Today is October 18, just 16 days from election day here in the US. Run ups to elections have never been pretty, but this one really seems to stand out for not just unpleasant campaign ads, but dangerous actions and rhetoric.
In an apparent effort to lower gas prices pressure is being brought to bear on Ukraine to stop attacking Russian infrastructure, pressure in the form of slowing down Starshield terminals to under 100 mph. This hinders Ukraine’s ability to shoot down Russia’s Shahed drones which fly closer to 200 mph. This is not just a betrayal of a country fighting for its very existence but also of American citizens who expect their government to protect their security and not give aid and comfort to our adversaries, which includes Russia under Putin. There was a reason even Lindsey Graham supported sanctions on Russian oil.
For those voters who backed Trump in 2024 with the distinct goal of having him back off forever wars and deal with inflation, Trump has been a no show. For our allies who expected the United States to have their backs, Trump has been a no show.
We also have Donald Trump telling Americans he would authorize payments of $5,000 to every American eligible to vote if Republicans keep control of the US House and Senate. The estimated cost is $1.2 trillion. Not only is this a waste of taxpayer dollars, it is a blatant bribe. For those Americans who are concerned about our spending and expected Trump to do something, he has been a no show.
I could go on, but I feel like I am beating a dead horse sometimes. All of the above actions by Trump are an effort by him to help the Republicans maintain control of Congress. The Trump administration has been busy undermining our governmental infrastructure and our relationships with our allies, by inserting corruption and incompetence into our government. All this at a time when there are so many serious issues facing our nation; climate change, AI development, the various wars that are ongoing, an economy that is hamstrung by rising inflation due to a war Trump started with Iran and the benefits that China is deriving from our incompetence.
There are signs that maybe some Americans are beginning to realize that they bought a pig in a poke. I can only hope that is the case, because as it stands we have been betrayed by our elected officials and it is time that this “sleeping giant” awoke to that fact.
Just one area of my country:
Zelenskyy claims that the United States has cut off air defense warnings for Kyiv and across Ukraine again Monday. Reuters
ReplyDeletePutin has formally proposed a three-way conference to formulate a "peace plan" for the Russian/Ukrainian War, between Putin, Trump's representatives, and the Chinese. Reuters Trump hasn't accepted, yet. And I think I'd bet on the Chinese to not accept at all, but I won't give odds on that.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, Trump is getting in a tizzy over a golf course where he has been busily bulldozing perfectly healthy trees to make room for his vision of the course.
ReplyDeleteOther people have more important priorities.
I bought gas on Sunday and again on Monday. The gas price had risen 3 cents over night.
ReplyDeleteHuh! No surprise, but Musk is saying it is Trump who ordered the Starlink slowdown and Hegseth is saying it was all Musk.
ReplyDeleteI had noted the administration's problem with their story on the throttling of the Starshield system late in the last thread. It's not gotten any better for them in the intervening few days. So I expect the problem will continue.
ReplyDeleteNow China isn't playing into Putin's preferred three-way discussion for the surrender of Ukraine and now Trump has had to propose a three-way meeting that includes Ukraine but not China. (Which Putin won't agree to.)
Why do I get the impression that China is playing their cards smart even as we play dumb?
ReplyDelete"Top Trump administration officials are starting to point
ReplyDeletefingers squarely at SpaceX founder Elon Musk for the decision
to slow down his company’s Starlink satellite internet services
and its military counterpart Starshield for Ukraine, which has
been muddled in uncertainty over the culprit.
"Looking to deflect the controversial move — which was
swiftly admonished by powerful congressional Republicans
and Democrats — Secretary of State Marco Rubio on
Wednesday said Ukraine’s access to Starlink was up to Musk
and not the White House."
TheHill
The WallStreetJournal reported on Thursday that Elon Musk was the one who'd issued the slow-down order. Now Trump's gotten into the question again and allowed as how it was Musk who issued the 'stop slowdown" order a few days later. This is gonna prove to have legs.
Last I heard the slowdown is still happening to some extent.
ReplyDeleteTrump's affinity for Putin has always been an issue. It is only a question of when Americans will twig to the fact before permanent damage is done.
ReplyDeleteI think a couple of other things with legs are data centers and that campaign ad using the democratic candidate's estranged mother.
ReplyDeleteData centers seem to be a bi-partisan issue.
And showing such lact of empathy to a sexual abuse victim reminds me of the lact of empathy for the Jeffrey Epstein victims. It seems to be a pettern.
There is a chance others may notice as well.
