Trump's Small Field.

It's no secret that Trump wants to divide and conquer. He needs a large field to win the Republican nomination, like the last time, when he first got the party nomination. CW would have you believe that sitting Senators and Representatives, not to mention Governors, are loathe to take on Trump because he's still a political colossus who's unlikely not to get the nomination again. CW says that's why practically none of them will be running. Maybe Cruz and Rubio.

That's not how I see things: Republican lawmakers are the champions of being two-faced. They've all seen the polls and know perfectly well that Trump is, at the very least, politically diminished. A lot of them in their heart of hearts don't want Trump as their nominee, but they'll never say a word publicly against him. So...the smart thing to do is not run and allow for a small field so that DeSantis can beat Trump. These people know that the odds are practically zero that Trump is likely to win a general against almost any Democrat and believe me, they want to win the presidency in 2024, not to mention the Senate.

Trump and Haley are in. Don't expect too many more. Of course, DeSantis will come in, in his own time, which likely will be sooner rather than later. Cruz likely will run, and maybe Rubio or (Tim) Scott. In short, right now, it's DeSantis' race to lose. He's running, already being too cute by half with his peek-a-boo campaign. But that's classic DeSantis. The blessed Virgin, he ain't, no matter how patronizing he gets. Ron DeSanctimonious. Now that's dead on. If I were Trump, I would already be up to full boil. Consolation prize: well, at least Pence probably won't be running.

Chinese Election Interference: Welcome To Justin Trudeau's Bathroom!

This is big, in fact, it will be far bigger than SNC Lavalin when the whole story inevitably comes out. That's why this Prime Minister is scared shitless and is shitting a multitude of red bricks on the can. He knows precisely how big this story of Chinese election interference is, and that's why he quickly and summarily ruled out a public inquiry as Fadden and others have called for. He knows perfectly well that this can quite literally take down his government, and that he himself could possibly be seen as not entirely pure as the driven snow on this issue. Was he even briefed on CSIS's concerns? I doubt it.

It's alleged that nine Liberal candidates and two Conservative ones were basically in China's pocket and that Chinese operatives bussed out people, namely, seniors and international students, to make sure that those candidates got their respective party's nomination in the 2019 general election.

For our part and to get ahead of this story and not be tainted by ricochet, our leader needs to come clean publicly about our two Conservative candidates. It would also be nice if each one of them would make a public statement to address this issue and the allegations made in the press. For my part, I want to hear what these people have to say before rendering judgment on each of their actions. That applies to both Liberal and Conservative election candidates.

Seemingly, China did not confine their efforts solely to the 2019 general election. So, the question now becomes how can our laws be changed to effectively deal with transnational influence peddling and the alleged role played by Canadian citizens or residents? Apparently, this issue is the last thing on this PM's mind. No wonder.

 

These Three Fucking Morons!

FCS, we're supposed to be trying to win the next election here. The leader is hitting all the right notes on inflation, the economy, housing affordability, etc. Pierre is sticking to garden variety centre-right and the flowers are blooming. What can I say, we're pulling away in the polls.

But then these three idiots: Lewis, Allison and Carrie had to meet with an over-the-top extreme right-wing lunatic. A far-right kook. Bang!

So, Pierre now needs to clean up this mess and quickly. These three have undermined the leader, caucus, the membership and supporters. This gang must be rapidly shown the door. Out of caucus now and no longer Conservative candidates next time.

There are definitely days when the leader will want to be somewhere, anywhere else. This undoubtedly is one of them. All of Pierre's solid work is now at risk thanks to these stupid bozos...

Freeland On Tory.

That so-called opinion tells you all you could possibly want to know about Freeland. I'll leave it at that. Of course, these people will enlighten us on HimselfTM and his antics...eventually, but only in their next "best-seller." Moving on, quickly. 

Ukraine: Thank God, NATO Will Be All In Soon.

Let's get down to brass tacks, this at its heart is nothing less than a war between good and evil. Like Hitler last time, Putin must and will be stopped, period. And if it takes all of NATO to do it, then so be it.

