ThinkerX

That will change.

Given that Trump is actively ticking off swing voters, Biden can probably win most or all of the swing states. That said, while Biden might begin his second term in 2025, there is at least an even chance that Harris will finish it.

Russia is unlikely to be in shape to invade any other country for several decades regardless of whether they win the war in Ukraine. The war has accelerated their ongoing demographic catastrophe, which combined with sanctions, an aging and incompetent leadership, and severe economic issues puts them in bad shape.

Taylor Swift will save the day (and the country) by signing up several hundred thousand young voters in swing states - who will vote Democrat (because of student loan forgiveness and disgust at the GOP's stance on minorities/gays/abortion.) (then she endorses AOC for president for 2028)

I suppose this would (sort of) help the situation in central Western Europe. Northern Europe, though, might end up about on par with my currently frozen corner of the globe. That said, I am inclined to add this one to the 'more study needed' pile. Atlantic Ocean is headed for a tipping point − once melting glaciers shut down the Gulf Stream, we would see extreme climate change within decades, study shows (msn.com)

According to the Old Testament, one of the acts committed by the ancient Hebrews was to enslave the people they did not massacre in the land given to them by God. The OT does contain instructions on the treatment of slaves. Slavery was a common and accepted practice throughout the ancient world. I have read sermons and publications by the slave owners of the Old South that made excellent biblically based arguments in favor of slavery. No great surprise, considering slavery was so deeply ingrained in the cultures that produced the bible that 'freedom for all' was an 'impossible concept.'

Lately, on another site, I have been 'debating' with a couple of people who claim to be American 'tourists' in Moscow or at least Russia. According to them... No rolling blackouts... No press gangs snatching people from businesses... No financial difficulties - at least for them... Supposedly, 'college kids' do criticize the war now and again. These guys tell them to shut up because the US government 'wants to kill everybody in Russia.' Ukraine is on the brink of collapse (they get enraged when the war's duration is pointed out and how long that claim has been repeated) Russian casualties, as reported in the Western media, are bogus. I am unsure if these are Militia/MAGA types who went to Russia or if they are merely trolls. I do wonder how, if they are in Russia, they avoid the attention of the secret police for the crime of participating on message boards outside of Russia.

Given the way these guys flip-flop, Mike Johnson pivoting is possible. There is also the 'moderate GOP House revolt' to take into account. I am wondering though... Suppose Biden. via executive order, increased the fee employers pay for having undocumented workers on the payroll by a factor of ten. Or maybe by a factor of twenty? Most of those employers donate to Republican politicians. An executive order like that would be a direct hit to their campaign money, possibly forcing them to act. (And yes, I know this is unlikely to happen, and if it did happen, Republicans would challenge it in court and likely win. But for the few weeks or months it was in effect...)

The article I saw was from a different source but said much the same.

It seems the Republican House attempt to impeach the DHS secretary has flopped. Jim Jordan made a bizarre one-sentence addition/recommendation to the proposed border bill, making me wonder if something might happen there after all through Republican incompetence, infighting, and the need for some members to get a 'win.'

Supposedly, the Russian internet is down.

I'm saying he might not have a choice.

Couple of things I have been giving some thought to lately... First, could Trump be looking at some sort of Chapter 11 or Chapter 7 bankruptcy situation in the next few months - for real, not the fake ones he went through in the past? Would this affect his campaign at all? Second, the border fiasco. As expected, the R's killed the bipartisan deal because they needed the border as a political issue and their sponsors needed cheap illegal immigrant labor. Then they turned around and demanded Biden do something. But no matter what Biden does, they will attack him. So... time to hit the R's in the wallet. Right now, employers who get caught with undocumented employees get hit a fairly trivial fine - the cost of doing business. But suppose Biden, via executive order, increased that fine by a factor of ten or twenty with the proceeds going to border security? And suppose the raids started just days after this order was enacted? Yes, the order would be challenged - the R's wouldn't have a choice, but the fireworks might be entertaining.

Been thinking about this for a while now. The implications, if right, are insane and maybe frightening. First, Trump is a racist bigot. No dispute there. However, there is his latest spate of speeches and announcements that had media commentators and others saying Trump was paraphrasing Hitler. The problem here isn't so much Trump's message (he is a racist bigot) but the closeness of these speeches and comments to Hitler's. The thing is, Trump is also willfully ignorant and in a steep cognitive decline. To me, that makes it unlikely that Trump came up with this stuff on his own. Trump does, however, have literal Neo-Nazis on his staff. These people would know all about quoting Hitler. So... this has me wondering - are the Neo Nazis 'puppettng' Trump? This leads to the disturbing possibility we get stuck with a racist, egotistical, severely mentally impaired POTUS who is puppeted by literal Nazis.

Might be interesting to see how many R's vote for the bill despite Trump's objections. The desire to appease their base overcoming their fear of Trump.

Kentucky GOP is pushing to legalize killing homeless people who trespass. Guess the gravediggers will be working triple shifts... Kentucky Republicans Aim to Legalize 'Force' Against Homeless Trespassers (msn.com)

Thank yu, couldn't remember that right off.

The picture changes a bit when you step back and look at Russia's history these past forty years or so. They LOST the war in Afghanistan. The entire Warsaw Pact apart from Russia quit that sham alliance. Some went further, joining NATO. The Baltic States quit the USSR and at least one of them is a NATO member. And Russia was unable to prevent ANY of this.

House Republicans appear poised to sabotage a border deal they pushed for because it would give Biden a win. The GOP's political dilemma on immigration grows - The Washington Post

Okay... Moscow - home of the Russian elite - is under some sort of rolling blackout scheme for at least a couple of months owing to an infrastructure catastrophe, probably brought on via a combination of the war and piss-poor maintenance. Fixing that is going to take a pile of money. Yet, Russia appears to have actively set a major source of that money (the foreign currency reserves) on fire. Factor in additional catastrophes brought on by Ukrainian attacks and lousy upkeep, plus most of the people who know how to do this stuff are dead in Ukraine or doing their damndest to flee the country...and this is a collapse in the making.

Seems the Republican House Majority is going to get slim to the point of nonexistence within the next few weeks between the retirements and at least one member in critically ill health. 217 R votes. I am wondering more and more if the D's might not use that ridiculous challenge rule to depose Johnson and put Jefferies in charge. Or maybe Gaetz will pull that trigger a second time.

strangely enough, flamethrowers are legal in many states. One common use is cleaning stadium seats. (At least according to a video that popped up on my FB a few months back.)

The problem with that commentator's statements is that partly as a result of the war, the Russian equivalent of Amazon burned to the ground and Moscow is facing rolling blackouts. If this keeps up Russia will cease to be a functional industrial country within the specified timeline.

The difference is that those elections determine who will represent the area the voter lives in.

'...defeats the purpose of having parties at all...' - that would be a good thing. Large numbers of leftist types voting in republican parties would choose candidates that are either sane - aka people that could at least be worked with - or so completely insane that they can't win elections. Works both ways, of course.