September 26, 2024

"Zelensky’s arms-factory visit reeks of partisan foreign-election interference."

Says the New York Post Editorial Board.

Zelensky got flown into battleground Pennsylvania aboard a USAF C-17 plane on Tuesday; he then toured the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant accompanied by Gov. Josh Shapiro, Sen. Bob Casey, Rep. Matt Cartwright — the last two being active Democratic candidates. And it looks like no GOP candidates got invited — trapping a foreign head of state into apparently taking sides in US domestic politics....

158 comments:

Shouting Thomas said...

Zelensky is a CIA puppet. There is no sovereign state of Ukraine. Ceased to exist after the 2014 CIA coup. So, this is the CIA openly campaigning for escalation of the war in Ukraine, and illegally interfering in U.S. domestic politics.

Gusty Winds said...

Something really disturbing watching Zelensky and Shapiro smiling, laughing, and sign their name on explosives for show and tell.

Eva Marie said...

The Democrat party hollowed out the education, government, and news sectors of American life and then the CIA hollowed out the Democrat Party.

RideSpaceMountain said...

The Babylon Bee hits it out of the park with "'Trump Will Start World War III,’ Says Party Autographing Bombs To Be Launched At Russia"

Eva Marie said...

Now we’ll see if China and/or Iran manages to hollow out the CIA.

Humperdink said...

The Z-man choosing sides is not a good look. Democrats, while smiling, signing bombs is not a good look either.

How much arms money did Zelensky sent back to the US for political advertising?

Kakistocracy said...

It's so bizarre that the Trumpist wing of the Republican Party has become so supportive of Russia and Putin.

For a party which typically lambasts “snowflakes”, Republicans appear to have remarkably thin skin here. Why is it that the “f**k your feelings” brigade are such sensitive little snowflakes?

Per Link 1, Zelensky said:
JD Vance, R-Ohio, [is] “too radical” and […] [needs] to “read up on the history of the Second World War” to understand why Russian President Vladimir Putin shouldn’t be appeased.

[Zelensky also said] “My feeling is that Trump doesn’t really know how to stop the war even if he might think he knows how,” Zelenskyy added.

Both statements are correct. Vance proposed Ukraine should cede land to end the war (Link 2) - a clear parallel with the Sudetenland (“give Hitler what he wants and he’ll go no further”). Trump doesn’t know how to end the war - other than ending it on similar terms, the same way he ended American presence in Afghanistan.

Link 1: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/zelenskyys-meeting-harris-spat-trump-reveal-growing-partisan-divide-uk-rcna172648

Link 2: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/jd-vance-says-ukraine-cede-land-cut-deal-putin-end-war-rcna129195

Lem Vibe Bandit said...

There’s no “trapping”. Zelensky’s future depends on a Kamala win.

Jaq said...

Steve McIntyre did some great work analyzing White House logs and correlating them with news stories, and you know what? The Ukrainians were in the White House offices of the V.P. Joe Biden, at the time, in 2016, meeting with "the Whistleblower," the same Ukrainian politician who released the "Black Ledger" which the New York Times has admitted came out of CIA bases in Ukraine, some of which were dedicated to disinformation training, (how to make it, not how to fight it).

It's pretty clear that the Ukrainians were the ones who actually interfered meaningfully in 2016, then blamed the Russians, because, the first lie wins, and they had to get the blame placed on the Russians before the Trump Administration got its feet under it and figured out what they did.

The Ukrainians would be better off today if they had stayed out of our politics, and if we had stayed out of theirs.

Humperdink said...

@Rich. Where are the peacemakers?

Jaq said...

A good way to stop the war would be to reassure Russia that there will never be nuclear weapons pointed at Moscow placed in Ukraine. Of course when the Russians sought such assurances, three days prior to the invasion, they were told that nukes were going to go into Ukraine, and this was not a negotiable point.

Anybody who has read any history knows that this was clearly intended to provoke Russia into a war we wanted them to have to fight.

Don't we all remember those halcyon early days of the conflict when we all thought that the sanctions were going to lead to Putin's overthrow and the war was going to bleed out his military?

Good times, good times.

Now Bloomberg is reporting that one unnamed Western leader, on seeing Zelensky's "Victory Plan," is said to have remarked 'We better call Putin."

Jason said...

How is it not a violation of the Hatch Act for the USAF to shuttle people to Democrat campaign events?

Jaq said...

By the way, there is no such thing as "proof by repetition," but you can win an argument that way, because logic has little to do with how the majority of people form their opinions, and repetition that it was Russia far outweighs the actual evidence, which clearly points to Ukraine.

Jaq said...

It would only be a violation of the Hatch Act were a Republican to do it.

narciso said...

One more question, when has invading Russia from the West ever worked,

who-knew said...

Zelensky wasn't trapped and he wasn't "apparently" taking sides. He knows which side his bread is buttered on and, at their request and on the taxpayer's dime, he was flown over here to help Harris defeat the bad orange man.

narciso said...

yes the black ledger would have incriminated weber and podesta, because manafort was the middleman

Michael K said...

Bich sounds as if he(she?) Is on Ukraine's payroll. Makes sense.

gilbar said...

this is Much ADO About NOTHING!
there is NOTHING in our Living Constitution, OR our current statutes prohibiting this.
i Think i see where you got confused..
You ASSUMED that laws (and Living Constitutions) were meant to apply equally to both sides.. Just Even THINKING This is a Felony

our Laws (and our Living Constitution) are here to PROTECT the Democrat Party; Not hurt it. Please TRY to keep up

Iman said...

I remember Z-Man from “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls”… didn’t end well for him either.

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

Hunter Biden's freedom, too.

Kakistocracy said...

What would Trump have said to the British in May 1940? We know: make a deal with Hitler; save lives; you’ve lost. Fortunately, Roosevelt was president, not a Nazi-apologist.

“Ukraine is gone. It’s not Ukraine any more,” he said. “You can never replace those cities and towns, and you can never replace the dead people, so many dead people. Any deal, even the worst deal, would have been better than what we have right now.” ~ Donald Trump

Just imagine, at different points in history, replacing the word “Ukraine” with some other countries. The U.K. amd France spring to mind. Trump’s treachery would make Lord Haw-Haw blush

One thing you will never ever hear from Trump is criticism of Vladimir Putin.

