stevenkesslar

Nah. Just ask Genocide Man. And the poorly educated. Many people say DJT has a naturally very smart brain and that is why he has the perfect grift already lined up. More perfect than any other grift ever. Crooked Hillary and Crooked Joe and the fake news media can try to do anything they want to stop his grift. And normally DJT can count on the Second Amendment people to take care of the socialist nut cases who want to destroy America. But this time all DJT has to count on are his initials. Which are the best initials ever: DJT. I'm serious. His initials get the best ratings, and the best investors, Everyone is talking about how his initials are almost priceless. He has the best brain, and the best initials ever. Everyone is saying his initials are worth $3 billion. Even the fake news can't deny it! Truth Social parent company Trump Media & Technology Group to become publicly traded company TMTG stock will trade as 'DJT' on Nasdaq Many people are saying DJT, who will own the majority of shares in DJT, could find himself owning $3 billion in one of the best social media apps in the galaxy. Not even Crooked Joe or Crooked Hillary or the New York and California liberal elites could figure this one out. That is because DJT was born with a natural intelligence for grift. And because the poorly educated, who DJT loves, will buy an overvalued Trump meme stock. If this were 1999, it would be Trump.com. And it would be bankrupt by 2002. These days it will simply be DJT. But the grift is just as good. And bankruptcy is sure to follow. Again, I'm serious. No one knows how this will play out for sure. But the idea is the same poorly educated people who buy his shoes and send the poor little billionaire money for his lawsuits and judgments and election scams will buy his stock. At least for a while. If he loses the Presidency, or ends up in jail, all bets are off. One member of the fake media is already speculating that by the time Trump can actually sell his shares, they'll be worth far less than the fines and penalties he currently owns. And the poorly educated rubes will be left holding worthless shares, as always. But those are the kinds of things the fake news already says about natural geniuses like DJT. Everyone else loves DJT, and will buy his stock. Including Genocide Man and friends, apparently. I love this part: Just remember. No collusion. Ever.

Sorry to be blunt. But mainstream Republicans seem to be disgusted by Trump bowing down to Putin and sucking his cock. Johnson's margin drops to one vote as Gallagher heads for early exit It would be a lot like Trump and MAGA to have an unplanned train wreck, just because everything Trump touches dies. But I have a feeling this may be an organized train wreck. First Ken Buck announced a few weeks ago that he would leave the House early, giving Johnson a two vote majority. At the time there was some article suggesting as many as five more House Republicans could leave early. I just assumed that was journalistic masturbation. But two weeks later, now it's a one vote majority. Both Buck and Gallagher cited Congressional dysfunction, including the dysfunction and election denialism in their own party when they decided to quit. Gallagher stands out as one of the leading critics of China and its alliance with Russia. He is a strong advocate of funding for Ukraine. For a principled mainstream conservative Republican who believes the defense of democracy and our allies is as important as breathing air, this makes sense. There is no particular reason for any retiring member of Congress to leave early, or immediately. Unless it is their health or a new job. That's not the case with either Buck or Gallagher. If anything, party loyalty would suggest that since their party's majority is razor thin, they would stick around. So something is probably going on behind the scenes. They may be using the razor thin majority as a razor, it seems. Unrelated but perhaps related, Democrats are saying that they will save Johnson's speakership if needed, in return for one thing: a House vote on aid to Ukraine. Whether it was his intention or not, Gallagher leaving in a few weeks puts more pressure on Johnson to schedule that vote. This can't be helping the Republican cause to keep a House majority. Or win a Senate majority. Even people who don't follow politics - meaning most people - get some sense that since the Republicans took over the House it is a freak show. And this means that more and more of the non-MAGA Republicans who favor bipartisan compromise are gone. Not to mention Reaganesque goals like promoting democracy and defending allies.

From The Guardian: So it's not been 24 hours and one of Genocide Man's top surrogates is already using this to promote the idea that terrorists in Ukraine might be responsible. And if so they should be killed without mercy. I get there is an "if" in the construction. But why say that at all? After 9/11 W. did not say "if Putin did this, Russians must be killed without mercy." I think we knew it was al Queda almost immediately. But I think W. and his surrogates were pretty cautious on what was said. Including that Islam, as a religion, is not to blame. Unlike during the run up to Iraq, when the bullshit and war mongering were everywhere. From the same article, suggesting that Isis-K is a likely suspect. One good reason for Genocide Man to stop the genocide is it would make far more sense for the US, Russia, China, Europe, and others to cooperate on counterterrorism. Which we pretty much have, usually very successfully. Putin and W. made common cause in 2001 to fight Islamic terrorism. In fairness, the US under W. fucked that cooperation up royally by starting the Iraq War. Far from deterring terrorism, we basically birthed new terrorist movements. That is part of what I meant above when I said the horrors are just starting for Genocide World, and are locked in. Just as they were for the US. In this case, the US did exactly the right thing by both warning US citizens and passing on what it knew to Genocide Man's subordinates.

You must have been looking in a mirror when you said that. Vladimir Putin & 1999 Russian Apartment-House Bombings -- Was Putin Responsible? In my posts so far I have stressed the fact that Genocide Man is a genocidal sadist. He is committing an act of genocide on the Ukrainian people. One could argue that Genocide Man is also committing genocide against Russians by knowingly turning so many Russian ethnic minorities into fertilizer. But that is a stretch. Genocide World is a hateful, racist, homophobic place. Not all Russians are. But seemingly at least a significant minority and maybe a majority. So I think it is more appropriate to say that Genocide Man is a sadistic terrorist who is perfectly willing to engage in acts of terror against his own people. Certainly Genocide Man is engaging in terror by processing hundreds of thousands and potentially millions of Russians, particularly ethnic minorities, into fertilizer. Just talk to the wives and children of the victims of Genocide Man's state-sponsored terror. Of, that's right. They can't speak. Or Genocide Man will kill them, just like he killed Navalny. So it is perfectly possible, if not likely, that Genocide Man is ramping up the genocide and terror by engaging in more acts of terror against his own people. The only thing different this time is that 40 Russians or so is way below Genocide Man's capacity. With his genocide he is going to process hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Russians into fertilizer. This actually gives him a convenient excuse to rationalize his state-sponsored terror and genocide. Genocide Fan #2, who practically spurts blood in his defense of Genocide Man and his genocide, has repeatedly argued - with no evidence whatsoever - that somehow the CIA or FBI or Mickey Mouse or Porky Pig was behind the bombing of the World Trade Center. We do know that after a few decades no one has produced any evidence of that. But they have produced a ton of evidence about Genocide Man's use of terror against his own people in a 1999 bombing to rise to power. Alongside countless other assassinations, poisonings, and murders - including shooting planes out of the sky. So if you want to call out someone who has no conscience and no brain, call out Genocide Fan #2. His enthusiasm for genocide against Ukrainians is repulsive. The world has no sympathy for Genocide Man. Get used to it. As an American who lived through and opposed the Iraq War and saw how it weakened my country and made us the target of scorn and repulsion and hate, I can tell you that your nightmares and horror will get far worse. And they are just getting started. You are weak in every way. Economically, politically, militarily. So this is small ball compared to decades of of weakness and repulsion that are now firmly locked in for Genocide World's future. I'm not saying I have no empathy for Russians. Quite the opposite. Just like with the Iraq War, where things had to get a lot worse for America before they could get better, I realize the same is true for Genocide World.

