stevenkesslar

McCaul expects Johnson to bring Ukraine aid bill to the floor after Easter “His commitment is to put it on the floor after Easter,” McCaul said Sunday during an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” More evidence that principled Republican Ukraine hawks have Speaker Johnson by the balls. And are willing to squeeze. Even if they are not as colorful in their clothing and pronouncements as Marjorie Taylor Greene. If McCaul is saying that, it sounds like a deal to put it to a vote has been made. Ms. MAGA In Red specifically said she was warning Johnson about putting Ukraine aid to a vote when she filed her motion to oust him. So we can probably take her literally. She must have known a plan to put Ukraine on the floor was in the works. And her warning is: "Do that, and you die." Pro-Ukraine Republican hawks on the other side in effect said, "Fine. I quit early. That way our whole fucking majority dies. is that what you want?" As Adam Kinzinger just said, if Ms. MAGA in Red does carry through on her threat, it sets the stage for a bipartisan group to save Johnson's Speakership from pro-Trump extremists who want to defund Ukraine and quit NATO. How does this help Trump? See what Genocide Man does to people? He is so repulsive and disgusting and murderous that principled Republicans are willing to quit early or squeeze a House Speaker's balls if needed. Genocide Man may not fully appreciate what he is up against as his lies and mass murder continue. Putin has done an excellent job of convincing the vast majority of Americans he is an enemy. It's hard not to believe this isn't going to hurt Trump. Ms. MAGA In Red comes from a safe Republican district. So she can be a Trump gadfly all she wants. Biden's SOTU line, "I will not bow down to Putin," was clearly a dress rehearsal for the campaign. Most Americans agree with him. Most Americans support NATO. It's not going to help Trump that he is making a case that he wants to undercut Ukraine, undercut principled hawks in his own party, and bow down to Putin. Since Biden is supposedly weak and senile, which sounds weaker? A) "I will not bow down to Putin." Or B) "Mr. Putin, give me a loan." Putin's rich cronies did bail out Truth Social with millions when it was near broke. It didn't violate any law, or there would be even more indictments. So maybe Trump is just returning a favor to his genocidal pal. Trump Media probed by feds for possible money laundering after $8M loans from Putin-tied lender: report

Well, he did it. I suppose he couldn't help himself. Genocide Man is all about genocide. Genocide Man is all about death. Major missile barrage targets Kyiv, western Ukraine The innocent dead in Moscow have not yet been buried, and Putin has already dishonored them by telling lies about who murdered them. Genocide Man further dishonors the victims of terror by using it as a pretext to ramp up his genocide and kill children. The barrage he launched on Ukraine has killed a bunch of children in the last 24 hours. Genocide Man is probably trying to cover up his incompetence. If he admitted it was Isis, he'd have to admit he ignored warnings and dropped the ball. Mass murderers can't have a reputation for incompetence. Even though Genocide Man does. The good news for NATO and Europe and democratic allies is Genocide Man can't win World War III. He can't even beat an army in Ukraine. The three things that have been consistent since the war started is his incompetence, his lies, and his cold-blooded genocide. There are only two reasons Genocide Man has not lost the war already. He is willing to kill as many Ukrainians as it takes. Men, women, children, and dogs. And he is willing to process as many Russians into fertilizer as it takes. The horror in Moscow is one day's work on the slaughter fields of Ukraine. Genocide Man will throw millions of his own people into the meat grinder to uphold his lies, his power, and his wealth.

It's interesting looking back at the political consequences of the events of about a decade ago in Syria today. Some of the things that seemed like victories at the time set the stage for future losses. And some of the things that felt like debacles turned out not to matter so much. Genocide Man's intervention in Syria set the stage for Ukraine. It helped create Putin's reputation as a bad ass force that was not to be challenged, and got what it wanted. I think that is a good example of the Powell Doctrine of having limited and winnable military objectives. When Bush 41 did that in Iraq, it worked. When Bush 43 ignored the Powell Doctrine and went for total victory in Iraq, it led to a debacle and genocide. In the same way, Putin's limited military success in Syria helped set the stage for his debacle in Ukraine. He's not such a bad ass anymore. Syria also set the stage for over 1 million refugees flowing into Europe. While Turkey took half of them, Germany ended up with over half a million, and Sweden was #2 with over 100,000. At the time Merkel and Germans were mostly widely praised. Eventually it became clear that anti-immigrant movements grew quickly. And helped right wing parties rise in both nations, and across Europe. That said, Germany is run by a left-of-center coalition. Sweden just joined NATO. We'll see how this turns out in November in the US. If Trump manages to win on an anti-immigrant wave, it may make Obama's policy of being "Deporter In Chief" look wise in retrospect. But you are right that Europe has been more welcoming. And has mostly managed to avoid a reaction so strong that rightwing anti-immigrant parties took over. Of course, the millions of Ukrainians who have flowed into Europe are poster children for why Putin's genocide must be stopped.