Peachy said...

The war machine and the Democrat party are ONE. *Cheney*

narciso said...

who runs privat bank, which lost us 6 billion dollars, thats a pittance to what akhmatov and pinchuk have grifted magnitudes more

Peachy said...

Bich - Your Democrat party is the war machine now. Sad you cannot face it.

No new wars when Trump was president.

Peachy said...

Bich - Fever-dream Trump-hate cult re-writing history to create lies and false narratives - all while YOUR corrupt war machine party will get us into WWIII.

Shouting Thomas said...

I lived in Woodstock, NY for 45 years. The writers and filmmakers there poured out, literally, thousands of books and videos condemning “McCarthyism,” which precisely describes the tactic you are employing. And, the left, the Democratic Party, condemned this McCarthyism as repugnant during the worst years of Stalinism and the GULAGs. It’s interesting to see Democrats now engaging shamelessly in McCarthyism.

Iman said...

eat the cat, rich.

Dixcus said...

What should Americans do to a corrupt government that's gone rogue and is allowing foreign leaders to dictate who our President is?

Should we revolt against such a government? Violently or peacefully? Should we go to Washington DC now ... or wait until they put the razor wire back up so we can't get in to petition our government? Should we bring our cell phone tracking devices so they can identify us later for prison?

Interestingly, the NY Times never answers these questions.

Jaq said...

Invasions flow from the resource poor to the resource rich, just like water flows down hill. Europe is resource poor, and Russia is resource rich. Those $72 trillion in natural resources that Russia is estimated to be sitting on are like a constant porch light to the European moths.

Koot Katmandu said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jaq said...

If you look at what has happened in the Middle East since the Brits brought about the fall of the Ottoman Empire, and drew lines on a map to create the pastiche of warring kingdoms that we have today, in order to gain access to their resources and to eliminate them as any kind of threat to British global ambitions, you get a rough outline of what they hope to accomplish if they can collapse the Russian Federation, and fulfill the centuries long dream of turning Asia into another Africa to be plundered.

Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...

The better question would be: why do the Russians only invade Ukraine when Democrats are in power?

JRoberts said...

I agree that Zelensky’s partisan campaign visit to Pennsylvania was a mistake by both the Dems and Z.

Immediately after Russia invaded Ukraine, Z had broad support of the US public, Republicans and Democrats. This was not a “Republicans support Putin” thing like our Althouse trolls claim.

It was only after the Biden Administration kept forcing through ever larger financial support and weapons – probably with some kickbacks and certainly without clear objectives and accountability – that US public support started to diminish.

If Ukraine faces reduced or terminated support after 1/20/2025, the Democrats and Z only have themselves to blame.

Gravel said...

None of which has anything to do with a foreign chief executive campaigning for a specific candidate on US soil on the taxpayer's dollar. Take a seat.

RideSpaceMountain said...

2012 democrats: Fuck Halliburton! NO NEW WARS!

2024 democrats: WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE’RE NOT BOMBING MOSCOW! SLAVA UKRAINI!

RideSpaceMountain said...

Screw peace. Who needs peace with reports Ukraine has captured 17 fields and another 20 farmhouses.

I hear Moscow is next.

Peachy said...

Again - If Trump were Prez - Putin would not have invaded Ukraine. And all you loyal leftist democrats think that is a bad thing.
You are Pro-war.

Shorter Collective Left: *'If you don't support the war effort - you are pro-Putin.*'

Skeptical Voter said...

Zelensky was just protecting the Ukrainian investment in Hunter and Joe Biden.

Jupiter said...

You're right, the only acceptable policy is intercontinental thermonuclear war. To make the world safe for Democracy.

Dude1394 said...

The democrat party continues to obliterate all of me and customs of this country.

Leland said...

Very poignant.

Bob Boyd said...

We have become the people Churchill warned us about.

Iman said...

Q: “Mr. Putin… why did you invade the Ukraine?”

Putin: “Well, I grew up a middle-class kid, in a neighborhood of folks who were very proud of their lawns.”

RideSpaceMountain said...

"Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all. ... In the execution of such a plan nothing is more essential than that permanent, inveterate antipathies against particular nations and passionate attachments for others should be excluded, and that in place of them just and amicable feelings toward all should be cultivated. The nation which indulges toward another an habitual hatred or an habitual fondness is in some degree a slave. It is a slave to its animosity or to its affection, either of which is sufficient to lead it astray from its duty and its interest. Antipathy in one nation against another disposes each more readily to offer insult and injury, to lay hold of slight causes of umbrage, and to be haughty and intractable when accidental or trifling occasions of dispute occur.

So, likewise, a passionate attachment of one nation for another produces a variety of evils. Sympathy for the favorite nation, facilitating the illusion of an imaginary common interest in cases where no real common interest exists, and infusing into one the enmities of the other, betrays the former into a participation in the quarrels and wars of the latter without adequate inducement or justification. It leads also to concessions to the favorite nation of privileges denied to others, which is apt doubly to injure the nation making the concessions by unnecessarily parting with what ought to have been retained, and by exciting jealousy, ill will, and a disposition to retaliate in the parties from whom equal privileges are withheld; and it gives to ambitious, corrupted, or deluded citizens (who devote themselves to the favorite nation) facility to betray or sacrifice the interests of their own country without odium, sometimes even with popularity, gilding with the appearances of a virtuous sense of obligation, a commendable deference for public opinion, or a laudable zeal for public good the base or foolish compliances of ambition, corruption, or infatuation.

Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence (I conjure you to believe me, fellow citizens) the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly awake, since history and experience prove that foreign influence is one of the most baneful foes of republican government. But that jealousy, to be useful, must be impartial, else it becomes the instrument of the very influence to be avoided, instead of a defense against it. Excessive partiality for one foreign nation and excessive dislike of another cause those whom they actuate to see danger only on one side, and serve to veil and even second the arts of influence on the other. Real patriots who may resist the intrigues of the favorite are liable to become suspected and odious, while its tools and dupes usurp the applause and confidence of the people to surrender their interests.