We are unofficially slowly sleepwalking right into it: the new Russian offensive is now underway. On our end, the tank training has begun in several NATO countries and the fighter timetable is going to be speeded up.

Putin showed us who he is in Chechnya, Syria, Georgia and Ukraine. Now it's time to show him who we are. 

The writing is finally on the wall what with the State Department Travel Advisory coming out yesterday. Biden is telling Americans to get out of Russia now.

So, this may not be the beginning of the end but it certainly is the end of the beginning. This is the part where Putin's chickens finally come home to roost. He'll lose and we'll win. Count on it.

Oh and by the by, Putin won't go nuclear because if he does the Ohio and Virginia Class subs will take care of the rest.

He started it and we'll finish it. Too bad so many civilians will be the victims in this fight but that can't be avoided in all out war.

And keep an eye on Moldova. It's next as Russian proxies will try to take down the pro-western elected government. 

Trudeau Got To Shoot Down His Own UFO.

Yipee, yahoo. He's a tough guy. Too bad that it took an American F-22 to actually shoot the thing down. Next.

LeBlanc Has Got That Little Shovel And Keeps Digging!

This Prime Minister and his minister are cruising for a bruising and by God, they'll get it! Long gone are the days when the feds contributed 50% of the money. But this guy has the nerve to publicly say that the amount allocated in the budgetary envelope for healthcare won't change. It's basically take it, whether you like it or not. One hundred and ninety-six billion over a decade won't go far and allow for systemic changes to the health care system across the country, which are badly needed.

Here's a reality check for the Trudeau Liberals: in a game where you're one against thirteen, it isn't the best of tactics to predetermine outcomes before, while or after having met other first ministers. So this is rich, and frankly incredibly stupid but again, we are talking about the TRUDEAU Liberals here. Par for the course. 

Remember the Gang of Eight? Well, get ready for the gang of thirteen and here's a hint for the obviously clueless: they outplayed the old man Trudeau and so will it be this time. It's the provinces and territories that deliver the services and are the custodians of the system, such as it is. When the people raise hell, premiers will say we had so many plans to implement badly needed reforms and to make the system more efficient and cost-effective but Daddy in Ottawa wouldn't give us the money we desperately needed. Guess who'll get to wear that anger? In a sentence: the geniuses out in Ottawa.

Mission Accomplished...Again.

Remember when Bush declared Mission Accomplished in Iraq? Well, I don't think so. And now the analysts by and large are pushing the disinflation narrative, a soft landing for the economy and no recession. They should start a public relations firm with Bush. Next.

But yield curves don't lie -- especially in predicting an eventual recession -- personally, I think we're in it already, but recessions are always data-dependent and diagnosed in the rearview mirror. 

Sure, disinflation exists in a few sectors, but by and large, inflation continues to uptick. So...for how long? And is stagflation the elephant that will ultimately come into the picture?

Thank God we still have Powell to further screw up the American economy: this fool is admitting to being data-dependent. The guy was supposed to get ahead of inflation by raising rates and ultimately killing it. Not anymore. Call it a half-pause. The FOMC isn't exactly planning to pause rates, just continue increasing them in smaller increments. In a word, stupid. Wasn't the fight against inflation supposed to last a few years? Not anymore. Hence, the bear market rally that passes itself off as the "beginning" of a new bull market. Right, if you say so. Not in a million years.

So, you guessed it, the retail crowd, largely ignorant of economic, fiscal and monetary fundamentals are all in a buying frenzy. Like every other time, they'll be left holding the bag when the bond and stock markets crash, which they inevitably will. 

But, but, but, this new bull market is different! OK, go with that, at least until the point where you lose almost all your dough in the next severe market downturn. It ain't that far away, and it's coming in spades.

SS, MEDICARE & MEDICAID.

Remember when Clinton saved entitlements? Well, it needs doing again so they don't run out of money or become insolvent.

