[guest post by Dana]

Unfortunately, a huge swath of Americans see this as good news:

Roughly 200 Republican candidates running for Senate, House, governor, attorney general or secretary of state have indicated publicly that the 2020 presidential election was illegitimate, despite all the evidence to the contrary.

That number, though, is almost certainly an undercount.

–Dana

[guest post by Dana]

More bad news for President Putin – after the humiliation of Russian troops around Kharkiv – when deputies from 18 municipal districts signed a petition calling on him to step down:

“We, the municipal deputies of Russia, believe that the actions of its president Vladimir Putin are detrimental to Russia’s and its citizens’ future,” the petition said, which was posted online by Ksenia Thorstrom, a local deputy of the Semenovsky District in Saint Petersburg.

Additionally, and rather shockingly, a commentator was invited on state television and

uttered the “unspeakable”, criticising the war and saying Ukraine could not be defeated.

He called for peace talks during his appearance over the weekend.

The Russian operation in Ukraine right now is in crisis, there’s a lot of problems,” according to Russian military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer.

Yet, an even bigger problem for the government seems to be brewing: Russians appear to be having doubts about the war in Ukraine:

The notable shift in public rhetoric and sentiment bubbling up in Russia suggests that belief is waning – something which could be a “game changer,” Mr Felgenhauer told the ABC.

“The Russian public are beginning to ask questions,” he said.

“That could be a very serious internal problem for the regime.”

While it may not yet pose any real threat to Putin and cronies, maybe it’s a start.

Meanwhile, it’s now being reported that those speaking out against Putin are facing the consequences of their actions:

A Russian politician who was part of a group that appealed to the country’s parliament last week to remove President Vladimir Putin from power on a charge of high treason, has been fined for “discrediting” the Russian government.

Dmitry Palyuga, a municipal deputy for Smolninskoe in St. Petersburg, was fined 47,000 rubles ($780), days after he and other members were accused of committing actions aimed at discrediting the Kremlin.

Additional council members who also signed the appeal are due in court this week.

And I’ll just leave you with this caution from a smart piece titled Putin Will Admit Defeat with a Victory Parade in Moscow by Dr. Orhan Dragas:

Treating Putin as an unwanted but unavoidable interlocutor/partner is what Putin expects from others, hopes for and benefits from. No one but him can profit if, even after his aggression against Ukraine, he remains a factor to be considered regarding any event on the world stage. Not even Russia will benefit – only Putin – though it seems too late for Russia to realize that.

Nevertheless, it is not too late for everyone else in Europe and the U.S., not even for those leaders who still cannot conceive of a future architecture on the border between Europe and Asia without Putin’s participation.

Ukraine’s successful counteroffensive against Russian invaders should be the final wake-up call from such delusions, as full victory may come sooner than many are ready for. If they still have any dealings with the Russian leader – and they do – they should end them as soon as possible, because after the day when the war in Ukraine ends “the day after Putin” will come.

–Dana

[guest post by Dana]

If I keep saying it over and over and over, eventually people will believe it seems to be the plan when it comes to President Biden and inflation as he celebrated the Inflation Reduction Act yesterday:

President Joe Biden celebrated his climate change and drug pricing law, The Inflation Reduction Act, on Tuesday on the White House lawn, highlighting Democrats’ commitment to progressive priorities even as high consumer prices continue to bite.

Biden signed the $430 billion bill, seen as the biggest climate change package in U.S. history, into law last month in a low-key ceremony…

Biden said the law was one of the most significant in U.S. history. “Today offers proof that the soul of America is vibrant. The future of America is bright and the promise of America is real,” he told the crowd.

Unfortunately for the President, reality marred his special moment in the sun:

But the crowd on the sun-baked South Lawn of the White House cheered the controversially named Inflation Reduction Act only hours after punishing new government data showing food prices soaring. Stocks were meanwhile plummeting in the Dow Jones Industrial Average’s largest one-day reverse since June 2020 in the darkest days of the pandemic.

The slump came on the back of new figures that showed inflation still a corrosive force in August, despite big falls in gasoline prices. All this probably means more aggressive action from the Federal Reserve next week to curb inflation amid fears the central bank’s harsh medicine could throw the economy into recession and cool a strong job market.

I don’t know about you, but where I live, gas prices hover around $5.50 per gallon (down from over $6 per gallon), a dozen eggs about $3.50, and a 1 bd/1 bath apartment typically rents around a minimum of $1,900 per month. And while you may not be taking a direct hit on your wallet, I bet that most people, no matter where they live in the country, can point to higher prices across the board.

With that, I’ll point you to Charles C.W. Cooke’s clever take on the wishful thinking of President Biden:

Mere hours after learning that the inflation rate remained at its highest level since the late 1970s, President Biden put the finishing touches on his plans for a victory rally. The honoree of the rally: his party’s magnificently misnamed Inflation Reduction Act, which, he said, was poised to reduce costs “at the kitchen table.” Chutzpah, thy name is Joseph.

“If you think it,” say the mystics, “it will happen.” Evidently, President Biden cannot be bothered to wait for the happening part.

[…]

The scale of Biden’s effrontery is tough to comprehend. It is as if, after receiving the latest dispatch from the Light Brigade, Lord Palmerston had organized a celebration of military charges, or, on the day the country learned of the infamous 18-minute gap in the Watergate tapes, President Nixon had seen fit to stage a televised clambake in honor of Data Integrity. To adapt an overused phrase, one must suspect in this case that the brazenness is the point. This afternoon’s speech was a showing-off, a provocation, a finger-in-the-eye. The president is irked and bored by the persistence of inflation in the economy, and, with the midterms looming, he wants it off his plate. And so, with an unbecoming impatience, he decided to smash the plate.

Heck, not even Big Media media was able to ignore reality. And that’s saying something:

–Dana