stevenkesslar

Aren't you forgetting a certain sweetheart of Donald's? 😉

The one thing I will say in Hakeem's defense is that following Nancy Pelosi was going to be difficult if not impossible for anyone. If I had to name the smartest Democratic leaders of my lifetime, it would be Bill Clinton or Barack Obama or Nancy Pelosi. I could make a great argument that she should be at the top of the list. All three made some big fuck ups, as well. But especially if I factor in how bad were the fucks ups versus all their successes, Nancy's ratio of success is probably better than the other two. She is the Democrat who mostly won things. I always had a theory as a community organizer that there is simply nothing like organizing Moms trying to protect their kids. The non-literal phrase I have used a lot is that many Moms would slit their wrist to protect their children. That could sound sexist or patronizing. But having organized many Moms I just think it is a fact. And that's not to say Dads are bad. It is just to says Moms and Moms, and great Moms are great Moms. So I always viewed that as part of Nancy's thing. With Trump she has what I viewed as an appropriate instinct to protect us from this felon and rapist and predator at all costs. It stands out now in particular, as I said in a recent post, because Nancy was 1000 % like this with Trump. She fought him fiercely, and I think did almost everything right. Which is to say she went for the jugular. Harris did that one time: in the Sept. debate, which worked great for her. Then she drifted into pablum. Had Harris had Pelosi's instinct of going for Trump's jugular relentlessly, which she did not, she might have eked out a narrow win rather than a narrow loss. Coulda woulda shoulda. But I agree with you about Hakeem. At this point he seems to stand for nothing, and fight for nothing. As a contrast to Ro, I read some anecdote about how Hakeem went to some meeting with Silicon Valley donors recently and talked about "mending fences". That to me is the problem, not the solution. Ro will say many of the richest people in the US live in my district. And I will tell them to their face I want them to pay more taxes, now, to help the working class. That is an actual solution, unlike Hakeem's seemingly empty rhetoric and fat cat fundraising. In my view it was the fat cat fundraising and lobbying from Sinema and Manchin in particular that blocked Biden from doing things - like tax the rich and keep the child tax credits - that might have given more working class Moms and Dads a reason to feel in their gut that Democrats fought for them. That said, either Ro or Hakeem are better than Trump, who is now actively planning on how to screw the working class. He is raising prices on cars, groceries, and lots of other things working class people buy. He is planning to cut Medicare and Medicaid they depend on. He is firing veterans. And working class people know it. Which is why Trump's approval rating and consumer confidence is already trending down.

House GOP conservatives make plea to 'hesistant' moderates on Medicaid changes The insolent pig is just really, really, really, really, really fucking stupid. This should have been obvious in 2017 when all these seniors who voted for Trump said something like this: "See, people like me are smart. Cuz after I vote for Donald Trump, why would he cut my Obamacare? Unless he gives me something better? I voted for Trump. Him hurting me just doesn't make sense. Smart guys like me can figure this out." Well, it didn't make sense. But Trump did it anyway. Go figure. Veterans and seniors are about to get their throats slit the same way, more than likely. Why would trump hurt the very people who voted for him? Maybe because Trump really is that fucking stupid. And he only gives a shit about himself, and his billionaire cronies.