Because we both know the important axioms: 1. Genocide means never having to say you're sorry. 2. Genocide means never having to say you're right. Because facts don't matter. ax·i·om /ˈaksēəm/ noun a statement by Genocide Man which is automatically regarded as being established, accepted, and self-evidently true. example: "the axiom that Genocide Man always wins elections by over 100 % of the vote"

Correct. Genocide Fan can not not confirm the US army has killed tens of millions of civilians, or abducted, murdered or abused hundreds of thousands of children, because it is just Genocide Man's bullshit. What else is a Genocide Fan supposed to do? I know. when you have no facts, be like Trump. Or Genocide Man. How about let's change the subject? It's unfair, Genocide Fan, but I will blame the poverty of millions of American children on Genocide Man, and his genocide. I told you already, but I will repeat. The advantage of Genocide Man getting on with the processing of hundreds of thousands of Russians into fertilizer is we can get the genocide behind us. Because Russia will eventually do what the USSR did in Afghanistan. Realize it can't win, and quit. Of course, peace negotiations are an option. But dumb murderous Genocide man is now saying "Me strong, they weak." Even if he was less dumb and murderous, 90 % of Ukrainians now only trust Genocide Man to commit genocide. How can anyone blame them? So, sadly, my guess is the processing of Russians into fertilizer will have to continue, if not accelerate. Good news is Genocide Man is an expert at processing Russians into fertilizer. You can feel confident he'll do an excellent job. That was the impact of Biden's expanded child tax credit. For a year, it reduced the child poverty rate by almost 50 %. It helped about 40 million working class and poor families, overall. And millions of kids were lifted above the poverty level. Reducing the poverty rate of Hispanic kids from something like 29 % in 2009 to 8 % in 2021 is a pretty big fucking deal. Who would not want more of that? The surprise to me is that a little more than half of Americans supported continuing it temporarily, as a COVID relief program when the global economy was still in the shitter. But I don't think there was every more than 50 % support for making it permanent. Part of it was the cost. Somewhere in the ballpark of $100 billion a year. And part of it is that the 40 million families who got assistance strongly supported it. Seniors, who have no children, and would rather see the money go to Social Security, did not support it so much. So my point is I would rather see $100 billion a year go to reducing child poverty in the US, rather than helping Genocide Man turn Russians into fertilizer. Not that I am against Genocide Man turning his own people into fertilizer, mind you. It just seems a bit cruel, and extreme. As I said above, there are many Trump supporters who don't feel any need to defend Ukrainian children, or even be part of NATO. But most Americans don't feel that way. I know you are a Genocide Fan and all. But could you do me a favor, and ask Genocide Man to stop the genocide, and get the fuck out of Ukraine? Then the US can spend the money on cutting child poverty in half in America. Thanks. You're a pal.

That is all very weird. Obviously, it did not prevent Republicans from electing Moreno. The interesting thing in this race will be abortion. Brown is amazing in how on message he is. In that 10 minute clip I posted, it feels like he said "abortion" about 5,000 times. And his main point is I listen to people. Women don't want politicians telling them what to do with their bodies. The people of Ohio voted on this and they were very clear they don't want a ban. I listen to people. And Moreno doesn't care what people think and just wants am extreme total ban on abortion. It sounds to me like the Trump Party just picked the guy who will lose in November. Meanwhile, Trump is saying there have to be three exceptions: rape, incest, and the life of the mother. He is saying that the Republicans who lost in 2022 and 2023 are the ones who said "no exceptions ever". So Trump will probably say he is for an abortion ban, 15 or 16 weeks, with exceptions. And when you get in that zone, the polling gets very muddled. People have conflicted feelings. So it's interesting. Trump will probably win Ohio, and Moreno probably won't. And this is partly why. Trump's political instincts on a lot of issues are smart. Like don't fuck with Social Security. Don't be for total abortion bans. So it is weird that he pushes candidates like Moreno who are going to lose exactly for those reasons. But with Trump, it's always ego. Moreno will pander to Trump, and the mainstream Republicans who actually win in Ohio like DeWine and Kasich don't. So Trump will always pick the loser who panders to him. As a Democrat, I feel lucky. Brown is the kind of Democrat people will vote for, because he is very good at communicating he is for them. On union pensions. On abortion. On burn pits. Which is why he wins. Trump makes it easy for Democrats by pushing candidates like Moreno that a majority of people will simply vote against.

Is this something about Genocide World? Genocide Man is great at genocide. But he sucks at bullshitting. And you do, too. Genocide Man says he is for Biden winning. It's just laughable. It would be better if he just kept his genocidal mouth shut. Because anybody who hears his bullshit in the US who is not deep into cult think is gonna say, "What a fucking joke." It's even the same with nuclear war. Genocide Man is all talk these days about how he's gonna nuke Europe and nuke the US and I'm Genocide Man and I can nuke you and I will nuke you because I am Genocide Man and I am strong and I can nuke you. All it says to me is he is a genocidal losing weak piece of shit, and he knows it. If he starts a nuclear war the likely outcome is more Russians die than anyone else. And as weak and fucked up as his genocide economy is now, his nuclear war economy will be worse. Genocide Man is the world's bully who is weak and losing and bad at bullshit. So I guess it makes sense that you just follow the same pattern of bullshit on inflation. First you try to deny that genocide economy inflation is a problem by posting a chart that ends before the genocide started, and saying something irrelevant about 2015 or whatever. It's like Genocide Man saying he wants Biden to win. It just sounds transparent, stupid, and like total bullshit. Now you are saying people don't care about the fact that they can't afford groceries. It's just normal. That sounds like total bullshit and denial, too. But when your economy is a stagnant piece of shit that functions by turning your own people into fertilizer, what are you gonna do? Levada's polls of Russians say you are totally full of shit, and this is not normal, and Russians do care. So of course your reaction is that anything bad about Genocide Man or Genocide World is propaganda. It just makes Genocide World even more a pathetic joke. Like we're supposed to believe Genocide Man won 187.3 % of the vote simply because everyone loves Genocide Man. Everyone is lining up, not only to vote for genocide man, but to be patriotically be turned into fertilizer by Genocide Man. It's all bullshit and genocide from losers who suck at bullshit, but excel at genocide. That poll of Russians, which you also dismiss as propaganda, suggests Russians and Americans are similar in this sense. They care a lot about inflation. And they think it is worse than it actually is. Genocide Fan # 2 posted a chart above saying groceries in the US are up maybe 25 % or so since 2020. That sounds right. The right wing here calls it "Bidenflation" and of course blames it on him. I think it's the main reason Trump is ahead in the polls, barely. Everyone is focused on Bidenflation. And that's true all over the world. Most leaders of democracies that were around in 2020 and 2021 are unpopular. People remember the inflation, and don't like it. For whatever reason, inflation in the US - while bad - has been lower than in most nations. Including Genocide World. But Americans definitely do not like it. Russians don't either. What is interesting about that second chart is that 30 % inflation or 50 % inflation exaggerates what actually happened, in the minds of Russians. The reports from Genocide World say maybe close to 20 % inflation at peak, overall. And of course there were specific items where inflation was much higher, just like in the US and every planet in the world. We also know many Russians are not like you, in that they are not really fans of genocide. And they can just be honest, rather than constantly bullshit like you do.

Democrats probably just won the Ohio Senate race. Trump was out there stumping for Moreno. Who won the GOP primary by more than I would have guessed. No doubt a reflection of how the Republican Party no longer exists. It's now the Trump Or Bust Party. That interview explains why this is going to be a bust for Trump. The most recent poll showed Brown had a four point lead over Dolan, the mainstream Republican who lost the primary, and an 11 point lead over Moreno, the MAGA guy who just won . Every poll taken on this race since last year shows the best chance of beating Brown was nominating the mainstream Republican. I actually assumed that in 2020 Trump went out of his way to help Democrats win those two Georgia Senate seats in special elections after Trump lost the general, just out of spite. But Trump is now trying to get a Republican Senate majority for what he hopes is his second term. And he is picking the ones most likely to lose. This is not just stupid. It's suicidal. Sherrod Brown is amazingly on message with his economic populism. If every Democrat spoke like him, and was as effective, we'd be able to win more Senate seats in red states.

