Donald I, emperor of the world.

[Blazing Saddles]

The oft hyperbolic Kyle Kulinski covered the on line MAGA advertising campaign for the mid terms. There's no policy: it's all about "would you let biological men into your duaghters changing rooms?" and X Dem candidate backs funding for child sex change surgery. No mention of the cost of living or the Iran conflict or the economy. Musk is spending millions on the advertising apparently. Good, that'll be a complete waste of money.

Worth a watch:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRvCh1qlDFU

Meanwhile the Magpublicans would much prefer if you let paedophiles into your daughters changing rooms.

 

[Pinno718]

Meanwhile the Magpublicans would much prefer if you let paedophiles into your daughters changing rooms.

Or Ken Paxton to be senator or an abusive rapist to be POTUS. Speaking of which:

This is what Teal Talarico posted on X

Here’s a list of Texas Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton's corruption scandals so far:​

PAXTON ACCOMPLISHMENTS

—Offered an admitted child molester one day in jail after he repeatedly raped a young boy

—Impeached by his own party on 20 counts of corruption, bribery, abuse of public trust, and obstruction of justice

—Owns at least 15 homes across the nation worth $9 million, despite a government salary of $153k

—Accepted $77,000 from men who allegedly sexually assaulted women, exposed themselves to children, and appear in the Epstein Files

—Spent July 4th, 2026, and America's 250th birthday in London

—Fled to Utah during Texas's deadly 2021 winter storms, which killed 246 people, a disaster in which Paxton was "responsible for overseeing key aspects of the state's response"

—Only Texas official to be impeached by his own party in nearly 50 years

—Net worth increased 7,000% since taking office

—Failed to disclose he secretly purchased real estate worth millions in Hawaii, Florida, and Utah, a direct violation of Texas ethics rules

—Accepted $448,000 from data center industry executives and PACs

—Bankrolled by the family who attempted to buy Jeffrey Epstein's "Lolita Express" private jet, and the family who bought Epstein's Zorro Ranch

—Said the Uvalde shooting, in which 21 children and teachers were murdered, was part of a "plan" by "God"

—Owns a $1.6 million luxury home in Oklahoma with a private chef, masseuse, and housekeeping

—Voted against a Texas program that spent billions on cancer research

—Allegedly committed voter fraud using a false address in 6 different elections

—Protected a laboratory that tortured and killed over 400 puppies

—Charged with felony securities fraud shortly after taking office over allegations he misled investors, resulting in additional SEC charges

—Fled his own home to avoid being served with a subpoena

—Illegally appointed attorney to conduct weaponized investigation

—Reported to the FBI by his own top deputies, who alleged he was abusing his office to benefit a close friend and donor

—Currently charges families an average of $750/night to stay at his luxury Oklahoma home

—Terminated the four senior deputies who reported his misconduct to law enforcement

—Used taxpayer funds as attorney general to benefit a friend
—Took a luxury vacation to Iceland after being exposed for releasing a child molester

—Has a secretive personal fortune of $100,000 to $1 million every 18 months from a hospital cellphone tower

—Owns a $750,000 luxury home in Florida, advertised as a place to live "a true Florida lifestyle"

—Celebrated forcing women out of Texas for life-saving reproductive care

—Offered a plea deal to a child sex abuser that failed to register him as a sex offender in Texas, letting him back on the streets

—Conducted a sham investigation of his own whistleblower complaints

—Owns four luxury homes and land in Utah worth over $2 million

—Wasted taxpayer money in an effort to delay his own trial

—Staff attempted to obstruct his Texas House investigation by reportedly threatening witnesses

—Cost Texans over $6.6 million in his court judgment for retaliating against whistleblowers

—His own lawyer refused to endorse him, and endorsed James Talarico instead

 

[icowden]

They showed this at the RNC:
https://www.thedailybeast.com/republicans-show-laughable-god-made-trump-video-at-maga-fyre-fest/
The Lincoln Project countered

 

[C R]

Or Ken Paxton to be senator or an abusive rapist to be POTUS. Speaking of which:

This is what Teal Talarico posted on X

Here’s a list of Texas Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton's corruption scandals so far:​

PAXTON ACCOMPLISHMENTS

—Offered an admitted child molester one day in jail after he repeatedly raped a young boy

—Impeached by his own party on 20 counts of corruption, bribery, abuse of public trust, and obstruction of justice

—Owns at least 15 homes across the nation worth $9 million, despite a government salary of $153k

—Accepted $77,000 from men who allegedly sexually assaulted women, exposed themselves to children, and appear in the Epstein Files

—Spent July 4th, 2026, and America's 250th birthday in London

—Fled to Utah during Texas's deadly 2021 winter storms, which killed 246 people, a disaster in which Paxton was "responsible for overseeing key aspects of the state's response"