David Axelrod made an interesting point after Trump first won in 2016. He said he advised Obama in 2008 that, after eight years of W, America was ready for the opposite. So he scripted Obama in part to be the anti-W. Axelrod said he couldn't really be as objective as he might have wished in 2016, since he loves Obama and detests Trump. But after Trump won he said he missed the reality staring him in the face. After eight years of Obama, Trump was the perfect anti-Obama. Arguably, Biden was the perfect anti-Trump in 2020. And Trump was the perfect anti-Biden in 2024. Weird shit! Ro Khanna slams Democrats’ behavior at Trump’s joint address: ‘Not a good look’ Every time Ro Khanna goes out on a minor limb and takes a risk, I like what he say to say. Partly because he is taking risks, period. If I had to name the biggest thing wrong with the Harris/Walz campaign, it would be what Tim Walz just said. The campaign played it way too safe. As if they were ahead in a race that they were actually behind or at best tied in every single day. It is time for Democrats to take risk. Beyond that, Khanna seems to be thinking, "How can I be the anti-Trump in a way that actually appeals to people?" My expectations for Trump 2.0 were extremely low. So I'm kind of impressed that Trump has actually exceeded my worst expectations of just how shitty a leader he can be. At this point, given his speed in breaking shit, some part of me feels like it is almost better to just break as much shit as he can. Hurt as many veterans as he can. Fuck as many seniors as he can. Be Putin's 100 % compliant bitch every day. And destroy every alliance that took a century to build. About half of America, so far, is getting a daily lesson is just how scummy and disgusting and traitorous Trump can be. And there ain't much anyone can do about it. Yet. Khanna seems to be one of the people trying to figure out what people might want to hear in 2028. He is not the only one. And I am not arguing he is the best one, or anywhere close. But he does impress me as someone who is thinking hard and taking risks with his eye on the prize for what might work in 2028. There's two things in particular that stand out in that article above, and in a lot of what Khanna says. One is that he seems to have taken both the 2002 and 2024 versions of Ruy Teixeira to heart. In 2002 Ruy and his leftie partner in crime John Judis improbably argued there was an emerging Democratic majority. For years now, climaxing in 2024, Ruy has been arguing woke college-educated progressives are ruining this majority by losing touch with the interests of the working class. Khanna seems to have read both books, and the weekly or so Teixeira memos on his Liberal Patriot blog. First by talking about things like patriotism, and respect. The second thing that stands out is that Khanna seems willing to push hard for the economic boilerplate things that Teixeira argues, correctly I think, Democrats need to focus on: working class economics. I can name two things that could have won 2024 for Democrats: 1) Tax the rich a lot more, which is the single most popular Democratic policy proposal most of the time; 2) Draw blood and fight like hell to extend the child tax credits that helped tens of millions of Hispanics and Blacks and working class Whites survive inflation. The Democrats let the tax credits die. And probably millions of those working class voters ended up reluctantly siding with Trump in the end. It made it easier for Trump to argue Democrats won't fight for the working class and put money in your pocket, but they will fight for prisoner sex changes at your expense. Khanna was on Team Bernie in 2020. He has proven adept at balancing representing rich people in Silicon Valley while he calls for pro-working class economics. And taxing the rich a lot more to help the working class. Now he says, correctly, we should focus like a laser on how Trump will cut Medicaid and blow up the deficit to help Elon Musk and billionaires. Again, I'm not saying Khanna is the best one for 2028, or even close. But he is ahead of the curve in laying out messaging and strategies Democrats better be focused on if we want to eventually end this national horror. Another thing I think is a given. After all the pain of watching Elon Musk kick veterans in the balls, slit Medicaid in the throat, and feed Tesla and SpaceX off Trump's federal slush fund tit, we'll be ready to put a pitchfork in the child abusing piece of shit by 2028. But since we're being respectful like Khanna, I won't say Musk is a worthless child abusing piece of shit who disgusts me. Even though he is. I'll just say we should raise the child abusing piece of shit's taxes to fund Medicaid and veterans, and child tax credits.

Who's counting any more. No offense, but Laura and Maria just don't compete with treason and betrayal. But it is nice to know even the entertainment portion of the betrayal and treason is a horror show, too.

Have to admit I am a bit disappointed, Sis. The AI is fine. I was just really looking forward to a sequel to Red White & Royal Blue. I didn't realize it was going to be Red White & Genocide.

Trump’s trade war sparks broad backlash The insolent pig Trump is deeply stupid and deeply cruel. He is going to betray and hurt lots of people who voted for him because he is a venal narcissistic asshole. The stupid insolent pig and traitor promised to lower prices. Instead he is raising them.

The insolent pig Trump is a traitor. Veterans cuts spark GOP backlash on Capitol Hill The insolent pig is a traitor. Trump is betraying everything the nation stands for and fought fought for as he backs Genocide Man. Veterans are being stabbed in the back by this incompetent traitor.

