Observations From the Back Row

By Rich Kozlovich 

As a result of his travels to many different cultures 2500 years ago Herodotus noted that “culture was king’, and the results of this midterm election shows America’s culture has a serious problem.

California elected a governor who can reasonably be held responsible for the exploitation of children; there will be up to ten Muslims in Congress who want to impose Sharia law and dump the Constitution; there will be eight men who claim they’re women, six more DSA members making that eight members now, and any number of Members of Congress that openly demand Republicans not only be prosecuted, some want them shot for daring to oppose them.

This didn’t happen overnight.  For 237 years this effort to destroy the West’s Judaic/Christian culture was the long game in Europe and in America it’s been the game plan since the late 19th century, we can reasonably say almost 150 years. We’re not going to overturn that with court cases or even single elections.   As it is now; culture is king, and corruption is queen, and the battle has to begin in the schools and the churches/synagogues which need to be seriously purged of their corrupt and heretical Woke leaders. That will take time, and we may not have the time, the demographics or the societal consensus necessary to accomplish that.

Once western civilization abandoned it’s Judaic/Christian foundation, with support from church leaders, this became as predictable as night follows day. For over 20 years I’ve said the EU is doomed. Now… that prediction is on the verge of becoming a reality and when it’s all done, there will be three Islamic nations with nuclear bombs. Pakistan, France, and England.

California elected a governor who can reasonably be held responsible for the exploitation of children; there will be up to ten Muslims who want to impose Sharia law and dump the Constitution; there will be ten men who claim they’re women, and any number of Members of Congress that openly demand Republicans not only be prosecuted, some want them shot for daring to oppose them. 

Thune and company have smugly and arrogantly squandered their time in “power”. Where a 60 vote requirement is necessary the Democrats will filibuster. Where 60 votes aren’t required the RINO’s will not support a majority vote. The Republican party is heading to an accounting with the base and if there’s not a purge of it’s leadership before 2028, all is lost.

Thune ran for the job as the minority leader of the Senate Republicans, and he's did so because he says he's done a magnificent job with his “strong record of accomplishment", like failing to end the "blue slip" tradition that allows home state Senators to approve or object to judicial and U.S. attorney nominees, which is not a Constitutional requirement it's a Senate rule.  Or how he prevented the confirmation of federal judges and even prevented recess appointments by scheduling very brief pro forma sessions every couple of days when the Senate was in recess.  For the President to be able to make recess appointments the Senate must be in total recess for ten days, and how he didn't end the filibuster when it mattered.   He refused allow Senators to vote on the SAVE Act for secure elections, which probably played a major role in the Republican midterm route. Since that's clearly what the Democrats wanted, one must ask:  Who has he working for? 

Well, his view of what he deems as accomplishments isn't accepted across the board and there was a bit of a revolt to oust him as leader.  The Republican Senate wasted two years under his watch, and electing him as Senate Minority Leader is a reward for failure on a massive scale.

What I really find puzzling is Trump's take on this. He claims Thune is a “very fine man” and he likes John Thune.  That's just nuts, and now the Republicans have less than sixty days left in power, and the House Freedom Caucus is demanding passage of Voter ID, border crackdown, and one trillion dollars in spending cuts before the Democrats take over and there will be no leaving until it's done. 

• Call an Emergency Session Now. Keep Every Republican in Their Seat Until January 3.  

Do I think that will happen? No, I don't.  The problem with the Republican party is … it’s not a party…. it’s a conglomeration of know nothing, do-nothing, self-serving incompetents with no shared vision or goals.  They talk the talk, but fail…. unendingly …. to walk the talk.   Just like clueless Bush the first…., it’s “that vision thing”.  On the other hand, the Democrats really are a party.  While they’re even a worse party of no nothing incompetents, they’re a party with a shared vision marching in lock step to attain power in any way possible no matter how many lies they have to tell, or how many promises they have to make to attain that power.  The Republicans wasted two years eating each other, and now they're going to go home on recess, defeated like whipped dogs with no fight in them.

