I don't believe Putin is as clueless as Trump, but they do seem to share a strong tendency to double down on a weak hand. It is truly discouraging to realize how much our lives depend on the moods and whims of such scoundrels.
I don't believe Putin is as clueless as Trump, but they do seem to share a strong tendency to double down on a weak hand. It is truly discouraging to realize how much our lives depend on the moods and whims of such scoundrels.
TRUMP – PUTIN: HOW ARE THEY DOING? SNAPSHOTS OF EACH TAKEN FROM THE FRONT PAGES OF THE NEW YORK TIME AND THE WASHINGTON POST
- The American public’s views of former President Donald J. Trump have remained remarkably stable across a number of different measures in recent months, even as he faces multiple investigations and as he remains a central figure in the midterm elections, according to the most recent New York Times/Siena College poll.
- Overall, 44 percent of voters viewed Mr. Trump favorably, and 53 percent viewed him unfavorably. The recent poll was fielded early this month, after news of the Justice Department’s inquiry into Mr. Trump’s handling of confidential documents but before the New York attorney general announced she was suing Mr. Trump and his family business.
- That level of Trump support has effectively been unchanged since the last Times/Siena poll, which was fielded in July amid televised hearings by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol. It was also fundamentally similar to levels of support Times/Siena polls and other surveys found in recent years. (NYTimes,Sept. 22, 2022)
Washington Post, September 21, 2022 at 5:59 p.m. EDT,
- Over 1,000 Russian Protesters Arrested After Putin Mobilizes More Troops
- Putin drafts up to 300,000 reservists, backs annexation amid war losses
- Putin’s decision to order the partial mobilization, to call up as many as 300,000 reservists, reflected his diminishing options in trying to reverse some awful defeats on the battlefield, including a lightning Ukrainian offensive that forced Russian troops to retreat from the northeast Kharkiv region.
- While Putin stopped short of declaring a full mobilization, which would entail a national draft, the partial mobilization immediately began upending the lives of reservists.
- Within hours of President Vladimir Putin’s speech declaring a partial military mobilization on Wednesday, men all over Russia — including some who had tried for months to ignore the messy war in Ukraine — suddenly found their lives thrown into chaos as they were summoned to duty. The men, mostly reservists under 35 who served in the army and have junior military ranks, were handed written notices in their offices or at their homes. In some cases, they had their identity documents checked on the street and were told to appear for a health check. Others got orders by telephone.
- Anxious relatives, meanwhile, began searching for ways to flee the country or otherwise avoid their loved ones being called for service. Flights to the few cities abroad still offering direct service to Russia — most destinations have been cut off by sanctions — were suddenly sold out.
- In response to Putin’s decree, criticism of the war, which had been rising internationally and at home despite a severe Kremlin crackdown on dissent, suddenly burst into the open.
- Relatively contained but significant protests erupted not only in the big cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg, but also in Novosibirsk in remote Siberia. By Wednesday evening, more than 1,000 people had been arrested across the country, according to OVD-Info, an independent group monitoring protest activity in Russia — a remarkable number given that criticism of the war is potentially punishable by long prison sentences.
- In the capital, hundreds chanted “Let our children live!” and “Send Putin to the trenches!” as they walked along Arbat Street. Videos on social media showed police officers arresting demonstrators and loading them onto police vans and buses, including a man shouting “No to war
- In St. Petersburg, police officers were seen beating protesters with batons and harshly breaking up crowds. At the small protest in Novosibirsk, a man was detained as he shouted at police officers, “I don’t want to die for Putin and you!”
- An online petition against mobilization, initiated last spring, suddenly spiked to more than 292,000 signatures.
Are they movable? Will the devastating details of the NY Attorney General's sweeping lawsuit that accused Donald J. Trump, his family business and three of his children of lying to lenders and insurers by fraudulently overvaluing his assets by billions of dollars have any influence on Trump's loyal following? What if Trump's base remains as is? We imagine it lessening, what if it grows?
To what extent is Putin's position threatened by discord within Russia from top to bottom?
According to Swedish Radio the Russians have made a pun of Russian for 'mobilization'; with a slight change it means 'burialization' - The image of 'partial mobilization' would then be a man putting his head in the sand!
Hi Olof, I had a terrible reply to you and deleted it as unsuitable given the misery of the reservists and the rest of the Russian people. Putin's a world class monster. We've got a collection of our own.
