutdown. The Trump administration is reducing workers in the federal government, with the blessing of Democrats. Trump is canceling $billions in projects. What are Democrats trying to hide? I’d recommend folks to not look away. Democracy being undone by Democrats is being strengthened by President Trump, the greatest President in our lifetime, twice. More power to Trump to keep his promises. BTW, how about King Trump’s “Danger Zone” meme? If Trump really were king…I’d recommend future No Kings loiterers wear ponchos or more of their furry and blowup characters.
Same old same old - party crasher club president - Terence. Where do we get our membership cards.
TY, as usual, you are so pathetically biased, your comments are always rubbish.
Two for one… Ah yes, faux outrage and personal attacks from the left because they have no valid arguments.
Same old, same old - throwaway comments club president – JustMike650. Membership cards are U.S. citizenship documents such as US passports. Meanwhile, if one is in the country illegally, expect to see a fine of $1000/day, being arrested, and deported without a possibility of returning legally. More power to Trump and patriots to Make America Great Again, Again. Trump 2028.
Mike O, as usual, you are so pathetically biased, your comments are always rubbish. BTW, aren’t you the one who won’t accept the fact (even by the left wing press) that Obama put kids in cages and Pelosi, through her admitted dereliction of duty, failed to protect the Capitol from a so-called insurrection. If you’re willing to lie about those facts, what else are you willing to lie about? We don’t need to waste time - it's easier to ignore everything you say. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Thank you Annie - particularly for the historical perspective. I am right off center politically but like many others, very frustrated with the current state of affairs. It is hard not to look away as it is seemingly impossible to point fingers.
Thanks Dirk. This level of dysfunction only serves a select few. We need to get back to governing and the business of the people.
Thank you, Annie!
Thanks for your comment!
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Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.