The great rule of conduct for us in regard to foreign nations is, in extending our commercial relations to have with them as little political connection as possible. So far as we have already formed engagements let them be fulfilled with perfect good faith. Here let us stop."


- George Washington's Farewell Address

The United States was not founded to be the world's superpower. It fell into that role by happenstance due in large part to the ineptitude, corruption, and ancient feuds of the old world making it impossible to avoid. We have known about the perils of excessive foreign entanglements long before Washington ever penned his letter.

What you are seeing now is the result of words not heeded.

lonejustice said...

"It is common practice for governors to meet with foreign leaders who travel to their states. In July, Zelenskiy visited a factory in Utah and was hosted by that state's Republican governor, Spencer Cox.

Additionally, a series of foreign leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have traveled to Florida in recent months to meet with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago home."

mccullough said...

Russia controlled Ukraine for several hundred years. The World didn’t end. And in WW2, Ukraine sided with the Nazis.

Lazarus said...

Trump didn't autograph any exploding pagers.
Should he have?

mccullough said...

Slav on Slav war. The US has zero interest in Ukraine. It’s not part of NATO.

mccullough said...

Slav on Slav war. The US has zero interest in Ukraine. It’s not part of NATO.

Dr Weevil said...

I was going to post that myself, so I'll just add a link to a Tweet with a picture of that meeting: link.

Dr Weevil said...

And here's a Tweet from a Ukrainian (link): "If you haven't been outraged by the mass graves visible from space, the torture rooms in de-occupied cities, all the erased cities, kidnapped children & the rest of 137.000 russian war crimes, but you're now outraged by Zelensky signing a shell, seek help. You're sick in the head."

narciso said...

Oddly under Trump, the javelin's didn't have to be used because Putin knew his lane, most people see DEI BLM supporter Cox not as a Republican
also launching an offensive war into a nuclear power doesn't seem very swift

s'opihjerdt said...

Ukraine has been an independent country for 30 of the last 500 years. I think it was caused by global warming.

Dr Weevil said...

Warriors have been signing projectiles for millennia. One of our two pieces of evidence for the Latin word for 'clitoris' (landica) is a sling-bullet from the siege of Perusia (now Perugia) in 41-40 B.C. It's aimed at Fulvia's - she was Mark Antony's wife. The other is from the anonymous Priapea, a set of 80 really filthy poems dedicated to the phallic god Priapus.

Dr Weevil said...

I've mentioned this at least half a dozen times before, but 'tim in vermont' keeps doing it. He says "the Ukrainians" as if Zelenskyy were somehow responsible for what Poroshenko was doing in 2016. He ran against Poroshenko in 2019 because he was fed up with being ruled by a corrupt oligarch, and the people of Ukraine elected him with 73% of the vote in the runoff because they were sick and tired of Poroshenko, too. Blaming Zelenskyy for Poroshenko's misdeeds is as stupid and dishonest as blaming Trump for things Obama did. Zelenskyy is the Ukrainian Trump: a non-politician elected because the people were sick and tired of corrupt professional politicians.

Mr. T. said...

Oh and please wipe Israel off the map too while you're at it-democrats.

Kakistocracy said...

Sorry, where was the GOP's sanctimonious bullshit when Orban visited and endorsed Trump.

FullMoon said...

Sometimes I forget why I hate Russia.

Bob Boyd said...

The campaigning wasn't paid for by government funds, which is illegal.

Bob Boyd said...

People are outraged by that stuff, Weev. And they are outraged that all of it could and should have been avoided. And they want it to stop.
You say you're outraged by all that, but you don't want to stop it, you want to escalate? Because you've decided it matches some pattern from WW2? Everybody the Blob wants to attack is Hitler. They always point to Churchill as a justification. And the Blob seems to want to attack everybody, even its own citizens here at home are its enemies now and if we're not stopped, we'll take over the world or something.

tim maguire said...

There is nothing new about people signing bombs, but these bombs are going to be dropped on Russians--a country we are not at war with. In a sane country that aspires to continued viability, Shapiro would be thrown in a dungeon and forgotten about.

Michael K said...

bich drones on with more Kamala-like lies.

Drago said...

"Warriors have been signing projectiles for millennia."

LOL

Zelensky and Shapiro are "warriors"........

Dr Weevil said...

At least 90% of these artillery shells (not bombs) are going to be fired at Russian soldiers who are in Ukraine, killing Ukrainian soldiers and civilians and leveling cities. Does that not make a difference?

RideSpaceMountain said...

They flew Volodymyr “When I lose the war I'll have cocaine-fueled gay sex parties at my Italian villa" Zelensky in on a fucking C-17, dimwit.

Michael K said...

At least Ann has discovered the other NYC newspaper.

Dr Weevil said...

Anyone who thinks cutting off the supply of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, Boy, will 'make it stop', is a damned fool. Russian TV is quite open about their aims: they will be satisfied with nothing less than the destruction of Ukraine as a state and as a culture, and are already talking about rolling into Poland next. The war will only end when Russia is defeated. The sooner that happens, the fewer Ukrainians and Russians will die, and the less likely Russia is to break up into a dozen or more warring principalities, so defeating them is in fact the only way to stop it. And defeating them sooner rather than later, by providing the necessary weapons, is the only moral option.

J Scott said...

It should have been obvious a year ago that Ukraine isn't going to get the Donbas back or Crimea back, they lack the organization and manpower, the organization seems to be the biggest lack. All we are doing now in the West is prolonging the war, stringing along Zelensky, another "forever" war in the making. If that's what we want then be clear about it. Or if we are going to throw a couple divisions into it, then make that clear.

This muddy ambivalence across the entire political sphere is gotta be the most frustrating thing about the current political era. And it has real world consequences.

loudogblog said...

Most people don't see the Ukraine was an an important election issue so I don't think that this really counts as election interference.

That doesn't mean that Ukraine isn't an important issue, but people are voting on the economy this time around.

RideSpaceMountain said...

I have a solution. Hear me out.