That's the way I feel about Genocide Man's interference in US elections, in a nutshell. Let him give it his best shot. We'll survive. And, by the way, one of Genocide Man's legitimate gripes is that the US does the same, both in Russia and Ukraine. He wanted payback against Hillary for what he thinks she did in Ukraine. And he got it. None of this is new. I think the Mueller report was a net positive. My view of it is Republicans chose a Republican, Mueller, to try to ferret out whether there really was some secret thing going on between Genocide Man and Trump. And I think Mueller found the answer was no. Mueller did find lots of Russian 2016 election interference, but could not tie it directly to Trump. Meanwhile, he found that Trump is an asshole who obstructed his investigation. But just being a garden variety asshole is something we already knew about Trump. So Mueller left Trump's obstruction up to Republicans in Congress or Trump's DOJ to act on. Shockingly, they did nothing. But all of that is the best answer we'll probably ever get on whether Trump is a willing pawn of Putin. No, he's not. It's incredibly easy to come up with a huge list of reasons Genocide Man would rather Trump be POTUS. But Schumer just said he'd rather Netanyahu not lead Israel. These things happen, and are basically fair enough. I'll add one other point I simply take as fact, even though it is not. Lichtman predicted in September 2016 Trump would win. In 2020 he predicted Trump would lose. He was right both times, as he has been since 1984 every time. Point being that it's probably a fact - or close to a fact - that Trump would have won anyway, in 2016. For reasons that had nothing to do with Putin. And he lost in 2020 despite (or perhaps because of) how good he was at sucking Genocide Man's cock in public. My opinion is that it will hurt Trump in 2024 that he is still one of Genocide Man's best cock suckers in the whole world. Putin knows this, which is why he insults Americans by thinking we actually believe he would rather Biden be POTUS. Trump knows this, since he has to pretend he is not a Putin cock sucker by saying Genocide Man perhaps killed Navalny. It all gets very complicated, like spy games Which, again, is nothing new. So I think America will come out fine. Putin's actions, including whatever he is doing to influence the 2024 election, probably tend to help Biden, I think. Because everyone hates Putin and thinks he's an evil shit. Nobody particularly respects Trump for bowing down to Putin. There's a whole different level of this that has nothing to do with Putin: AI. But I think the answer is the same. That which does not kill us makes us stronger. One of the most interesting conversations I had last year was at a family gathering. The question was whether the US will be better when Millennials and Gen Z take over. So it was Boomer parents and aunts and uncles, and their mostly Millennial kids and nieces and nephews. One of my nieces said that Ai will be a huge challenge, especially for her generation. But in the end she said they'll figure out how to use the good parts of AI and control the worst. That can be taken on many levels. AI is already probably resulting in net job losses at the big tech companies. My niece, a graphic artist, has the kind of job AI could probably eventually replace. But then there is the level of Deep Fakes. Like AI Genocide Man saying or even doing things Real Genocide Man didn't do. It could get very complicated. Now let's add Kissinger, before his death, saying if we don't get this under control in a brief window, like maybe a decade, AI when applied to warfare could almost inevitably lead to nuclear war. Because we'll give AI too much control over decisions on very rapid response times. All of this goes way beyond Genocide Man's disinformation about the mother-in-law of Ukraine's President. But it is all part of the same challenge. If you believe Kissinger, it could kill us. If it doesn't, it will make us stronger. I think Genocide Man and Trump are huge challenges that history will show ultimately made democracy stronger.

Actually, some of it does trickle down. Mortgage subsidies. Big increases in pensions and minimum wages, which still don't keep up with the inflation the genocide is creating. Pensions go up 10 %, groceries go up 20 %. What's Genocide Man gonna do? Duh! Turn more Russians into fertilizer. But then he has to pay off their families. That costs money, too. Fertilizer ain't cheap these days. Putin is good at genocide. Part of being good at genocide is never having to say you're sorry. But part of being good at genocide is paying people off to support it. Or at least passively tolerate that. Putin is actually very good at that. But it is getting harder and harder. I'm not Alan Greenspan. Thank God. But I don't think you have to be Greenspan or Einstein to figure out this is just not sustainable. Genocide Man's strategy is to scare Europe, hope he breaks their will, and hope America fucks up and elects Trump again. Who for his own weird psychological reasons is predisposed to bow down and suck the cocks of tyrants and dictators like Genocide Man. (I mean Vlad, not Kim.) If Biden wins and Europe holds, which is what I'd bet on, I think Genocide Man is under enormous pressure to make his inflationary, stagnant economy work. And I mean "stagnant" in the way you are talking about. The genocide economy is growing by leaps and bounds. But it requires Russians to become fertilizer. Not to build out AI, like the US, or electric cars, like China. So the booming genocide economy is a dead end. Literally. The genocide machine requires hundreds of thousands of dead Russians and Ukrainians to work. All the stuff that works well in the economies of the US and China - innovation, technology, productivity, real growth, not just bombs and turning people into fertilizer - is not going well at all. Genocide Man has to buy most people off. And turn the unlucky ones into fertilizer. The best case scenario for Vlad is Trump wins and Genocide Man and Trump cut a deal in 24 hours. Ha ha. It's not that simple, of course. But it would just freeze the conflict for a long time. 90 % of Ukrainians would rather die than be part of Russia. Under any circumstances, they won't get Crimea back and be part of NATO anytime soon. I could make a good argument for this scenario. It costs the US and Europe and Asia less money, and Ukraine less lives. The conflict goes on. But at a lower level. Genocide Man doesn't have to distort and subsidize his genocide economy to quite the same degree. If I had to bet money, Biden will win. In part because the US won't elect a cock sucker who will bow down to Putin. I think Trump, who is sick but not stupid, has figured this out. Or listened to someone smart for once. That's why he's calling out Genocide Man for murdering Navalny, not quite as bluntly as I just said. He understands he does not want to look like a submissive cock sucker for Genocide Man. But it is a problem for Trump. He says Biden is weak. But Trump is the weak cock sucker who bows down to Putin. The polls do not suggest Americans want to appease Genocide Man, and cut deals with him. Had to revisit this poll. It made me laugh my ass off.

For the record, I totally agree. For the record, I just assume few if any people read the stuff I post. I'm not doing it to persuade anyone. Least of all Genocide Fan #1 or Genocide Fan #2. I just learned a lot in the last 24 hours about homeownership in Russia, some innovative mortgage subsidy programs there, and some of the ways Genocide Man buys off Russians to support his genocide. If no one else is interested, that's your choice. The Genocide Fans are skillful at repeating Genocide Man's bullshit. So it is interesting fact checking while I'm researching stocks and figuring out what to buy and sell. If you think this is bad, try PE ratios and RSI divergences. That is what my data geek nephew and I make money comparing notes on. Ugh! Too bad we can't live in Russia and be turned into fertilizer.