—Only Texas official to be impeached by his own party in nearly 50 years

—Net worth increased 7,000% since taking office

—Failed to disclose he secretly purchased real estate worth millions in Hawaii, Florida, and Utah, a direct violation of Texas ethics rules

—Accepted $448,000 from data center industry executives and PACs

—Bankrolled by the family who attempted to buy Jeffrey Epstein's "Lolita Express" private jet, and the family who bought Epstein's Zorro Ranch

—Said the Uvalde shooting, in which 21 children and teachers were murdered, was part of a "plan" by "God"

—Owns a $1.6 million luxury home in Oklahoma with a private chef, masseuse, and housekeeping

—Voted against a Texas program that spent billions on cancer research

—Allegedly committed voter fraud using a false address in 6 different elections

—Protected a laboratory that tortured and killed over 400 puppies

—Charged with felony securities fraud shortly after taking office over allegations he misled investors, resulting in additional SEC charges

—Fled his own home to avoid being served with a subpoena

—Illegally appointed attorney to conduct weaponized investigation

—Reported to the FBI by his own top deputies, who alleged he was abusing his office to benefit a close friend and donor

—Currently charges families an average of $750/night to stay at his luxury Oklahoma home

—Terminated the four senior deputies who reported his misconduct to law enforcement

—Used taxpayer funds as attorney general to benefit a friend
—Took a luxury vacation to Iceland after being exposed for releasing a child molester

—Has a secretive personal fortune of $100,000 to $1 million every 18 months from a hospital cellphone tower

—Owns a $750,000 luxury home in Florida, advertised as a place to live "a true Florida lifestyle"

—Celebrated forcing women out of Texas for life-saving reproductive care

—Offered a plea deal to a child sex abuser that failed to register him as a sex offender in Texas, letting him back on the streets

—Conducted a sham investigation of his own whistleblower complaints

—Owns four luxury homes and land in Utah worth over $2 million

—Wasted taxpayer money in an effort to delay his own trial

—Staff attempted to obstruct his Texas House investigation by reportedly threatening witnesses

—Cost Texans over $6.6 million in his court judgment for retaliating against whistleblowers

—His own lawyer refused to endorse him, and endorsed James Talarico instead

Those are all positives as far as MAGA are concerned.

 

[Pblakeney]

The Repugnant party is on the ropes. This Dallas convention has been an abject flop. Even with electoral interference, IMHO, the Dems will sweep the House- perhaps not the Senate but it will be enough to seriously kerb the madness, the grift and word is - guaranteed impeachment proceedings.
The long term prospects are not good as the damage Trump is wreaking both domestically and Internationally is going to take decades to rectify, perhaps never.
I think Musk and Thiel are fascists but I think this US version of fascism is simply a cash generator not an ideological movement as such - they have failed to mobilise a nation into fascism. They are autistic nerds who thankfully, don't have their finger on the societal pulse nor have the political backing - Republican candidates are more than aware of their unpopularity. Thiel cannot achieve anything without political will. The current freedom Musk and Thiel have, is short lived. They have the window of this administration to wring as much as they possibly can dry. After Trump, the landscape changes. Perhaps, given the debt and the economy, the Dems have the perfect foundation for high, windfall taxation and massive environmental legislation/energy supply stipulation. That's a ticket they can run on almost solely.
Imagine the Dems lifting the lid on the Epstein files; what a hammer blow that would be to the GOP; all those Repugnants who failed to push for transparency or covered up sins or shut down investigations.

Thiel's value has sky rocketed as AI and data centres take off. This is the long term concern. A Democratic administration in 2028 say has one huge fight on their hands against huge money but Trump's economics will be biting more and more as the rest of the term goes on.

So I would like to contradict your assertion and say that I am a realist.

Just a couple of points. USAnians do not like high tax, or regulations, and actively go against them.
The Dems could have lifted the lid on Epstein in 2020-2024, if they wanted to. Could be that some of them are implicated.

 

[First Aspect]

Joking aside, you don't make any profit if you kill everybody.

Are you alleging there might be some foresight? The thing is, like nuclear power and weapons, once you create the capability, someone will use it eventually.

 

[Psamathe]

US has now gone real banana republic. Such a public "cash for votes", Government policy and Dept of Justice carrying out the vindictive drives of the President, massive accumulation of wealth by the families of those in power, etc. Almost what I'd consider text book "banana republic"

 

[Psamathe]

US has now gone real banana republic. Such a public "cash for votes", Government policy and Dept of Justice carrying out the vindictive drives of the President, massive accumulation of wealth by the families of those in power, etc. Almost what I'd consider text book "banana republic"

In relation to above, i think it will be going far beyond a few posting on a cycling forum, but also business will be watching and assessing and deciding where to invest. And whilst Trūmp only has a few years to go, that it has happened means it can happen again and so many structures supposed to restrain such moves are just not working. some commentators leap of a few court findings against Trümp's policies but the levels of corruption, cash for otes, etc. all points to failure of checks and balances which is never good for long term investments.