Fighting men aren't Putin's only worry about his war against Ukraine. As I know that your head is not in the sand, Olof, I think you may be interested in the following
— from CNN
'Vladimir Putin can call up all the troops he wants, but Russia has no way of getting those new troops the training and weapons they need to fight in Ukraine any time soon.'
'With his invasion of Ukraine faltering badly, the Russian President on Wednesday announced the immediate “partial mobilization” of Russian citizens. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Russian television that the country will call up 300,000 reservists.'
'If they end up facing Ukrainian guns on the front lines, they are likely to become the newest casualties in the invasion Putin started more than seven months ago and that has seen the Russian military fail at almost every aspect of modern war.'
“The Russian military is not currently equipped to rapidly and effectively deploy 300,000 reservists,” said Alex Lord, Europe and Eurasia specialist at the Sibylline strategic analysis firm in London.'
“Russia is already struggling to effectively equip its professional forces in Ukraine, following significant equipment losses during the war,” Lord said.'
'The recent Ukrainian offensive, which has seen Kyiv recapture thousands of square meters of territory, has taken a significant toll.'
'The Institute for the Study of War earlier this week said analysis from Western experts and Ukrainian intelligence found Russia had lost 50% to 90% of its strength in some units due to that offensive, and vast amounts of armor.'
'Russia's military divided as Putin struggles to deal with Ukraine's counteroffensive, US sources say.
And that comes on top of staggering equipment losses over the course of the war.'
'The open source intelligence website Oryx, using only losses confirmed by photographic or video evidence, has found Russian forces have lost more than 6,300 vehicles, including 1,168 tanks, since the fighting began.'
“In practice, they don’t have enough modern equipment … for that many new troops,” said Jakub Janovsky, a military analyst who contributes to the Oryx blog.'
'JT Crump, CEO of Sibylline and a veteran of 20 years in the British military, said Russia is beginning to suffer ammunition shortages in some calibers and is looking for sources of key components so it can repair or build replacements for weapons lost on the battlefield.'
'It’s not just tanks and armored personnel carriers that have been lost.'
I saw the cost of plane tickets out of Russia....incredible. Maybe this is what will push the Russian public past the breaking point. As for death star's cult, we can't move those true believers. What I observe is dead silence in terms of post from my ex-classmate in Indiana about January 6th and all the investigations. Before she was busy finding ways to defend all the nonsense. Political ads here have become nasty. I do like the one the shows the R candidate in our new Congressional district had his girlfriend have an abortion, dropped her off there and paid for it. Mostly what we see from Rs is pictures of tents, protests, noise about D's defunding police. The latest from our D candidate in our district tells how she voted for much additional money for the state police. I do think the races will be close. I hope Ds prevail.
Bertrand Russell said that the challenge for human beings is to deal with being both the most important thing in the universe while being the least significant at the same time.
I have thought that for some time....every time I see either of those two monsters on TV, I think with only these two, so much destruction. Then add a few others and we have a very small number of people causing problems the world over.
Yes, it is the malignant narcissists who create most of the havoc in the world. That so many people can't see what is so clear in the former guy, suggests that they are either also so troubled or have many, mostly men in their lives who are the same. Women, in particular will literally not allow themselves to see this disturbance in men, so as to protect their fragile egos. It is astounding how many of these guys bubble to the top.
I have noticed this and as a woman, I have heard many times about being careful around frail male egos. And I have heard many times strong women who have stood up being called a certain name.
The most dangerous time in a woman's life is when she leaves a male partner. Women's lives absolutely depend upon appeasing narcissistic men. Ukraine, like a strong woman, stood up to Russia and is now paying the price. Godspeed.
Yes. So often these kinds of men are actually trying to compensate for fragile egos and we all pay a price for that. People who are narcissistically disturbed can't stand facing their own frailties and flaws. It is experienced as just too humiliating. We saw the evidence clearly with Putin, shirtless, astride a horse. If they weren't so dangerous I would just feel embarrassed for them as they display their sense of inadequacy so blatantly.
If Putin were declared a terrorist in spite of being a head of state, could he not be taken out like Osama bin Laden? It makes no sense that one man can be responsible for killing so many. Our laws make no sense in this matter. And evidently the UN's rules don't have an answer either -- he still has veto power. Can't they get around or change the rule if one member goes rogue?
I don't believe Putin is as clueless as Trump, but they do seem to share a strong tendency to double down on a weak hand. It is truly discouraging to realize how much our lives depend on the moods and whims of such scoundrels.