1 US banknote of any denomination weighs approximately 1 gram. In $1 dollar bills, 1 metric ton is 1000kg or roughly $1 million dollars. If you add up the aid packages thus far and those planned, you could strap GPS/GBU guidance kits to 1 ton pallets of dollar bills and give them to Ukraine to drop on the Russians.

From 20,000ft the terminal velocity of 1 metric ton 1sq/m in size is 765ft/sec resulting in a kinetic energy impact of 20,050,325ft/lbs. This is actually higher than the 'concrete' low-collateral bombs we've used in the ME and elsewhere. I calculate our overall aid given thus far at around $350 billion dollars, meaning we could supply over 350,000 1 ton pallets of dollar bills to Ukraine to drop from a great height on the Russians, killing concentrations of them instantly or providing them the financial resources to throw down their weapons and desert.

I'm sure Volodymyr would squirrel away a few hundred pallets personally, but what's a couple tons of cash between friends.

loudogblog said...

Tim, this is the first I heard about anyone saying that nukes would be placed in Ukraine. Do you have a link to this information?

Michael K said...

Yes and Putin and Xi both watched their actions. Iran was broke and peace got popular.

john mosby said...

The Munich moment came about because Britain and France were afraid to do a little bit of violence long before it: when Hitler remilitarized the Rhineland. He could have been pushed right back out, at probably zero caualties for either side (Hitler had told his generals to fall back on any sign of resistance).

But the fear to do a little violence emboldened Hitler and brought Britain/France to the point where they would have to do a lot of violence. And they balked. And they wound up having to do and endure a gigantic amount of violence,

Trumo is good at doing a little bit of violence now to avoid a lot later. See, e.g., Suleimani assassination, Wagner Group massacre. The Dems aren’t.

JSM

Michael K said...

I guess it's time to put "Dr Weevil" in a category with Biden and Harris.

n.n said...

A coup has consequences. Why don't Biden/Harris just leave? What difference, at this point, does it make? Bitter clingers, relieve your "burdens".

Michael K said...

Did I miss the endorsement or are you full of shit ?

Dr Weevil said...

loudogblog:
Of course he doesn't. He just assumes that belonging to NATO means hosting US nukes, which of course it doesn't. And I've pointed out before that Finland and Estonia are already in NATO, and are nearly as close to Moscow as Ukraine is - only about 10% further away. They're both also far closer to St. Petersburg, Putin's home town, than Ukraine is. His argument is utter bullshit.

Michael K said...

Good points all.

J Scott said...

That's about right. Here was a discussion a week ago about the trimmers and balancers in our vaunted foreign policy establishment. They are trimming and balancing our way into a wider war. The trimmers and balancers in the late 30s trimmed and measured and balanced and titrated and adjusted and calibrated their way into a global war.

Dr Weevil said...

mccullough (12:05pm):
Saying that "in WW2, Ukraine sided with the Nazis" is at best a half-truth. It was part of the USSR, which did indeed side with the Nazis in the Hitler-Stalin pact in 1939, but Ukraine had no say in that decision. Of course, that's not what you meant, is it?

When Hitler invaded the USSR in 1941, Ukraine contributed a disproportionate number of troops to the Red Army, and took a very disproportionate number of casualties, military and civilian, though that was partly because it entirely occupied, while Russia was not. (Belarus had it even worse.) Zelenskyy's grandfather was a colonel in the Red Army, and helped conquer Germany. That's not what you meant, either, is it?

The number of Ukrainians who joined the Waffen SS was about the same as the number of Dutchmen, from a much smaller population, but no one calls the Netherlands a hotbed of Nazism.

Original Mike said...

"Additionally, a series of foreign leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have traveled to Florida in recent months to meet with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago home.""

Did they sign bombs together?

That display was disgusting.

J Scott said...

If we hadn't backed down from Putin's challenge in Georgia in 2008 we wouldn't even be having these problems.

Dr Weevil said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Dr Weevil said...

Zelensky has repeatedly visited the troops at the front lines, within 2-3 miles of Russian troops. Two separate teams of Russian assassins were after him in Kyiv in the first days of the second invasion, and he will undoubtedly be hunted by Russian assassins for the rest of his life. Yes, he's a warrior, though Shapiro is certainly not.

Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...

Poland is a NATO member so totally different situation. Although I could envision Putin being emboldened by Kamala’s perceived weakness just as he was by Biden’s. At any rate, if Russia is such an existential threat, why has Biden refused to enforce meaningful sanctions on Russian oil? Oh yeah, he didn’t want to do anything that would raise the price of oil and hurt Democrats reelection chances. Such principled leadership!

Dr Weevil said...

I guess it's time to put Michael K in a category with damned fools like 'tim in vermont' and 'gilbar'. Though deeply disappointed by his statements about Ukraine, and hoping they're just campaign bullshit and he will act more sensibly when elected, I'm still voting for Trump because he's better in every other way than Biden or Harris.

Gusty Winds said...

Drago - That's exactly what I thought. Zelensky and Shapiro are not warriors. They are war mongers. Huge difference.

Gusty Winds said...

Dr. Weevil. The 2014 CIA color revolution made a difference when they overthrew the elected Ukrainian gov't. But you ignore that. Unnecessarily expanding NATO to Russia's border made a big, provocative difference. They sent dingbat Harris over to extend the invitation to Ukraine, and the war started right after. You ignore that as well. There is no reason, 33 years after the fall of the Soviet Union, that the Russian people should be our enemy forever.

Kakistocracy said...

Brings to mind Dean Acheson's description of the Republicans' Un-America crusade of the 1940s as The Attack of the Primitives. Anthropology, not political science, is the analytical tool of choice when one tries to understand the Heartland Conservatives when they go after foreign devils on the other sides of the two oceans.

Charles Lindbergh and the American Firsters were all in with their admiration for the new Nazi order and its strength before they weren't, although the Heartlanders wanted a Japan First war policy rather than the Roosevelt-Churchill Europe First war-winning strategy. The Heartlanders threw their efforts into in-depth Congressional hearings searching out a Roosevelt-complicit conspiracy strategy behind the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, an effort that went full bore until 1946 and only had its last gasp in 1995 with one last peek. They knew Roosevelt was in there somewhere.