You're funny. First, by Trump standards, I thought it was a good speech. One Republican strategist said Trump seemed relaxed and on a good vibe. I'd agree. But .......... This is a bit like elections in Russia ........................ RIGGED! And you are like Putin's liars in Russia. You leave out any facts that doesn't fit your lies and bullshit. It makes complete sense that Trump has now slipped into net disapproval after a bit more than a month. Even though he gave a speech his supporters loved. Of course when most of the people who watch the speech are Republicans, or "Independents" who use that word to say, "I'm for Trump, but don't want to be held accountable for it," that means most people watching the speech will approve of it. But, again, Trump was Trump at his best ............... entertaining, and even more long winded than me. You of course noticed Trump DID NOT talk about foreign policy much. Nor did he whine about everything his pal Vlad and him have been through. He knows people completely disagree with him on that. Even within his own party.

Facts ... facts .... I know. Bullets work better in Genocide World. Here's another new poll that shows even worse results for Genocide Man, and his loyal insolent pig Trump. No wonder Trump suddenly forgot he called Zelenskyy a dictator. Report: Americans Agree - Russia is Responsible for the War

I almost cried when I saw that tonight. For the first time, Trump has net disapproval. The poor guy is slowing down. It took him a month longer to get to this point than when first blew his job in 2017. And on a night when he brought down the house with his wit, charm, and searing intelligence, no less! It is so unfair. He is so perfect. And, speaking of perfect, I was thinking @Barknaway has been doing a perfect job of spreading pro-Trump hate, lies, and ignorance. How could his strategy of plastering this website with hate, lies, and ignorance possibly have not worked? It's so unfair. He's the smartest impulsively reacting dog since Pavlov was around. I want to lend a hand, and I think we all should. I propose that we now give @Barknaway up to 5 treats a day, for every 100 videos he posts. i don't think 500 videos a day is asking too much. I have no idea how many he has posts, since everyone ignores them. So obviously we need more. I also think we need to combat a certain intellectual laziness in his scattershot approach, and focus him on the things we know work best: So: Two extra treats a day for saying anything hateful or wrong about trans children. One extra treat a day for saying anything hateful or wrong about anyone LGBTQ. Three extra treats for saying anything hateful or wrong about undocumented immigrants. (I'm already adding three treats for you saying that the measles outbreak in Texas was probably caused by immigrant children.) Can anyone else think of particularly hateful or ignorant things we want to give @Barknaway extra treats for? And, @Barknaway, could you be a pal and start a post that records how many videos you post every day? No one pays attention, or watches them. But we would like to know how to probably reward you. We deeply regret your failure. And we'd like to work with you to turn this around. Just like JD Vance is Ukraine's strongest ally, and will do anything for them.

This poll shows 44/51 approval, for -7 net disapproval of Trump's leadership. The insolent pig is loyal to Putin, not the US or democracy. The insolent pig is a traitor. The more he tries to shove Genocide Man down America's throat, the more resistance the insolent pro-Putin pig will get.

The loyal piglet sounds like a warmonger. The loyal piglet Vance is loyal to Trump, who is loyal to Putin and authoritarianism. The loyal piglet is not for peace. The loyal piglet is also incredibly stupid. Maybe Trump only wanted someone stupider than him for his # 2 The loyal piglet disgusts me. When he is not busy destroying century old alliances built out of wars his whining ass never fought in, he is attacking Zelenskyy for supposedly not wanting peace. The sadistic and stupid logic of the loyal piglet is that Ukraine is the aggressor, and Putin is the peacemaker. Ukrainians who want security guarantees that a genocidal monster won't attack them again are simply against peace. What a sadist. This is insanely cruel to Ukraine. It is as if the traitorous stupid piglet wants to leave Ukraine as exposed as possible. How can the traitorous stupid piglet be against peacekeepers? The stupid traitorous piglet is a nightmare for Ukraine and peace, and a gift to Putin. The loyal piglet is stupid. And he has to think Ukrainians are really stupid to believe a line like that. It just shows what a stupid and horrible leader the loyal piglet would be. Trump just called Ukraine's leader a dictator. He blamed Ukraine for starting the invasion. He is taking Putin's side. He just announced he is freezing weapons delivery. The tough guys in the Republican Party are having verbal schizophrenia publicly agreeing with everything Zelenskyy says about Putin, and yet blaming him for saying it. And now the loyal piglet says you don't need Europe for security guarantees. Even though Trump said he wants Europe to handle security guarantees, since he sides with Putin. You just need us. And more vague and empty promises. Right, JD. Thanks for adding insult to injury. You just stabbed Ukraine in the back. And now your girly man ass is insulting them, and Europe as well. Vance is not only wrong, wrong, wrong. He is stupid. And a sadist. He is an embarrassment to the United State of America.