I've been watching the AI analysis of this blog. It is getting better.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete"WASHINGTON, Oct 23 (Reuters) - US President Donald Trump
ReplyDeletesaid on Friday that if there was still a problem with access to
Starlink communication systems in Ukraine, he would get it
straightened out."
________________________________
I've been trying to avoid AI analyses. So I got no remembrances to compare to.
"…and that campaign ad using the democratic candidate's
ReplyDeleteestranged mother."
I kinda disagree there. I think that one will disappear as soon as the election is over, if Amy Acton wins. It's in the Democrats' interest to not been seen as 'snowflakes' but to concentrate on governing issues instead. Might be different if Ramaswamy wins.
Trump has ordered the DOJ to file a lawsuit against Alaska if a senate race there is won by the Democrat.
ReplyDeleteApparently there are two candidates with similar names, one being the Republican candidate. The reasoning being that the one candidate is only running to siphon votes away from the Republican candidate due to confusion over the names.
So it starts.
He's also ordered a lawsuit against California for not striking roughly 20,000 names from the voting rolls (The list of names supplied by the Trump administration late last week on the unverified claim that they were "non-citizens" improperly registered to vote. Similar claims previously made by the Trump administration have proven utterly specious.)
ReplyDeleteThey are thinking that the Alaska lawsuit will go no where, for lack of standing. I would think the same would go for the California lawsuit.
ReplyDeleteThe Alaska Supreme Court already ruled on the situation with the names there. When you look at the ballot it is quite clear who the incumbent is. It always tells you on the ballot.
But the lawsuits just add drama and chaos. Trumps MO.
"But the lawsuits just add drama and chaos."
ReplyDeleteMore than ‛just’ drama and chaos. Trump's looking for a hook on which to hang a federal intervention in the congressional elections (by force if necessary, which is why Hegseth is still ‛Secretary of War’). He wants to propose some novel legal question, one which has not yet been thrown out as specious by the federal courts. He hopes to take an ‛emergency’ appeal of that novel legal theory straight to the Supreme Court to have his intervention blessed by his Federalist Society majority.
________________________________
I read that the ‛throttling’ of Ukraine's StarShield connections has stopped once again. There will be investigations if the Democrats take control of the Congress.
And there is a good bet that if the Dems take control there will be an impeachment of Hegseth.
ReplyDeleteHistorically, (under English Common Law) impeachment wasn't limited to just stripping someone of their government office. They could also face fines and/or a stretch in prison. (Never been used that way in the United States, but I don't know of any rule says tossing someone out of office has become the exclusive punishment. Might be time to expand on the available penalties.)
ReplyDeleteI have always liked the idea of fines, especially for Trump. There should be a way to claw back what he has swindled out of the US taxpayer. Kind of like what was done in the Bernie Madoff case.
ReplyDeleteHe would look so good in an orange jumpsuit too.
Trump seems to be bragging about oil and gas companies making lots of money. Probably not a good move when so many people don't own stock in them, just use their product.
ReplyDeleteThe DOJ has charged Comey AGAIN with something. This is seriously getting old.
ReplyDeleteCharged him with disseminating classified information. They were apparently not able to secure an indictment from a grand jury and so filed it under a prosecutor's "information and belief". That means Comey will be entitled to a preliminary hearing. A judge will need to review their evidence and approve the charges before they can take him to trial.
ReplyDeleteMay we see the end of Netanayu?
ReplyDeleteIf so, is that an omen for our own election?
Lookin' kinda ‛iffy’ for getting rid of Netanyahu any time soon. He's facing criminal prosecution, suspended for now on account of he's the prime minister. It'll take up again, promptly, soon as he's not the prime minister. He will therefore not go quietly.
ReplyDeleteClose as it is, he'll use the power of his incumbency to cling to his office. That may be an omen.
Looks like Trump is preparing for a renewal of his war against Iran close after the mid-term elections. (The planners at the Pentagon certainly think so.) Having Netanyahu still in power in Israel is probably a prerequisite for that. (Although it is possible he'll elect to go it alone; he's getting rather erratic.)
ReplyDelete"The top Democrats on the House Judiciary and Oversight
ReplyDeleteCommittees want President Donald Trump to preserve his
conversations with artificial intelligence chatbots as part of an
inquiry into whether Elon Musk’s AI assistant played a role in
shaping White House policy — a preview of what’s to come if
their party flips the chamber next week."
Politico
Hegseth fired Lt. Gen. Sylvia, the top planning officer at the Pentagon. Just as that war may heat up. Oh joy. They are investigating whether he leaked classified information. That seems to be their go to when they want to get rid of someone.