History may rhyme in its iterations, but paranoia pretty much repeats, often word for word. Trump knows no history; he marvels at the originalism of his blathering and wonders why the scribes don't fall into adulation at the uniqueness of his great man insights. The followers do.

What accompanies Republican tribalism is insularity. Republican foreign policy is shaped by the domestic perceptions of forces and threats "over there," never by an assessment of the messy realities of what is actually going on over there. How it plays in Peoria is everything. If it sells Hearst papers or boosts Murdoch ratings, then that story is the reality of "over there" that plays out "over here.”


I would suggest, to view Trump through the lens of political business as usual.

Trump is a demagogue in its purest form. A pure play populist. He personally displays little to no grounding in knowledge of policy or political ideology. He plays purely to his base, which constitutes a very vocal minority. He lacks substance in nearly every area. “trumpism” amounts to little more than 20s-style US isolationism, white nationalism and small government. There’s little to no nuance from him on these positions beyond their base understanding.

Trump is now faced with an issue where he’s run out of road. The rabbits are not coming out of the hat. He’s no longer the alternative. Between him and Harris, he’s the incumbent — because he’s been President before. People feel they know what they’re getting with him. She feels new and fresh.

Against Biden this election was Trump’s to win or lose based on his own performance and how far he balanced the push down the populist road. Same as in 2020 — I’d suggest Biden didn’t really win. Trump lost because people were tired of him and his demagoguery. Against Harris, he faces a situation where she might soundly beat him. He doesn’t know how to cope with that.

Michael K said...

"Dr Weevil" is as disinclined to debate as bich

Drago said...

LOL

Abacus Boy LLR-democratical Rich actually thinks he can deflect from this clearly illegal action by the usually inebriated kamala-la-la-la-la campaign by increasing the volume of completely unrelated and, lets be honest here, nearly retarded and moronic gaslighting claims!

And what can be said about the "contributions" of the runt of the LLR-democratical litter, lonejustice? Too funny.

What a sad state of affairs we find the LLR-democratical Brigade in at this point of time as kamala-la-la-la-la poll numbers continue to crash and the New Soviet Democraticals are forced to increase their vote stealing/cheating operations to try and make up the difference.

Will they be successful as they were in 2020 when they installed joey bag-o'dementia? Possibly.

Michael K said...

We hope. Maybe it really will be all abortion.

Drago said...

Weevil: "Yes, he's a warrior, though Shapiro is certainly not."

LOL

Uh, no. Zelensky is not a warrior...or even a facsimile of a warrior...or even a shadow of a warrior.

Only a warped non-warrior or politicized buffoon would even dare to make such a claim given how laughable on its face such a claim happens to be.

Michael K said...

bich ignores the reason Biden"won" in 2020. Absentee ballots at 3 AM.

narciso said...

How many soviet agents were in the state department some broken by who recruited them, Hiss was GRU, the others were KGB, we learned about this because Krivitsky, the lead of the first group, had defected and had been assasinated, this is what drove Chambers out of the Cold

Dr Weevil said...

A man who visits the troops in the front lines, within 2-3 miles of enemy troops, under constant bombardment, is not even a facsimile or a shadow of a warrior? Looks to me like Drago is the politicized buffoon, telling obvious lies.

Drago said...

Poor LLR-democratical Rich, the Harry Sisson of Althouse blog.

All of Abacus Boy Rich's comments boil down to: Please, please, please stop talking about this thread topic!! Please!!

Drago said...

Weevil goes back to the "Warrior"-well to continue trying to sell us on the idea Zelensky is a regular Audie Murphy.....and calls anyone who disagrees a liar!

LOL

Sorry Weevil. Your man-crush on Zelensky doesn't change reality for anyone else.

Bob Boyd said...

You can't reason someone out of a position they weren't reasoned into in the first place.

Kakistocracy said...

MAGA Republicans are up in arms because the optics look bad for them.

Zelensky visited a Pennsylvania artillery plant whose production has gone up in multiples, workers increased and wages are strong. By supporting Ukraine you are not only supporting a sovereign nation against Russia but you are also supporting jobs in Pennsylvania.

Democrats need to be less soft and fight back.

narciso said...

meanwhile our own artillery reserves are dangerously depleted, it's not like we'll need them against (fill in the blank)

JaimeRoberto said...

I'm not bothered by Zelensky signing the bomb. American politicians should not join in though.

Drago said...

LOL

Yes indeed, that super efficient creation of private sector jobs and increased wages for workers by the federal government taxing citizens into oblivion and then having those taxes filtered through the entire federal government slush operation and then the leftover pennies handed to companies to deliver products and services! That's always the best jobs and economic program in the world!

Hey, its such a good idea that maybe it would be best for the federal government to take ALL the money and then redistribute it!

Uh, wait a minute. That's EXACTLY the New Soviet Democratical policy offering, isn't it?

Hmmmmmmmm......

Inga said...

“They call him a strongman. He’s a tough person, smart,” Trump said of Orbán in response to Harris’ assertion that world leaders are “laughing” at the former president.

“Look, Viktor Orbán said it. He said, ‘The most respected, the most feared person is Donald Trump. We had no problems when Trump was president,’” Trump said.
AP

Drago said...

It appears we are about 15 seconds away from Abacus Boy LLR-democratical Rich literally arguing for the government to take over all means of production.

RideSpaceMountain said...

You're pro-Military Industrial Complex. Thanks. Got it.

Inga said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Inga said...

Dr. Weevil…

Not only Michael Kennedy, Tim in Vermont, Gilbar (who is just a dummy) add Drago to that bunch. IMO, he is the one most likely trained in Moscow, based on his many unAmerican comments and unrelenting propaganda. The others are probably just useful idiots for Russia. Also you might want to ask yourself why you are still supporting Trump, if the future of Ukraine and Western Europe is important to you.

Michael K said...

"Less soft" means more lawfare and more lies by fellow travelers like bich.

RideSpaceMountain said...

Inag is a useful idiot for nobody in particular. She's an equal-opportunity idiot.

Drago said...

Russia russia russia collusion conspiracy lunatic P-Inga is at it again!