That's actually a really interesting chart. At first I just scratched my head. I did some research that helped me understand what it might mean. But it still is kind of a head scratcher. This post, by the way, will be more like one of the six emails my data geek nephew and I have exchanged in the last 24 hours. Very boring and data geeky. We're having a nice debate about the US stock market, which we are both heavily invested in. It just made this nephew a millionaire in the last year. That's how fucked up America is for young people. In Genocide World, young people get to be fertilizer. In America, they have to become millionaires. It sucks! Long live Genocide Man! My nephew thinks the 15 year bull market is headed to a top and will end this year. I disagree. The bullish guy I listen to the most, Glenn Neely, who has called every bull and bear market pretty much right since the 1980's huge bull market, was recently thinking the bull market might correct last month and go down for a few months. And then go to new all time highs later this year. When that correction didn't happen in February, Neely switched to saying we may be headed to S & P 5700, and quickly. Who knows. But all these macro numbers enter into it. If you think the US is teetering on the edge of some unsustainable economic abyss, that would end a 15 year US and global bull market. So this is all going to be data geek stuff about the underlying strength of the US and Russian economies. There are a few fundamental things I am 100 % sure of. First, most Americans and Russians own their own homes. I was surprised to just learn that the percentage of home ownership in Russia is higher than in the US. At least on paper. I'm a huge fan of homeownership. It is the primary mode of wealth creation for the middle class in the US, including me and everyone in my family. So it is a very good thing for both Russia and the US to have high rates of homeownership. That said, Russia has the same affordable housing crisis the US does. Especially for young people whose salaries aren't enough to buy pricey homes in the cities they want to live in. So they rent. My guess is that's the biggest reason young voters are pissed at Biden. Even though they despise Trump. It's that rents and home prices are sky high. Especially in the expensive cities young people live in. That is, of course, a sign of prosperity. Speaking of which, American net worths are up 37 % since 2019, a record high. The average middle class American's net worth surged to $192,000 by the end of 2022. Some of that is stock bull market. But the biggest reason why is home ownership. 2 in 3 Americans own their homes. Close to half have no mortgage. For those with a mortgage, the average rate is about 3.5 % fixed. It is a bedrock of stability. I'm pretty sure based on the surging stock and real estate markets average middle class net worth has to be well over $200,000 now. I'm guessing most Russians would love to have the equivalent in rubles. Except for murderous kleptocrats like Genocide Man and his Genocide Pals, who are super rich. If Genocide Man could figure out how to help young Russians (or Ukrainians) buy homes at 3.5 % fixed rates, instead of oppressing them and killing them and forcing them to flee or turning them into fertilizer, maybe they'd actually want to vote for him. But he still won by 187.3 % of the vote. So why complain? Again, I am a huge fan of affordable homeownership. If I lived in Russia, I could have been turned into fertilizer in my 20's. Instead, I spent my 20's (the 1980's) getting to know the CEO of GE Capital, the Chair of the Senate Banking Committee (I miss Prox) and beating the shit out of Fannie Mae. My boss, Gale Cincotta, was the mother of the anti-redlining movement. And I was her general. All this fun stuff resulted in billion dollar programs that were small ball compared to what Clinton did with home ownership in the 1990's. Which led to huge surges in net worth for working class Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians by helping open up mortgage lending and building net worth in homes. It all worked great until W. came in, started the Iraq war, and let mortgage lending predators run free. America fucked the world twice thanks to George W. Bush. We fucked the world with the Iraq War. And we fucked the world by driving the global economy off the cliff with our predatory Wall Street crooks. The Big Short is one of my favorite movies. So that chart above is actually mostly great news for America. Being a data geek, the first thing I noticed is that mortgage interest payments are STILL lower today in the US than they were in 2008. When millions of Americans lost their homes in the predatory lending crisis, brought to you by Wall Street and W and Alan Greenspan. 2008 was America at its worst. Today is America at its strongest. Home ownership and net worth is an absolute bedrock of US middle class financial stability. We are NOT being turned into fertilizer by Genocide Man, and we are better off and more financially stable than ever. Only 5 % of Americans have mortgage debt that exceeds 80 % of what their home is worth.  Only 15 % have debt that exceeds 60 % of what their home is worth. Almost half have no debt. Even if home prices plummeted, most home owners would still be above water. It is bedrock financial stability. This is why we can easily afford to defend Ukraine, and send them the weapons that will turn hundreds of thousands more young Russians into fertilizer. See the difference? And don't blame it on me, you cynical fuck. You are a Genocide Fan of Genocide Man, who is turning Russians into fertilizer. Blame it on yourself for supporting Genocide Man and his genocide. You want retribution. You want dead Nazi Jews. You will get many more dead young Russians and a stagnant, inflationary economy. That is a problem for Genocide World. So sorry. What problems does the US have? Interest payments by US households are surging in that chart above because, duh!, interest rates are higher than in a generation. That sucks. Any young American with a student loan and high rent, or a mortgage they just got in the last few years, will tell you that. Like I said, it's still a bit of a head scratcher. How can interest on consumer debt have risen so quickly? But the broad numbers kind of make sense. Total mortgage debt in the US is $12.2 trillion. Total consumer debt in the US is $17.5 trillion. That right there explains a lot. There is less fixed rate mortgage debt, and more adjustable rate consumer debt as rates have risen. So it makes sense that consumer debt interest rate payments would skyrocket. My data geek nephew and I debate what this means in emails a lot. Because in theory this is why the US economy and stock market could go to shit. Americans are just too strapped with unsustainable debt. The media helps drive this idea, by focusing on superficial stuff that makes a good headline. Like credit card debt recently topped $1 trillion in the US for the first time ever. And it was made to sound as bad as Genocide Man's 20 % inflation. Or Genocide Man turning hundreds of thousands of Russians into fertilizer. But I think that is 99.9 % bullshit. Or fertilizer, if you prefer. Good Russian fertilizer. Overall household debt as a percentage of income is at historic lows in the US, not highs. Household debt was at a record low of 8 % of personal income during the pandemic, because people were basically forced to save. Now it's back to about 10 %, where it was during Obama II and Trump's Presidency. Still low by historical standards. Right before the GFC, it was 13 %. So this is a sign of strength, not weakness. Just like all that net worth and all that home equity and all those fixed rate mortgages. Americans could take on a lot more debt if they want. But incomes are now exceeding inflation, so they don't need to. The people who have it hardest are young Americans. But it ain't like they are ruled by Genocide Man, and he is turning them into fertilizer. Which is why young Americans (and Europeans) go to Ibiza or Venice, not Moscow. Average credit card debt for a Millennial (aged 26-41) was $6,274 in 2023, up from $5,309 in 2022. So, yeah. That kind of sucks. More debt, higher rates. Meanwhile, median family income for adults under 35 went for $56,400 in 2019 to $60,500 in 2022. Median net worth for those under 35 more than doubled, from $16,100 to $39,000. So which is worth: $1,000 more in debt, or $20,000 more in net worth? And these are the people who are worst off, only because they are young. Average net worth for a Baby Boomer over 65 went up over $100,000 in three years from 2019 to 2022. And it has gone up more since. The US is stronger than ever, and getting stronger. As long as we decide we don't want to elect a lying cock sucker who bows down to Putin, the US and Europe can easily pay as much as it takes as long as it takes to defend Ukraine from Genocide Man's mass murder, torture, rape, and stealing of children. Unfortunately, we can't help all the hundreds of thousands of Russians Genocide Man will have to turn into fertilizer. That's your problem. He's a sick fuck Subsidised mortgages in Russia are gradually feeling the squeeze That said, that is a nice thing I just learned about Russia with this latest data dive. It's easy to understand why subsidized mortgages are a popular program in Genocide World, given the global affordable housing crisis. Genocide Man has clearly been bribing Russians with subsidies in every way he can. At a very general level, it seems clear it is unsustainable. Murderous Vlad can run a genocide economy that builds a genocide machine for a very long time. And it will make some Russians, like his Genocide Pals, crazy rich. Many average Russians seem to be fine with retribution, murdering Nazi Jews, racism, homophobia, and sending Russians who are not "pure" Russians off to become fertilizer in Ukraine. And they like subsidies. As long as Genocide Man can keep up the racism and homophobia and send minorities to go be turned into fertilizer in Ukraine, it works. I don't think that's Genocide man's biggest problem. Powerless minorities have no choice other than to flee Genocide World. Poor Vlad's biggest problem is that all the subsidies it takes to get people to tolerate Genocide Man just become unaffordable. And at some point Russians will get sick and tired of it, just like with Afghanistan. That's one small example of how this could become unsustainable, referring to Genocide Man's mortgage subsidies in the paper above. But Genocide World is increasingly dependent on these kinds of subsidies. And one in three Russians still say they can't afford the groceries they need. This is a big problem for Genocide Man. In terms of the digs at Americans on food stamps or other government subsidies, it's true. I can tell you why I hope hundreds of thousands of Russians are turned into fertilizer. Honestly. I think it's going to happen. Before this ends, Genocide Man will turn hundreds of thousands more young Russians into fertilizer. And the sooner, the better, IMHO. Does that sound cruel? Is it cruel to say Genocide Man is a sick, evil, murderous fuck? Biden cut the US child poverty rate in half for one year. In was an amazing achievement. It helped working class Whites, Hispanics, and Blacks. The kind that are now tempted to vote for Trump. And you don't cut US child poverty in half cheaply. It took child tax credits to working class families that cost a lot of money. So the bottom line is all the money the US will have to spend to stop Genocide Man from killing Ukrainian children, or stealing them, could be spent to cut child poverty in the US in half. Many Americans of course say, "Who gives a shit about Ukrainian children?" But most Americans think Genocide Man's genocide is abhorrent, and must be stopped. So if Genocide Man needs to turn lots more Russians into fertilizer, thanks to weapons the US makes profits on that kill young Russians, so be it. If you don't like it, stop being Genocide Fans of Genocide Man. Stop the genocide. But if you don't want to do that, or can't, you are getting what you deserve. You have no idea how fucked you are. This kind of genocide has never worked. The world abhors it and will end it. The fun part for me, which is years in the future, will be seeing when and how Master Xi has to pull hard on the noose he now has tied around Genocide Man's testicles. It's going to happen. China simply can not choose Russia over the US, Europe, and all the powerhouses of Asia. I can't wait to see how Genocide Man's testicles take Master Xi's abuse. Meanwhile, Long Live Genocide Man! Congratulations on your glorious victory!