ReplyDeleteI was listening to Mark Kelly last night. He was on the View the other day. He was saying it will take years to fix the mess they are making.
Will competent people get elected? Hope so, before it is too late.
Trump is negotiating with Russia to ease the sanctions on their sovereign wealth fund.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I can see where an AI assistant may be playing a role in White House policy. One created by Russia, though.
Well… Putin has recently praised Elon Musk as a "true genius", and announced that the Russians have recently taken up "close contact" with him regarding the creation of a Russian version of Starshield (the military name for Musk's Starlink system). The Guardian
ReplyDeleteAnd, long as Trump's in a giving mood, Putin has some more demands for him to fulfill:
ReplyDelete"MOSCOW, Oct 28 (Reuters) - The timing of the next round of
three-way talks on a settlement of the Ukraine conflict is
linked to the conflict in the Middle East, Kremlin foreign policy
aide Yuri Ushakov was quoted as saying on Wednesday…"
Trump cancels rallies in Kansas and Iowa. Close races. Maybe someone told him he wasn't helping?
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like Vance canceled Minnesota. Nice, but curious.
ReplyDeleteOops, Trump flip flopped on the rallies. They are on again.
ReplyDeleteHuh! Trump just called Alaska voters stupid. He said they don't know what Incumbent means.
ReplyDelete"…he's getting rather erratic."
ReplyDeleteLee C. @ October 29, 2026 6:11 am ↑↑
What are the odds he doesn't finish out his term due to health reasons?
ReplyDeleteHe won't resign. He might have stroke or a coronary. Vance won't be much of an improvement. (I'm fairly anti- on the question of impeachment for the same reason.)
ReplyDeleteHeadline "US approves $2.1 billion Patriot missile sale to Ukraine"
ReplyDeleteIt appears the Trump administration is bowing to an inevitability.
Trying to score points with the pro-Ukrainian bloc.
ReplyDeleteStatistician and forecaster, Nate Silver, of "538" fame, has predicted a "blue tsunami" coming down today. NateSilver
ReplyDeleteI voted this morning. According to poll workers there had been a nice, steady turnout.
ReplyDeleteI did not have to wait too long in line. While the place wasn't full it was pleasantly busy, though. I do not live in a large metropolitan area, so this turnout was good.
They are calling Talarico the winner in his race in Texas.
ReplyDeleteThey are also calling the governor's race for the Democratic candidate, Hinojosa.
Judging by the rest of the country the polls may actually have been right this time.
I think that "sleeping giant" is awake.
ReplyDeleteCNN has predicted that the Democrats will take control of both the House and the Senate.
ReplyDeleteTo Hell with that talk about a "blue tsunami". This was a true partisan ass kickin'. The Democrats have won a large enough majority that their leaders will not need to pander to their left-wing firebrands (who simply won't have the power that the Trumpkan/Republican fascist fringe could exercise in the prior congress.)
ReplyDeleteThe size of his loss will likely put a chill on Trump's plans to contest the elections. That'll be a very good thing. We may yet avoid any bid by Trump to make himself President For Life.
I'm not sure what the Trumpkan/Republican coalition will do as a result of this rebuke. It's possible that the formal fracture of the party that I thought would happen after the 2016 election might yet happen, ten years later.
This was the sound drubbing by an American electorate that we have been hoping for. Mark this as a battle won.
ReplyDeleteWe will still have a lot if work to do to win the war.
"We will still have a lot if work to do to win the war."
ReplyDeleteYep. No shit. Won that round. And a good first move it was too. And it's starting to produce results. Mike Johnson has announced that he will not seek to return as the House Republican Minority Leader.
Rumors are that it will be Jim Jordan. Just as bad.
ReplyDeleteJordan will probably be worse. He has a history as an extremist, which inclinations he's suppressed of late in his pursuit of a leadership position. His elevation, if it happens, will probably lead to further polarization within the Republican Party remnants.
ReplyDelete________________________________
And, in one of Trump's first acts of retribution, he again struck at an ally who'd not bowed totally to his whims. He announced the cessation of foreign assistance to the state of Israel, ostensibly because "they didn't need it anymore". (More likely because Netanyahu had his own agenda he pursued even when it conflicted with Trump's whims. Trump does not forget such slights.)
I call this another self inflicted wound for Trump. He's gonna take the shit for that move, when he could have left the Democrats to take the blame later (and occasioned some messy party infighting among the Democrats to boot).
Trump is now giving an update on his ballroom and the other "improvements" he has made to Washington DC.
ReplyDeleteHistory has made a big deal of the madness of King George. I suspect there will be something similar with Trump.