At the very least, the way Medvedev and then Putin immediately lashed out at Ukraine creates the impression that this is a logical explanation. As well as Putin's decades long history of terror and mass murder against Russians. What I found particularly chilling was that Medvedev pointedly said that Ukrainian state officials deserve to be killed without mercy "if" they are somehow found responsible. That sounds like a possible rationale for assassinations to me. Medvedev has a habit of threatening heads of state with execution. What a sweetie! This is why Russia is deeply fucked for decades to come. The normal rules of civilization and decency no longer apply. Name any other country where this happened - the Bali bar bombings, Paris, London - and the world immediately reacted in unconditional sympathy for victims and outrage against the terrorists. We are seeing a shadow of that, with genuine statements of sympathy for the victims. But now the world is left wondering what evil Putin is plotting next. Whether it is because Putin did this, or terrorists did it and Genocide Man will simply use to rationalize genocide, is to some degree beside the point. Trump and Russiagate come to mind. Let's not underestimate Genocide Man's stupidity and incompetence. There were so many bizarre things Trump did, including trying to impede Mueller's investigation, that it sure seemed like he had to be in cahoots with Putin. And certainly Genocide Man has done Trump favors. Like when his Russian oligarch cronies funded Truth Social when it close to going broke. But after Mueller issued his report, my conclusion was that it could all be explained by Trump's stupidity and incompetence. So it could be that Genocide Man didn't plot the attack on his own people, and is now simply trying to cover up his stupidity and incompetence with more genocide. This is consistent with Genocide Man's history of incompetence. Or, if you prefer, his cold-blooded ruthlessness. When terrorists took over a theater in 2002, most Russians died because Putin had them poisoned to death. Not because terrorists killed them. There is good news. The number of tourists avoiding Russia can't get any smaller. Nobody wanted to visit Genocide World, anyway.

So now Genocide Fan # 2 is playing the victim card? The Oscars are over. And you're not really good at playing the victim. You support genocide. Genocide Man is about genocide. Genocide Man is about death. Genocide Man is about lies. It is who Genocide Man is. It is what Genocide Man does. Now Genocide Man and his surrogates want more genocide, death, and lies.

Who’s to blame for the Moscow concert hall attack? Some Russians blame lax security for the horrific attack claimed by ISIL. But a few analysts recall a darker pattern from Russia’s modern history. To put this in another context, AlJazeera is doing really good reporting on reactions on the Arab Street of views of the United States for arming Israel as Netanyahu conducts a genocide in Gaza. Just when you think Arab opinion about the US could not get worse, it did. So it's interesting that in this instance, less than a day after a horrific attack, they are laying out the cold facts objectively.

Genocide Man invaded Crimea in 2014. Genocide Man has been orchestrating genocide ever since. The US tried to prevent the mass murder of its own citizens, and of Russians. Genocide Man garners no sympathy from the US or the world when he lies in defense of his genocide after a tragedy. Genocide Man, even in a moment of horrible tragedy, is about genocide and lies. That was predictable as soon as Genocide Man had his surrogate Medvedev talk about killing Ukrainians without mercy yesterday. Including state officials. Who knows what other lies and horror Genocide Man is now cooking up for Ukrainians and poor innocent Russians.

My heart goes out to all the Russians, particularly ethnic minorities in a racist, homophobic country, who Genocide Man will send off to be processed into fertilizer because of this. Genocide Man is using lies and terror to sow hate and war. Genocide Man will say anything. Genocide Man says Jew are Nazis and they must be kllled. How many Russians does Genocide Man have to kill with his lies, hate, and mass murder?

YES! YES! YES! The world needs to unite against the genocidal sadist. 143 countries condemn Russia's annexations in Ukraine Genocide Man is incompetent, too, it appears. He can't win a genocide, and he can't stop terrorists. What evil outrageous deceitful thing will Genocide Man do next? Genocide Man is already lying and using this to defend his genocide in Ukraine.

That's ironic. By the way, none of those 1,600 were children, or innocent civilians.

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.