Trump halts aid to Ukraine The minerals deal is still on the table. So are deals with Russia. No shit! How do you figure? 😉 I assume the insolent pig's latest outburst is based on not liking the fact that leaders in Germany and France are actually calling him out for his betrayal of Ukraine and Europe. The thing that is nice about Trump is you really don't have to guess. He's just upfront in his recklessness, stupidity, and retribution. He is like a pissed off child. So it seems about 99 % clear that Ukraine will not get security guarantees from Trump. And that the insolent pig will do everything he can to ally with Putin. Despite the fact that only 4 % of Americans actually sympathize more with Putin on this issue, as shown in multiple polls. And, left to his own resources, at this point it is more than a reasonable guess that Trump will happily throw the security interests of both Ukraine and Europe under the bus. The fact that a pro-US conservative German leader is calling Trump out almost assures that is how Europe sees it. That's a recent Jan. 2025 poll on how people feel about pardoning the J6ers. I posted that because this is in the same ballpark. In my view, pardoning Putin for genocide is much worse than pardoning the J6ers for an attack on cops, and a peaceful transfer of power in a democracy. But both basically involve MAGA authoritarian followers being willing to say whatever their leader says is the truth. If Putin is the peacemaker, not the aggressor, than Trump must be right. And Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson must be wrong, too. But we'll pardon him, too. For now. That is how Trump and his loyal followers roll. Ian Bremmer argued in that article about that European leaders better pander to Trump quick, if they want to avoid a "full rapprochement" between "the Americans and Russians". I'm pretty sure Starmer and Macron and Merz will dance that dance soon. If only to say they gave it a whirl. But Trump has made it as clear as he can that he and Putin are allies. They share an aligned "vision" - to quote his pals in Russia. And that is the way it is. What's not to like about authoritarianism? That poll above is probably a good guess of how many Americans will go along with it.

It's better you just post videos, @Barknaway. Because when you open your mouth, you just spout ignorance and hate and stupidity. Yup, blame everything on immigrants. I'm stupid. I'm a hater. Blame the fucking immigrants! I have no facts. I just post lie after lie after lie after lie every day. But fuck! I'm MAGA now. I can say any ignorant thing I want and it has to be true. One of many reasons I stopped watching your videos is that in a number of them somewhat honest posters admit this is just some shit I read on the internet. I have no idea whether it is true or not. But pass it along. You folks prize ignorance like a badge of honor. There is an obvious common denominator here. It is not immigrant status. It is vaccination status. The dead American child, and most of the children affected, have that in common. Not vaccinated. Texas is not releasing the immigration status of the children, or their names. I think they think the important fact here is that they're not vaccinated. But what do health experts know? The non-ignorant bright idea here is that vaccinated children likely won't catch or spread measles from other kids, whether they are immigrants or not. And they won't die. And by the way, Trump is POTUS now. And measles spreads quickly. So this is on Trump. Since MAGA blamed Biden for the death of anyone an immigrant killed, if you think this may have been because of an immigrant - with no proof - then you should blame Trump for the child's death. If some immigrant child crossed the border with measles and spread it, that had to have happened while Trump was POTUS. More likely, it is a direct result of the lack of vaccination. But that would mean Trump is accountable. We can't have that! Facts and bright ideas just get in the way of your ignorance and hate campaign. So go back to your videos. You have a lot of work to do. Trump is getting less popular by the day. Ever wonder why? IGNORANT LIAR

No one knows for sure. But the most likely explanation for the insolent pig's outburst is that he wanted a political win last Friday. If that is true, he should be pissed at his own Vice President and his own temper for fucking that up. Is it possible the insolent pig and his recklessness is his own worst enemy? That would sure be a shocker, wouldn't it? 🤪 All Trump did is expose that his stupid and vain brain sucks at making deals. I think it is better for the world and Ukraine and Europe if they just make deals around Trump, for a while. The ego and stupidity of the insolent pig can be manipulated to bring him on board later. What a humiliating embarrassment that this vain insolent pig is our leader!