TRUMP – PUTIN: HOW ARE THEY DOING? SNAPSHOTS OF EACH TAKEN FROM THE FRONT PAGES OF THE NEW YORK TIME AND THE WASHINGTON POST
- The American public’s views of former President Donald J. Trump have remained remarkably stable across a number of different measures in recent months, even as he faces multiple investigations and as he remains a central figure in the midterm elections, according to the most recent New York Times/Siena College poll.
- Overall, 44 percent of voters viewed Mr. Trump favorably, and 53 percent viewed him unfavorably. The recent poll was fielded early this month, after news of the Justice Department’s inquiry into Mr. Trump’s handling of confidential documents but before the New York attorney general announced she was suing Mr. Trump and his family business.
- That level of Trump support has effectively been unchanged since the last Times/Siena poll, which was fielded in July amid televised hearings by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol. It was also fundamentally similar to levels of support Times/Siena polls and other surveys found in recent years. (NYTimes,Sept. 22, 2022)
Washington Post, September 21, 2022 at 5:59 p.m. EDT,
- Over 1,000 Russian Protesters Arrested After Putin Mobilizes More Troops
- Putin drafts up to 300,000 reservists, backs annexation amid war losses
- Putin’s decision to order the partial mobilization, to call up as many as 300,000 reservists, reflected his diminishing options in trying to reverse some awful defeats on the battlefield, including a lightning Ukrainian offensive that forced Russian troops to retreat from the northeast Kharkiv region.
- While Putin stopped short of declaring a full mobilization, which would entail a national draft, the partial mobilization immediately began upending the lives of reservists.
- Within hours of President Vladimir Putin’s speech declaring a partial military mobilization on Wednesday, men all over Russia — including some who had tried for months to ignore the messy war in Ukraine — suddenly found their lives thrown into chaos as they were summoned to duty. The men, mostly reservists under 35 who served in the army and have junior military ranks, were handed written notices in their offices or at their homes. In some cases, they had their identity documents checked on the street and were told to appear for a health check. Others got orders by telephone.
- Anxious relatives, meanwhile, began searching for ways to flee the country or otherwise avoid their loved ones being called for service. Flights to the few cities abroad still offering direct service to Russia — most destinations have been cut off by sanctions — were suddenly sold out.
- In response to Putin’s decree, criticism of the war, which had been rising internationally and at home despite a severe Kremlin crackdown on dissent, suddenly burst into the open.
- Relatively contained but significant protests erupted not only in the big cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg, but also in Novosibirsk in remote Siberia. By Wednesday evening, more than 1,000 people had been arrested across the country, according to OVD-Info, an independent group monitoring protest activity in Russia — a remarkable number given that criticism of the war is potentially punishable by long prison sentences.
- In the capital, hundreds chanted “Let our children live!” and “Send Putin to the trenches!” as they walked along Arbat Street. Videos on social media showed police officers arresting demonstrators and loading them onto police vans and buses, including a man shouting “No to war
- In St. Petersburg, police officers were seen beating protesters with batons and harshly breaking up crowds. At the small protest in Novosibirsk, a man was detained as he shouted at police officers, “I don’t want to die for Putin and you!”
- An online petition against mobilization, initiated last spring, suddenly spiked to more than 292,000 signatures.
Are they movable? Will the devastating details of the NY Attorney General's sweeping lawsuit that accused Donald J. Trump, his family business and three of his children of lying to lenders and insurers by fraudulently overvaluing his assets by billions of dollars have any influence on Trump's loyal following? What if Trump's base remains as is? We imagine it lessening, what if it grows?
To what extent is Putin's position threatened by discord within Russia from top to bottom?
According to Swedish Radio the Russians have made a pun of Russian for 'mobilization'; with a slight change it means 'burialization' - The image of 'partial mobilization' would then be a man putting his head in the sand!
Hi Olof, I had a terrible reply to you and deleted it as unsuitable given the misery of the reservists and the rest of the Russian people. Putin's a world class monster. We've got a collection of our own.
See you later!
Fighting men aren't Putin's only worry about his war against Ukraine. As I know that your head is not in the sand, Olof, I think you may be interested in the following
— from CNN
'Vladimir Putin can call up all the troops he wants, but Russia has no way of getting those new troops the training and weapons they need to fight in Ukraine any time soon.'
'With his invasion of Ukraine faltering badly, the Russian President on Wednesday announced the immediate “partial mobilization” of Russian citizens. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Russian television that the country will call up 300,000 reservists.'
'If they end up facing Ukrainian guns on the front lines, they are likely to become the newest casualties in the invasion Putin started more than seven months ago and that has seen the Russian military fail at almost every aspect of modern war.'