Which is SO Genocide Fan of you. You just can't get enough of your genocide, can you? How much death do you want? How much genocide do you want? What are the headlines about? How Putin rigged an election, and every leader in Europe thinks it's a farce. Even Trump got the memo that he can't just get down on his knees, bow down, and suck Genocide Man's cock. He has to talk about how Genocide Man probably killed Navalny. Woo hoo! Some democracy! Some victory. 187.3 % of the vote! Will there now be a 187.3 % increase in the number of Russians turned into fertilizer? If Genocide Man being in the news for a farcical election, killing his political opponents, and moving into a totalitarian phase of his rule is what makes you proud, that tells us a whole lot about life in Genocide World. You are not interested in facts. You are interested in defending Genocide Man and Genocide World. That's surprising, only in that Genocide Man - even though he ain't what he used to be - can take care of himself. Poison always does the trick. Or a bullet in the head. My point was not about the 20th Century. I've said repeatedly that back in the day, like from 2000 to 2012 or so, Genocide World was consistently outgrowing Germany every year. My comments were about how how Genocide Man is now building an inflationary war economy with an unsustainable budget, unsustainable interest rates, and - most important - the goal of turning Russians into fertilizer. Genocide Man's goal, of course, is to be powerful and rich, really. But now in racist, homophobic Russia Genocide Man's unchecked and unchallenged power and wealth does depend on turning Russians, especially poor ethnic minorities, into fertilizer. You are Genocide Fan #2 really don't seem to give a shit about any of this. All you communicate is your support for Genocide Man, Genocide World, and genocide. You want more retribution. You want to remove the Nazi Jews from power. Russia’s inflation accelerates to 7.7% in February Hey. 7.7 % is better than 17.8 %. No doubt this is why Genocide Man won 178.3 % of the vote! I'm sure interest rates will be down from 16 % in no time. That's the part your chart about the past leaves off. Talking about how something something something 2015 2017 has nothing to do with the horror of Genocide World today, under Genocide Man. Maybe you have to actually block it out of your own mind. Maybe you can't even admit to yourself that Russians bitch in polls about 30 % inflation, and how they can't afford groceries. At least Genocide Man gives them the freedom to do that. Maybe you can't admit to yourself that Genocide Man's authoritarian rule now depends on his ability to turn Russia's ethnic minorities into fertilizer. Or maybe you are just a fervent and dedicated supporter of Genocide Man and genocide, because you are personally benefitting from the genocide economy.

Sheesh! Such grumpiness! Isn't anyone else feeling festively genocidal? I'm feeling festively genocidal! Genocide Man won! And not just a wimpy Dementia Joe victory or a steal votes in the middle of the night victory. Genocide Man won 187.3 % of the vote! Genocide World loves him. It's time to feel festive ! It's time for genocide!

Nowhere To Go: Children in Iraq trapped in cycles of violence and poverty as conflict reaches unprecedented levels Genocide Fan # 2 posted something about Iraq and UNICEF above. Genocide Fan # 2 does not negotiate with terrorists. So I found it interesting that he is saying, "This is what the horror of genocide looks like. Let's do it in Ukraine!" All the same things that happened in Iraq are happening in Ukraine. I took out the specific numbers numbers of children impacted in Iraq from the report and put in general statements for children in Ukraine: Genocide Fan # 2 is saying, "The US did this in Iraq. This is horrible! So let's do it in Ukraine!" That's what being a Genocide Fan means. Genocide means never having to say you're sorry. You're not going to get a debate from me that the US opened Pandora's Box in Iraq, and genocide came out. The only thing I'll debate is, having seen the horrible consequences of it for both Iraq and the US, why are you trying to fuck things up even worse in Ukraine? The US did not have to turns hundreds of thousands of Americans into fertilizer. Genocide Man is building a perpetual war machine to process Russians into fertilizer during his genocide. There are a few huge differences, of course. UNICEF is correct. The bloodbath and horror in Iraq existed long before the US did a thing. In fact, this is one of the reasons Bush 41 said, in writing, he did not go to Baghdad. He knew it would divide the US and our allies, and divide Iraq and open an uncontrolled bloodbath. Bush 41 was right. Ukraine is completely different. What preceded and caused Genocide Man's invasion was a movement to democratic capitalism, which Genocide Man and his kleptocrats can't stand. They would rather destroy Ukraine than see it prosper and be free. Freedom and prosperity in Ukraine would be a threat to Genocide Man. The report all these Iraqi horrors are taken from, which reference "the last three years", was written in 2017. The US was more or less out of Iraq by 2011. So this is not describing the rape, torture or murder of children by US soldiers. That's what Genocide Man's soldiers do in Ukraine. Here's one example of the Iraq horror in 2017: There's no exact analogy in Ukraine. At least Russian soldiers are not doing that. They just steal the children and move them to Genocide World. Ukrainians welcome help from around the world, including the US. Thankfully, children are being deliberately moved to Poland and many other countries, with family members, where they can go to school, thanks to the global reaction to Genocide Man's horror. But it is still a horror even for the children living in safety. Again, I agree with the fact that the US opened up a horrible genocide when it invaded Iraq. We didn't even have to plan or conduct a genocide, like Genocide Man is doing. As the report outlines, all we had to do was topple a dictator who kept some kind of lid on a horror that had been going on for decades. These are all reasons for Genocide Man to not do the same things in Ukraine. The outcomes for his country are predictable, as well. They will be even worse than what happened to the US. But Genocide Man is doing it, anyway. And Genocide Fan # 2 wants us to know he supports this kind of genocide, as long as it is his own. Having read a report like this, it's very easy to imagine why people all over the world, especially in Iraq, lost trust and confidence in the US. It ended our unipolar moment. Arguably for the good, if that's what a unipolar power does. So it's mystifying why people in Genocide World don't seem to get that their genocide is making pretty much every nearby nation despise them for similar reasons. And think that peace with Genocide Man is impossible. It's not just Ukraine. Most European nations are committed to seeing Russia gradually weaken and crumble. The nearer you are to Genocide World, like Poland, the more you are committed to the idea that peace with Genocide Man is impossible. It's a problem for the US and Genocide World. The problem for the US is nobody wants to fund another forever war. But nobody, other than Trump, is going to hand over Ukraine to Genocide Man to devour. And 90 % of people in Ukraine don't want to make peace with Genocide Man by letting him devour them. The problem for Genocide World is far worse. It's reasonable to think at some point Russians might get tired of out of control inflation, soaring interest rates, and an economy that depends on turning Russian men into fertilizer. But even if Genocide Man wants peace, it's hard to see how he gets it. The lessons of Iraq are incredibly clear. You can open Pandora's Box, but you can't close it. Russia can't undo the hurt and hatred and mistrust Ukraine - and Europe - has for Russia, based on genocide. Ukraine will never NOT want to be part of the EU. It will never NOT want to be part of NATO. Russia lost the war of hearts and minds with their genocide, just like the US did in Iraq. The outcome will be the same. Eventually the Russians will just leave. Not under Genocide Man, of course. It's really a matter of how bad things in Genocide World need to get. But if you compare the power of the USSR to the pathetic weakness of Genocide Man, I'm pretty sure it won't take decades. Long live Genocide Man!