Trump and Zelenskyy’s White House clash a ‘deliberate escalation’ by US, says Germany’s Merz U.S. president’s rage was pre-planned, likely next chancellor says. The insolent pig Trump is a traitor. The insolent pig Trump is stupid and vain. Thanks to his stupidity and vanity and ego and recklessness, he is destroying our alliances with Europe. The insolent pig Trump is breaking America.

Trump’s ‘indecency’ endangers transatlantic alliance: French PM François Bayrou calls U.S. president’s treatment of Zelenskyy “a staggering scene marked by brutality.” The insolent pig Trump is a traitor. The insolent pig Trump is stupid and vain. Thanks to his stupidity and vanity and ego and recklessness, he is destroying our alliances with Europe. The insolent pig Trump is breaking America.

I know I am in full rant mode with long posts. But I am learning a lot of new things. And I assume everyone who is not interested just ignores what I post. Top Republicans say they want Ukraine deal 'back on track' That was completely predictable. Again, Mike Johnson spoke for most Americans when he said we want Putin to be defeated. But most Americans are sober, and realize for now he can't be. Sorry we feel that way. Couldn't happen to a nicer genocide maker. I don't think JD Vance speaks for most Republican Senators. I think most of them want the US to keep arming Ukraine. They probably also want to offer Zelenskyy the security guarantees he wants. But they know they have to blow smoke up Trump's ass constantly. In Trump 1.0, the grown ups in the room were in the White House. One very clear indicator that the insolent pig has the brain of a child seeking retribution is that he made sure all the people he appointed are loyal to him. But I think this proves that he just can't do that with Republicans in the Senate and House. Johnson will blow smoke up Trump's ass, and then make pro-Ukraine deals. Thune seems to not even have to bother blowing smoke up Trump's ass. He just does what the majority of Republican Senators want. Which is his job. This confirms that the majority of Republican Senators want to defend Ukraine. Despite Trump's affection for Genocide Man, his mafia crony. If I had to bet, I'd bet that statement is wishful thinking. Trump runs the administrative branch. And he wants it his way. There is a silver lining on that cloud. In theory, Trump can keep Putin defanged for four years. Meanwhile, the EU can get organized around its own defense against Putin. If a Democrat wins in 2028, the bipartisan consensus is back on track. That is far from perfect. But it is probably good enough. I haven't read much about Zaluzhnyi until you mentioned him. But I can see lots of advantages in him beating Zelenskyy in an election. 1. If there is an election, it means there is at least some kind of fragile truce. 2. As you said, he is wildly popular. Ukrainians love him. 3. He is pro-NATO and effective at killing Russians, by all accounts. Vlad does not like him. NATO and US hawks love him. 4. He dresses better than Zelenskyy. Hopefully, he can tell stories about how Trump, in every war he has fought in, felled thousands of enemies with his erect penis alone. He will tell Trump stories about how Ukrainians read books to their children about how wise and powerful Trump is. And how handsome. If only Trump could be King of Ukraine! The fourth part may be the most important to Ukraine's future, sadly. That is how stupid and narcissistic our insolent pig is. And now we are stuck with him.