LOL

She can't help herself. She was trained by the New Soviet Democraticals in the very same way you would train a puppy and there is no way she can break out of her cultish beliefs now.

Inga said...

Indeed. If Trump becomes president and sacrifices Ukraine to Putin, Democrats will be complicit in the fall of Western Europe almost as much as Trumpublicans if they don’t fight Putin and his useful idiots like the future of Europe (and the rest of the world)depends on it. Putin doesn’t want peace, he wants the Soviet Union back.

Dr Weevil said...

Amazing. Michael K hasn't noticed that I almost never agree with any of the lefties here, and almost never disagree with any of the Trumpers here, except on the subject of Ukraine. And that I debate all the damned time, offering arguments and links, including on this very thread.

And Inga hasn't noticed that I wrote that "I'm still voting for Trump because he's better in every other way than Biden or Harris", that is, in every way except his apparent policy on Ukraine and maybe Taiwan. Even on foreign policy, I'm pretty sure he's going to be a stronger supporter of Israel than Harris, a firmer enemy of Iran, and will do whatever it takes to reopen the Red Sea to maritime traffic, even if that involves killing a bunch of Houthis.

Dr Weevil said...

Sorry, 'ago', if my simple observation that Zelenskyy has demonstrated more physical and moral courage than the vast majority of politicians convinces morons that I have a "man-crush" on him.

Drago said...

P-Inga can't bring herself to admit that Putin moved twice while her beloved New Soviet Democraticals were in office and Putin didn't dare to challenge Trump in Ukraine while Trump was President.

And remember that it was obama the New Soviet Democratical cultish lefty god-figure that gave Putin the green light to move into Syria! And then it was Trump that ordered the wipe out of the russki mercenary troops (approximately 300) when those troops started advancing towards US troops in Western Syria.

Poor pathetic P-Inga. She fancies herself some sort of geo-military strategy whiz kid and she's actually just another voice actuated New Soviet Democratical NPC robot.

Drago said...

Whether or not Zelensky has demonstrated more physical and moral courage than the vast majority of politicians, and LOL at THAT low bar(!), is completely irrelevant as to whether or not Zelensky, objectively, is a "warrior".

He is not. Never has been, never will be. Only a buffoon or a dude suffering from man-crush-itis would think otherwise.

Gospace said...

I don't see support for Russia, and most especially, not for Putin. What I see is- not our war. I'm all for sending Ukraine arms and ammunition. But not people. The Ukraine is testing out a whole bunch of new tactics- especially involving drones. Remember- Kiev was going to be taken with days and Ukraine's leaders would be fleeing the country. That was the headline from years ago. Note- it hasn't happened.

Not supporting Zelensky is not support for Putin.

I do see a number of people who support Putin- and they are not Trumpists. They all, each and every one of them, refer to the west as "Clown World". Which implies, of course, that they thing the rest of the world is reality based. But here since there are only two choices for POTUS, reality world rejects Kamala. Honestly, voting for her is a sign of mental illness.

Jim at said...

The US taxpayers funded a foreign leader's trip to a swing state - where that leader not only signed some bombs, but (gasp!) committed election interference by running his mouth - and what do the leftists here talk about?

Trump.

Stop wasting your time with these imbeciles. They're incapable of independent thought.

Jamie said...

I've been staying the heck out of all this because I don't feel anywhere close to ready to debate it, but I have to say this has occurred to me too: if Obama has actually observed his own "red line," maybe Putin would have stayed in his box.

Jamie said...

Zelensky visited a Pennsylvania artillery plant whose production has gone up in multiples, workers increased and wages are strong.

Broken Window Fallacy.

Drago said...

Correction: eastern syrian oil fields. The russkis air assets were operating out of western syrian airfields.

minnesota farm guy said...

I will remind you all once again that Ukraine has a severe manpower deficit vs. Russia which it can not overcome. Zelensky's strategy has to be to do everything he can to drag the US and /or NATO into this mess. I am sure that's why he is here and if the Dems are at all consistent they will continue to escalate the US commitment until we have troops on the ground. I know there are several commenters here who can remember how we stumbled into escalation in Viet Nam under Democratic leadership. Ukraine is looking more familiar day by day.

lonejustice said...

I only agree with Inga about 5% of the time. But she's right about Russia. Putin wants to revive the Soviet Union empire. He will do whatever it takes, even if it means using nuclear weapons. We are naive if we think otherwise. Trump and his supporters seem ready to concede to Putin. This will not end well. I remember a time when the Republican Party was united in its opposition to the spread of Russian communist totalitarianism. I guess under Trump this has changed.

Kakistocracy said...

Saudi Arabia Scraps $100 Oil Price Target to Boost Market Share
https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Saudi-Arabia-Scraps-100-Oil-Price-Target-to-Boost-Market-Share.html

More bad news for Putin. Existential for Russia. Russia spent their windfall profits from the last decades on bombing villages and conquering fields. Masterful geopolitics indeed.

They bought a lot of super-yachts too. Nearly all of the biggest ones. But to paraphrase the Matrix, what good is a Yacht if you are banned from Monaco. 😂

No…. Seriously… This is a recognition of low demand growth first and slow demand decline down the line. There are 2 takeaways here.

First, SA is bent on being part of the last oil-men standing in a couple of generations. Most oil producers will have a tough time transitioning to what will be eventually sub $50/bbl oil — including Russia — and supply will fall, albeit at a slower rate than demand.

Second, the green transition will be longer than expected due to the drop in prices. In many pockets of the energy market oil will keep its competitiveness.

Rusty said...

You guys know, of course, he buying all this with your money.

Iman said...

eat MORE cat, Річард !

Dr Weevil said...

If Russia has three times the manpower of Ukraine, all Ukraine has to do to overcome the deficit is kill three or more times as many Russians as it loses. They have been doing exactly that, and Russia is in fact suffering a severe manpower deficit. Those who follow Russian social media find dozens of new death notices and where's-my-missing-husband notices every day for men in their '50s and '60s, and the newest battalion in the Russian army was formed from 1500 members of the crew of the Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia's only aircraft carrier, which hasn't sailed in several years, and had to be towed back to port last time it did. Those are two very strong clues that Russia is desperate for manpower to throw into 'meat assaults'. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy is complaining about lack of equipment, not manpower: he says he has 14 newly-formed brigades this year, but only enough equipment for 4 of them, since Biden and the European allies haven't followed through on their promises of vehicles and other equipment.