Just to be clear, I said the Russian economy is a stagnant piece of shit economy. Personally, I think you're a swell Genocide Fan, @Moses Nothing personal. I think the language about Genocide Man's testicles is actually more offensive. But true. It seems like the first decade or so of Genocide Man's rule was him trying to prove he's a tough and effective son of a bitch. And he was. The genocide in Chechnya worked. Which, again, suggests trouble ahead. If it took a decade to do a good murderous genocide inside a a part of Russia with 1 million people, don't get your hopes up about a nation with powerful allies across the world that had 43 million before your genocide started. But back to Vlad's testicles. In his young and virile days the economy could keep it up, too. You did outgrow Germany for over a decade, as we've both noted. Now poor old Genocide Man is trying to keep it up. But the sad truth is he had to take those tired old eggs, put 'em in a leash, and hand them to Master Xi. It's just a fact. You haven't denied it. Everyone in the world can see it. We're not stupid. And it's good, even for Russia. If Vlad and his tired old testicles get ornery and try to start a tactical nuclear war, Master Xi will just tug on them. I hope Master Xi doesn't have to castrate Genocide Man. Do you think he would? One way or the other, it's obvious that Genocide Man ain't what he used to be. So he is trying super hard to prove he's the toughest hombre ever. And he's had some successes. 126.9 % of voters in Genocide World just re-elected him! But why are we talking about Vlad's testicles? It's gross! In terms of Genocide World's piece of shit economy, just ask the people who are stuck in Genocide World. I'll just repost. I'd say it's hard to find an economy that is more a piece of shit than Genocide World. And that's not me saying it. That's Russians saying it. Piece of shit economy. Soaring inflation. 30 % inflation. 50 % inflation. Can't buy food. And in true Genocide Fan fashion, you already said that's all just bullshit. Don't just ignore the UN. Ignore your own people. What they say isn't true, or doesn't count. That's what we call a piece of shit political system, not a piece of shit economy. Lucky you! You get both.

There are actually lots of questions about whether any poll about anything Russians think can be trusted. Wonder why? So basically you are saying that, in your opinion, even the Levada Center can not be trusted. Granted, I have never been to Russia. But I think you're wrong. It's just you being Genocide Fan. If most Russians tell Levada that inflation is 30 % or 50 % of whatever, any lots of them can't afford necessary food, it's probably true. If people are filtering because they don't want to piss off Genocide Man, that would suggest it's even more unaffordable than it sounds. But, again, I get it that you are a devout Genocide Fan. There is no inflation. There is no genocide. Life under Genocide Man is perfect. On the same note, here's another thing about your pro-genocide bullsjit. That's a map of nations that convicted George W. Bush or being a war criminal. So, of that is the standard, I guess the invasion of Iraq was the loveliest war ever. Then again, some of us Americans feel it was going to be a predictable genocide. And it was. Some of us feel that the United States suffered irreparable political, military, economic, and diplomatic damage for our stupidity. You seem to agree. What's amusing is that anti-US and anti-NATO feelings are clearly thriving in Genocide World now. So you can all think the US fucked up really badly. Which we did. Yet, somehow, you think Genocide World is different. Because of flatter land, or whatever. You won't get bogged down in an unwinnable war. And you're absolutely right. Genocide World is different than the United States. By every measure, you are weaker and poorer, and have fewer allies. But somehow you can't see it. I can relate, though. I did support the US invasion of Afghanistan, as an act of self defense. And I did think we would do better than the USSR. And I think we did, if you talk to women and girls in Afghanistan. Genocide Man's propagandists obviously don't agree. So I can see how you can lead yourselves to believe whatever you want to believe. At least, I suspect that's how many Russians feel. Denial. Delusion. You're not one of them, though. You are a very clear eyed Genocide Fan. You know it's genocide, and you want as much retribution and murder as it takes to win.

An interesting article about Biden, written before the genocide in Ukraine started. Biden disliked Putin before it was cool For For a demented wimp, you have to hand it to Joe Biden for looking Genocide Man in the eyes and saying, "You have no soul." You also have to hand it to Genocide Man for replying, "We understand each other." Such a sweetie! No doubt this is why Genocide Man won 103 % of the vote. Or whatever. What I was curious about was whether what Biden said in 2014 was just bullshit. Did Russia encounter growing economic costs at home? Or is that just demented Joe talking, seeing as how 104 % of the people who live in Genocide World, and 137 % of the people who live in occupied Ukraine, just voted for Genocide Man? I think the facts are clear, if I use the standards @Moses articulated earlier in this thread. Right around when Biden said Genocide World would encounter growing economic costs is when Russia's economy went into the shitter. @Moses is correct that if you measure by PPP, Genocide World is now a teeny tiny teeny tiny bit bigger than Germany, for one year. Meaning you can get more for your money in Genocide World than in Germany. I'll return to that below. But the reality is that Genocide World outgrew Germany significantly almost every year from about 2000 to 2013. That was before Germans thought of Genocide Man as - well, to be blunt, genocidal. Since Genocide Man invaded Ukraine, Germany and Genocide World have been growing at roughly the same rate. Genocide Man had a great 2023, by crippling Germany's energy supply and turning his own people into fertilizer. If that's a great year, who needs bad years? In my mind, that's actually bad news for Genocide World. Just when the economy started to go into the shitter, Genocide Fans said, "We're going in the right direction." So in Genocide World, more genocide and less economic growth is a better direction. Huh? But, objectively, that is exactly what happened when Genocide Man picked a fight with Ukraine. I'm guessing Russians were thinking vacations in Crimea. As opposed to Genocide Man turning them into Ukrainian fertilizer. Call me a California liberal. But id rather see young people get paid to build out AI and green energy. Anyhoo, as we all know, 109.42 % of the residents of Genocide World just voted to re-elect Genocide Man. What a surprise! They love him. And their economy is poised to surpass the US economy ................ well, never. But their economy is still on a roll. You really can never have enough guns, bombs, and fertilizer. Besides, this is great news for Biden. I now actually believe that Genocide Man does want Biden re-elected. Genocide Man has figured out how to get 112.975 % of Genocide Fans to vote for him, even when inflation is 30 %. Or 50 %. Or whatever. Surely, if 125.34 % of Genocide Fans can vote for Genocide Man with inflation like that, Biden can get 50 % of the vote with 3 % inflation. This solves some of Biden's other problems, too. And here Biden thought he had a problem because Zoomers can't afford to buy homes. In Genocide World, most Russians can't buy furniture for whatever crappy place they live in. Although things are better than when the hard core genocide started. Now most residents of Genocide World don't have to sacrifice necessary food. That's progress. Almost as good as Biden cutting child poverty in half for a year with his child tax credits. But lets not talk about children. It's a sensitive topic with Genocide Man. Who 153 % of Russians just voted for! Russia overtakes Germany to become fifth biggest economy in the world in GDP on a PPP basis That's a great article that makes the case for Genocide Man, which Genocide Fans like @Moses really want to believe. And some of it is absolutely true. When you are conducting genocide, it always helps to have an industrial base. There are only two massive and insurmountable problems. Oh well. As the article notes, Genocide World sucks at technology and innovation. Which maybe is okay, if all you want to do is export machines or solar panels or plastics or toys. Which is what China does. But, as the article notes, China is investing heavily and becoming the dominant global power in things like renewables and manufacturing. Since Genocide Man picked a fight with the leading technological and economic powers of the world, being technologically crippled might be fatal. Kind of like it was to the Soviet Union when the US out-innovated them in the 70's and 80's. But that's a long term problem. It won't help that lots of young innovators want to get into the US,. And many of Genocide World's best and brightest fled. But that's a long term problem, too. The immediate problem is that in Genocide World, they haven't figured out how to use guns and tanks without turning huge numbers of Russians into fertilizer. It's kind of like saying starting a genocide so we can turn Russians into fertilizer is the right direction. I guess that works in Genocide World. But that just may not hold up very well as a way to run an economy in the long term. Of course, it would be cool if Genocide Man could figure out a way to kill lots of Ukrainians without having to turn so many Russians into fertilizer. Isn't there a name for that? Oh, yeah. Nuclear weapons. Now there's a thought! So it's swell that Genocide World is bigger than Germany for a year, if you measure by PPP. But it still means turning lots of Russians into fertilizer. But I'm sure it will work out fine. There will be more food and shoes for everyone else. And they'll never run out of fertilizer. No doubt this is why Genocide Man won 173 % of the vote!

