That is what I meant when I used the term “depopulate”. I try to be too clever sometimes. But I meant Russian civilians leaving on their own, like in the thread. That’s what he was showing. And I also think a lot of this is also psychological warfare. When you keep putting out stuff like you’re gonna have a concert in Crimea at the end of the summer, you’re basically telling the Russians there you might as well leave because you’ll be miserable.
Stewart's not willing to run, for whatever reason. My guess is that he understands he could never win out over the corporate stooges that the megadonors support through their "buy a politician" campaigns.
He is intelligent (good comedians typically are). He is sensible. I think he would make an excellent president. I think anyone wanting to be president should automatically be eliminated from being selected. lol
Ukrainian Patriot battery shoots down … a pipe ? On this account, for the past two days some on the AFU side have been bragging that an American Patriot missile has shot down a Russian Kinzhal hypersonic missile. But the problem is, even Twitter’s community notes proceeded to comically ‘fact check’ this fraud, given that Ukrainian Air Force’s own spokesman, Yuriy Ignat, confirmed there was no such missile shot down. SITREP 5/7/23: Prigozhin's Masterpiece Amid Powerful New Airstrikes
I agree 100%. He might stand a chance in a world with campaign finance reform and real campaign spending limits, but he would have next to no chance in the current model, imo.
OT but why hasn't the concept of viral spread to political campaigns though? social media is free, right? or is it dominated by bots and algorithms to stifle any viral politician?
I would argue that Trump in 2016 was pretty viral. He got so much free media publicity from all the outlandish crap he said everyday.
So was the Prigozhin tantrum about leaving Bakhmut just that? Ukrainian sources say if anything Wagner is reinforcing. I suppose that was just all for show. I suspect a last ditch Russian effort to take the place will be launched today / tommorrow for Vladimirs big parade to celebrate Russias defeat of Germany on May 10th. I'm predicting anothe humiliation for Vlad. Bakhmut will hold beyond May 10th.
If Russia takes the last 2 or 3% of Bakhmut on, say, May 11, it’ll be a humiliating defeat for Russia.
Russia is incapable of coordinated defense along its entire combat line, according to ISW. And the Wagner - Chechen statements on Bakhmut may have been coordinated to persuade Putin to share the ammo that Gerasimov was apparently hoarding. So Russia's leadership in this war is often working at cross-purposes. Obviously, the prospect of Ukraine's counter-offensive has them terrified, and it's every general for himself. Russia is unable to conduct coordinated defence operations along entire front line – ISW (yahoo.com)
I suspect that much like the levees in New Orleans, the failure points will be at the seams where one authority meets the next
It was about getting the ammunition and other support he needs. The tantrum worked, Russia promised it (which he knew would likely happen) so he is staying.
He might return to that line of work as part of the meat pie. During their wars of (actual) national survival, Stalin and Saddam both had generals who threw tantrums to get what they needed to win. Oh, and they got it. But they didn’t survive long in the peace that followed. Despots don’t like being questioned on their military genius, especially when they have none, and they don’t like keeping people around who helped them win. Putin has a bigger problem of needing to win at the moment, but he doesn’t strike me as much more forgiving of being challenged than Stalin or Saddam.
I agree with everything you say but I was being purely tongue in cheek. I can't resist if I think I see something slightly clever, which I always think is more clever than other people do. Great show by the way, for which I'm looking forward to the return
Agreed, critics of the wannabe Czar tend to fall off balconies at an alarming rate. If I were Mr P I would be hanging out with the Wagner troops that offer him a measure of protection. Not so sure a trip to Moscow would be conducive to continued good health.