Drago said...

lonejustice, once again, proving conclusively that he is the dumbest and least creative of all the LLR-democratical gaslighting liars!

Well, somebody had to finish last, didn't they?

Michael K said...

Inga, of course, is an idiot. "Dr Weevil" you are not interested in why it is worth while to risk nuclear war for a Ukrainian border dispute with Russia. Do you know much about how WWI began ? I think the Democrats, starting with Hillary, chose to attack Trump by implying a Putin connection. Hillary and Obama had purportedly ( In their incompetent fashion) been trying to improve relations with Russia. Hillary chose to throw that away for an imaginary advantage in a political campaign. Now we are risking war for reasons that seem to many of us as insane.

Michael K said...

Agreed. How did Hillary's war on Gaddafi turn out?

Michael K said...

How many are there now? Not Soviet but communists. Walz just appointed one who wants to overthrow the US government.

Harun said...

Dear Democrats,

Why are some Republicans pro-Russia and anti-Ukraine? Let;s think about this.
Oh, right, your candidate in 2016 created a fake dossier that claimed Trump was a Russian agent, a traitor to his country, and seeded that to the media and law enforcement who pushed it for 3 years.

You caused this. Your candidate thought this was clever, to make a false allegation using faked documents, to accuse a foreign government FALSELY, and gee, Putin would know it was fake, wouldn't he? We also lose the moral highground when she acted like the old KGB.

And then you guys refuse to apologize and refuse to put the bad lawyers who did in jail...DC jury voted to acquit.

So a certain contrarian ornery type will say "oh, you want to try to trick me with Russia stuff, well now I love Russia!!!!!"

p.s. you also used Ukraine for impeachment of the same president, again, stupidly - Trump was asking about Biden Family crimes in Ukraine, you know, the crimes Hunter is now on trial for?

So, yes, Trump is a little touchy about Ukraine, even though he sent them weapons when democrats only sent blankets.

And still democrats race around saying Trump loves Putin...no your candidate made that lie up and the media pushed it. And Zelensky was stupid to go to PA and say shit...he may need Trump and Vance - who's telling him they will lose for sure? its 50/50 basically.

Zelensky walks to America before an election and pisses on 50% of the American voters. Yes, Vance doesn't give a shit about Ukraine. That is true. But why the fuck would you highlight that?

Dude, if Trump wins and Zelensky gets no more weapons, its his own fault. Biden constantly slow walks ammo, refuses to provide WP shells and all kinds of shit, and Zelensky doesn't bring that up in public...

Michael K said...

The "Green Transition" is a fantasy held by science ignorant idiots.

narciso said...

He doesnt know prince salman is building his own green city in the hejaz does he

Vance said...

I live in Utah. Governor Cox's meeting with Zelensky did not involve Zelensky making campaign speeches endorsing or attacking other politicians.

Here, Zelensky and the Democrats were marching as one, attacking Trump and Vance.

It's one thing to host a foreign dignitary; state governors do it all the time. It's quite another to make a campaign stop.... and that's the difference between Governor Cox, a Republican, who did not ask Zelensky to endorse him in his re-election campaign, and Democrats who used taxpayer funds to have Zelensky, a foreigner, interfere in our election in favor of the Democrats. That's the big issue: Democrats using foreign interference. The same thing, mind you, they impeached Trump over.

Harun said...

Also, I think all the people so worried that Trump is going to give up to Russia have not considered Trump's track record.

Trump negotiated with North Korea. He did not get a good enough offer so he backed out of the talks. So what do you think is going to happen in Ukraine? Russia has to make a good offer, or Trump will back out and double arms shipments. The biggest problem for Ukraine is getting a defense pact with us or NATO, with troops based in country. Its the only way to deter Russia. Or Ukraine can have nukes, and be neutral...maybe that would assuage Putin.

But right now each side can barely take land, and are loosing men at a staggering rate. And Joe Biden ahs actually been too slow in providing aid. For example, we gave Ukraine cluster ammo one month after their summer offensive happened...that is so damn stupid. We slow walked F-16s. We slow walked missiles to hit Russia, we are now not providing smoke shells for their artillery, vital for defense and offense. Biden stupidly trumpeted huge aid packages that were actually for Bradley that were going to be decommissioned they are literally "free of charge" to ship. By bragging about this during a recession many Americans think we are sending a bazillion dollars - which we are but s lot of it is scrapped vehicles, old ammo, old missiles, etc.

Vance said...

Zelensky endorsing Democrats and committing foreign election interference.... after Democrats impeached Trump over "REEEE election interference making a phone call to Ukraine!!!!!!"

THink Biden or Harris have made a phone call to Ukraine? Think someone did to invite Zelensky to come campaign for Democrats on the taxpayer dime?

Why shouldn't we impeach Harris over this and Biden? I thought asking Ukraine to interfere in US elections was the worst thing imaginable?

Harun said...

Also, compare Trump's Vietnam "no deal" with Democrats Iran deal - they never leave the table. They cry during negotiations (no, I am not making that up, our lady negotiator cried, another neg\otiator gave them classified documents)

Just remove your partisan glasses for a moment and think about this.

Biden is shit for negotiator and Kamala probably is too.

Biden raced to meet Putin after he was president...why?
Whatever was said at the Summit, Putin decided it was go time.

and yes, Putin didn't invade when Trump was president...which is weird, if Democrats claim that Trump is a Putin agent is true. Trump threatened to nuke the minarets of moscow...hardly a puppet.

I think left leaning people need to become better at reading reality. I don't think this is hard to do.

Harun said...

Sorry Trump's "no deal" with North Korea.

They negotiated in Vietnam which is why I associated it with that country.

Harun said...

TIL that we refuse to ship WP shells to Ukraine.

WP are smoke shells to allow for retreats, rotation of forces or attacks.