Again, you are incredibly dedicated to proving my points are correct. If I say, "Putin committed genocide," which is what much of the world thinks, your point is, "Wait. Brazil did not convict Genocide Man of genocide. South Africa did not convict Genocide Man of genocide." Which is true. Are you a lawyer? If I then say, "There is an arrest warrant out for Putin by the ICC", well that's just propaganda. The opposite of justice. And besides, stealing children, torturing children, raping children, shooting children in the head and back, that's NOT genocide. Which is also correct. And, besides, Genocide Man does not personally rape children, torture children, shoot children in the head or back, or even steal them. His soldiers do. So you could say, "Genocide Man is a sweetheart. Saying these things about Genocide Man is a grave injustice." LOL. Whatever. You are completely committed to being Genocide Fan. Are you Bibi Netanyahu? You would make a great Bibi The Butcher. Have you ever seriously considered being a genocidal leader? You have all the right thinking. Like Genocide Man, Bibi The Butcher is a victim of great injustice. Like Genocide Man, Bibi The Butcher is just trying to rid the world of Nazis and terrorists. You have said, @Moses, that you insist on retribution. And these thugs who took over the country have to go. That is so Bibi The Butcher. Bravo! And of course the problem is that these Nazis and terrorists and thugs put women and children in the way of your missiles. And they even put children in the way of the rifles of Russian soldiers. What is Bibi The Butcher or Genocide Man gonna do? I think you are an outstanding Genocide Fan. You should consider taking Genocide Man's place if he ever loses power. But, hey, he won 87 % or the vote. Or 107 %. Or whatever. Everyone loves Genocide Man!

I know I'm hard about you with facts, @EmmetK. But this one, I have to admit. You're right. There's just no question about it Right about now in 2016, Hillary was leading Trump by more than Trump is leading Biden. And she was about to open up a 10 point lead in May. Needless to say, there was nothing Trump could do to stop her landslide victory. But that's nothing compared to Carter's 10 point lead over Reagan in 1980. Granted, some worrywarts were saying the gap is closing. But they were wrong. Carter's 10 point lead only grew, and he won one of the most decisive victories in US history. How could Joe Biden ever close Trump's 1.7 % lead in the polls today? It's impossible! 😉

I know facts abused you. And I know you have found comfort and succor among your MAGA friends, where facts are viewed as abusive. Donald Trump, father of abuse and rape and lies, of course cultivates this kind of environment. But what part of the elections in 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023, or 2024 suggest to you that most Americans vote against facts? I just don't see it. Sorry to repeat. But this will be repeated ad nauseum this Fall: Trump thinks crime is his ticket to get Independents to vote for him by being AGAINST Biden's "horrible" crime policies. That may change once we actually start having a debate. Independents are more likely to listen to facts than just rally behind either Biden or Trump. Lest you have dementia and forgot, @EmmetK, let's take a trip down memory lane. Trump tried to use crime to win in 2020. It didn't work. The most interesting comment in that brief dissection was Peter Emerson saying this is a very powerful ad. Because it plays to emotion and fear. And the two most powerful things you can scare people about are their safety, and their health. Emerson has worked on every Democratic Presidential campaign since 1972. You don't Joe Biden, who was first elected around then, has figured this out? It didn't work in 2020. I suspect part of the reason why is murder skyrocketed under Trump in 2020. Although I don't think anyone knew the annual 2020 murder yet in November 2020. But people did know crime and murder were out of control. I think it hurt Trump. Lichtman, who you dismiss, would agree with that. The riots and social unrest hurt Trump. What we know now is that murder rates went up 30 % in Trump's last year in power. And murder rates fell at least 12 % in Biden's last full year before the 2024 election. That ad said Biden would defund the police and make you less safe. There is more police funding, and less murder, under Biden than Trump. People are safer. Granted, those are facts, not fears. But if it didn't work in 2020, how is it supposed to work in 2024 when Biden has the facts even more on his side? I suspect that is why, if you listen carefully, Republicans are talking about immigration, not murder. They can't say murder rates skyrocketed when Joe Biden took over. Because they did the opposite. So all they can do is hope the 2024 election is about one woman being murdered by one immigrant. All the Democrats need to do is run some Reaganesque ad like from 1984, asking people why we would want to go back to what we had in 1980. Make it about murder rates in 2020, possibly profiling actual murder victims, and compare it to the murder rates in 2023. People may fear Biden. But they also may fear that if they bring back Trump, we'll have way more guns and way more murder. Just like we did in 2020. Emerson said your safety and your health are the two best emotional triggers. As bad as safety is for Trump, health is far worse. All Biden has to say is Trump tried very hard to take your health care and your health care protections away as POTUS. People know this is true. Even among the MAGA base, it was the thing that dropped Trump's approval rating to its lowest. Working class Whites (and Blacks, and Hispanics, and Asians) did not like that. All Biden has to keep repeating is that Trump has already said he will try again, if you let him. Biden will say he strengthened those protections, and wants to strengthen them more. Speaking of Reagan, that also worked very will in 2020. Just use Reagan's words against Trump again. It's even easier after what Trump did on Jan. 6th. Breaking cops' bones on Capitol Hill is not what Reagan meant when he talked about "the shining city on a hill". If out of control crime is you path to victory, that simply tells me why Trump is going to lose. We haven't even begun to compare Trump, the most job-killing President in US history, to Biden, the most job-creating President in US history.