“The Russian military is not currently equipped to rapidly and effectively deploy 300,000 reservists,” said Alex Lord, Europe and Eurasia specialist at the Sibylline strategic analysis firm in London.'
“Russia is already struggling to effectively equip its professional forces in Ukraine, following significant equipment losses during the war,” Lord said.'
'The recent Ukrainian offensive, which has seen Kyiv recapture thousands of square meters of territory, has taken a significant toll.'
'The Institute for the Study of War earlier this week said analysis from Western experts and Ukrainian intelligence found Russia had lost 50% to 90% of its strength in some units due to that offensive, and vast amounts of armor.'
'Russia's military divided as Putin struggles to deal with Ukraine's counteroffensive, US sources say.
And that comes on top of staggering equipment losses over the course of the war.'
'The open source intelligence website Oryx, using only losses confirmed by photographic or video evidence, has found Russian forces have lost more than 6,300 vehicles, including 1,168 tanks, since the fighting began.'
“In practice, they don’t have enough modern equipment … for that many new troops,” said Jakub Janovsky, a military analyst who contributes to the Oryx blog.'
'JT Crump, CEO of Sibylline and a veteran of 20 years in the British military, said Russia is beginning to suffer ammunition shortages in some calibers and is looking for sources of key components so it can repair or build replacements for weapons lost on the battlefield.'
'It’s not just tanks and armored personnel carriers that have been lost.'
Fern, you know you ROCK!
Kim, I have thought about you and missed you. You will hear from me -- you know where tomorrow . Later.
I saw the cost of plane tickets out of Russia....incredible. Maybe this is what will push the Russian public past the breaking point. As for death star's cult, we can't move those true believers. What I observe is dead silence in terms of post from my ex-classmate in Indiana about January 6th and all the investigations. Before she was busy finding ways to defend all the nonsense. Political ads here have become nasty. I do like the one the shows the R candidate in our new Congressional district had his girlfriend have an abortion, dropped her off there and paid for it. Mostly what we see from Rs is pictures of tents, protests, noise about D's defunding police. The latest from our D candidate in our district tells how she voted for much additional money for the state police. I do think the races will be close. I hope Ds prevail.
Thank you for your reporting, Michele.
You are welcome. I just saw on another site a reference to someone dying in Russia of "tall building syndrome."
Thank You Fern!
Frightening . Thanks for this info Fern
A strong ego resists reason.
Truth. Perception is reality to a closed, narcissistic, self-absorbed mind.
As demonstrated repeatedly by tfg.
More like a sick ego than a strong one.
Yes, this isn't about a strong ego at all. It's about a frail ego, trying to compensate, no matter the consequence.
I am a Buddhist. It’s about relinquishment of ego, frail, strong or otherwise.
Bertrand Russell said that the challenge for human beings is to deal with being both the most important thing in the universe while being the least significant at the same time.
I have thought that for some time....every time I see either of those two monsters on TV, I think with only these two, so much destruction. Then add a few others and we have a very small number of people causing problems the world over.
Yes, it is the malignant narcissists who create most of the havoc in the world. That so many people can't see what is so clear in the former guy, suggests that they are either also so troubled or have many, mostly men in their lives who are the same. Women, in particular will literally not allow themselves to see this disturbance in men, so as to protect their fragile egos. It is astounding how many of these guys bubble to the top.
I have noticed this and as a woman, I have heard many times about being careful around frail male egos. And I have heard many times strong women who have stood up being called a certain name.
Yep. The whole culture contrives to protect fragile male egos.
The most dangerous time in a woman's life is when she leaves a male partner. Women's lives absolutely depend upon appeasing narcissistic men. Ukraine, like a strong woman, stood up to Russia and is now paying the price. Godspeed.
Yes. So often these kinds of men are actually trying to compensate for fragile egos and we all pay a price for that. People who are narcissistically disturbed can't stand facing their own frailties and flaws. It is experienced as just too humiliating. We saw the evidence clearly with Putin, shirtless, astride a horse. If they weren't so dangerous I would just feel embarrassed for them as they display their sense of inadequacy so blatantly.
If Putin were declared a terrorist in spite of being a head of state, could he not be taken out like Osama bin Laden? It makes no sense that one man can be responsible for killing so many. Our laws make no sense in this matter. And evidently the UN's rules don't have an answer either -- he still has veto power. Can't they get around or change the rule if one member goes rogue?
Doubling down on a weak hand is the stupid solution common to looser, Eh!?
Yes, the good players usually don't fall for it.