You need WP now even more because it stops thermal sights too.

Ask any person who knows about Ukraine deeply and they will point to...

JAKE SULLIVAN

and I mean Democrats and lefties. If they are deep followers or the war, they blame him and Biden for this shit.

Do you think Kamala is going to replace JAKE SULLIVAN?

No.

Trump, even if he starts doveish may be much better for Ukraine in the long run.

Peachy said...

Inga - you are the propagandist. You worhsip blindly all the lies that pour out of the corrupt democrat party and the corrupt FBI. and the corrupt hack -D press.
State run press.

Peachy said...

Corrupt FBI - intimidates anyone who doesn't fall in line with the leftwing narrative.
Turns out the white left racists who run he FBI - are racists, too.

Eric Adams said - one year ago - stated that Biden's failures on immigration were destroying NYC. Now look.

Inga said...

Michael K is in decline. He’s always been an asshole, but in the last couple of years he’s fallen into some of the looniest rabbit holes. That’s what comes from being a supporter of Steve Bannon. He doesn’t seem to have the discernment to know that these extremists are not patriots and are barely skirting past being traitors.

As for FU Childless Cat Lady, she’s just another dummy like poor Gilbert.

Jerry said...

Harun:
"I think left leaning people need to become better at reading reality. I don't think this is hard to do."

First they have to realize their 'reality' isn't congruent with the real world. Then they've got to realize they CAN change, and that there's a benefit to doing so.

If they don't see a reason, they won't.

Original Mike said...

"Eric Adams said - one year ago - stated that Biden's failures on immigration were destroying NYC. Now look."

Hmmm

Vance said...

Doesn't Inga claim to have grandchildren, I think (maybe it was a daughter) in the Army?

Why is she jonesing so hard for this war? If Harris wins, we'll have US troops, including Inga's relative, on the plains of Kursk, and we all know what happened to the Germans there. And the Germans were a much larger army, with more experience at the time they got their rears handed to them at Kursk.

Iman said...

Igna may be a midwit, but she’s OUR midwit.

Iman said...

You did NOT miss an endorsement AND Rich is full of shit

paulr said...

In fairness, the munitions factory is in Scranton and its contributions to Ukraine are well known. Accompanying Zelensky was Pennsylvania’s Governor, one of its Senators (who is from Scranton) and the rep from Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district (which includes Scranton). That’s a very logical invite list based on where the plant’s geography.

By the way, the “other” Senator who did not attend – Fetterman. Also a Democrat.

Kakistocracy said...

“It looks like the Republicans were looking for ways to create a scandal but we should have avoided giving them the opportunity" from a Ukrainian official.

Pure cheek.

This is hilarious, Zelenskyy visited an ammunitions factory that makes munitions for Ukraine to use with the governor of PA--it's not like he went with Harris or campaigned for anyone in particular? Republicans are good at finding outrage fuel but for anyone to take this seriously just gives them more free publicity to continue the outrage.

Dr Weevil said...

Anyone who says I was "trying to sell us on the idea Zelensky is a regular Audie Murphy" is in fact a liar and a total asshole, who needs to bugger off somewhere and infest some worthless site.

Drago said...

Anyone that calls someone else a "liar" simply because that someone does not agree with the claim Zelensky is a "warrior" needs to bugger off and infest some worthless site....like Zelensky Man-Crush Fan-Boy.org!

gadfly said...

And it looks like no GOP candidates got invited — trapping a foreign head of state into apparently taking sides in US domestic politics....

Somehow News Corp chooses to ignore the one-on-one meetings that candidate Trump has with foreign leaders. These foreign leaders have privately made stops at Trump's Mar-a-Lago Florida club in 2024.

The former president hosted British Foreign Secretary David Cameron. According to the Trump campaign, the two spoke about the war in Ukraine, NATO spending, and upcoming elections.

The former president also hosted Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, the closest European Union ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two also discussed the war in Ukraine, Orban later told state media.

Trump spoke recently with Saudi Arabia's Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who was found by U.S. intelligence to have signed off on killing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Saudi cash continues to find its way into Trump's coffers.

On Sunday, Trump wrote on social media that he’d met with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani at the former president’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Qatar has acted as a key intermediary for Hamas.

Finding more meetings is easy when our former president acts as if he remains the president. Additional meetings occurred with Polish President Andrzej Duda and former Japanese Prime Minister Taro. And of course, he met privately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in July.

Rusty said...

Prior to 2020 none of this was even an issue.

Butkus51 said...

Its telling what Inga doesnt complain about.

Just saying.

Lazarus said...

America Firsters included future presidents and Supreme Court justices. They may have been wrong, but they weren't all -- or even mostly -- admirers of Hitler. I don't know about the "Heartlanders" and a "Japan First" policy. In the early months of the war, more troops and resources were dispatched to the Pacific than to the European theatre. Our first offensives were in the Pacific, and even in 1943 a majority of Americans regarded Japan as our number one enemy. There were conflicts early on about how much could be spared from the war against Hitler to use in the Pacific, but I don't see any great outcry against the Germany First strategy.

Just what Roosevelt knew or wanted as regards Pearl Harbor is unclear, but could he really not have known that cutting off Japan's oil supply could bring us closer to war? He was smarter than that. Acheson, whose exclusion of South Korea from our security zone in a public speech arguably led to North Korea's aggression, may not have been.

"Anthropology" -- and more often psychanalysis -- are the left's go-to explanations for their opponents' positions and beliefs. It's a mistake to go down that rabbit hole and not focus on the actual issues involved. In this case, it's particularly stupid, since the left's reductive polemic against Reagan's "anti-Sovietism" can be applied to the current "Russia, Russia, Russia" mania, and the arguments that liberals and the left made in favor of disengagement in the '80s would be support those who want less involvement in the current war. You can come up with a tribal or psychological explanation to explain anything, but in the end you've explained nothing. Sides -- and the reasonable and effective responses -- shift as the situation changes.

Rusty said...

Let's not lose sight of the fact that prior to 2020 this was not an argument. This administration and the Democrat Party have put us on a path to WW3. It isn't a matter of preferring one over the other. It is a matter of not starting WW3.