I of course was curious which countries those were. Recognition of the Genocide of Ukrainians (2022) That's the English translation of the Russian language Wikipedia page the map led me to. Forgive me for being a bit cynical about Genocide Man. But I think the fact that the ICC issued an arrest warrant that he could care less about and says is propaganda is more than sufficient proof. Genocide Man really does think that genocide means never having to say you're sorry. One of the many problems Genocide Man has created is that Ukraine now wants reparations from Genocide World. Which they will never get, if we are being practical. But it is one of many reasons they won't make peace with Genocide Man, no matter what the rest of the world thinks. Speaking of the rest of the world, my basic bet is that democracy wins. And propaganda loses. If you look at history, name one time that genocide worked in the long haul. I could make a good argument that Israel has tried it, fairly successfully. We mostly agree on that, I think. But that would be limited to Bibi The Butcher. It certainly wasn't genocide when Arafat turned down a peace deal with Barak and Clinton that would have beyond question prevented the rise of Bibi The Butcher, and what is happening in Gaza today. And Bibi The Butcher's policy, which I would describe as apartheid as opposed to genocide until Oct. 7th, which was genocide against Jews, has now blown up in his face. Bibi The Butcher is history, and not in good way. So genocide just never seems to work in the long run. I have never been to Russia. But I have to assume that most Russians really have no grasp on how democracy works in the real world. It certainly doesn't work in Genocide World. Because I think you genuinely have no idea how this is crippling and actually destroying Genocide World, both from the outside in and from the inside out. I'll extensively quote from that (originally) Russian language Wikipedia page. This is what people all over the world think about Genocide World. Granted, Brazil and South Africa have no reason not to get stuff from Genocide World at fire sale prices, if they can. But if you think this helps Genocide Man, you have no concept of how democracy works. Which is of course why the only countries really backing Genocide Man are authoritarian nations like Iran and North Korea, whose economies are even bigger messes. From the Wikipedia article on Russian genocide in Ukraine (in italics): The German publication Der Tagesspiegel published the legal opinion of the lawyer Otto Luchtergandt, which refers to the blockade of Mariupol and numerous crimes committed by the Russian military from the point of view of international law, including genocide. In an interview with Deutsche Welle regarding acts that suggest genocide, he stated: [73] "The first is the encirclement of the city and the fact that since the beginning of March, services from the Ukrainian side have not been allowed into the city to provide the population with food and the most necessary things for life. The population is cut off from water, electricity and heating, as well as mobile communications, which are the norm today, meaning people are cut off from the outside world.'' "The second is the constant bombing of residential areas and people, and especially medical, cultural and other institutions that have nothing to do with the authorities or military facilities. The most egregious is the attack on a children's hospital . [74] [75] Here even Russian propaganda contradicted herself when she first said that it was a fake and did not exist at all, and then said that the headquarters of the battalion, right-wing radicals and "Nazis" were allegedly located there. "And from these objective facts, we can conclude that the subjective intention of the Russian troops or President Putin is to destroy, wipe the city and its population off the face of the earth. That is, the population is systematically destroyed, planned actions are carried out, and not random bombings." Germany, by the way, is NOT one of the nations that have recognized genocide in Ukraine. So you can brag about that, too! Woo hoo! But this is devastating. What's most devastating is that pretty much everyone in the world who has access to a TV or the internet saw some version of this, in real time, with their own eyes. This is exactly why I think you are deeply fucked. That's the Soviet Union's GDP per capita until it collapsed. So the best case I can make for Genocide Man winning is that for most of that period the USSR was able to dominate Ukraine, and the whole Warsaw Pact. But that was not essentially about the USSR being good at genocide. It was about the USSR being good at industrialization, and economic growth. Turns out the world likes industrialization, and economic growth. Like I said, the Russian Federation is not like the USSR. It is weaker, and worse. Now Genocide Man has leashed his testicles to Master Xi, and his economy to genocide in Ukraine and self-transformation of Russian men into fertilizer. And there really is no end in sight. The thing that is both funny and sad to me is that, as critics of the US, Genocide Fans like you should know better than anyone that the genocidal nature of the Iraq War was predictable (W's father predicted it, when he was POTUS and decided not to go to Baghdad). And, more than anything, it ended America's brief unipolar moment. Some part of that was the rest of the world looked at what it created and lost confidence in the US. And that is despite the fact that we had over 40 allies who deployed troops in Iraq. Genocide Man has drones from Iraq and North Korea. Woo hoo! You also should know this because the US and USSR experienced different versions of exactly the same thing in Afghanistan. But you are a Genocide Fan of Genocide Man. You deeply want to believe that the land is flat, and hospitals are closer, and blah blah blah whatever. Go ahead. It's another reason the genocide will go on longer than it has to, and it will end even more badly for you. Being convicted of genocide would be way nicer than how this is going to work out for Genocide World in the long run. But you don't want to see that. I can't blame you. Many Americans didn't want to, either.

Go for it, @Moses. The implicit message is that we can get away with genocide. India won't fuck with us, and China will tacitly support us. South Africa? Who the fuck cares. Whatever they think, it doesn't matter. I think that is how Genocide Man thinks. There is a cruelty and cynicism to it that I am sure he thinks will pay off. Even though all the evidence is that it is not working. I won't bother to quote all the UN reports and statements about Genocide Man's genocide and stealing of children. When it is convenient to say most of the world has not actually found Genocide Man guilty of genocide in court, that is what Genocide Man and his Genocide Fans like you will say. "See, he's not guilty!" When the UN tells him to stop stealing and killing Ukraine's children, that's just propaganda. When the International Criminal Court investigates Genocide Man's war crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity, and unlawful deportation of children, and issues a warrant for his arrest, Genocide Man and his Genocide Fans like you say, "That's just propaganda." Enjoy the moment, Genocide Fan. Genocide Man will win his election. He has Genocide World all pumped up about how you are winning the war. And your shitty stagnant inflationary economy is growing!!!!! And it sure is better than the 90's. Navalny is dead. And if all those ethnic minorities that hate Putin for turning their husbands and sons into fertilizer try to protest, they'll be dead or in prison. Genocide means never have to say you're sorry. Genocide means being above the law, of course. Who the fucks cares what the International Criminal Court says? Genocide means Genocide Man can kill any man, woman, or child he wants. That's not a theory. That's what he is doing. And if you fuck with me, I'll nuke you. That's the chart that matters to me, dear. You are right that the Russian Federation is not the USSR. It is weaker, and worse. The USSR was a global superpower that could threaten the US in Cuba. Genocide Man can't win a war in Ukraine. And it will be a quagmire as long as Genocide Man stays there. You can brag about how you outgrew Germany for the first time since 2014 or so by crippling their energy supplies and turning lots of Russians into fertilizer. And making Germans despise Russia. It doesn't change the fact that China trades twice as much with Germany than Russia. Or twice as much with the Netherlands. Those figures are old, since Genocide Man has now handed his economy and testicles to Master Xi on a leash. But not too long ago Russia was about what Brazil and South Africa are to China in terms of trade. The US is ten times more important to Master Xi than Russia and his pit bull's aging testicles. And that was before Master Xi's economy went into the crapper, too. You think you're winning by growing as much as the US in one year, by committing genocide and turning Russians into fertilizer? If the US and Russia grow at the same rate, that means every year the US grows over 10 times more than Russia in absolute terms. Which pays for a hell of a lot of support for Ukraine, if we can deal with Trump trying to bow down to Genocide Man. I can see why Genocide Man needs Trump to win, badly. Everyone can see that. But forget about the US, which is the mother of all propaganda. Let's talk about Brazil, and South Africa. No one there has convicted Genocide Man of genocide, right? That's your point. People in Brazil and South Africa don't want to take sides. If I lived there, I wouldn't want to take sides, either. So in 2017, Pew said 33 % of South Africans had confidence in Genocide Man to do the right thing in terms of world affairs. 36 % had no confidence in him. That right there tells us it was a close call. And South Africans didn't think of Putin as Genocide Man at that time. Let alone convict him of genocide. You do have that to brag about! Now, thanks to Genocide Man, 57 % of South Africans have unfavorable views of Russia. and 28 % percent have favorable views. But, hey! They still haven't convicted Genocide Man of genocide. You do have that to brag about, still! It's much worse in Brazil. In 2017 only 19 % had confidence in Genocide Man, and 60 % had no confidence. Now 68 % view Russia unfavorably. But you can brag about the fact that they have not convicted Genocide Man of genocide! And 1 in 5 Brazilians still have some respect for Genocide World. Woo hoo! That's true all over the world, with the big exception being China. Which is good, IMHO. Because Genocide Man has to know that Master Xi and the Chinese public, which wants to believe they are all about peace, won't be happy if Genocide Man starts nuking Ukraine. Or Europe, which Master Xi would rather trade with than nuke. So Genocide Man does have that to brag about. China has not convicted him of genocide. Genocide Man sure is a genius! Dementia Joe comes across as the wise guy in the room. Long before the wild sex between Master Xi and Genocide Man, which I guess involves pulling hard on Genocide Man's poor old leashed testicles, a certain US President looked in Genocide Man's eyes and swooned. Those were the days! Meanwhile, Biden said, "I don't trust Putin." He was right. He was also right we should have gotten out of Afghanistan in 2009. He's also right that we should be defending Ukraine. Americans will not bow down to Putin. It's one of the most important reasons Trump won't win. Biden has outlasted Genocide Man, and just about everybody else. And that is the strategy. Master Xi does have Genocide Man's tired old testicles contained in a leash. Poor murderous thing! The US and Europe and allies all over the world will contain Genocide Man in every other way. It will be easy, and take less time, compared to the 40 years or so of the Cold War. As a side benefit, I think China is learning genocide doesn't pay off. As an added side benefit, the Americans who backed invading Iraq, which led to genocide, now have yet another example of how these invasions never work well in the end. That is the part of the MAGA/Republican isolationism that is not about Trump, and probably makes both the US and the world a little safer. I hope the Republicans remember this next time they want to invade some country. But, great news! Genocide Man is going to win big! Russia is full of Genocide Fans like you who love him! And no one has convicted Genocide Man of genocide. These are really things to brag about! Woo hoo!