You're funny. You are such a lying hypocrite. This is rich coming from you. Getting Zaluzhny, a popular general, is like stepping out of the frying pan into the fire for Putin. He is pro-NATO, as that anecdote above explains. If you are looking for another corrupt Friend Of Vlad's this guy is not who you want. Vlad knows that, which is probably why Vlad put him on a "wanted" list. Too bad he can't kill him, like he does all his domestic political opponents. The main reason Ukraine can't have an election now is also thanks to Vlad. They are in a war. I'm sure Zelenskyy, like any politician, would prefer to win any election he is in. But he did appoint and promote Zaluzhny. What this makes obvious is that Vlad has also made Ukraine a very militarist society. They have to be, because their lives and existence are on the line. I don't know Ukraine at all. But it might be a bit like the US in the 1950s, when we had a very popular General as President. I don't think this is good for Russia. On a similar note, I read this today: I think that is a great summary of the basic conflict, and the motivations. I am pretty certain Zelenskyy is speaking genuinely from the heart. Ukraine hates Putin. Ukraine hates Russia. The only good Russians are dead Russians. And Ukrainians have killed a lot of them. I don't think this is what Putin had in mind when he invaded. I don't think Ukraine was a CIA-designed trap for Putin. It is obvious how Ukrainians feel without any help from the CIA. But if you want to to believe this was a CIA trap, Putin was a fool to walk into it. I will repeat the basic principle of Brzezinski, which played out exactly as he hoped in Afghanistan for the USSR, and then for the US. It played out the same way for Poland, his beloved homeland, as well as the rest of the Warsaw Pact. His point was that even when Poles more or less accepted the USSR as an inevitable reality, and didn't mind it all that actively, it was still only a matter of time. It was easy to pick the threads of the alliance apart, with zero actual weapons. Sending in a beloved Polish Pope really put that on steroids. In Ukraine, you have deep and active and daily hate of Russians. I've been in Europe a lot, and know that many Europeans know more about the US political system than Americans do. So I'm guessing many Ukrainians know that this is a war in the US between two political parties. And even between two factions in the Republican Party. It will not last forever. But what will last forever, or at least a century, is the deep hatred for Russia Genocide Man has now created in Ukraine. Good luck with that.

Top HHS spokesperson quits after clashing with RFK Jr. Thomas Corry resigned over disagreements with the HHS secretary and his approach to the measles outbreak. Donald Trump's 4 Year Plan. Break shit. Then it won't work. Repeat. Break shit. Then it won't work. Repeat. Break shit. Then it won't work. Repeat. Break shit. Then it won't work. Repeat. Break shit. Then it won't work. Repeat. Break shit. Then it won't work. Repeat. Break shit. Then it won't work. Repeat. Break shit. Then it won't work. Repeat.

Texas measles outbreak grows to 146 cases, largest in decades The latest update comes two days after the first death was reported in a school-aged child who lived in the outbreak area. Donald Trump's 4 Year Plan. Break shit. Then it won't work. Repeat. Break shit. Then it won't work. Repeat. Break shit. Then it won't work. Repeat. Break shit. Then it won't work. Repeat. Break shit. Then it won't work. Repeat. Break shit. Then it won't work. Repeat. Break shit. Then it won't work. Repeat. Break shit. Then it won't work. Repeat.

This is just a different dumb ass version of the yapping dog's Canada v. US. A big lose-lose for the US and our allies, that the insolent pig does not seem to realize strengthens China. There’s Only One Winner in a U.S.-EU Trade War: China Here’s how a common U.S.-EU trade strategy on China can help avoid a transatlantic trade war. I think the verdict is in last Friday that, given the choice between America First or America Alone, Trump will take America Alone. If he can't have America First on his terms, he'd rather not have it at all. He'll see America Alone as a victory. MAGA will yappingly agree. The big problem with this article's idea is simple: no tariffs is like saying bad shit about his pal Vlad to Trump. Don't even bother. Ain't gonna fly. The insolent pig's brain thinks like a child seeking retribution. It can't handle the complexity of what this author lays out. As a Democrat my basic instinct would always be to celebrate when the SPD wins in Germany. I remember the days when the SPD's Gerhard Schroeder and Putin were allied in trying to stop the US from invading Iraq. It absolutely infuriated Republican friends that I agreed with Schroeder and Putin. They thought I was un-American. Look how that played out. 😉 So right now I feel like it is a happy coincidence that Germany elected a very pro-NATO and pro-US and hard ass conservative leader instead. If you throw Merz and Donald Tusk and Macron and Starmer in a room, you may have a Europe that can be solid behind Ukraine. Trump won't be. The author of this article is right that Trump now has a natural ally in Germany - if Trump thought like Reagan did. But he doesn't. He is just an insolent pig, traitorous to allies. So now the question is whether the EU, with a strong German leader, can get its shit together while Trump focuses on breaking as much shit as he can.