That's what I luv about Americans: they loathe socialism, that is, until they turn 65 and then it's great!

Biden is already doing a number on Scott and DeSantis right there in their own backyard. Florida. 

Not even 10% percent of Yanks want to sunset it after five years or cut funding. No wonder MTG is positively scared shitless. She should be.

They don't call it the third rail in U.S. politics for nothing. So, the Republicans need to get entitlements religion and fast otherwise a presidential thumping awaits in '24.

Biden is in top form on the trail these days: he's trying to turn Republicans into monkeys. He has a chance -- but hey just like Newt, Senate and House Republicans might end up doing the job for him. Another government shutdown is in the offing. Will Congressional Republicans take the bait? Yup, if they're stupid enough. Again, acting like Newt will lead to the same kind of highly predictable political results.

Best to go with a clean debt ceiling bill like before. Otherwise...

Government: It's ALL on Pierre.

There are days when I'm glad I'm not a politician, much less a party leader and today is one of them. 

The good side is public service and making a substantial contribution while in office that actually makes a difference for Canadians.

But then there's the bad side: separation from family, high divorce rate and the obligation to be almost perfect politically. No thanks. But I digress.

But getting back to Pierre: if we win big, it'll be primarily due to Pierre; if we lose big, it will also primarily be because of Pierre; same thing if we come in with only a minority; above all else, Pierre has to break the Scheer and O'Toole curse, both of whom who took winning campaigns and turned them into losing ones.

So, the pressure on Pierre must be tremendous not to put a bad foot forward in the next election. Glad I'm not that guy.

Pierre, from as far as I can tell is steadily growing in the job. Right now, he's already a better leader than when he first won the job. He's on message and it's disciplined. Plus it doesn't hurt to have a Prime Minister who has already worn out his welcome with much of the voting public. Sort of like most Yanks who are already sick of both Biden and Trump. 

So, I'll be keenly watching and hoping I don't see a major mistake. He knows what he has to do to win the country and so far, so good.

Steady as she goes seems to be a likely winning mantra. Canadians are looking for a change: they have their reasons and right now, Pierre and our team are the only viable alternative. 

It's holding so far. So, how can I be anything other than optimistic for the future. Big ideas usually lead to big political change. I'm counting on that.

Chinese Spy Balloon: China B, United States C+ and Canada F.

The Chinese spy balloon is not good news for any of the countries involved: it was sent over the U.S. mainland to flyover each of the three links of the strategic nuclear triad: missile silos, bomber bases and submarine installations. So, it's great news for the Chinese military, but not so much for President Xi Jinping. It derailed the visit of Secretary of State Blinken, and Beijing is no doubt not thrilled about that. For Xi to be out of the loop on this one is extraordinary, but seemingly he was. 

So, China gets a B, while the United States gets a rather unremarkable C+, given that this balloon's flight path took it initially over Alaska, and it appears that it was not detected there. Canada, as usual, comes off as the laughingstock of security intelligence: the balloon flew over Yukon, British Columbia and Alberta and was not detected. Period. Prime Minister Trudeau is trying to hide behind the NORAD fig leaf, but that just doesn't cut the mustard. The Canadians and NORAD were caught napping, at least until it entered Montana's airspace. 

This is disastrous in national security terms because the balloon is slow moving and follows a trajectory set by wind currents -- imagine if it had been a supersonic, or worse yet, a hypersonic missile -- it would have got us where we live before we had time to bat an eye. Heads are going to have to roll in Canadian military intelligence and at NORAD. In short, their performance was pathetic. This balloon should have been detected as soon as it entered Alaskan airspace. 

So, it's all smiles over at Chinese military intelligence. For everyone else, not one bit.

UPDATE: American officials now say that the balloon was being tracked by the United States Northern Command from the moment it entered American airspace in Alaska. Thank God for that.

UPDATED AGAIN: There is now reporting that NORAD was tracking the balloon from the moment it first appeared over the Aleutian Islands. So, they DID DO their job. Thankfully, for all of us.