You posted that in between me making two posts on polls. So that CBS poll answers your question. It is taken from the 26th to the 28th, and the Oval Office shit show was on the 28th. So it will be interesting to see whether that shifts perceptions a little. I think Trump's authoritarian followers have mostly spoken. They are on his side. I suspect some Republican veterans are getting worried about Trump, though. Those guys really don't like Putin. So one way to answer your question is that the glass is 96 % empty. Very few Americans sympathize with Russia. I think 96 % of Americans are right. No American forced Putin to decide to invade Russia. If joining NATO is the pretext, it was always an empty promise. Again, if I could go back to Bucharest in 2008 and show W. what the impact of the empty promise would be, maybe he would have shut the fuck up. Regardless, it was an empty promise. It's just as likely that Putin would have invaded anyway. Either way, that glass is 96 % empty. And I have now shown you several polls that confirm that almost no one in America sympathizes with Putin or Russia. That said, I think there has been a disappointing but not surprising shift. Republicans, not Democrats or Independents, are suddenly a lot more likely to say that we support neither side. It's the same thing as saying we abandoned our allies, but it sounds nicer. I think there is also a shift that more Republicans are willing to say maybe Russia is friendly. It is too early to tell. But one third of Americans, mostly Republicans, saying Russia is friendly is a big increase from a few months ago, I think. And Putin can thank Trump for that. As a Democrat who sympathizes with Ukraine, I have no fundamental problem with any of this. I can make a great argument that this is cleaner than what would have happened if Harris has won. Either way, most people - most importantly Ukrainians - now see the war as a stalemate. The big plus with Trump is that he may be able to get Putin to play nice for at least as long as he is POTUS. I will keep arguing that he is, in effect, the security guarantee Ukraine wants. But only for four years. Your stupid AI model did not understand that "from now on" really has to mean until 2028. Depending on what happens in 2028, things may be very different in 2029. Hold that thought. Either way, Putin's unprovoked invasion was halted at a terrible price to Russia. And almost no price to the US. I wrote it that way intentionally. The job of the US was to support our ally. We did. If people died in Ukraine, that is because Genocide Man killed them. The US did not kill any people. Ukraine asked for help, and the EU and NATO and the US gave them the help they asked for. And while many of Trump's followers know very little about NATO or the EU, and say lots of incredibly ignorant things, those polls above confirm that almost all Americans want Europe as our ally. Not Putin. But Republicans don't want to help Ukraine anymore, because Trump runs their party now. He likes authoritarian leaders like Putin, and aspires to be one himself. So that now all has to play out. Again, Vlad must be laughing his ass off. Enjoy the show. It won't be pretty.

And I'll repeat Republican Senator Lisa Murkowksi's quote, too: When she said that a few days ago, it was meant as an admonition. Not surprisingly, it also kind of worked as a prediction. But it is complicated, and involves a Republican mind fuck to get there. From the same CBS poll I quoted above: So those first two polls mostly show that nothing has changed. Almost nobody supports Russia. Almost all Americans see Europeans as allies, or at least friendly. I'm sure if CBS had polled Mike Johnson's exact language above - "Putin is the aggressor" and "I'd like to see Putin defeated" most Americans would agree. With many politically ignorant MAGA Republicans, you would first have to explain that Mike Johnson is the Republican Speaker of the House, and an ally of Trump. That is how authoritarian followers think. Just tell me what Trump says. He is always right. I obey. Those second two polls are a disappointment, but not a surprise. Trump shit all over Zelenskyy for saying what most Americans think about Putin. Meanwhile, he went on and on about what poor Vlad and him had to go through when Vlad interfered in a US election. I'm pretty sure most Trump supporters who actually watched that felt sorry for the insolent pig, if not his Russian pal. It's not really true that the US walked away from Ukraine and our allies. The Republican Party under Trump walked away from Ukraine and our allies. And that's not really true, either. Because Johnson knows Zelenskyy is telling the truth about Putin. He is saying the same things himself - much more forecefully than Zelenskyy does. And politically uninformed authoritarian followers who like the idea of having allies in Europe probably have no idea that Trump is destroying the very alliances they say they want. So everyone just has to dance around Trump while he breaks shit. It is incredibly fucked up and ignorant. But it is where we are. Trump loves to break shit. The theme of Season Two really is RETRIBUTION. And until it becomes clear to more people that broken shit doesn't work, they will applaud that breaking shit is really cool. Meanwhile, Putin is laughing his ass off.