Well, the issue of who will lead the Republicans has been resolved.  First, this breaking news article appeared generating a glimmer of hope when it was announced that Jim Jordan was chosen to be the next Republican House leader.  But any hope that may have generated was dashed to the pavement with the Senate Republicans choosing John Thune to continue leading them down the drain.  

So much for Senate rules over delaying the vote.  It turns out the swamp won, and the delay Senator Johnson wanted in order to have a "robust, robust soul-searching discussions within our conference" will not happen.  Will this accomplish creating a united Republican Senate?  No. There won't be a united Republican Senate, and I think it will become even more disunited than in the past.  Senator Johnson has said he's chosen a side, while remaining a Republican he's chosen the side of the Tea Party, and I'm inclined to think he'll be joined by more than just a few. 

As for the public's view of reality.  Here's an analysis I found interesting regarding this midterm election.  What was the role religion played in this election?

1. First, and this is hardly a surprise, it was the non religious who supported this Democrat victory. 
2. Secondly, half of the evangelicals stayed home.  
3. Third, and this is the should be the biggest surprise, 50% of Catholics voted for the Democrats and only 49% voted for the Republicans.  

Over 50% of Catholics (the percentage was especially high among younger Catholics) voted for the party that demands the right to murder the innocent unborn, even right up until birth, a mortal sin in the Catholic faith, and for people who hate Christians and want to overturn the Constitution.   

•  Why Are So Many Christians Voting Socialist?

I don’t think it can be questioned we have serious cultural problems.  Problems so profound they may be insurmountable. As I watch this playing out, I fear we’re driving head long… peddle to the metal…. toward societal collapse with extreme levels of violence erupting.  All it would take is economic collapse, and with the left retaking power, all that seems inevitable.  Paris is burning, is America next? 

P&D Geopolitics Edition: France

By Rich Kozlovich, Tags: 

I've stored a lot of information over the last couple of months from around the world, much of it from subscription sites so I can't link the information, so you'll just have to take my word for what I'm presenting... or not.... as it pleases you.  However, I think I can say without much argument, the world is a mess.  Europe is on the verge of total collapse, especially France, which has a serious debt crisis.

There is no room left to maneuver in fiscal policy. Any attempt at austerity is met by the United Left in the streets. Migrant riots, looting, and orchestrated chaos block this route out of the budget crisis. That leaves tax policy. With government spending accounting for more than 57 percent of the economy, tax increases have become inevitable year after year, as the economy can no longer develop.

Combine the decades of fiscal incompetence with their idiotic riot control commands, and it's easy to conclude, it's too late to save France.  The government has ordered police not to harm rioters, no matter how violent them may be, and even the most violent who are arrested are released within hours. 

"Every police officer is aware of what happened to Florian M., the officer who, while attempting to arrest Nahel Merzouk, a young criminal of Arab descent, on June 27, 2023, accidentally killed him: The officer was arrested and charged with intentional homicide."

The police acknowledge they're incapable of protecting businesses suggesting hiring private security firms, nor can they protect the general public from the horrors these rioters have perpetrated.

• Since October 17, more than 2,000 officers have been wounded — some severely — and the numbers continue to rise.
• On October 19, the government imposed a curfew in many cities, then sent in police and water cannons. More than 3,000 shops — including several supermarkets — have been looted or destroyed. Stores that survived had boarded up their doors and windows, transforming the centers of Paris, Lyon, Marseille and other cities into bleak, barren ghost towns.
• Polls state that 83% of those surveyed describe the future of their nation as hopeless, and 65% believe that Western civilization itself may be coming to an end.
• The situation across the rest of Europe has also not been improving. Leftist and Islamist riots have recently broken out in Germany, Italy, Albania, Spain, Belgium and Greece. All of Western Europe is grappling with mounting economic difficulties as well as uncontrolled migration. Unless a broad recovery takes place, Europe's greatly sneered-at "great replacement" might well soon be complete.

Some of France's leaders are openly welcoming what's being called, the "great replacement", a "Muslim France....."  The Tricolor is being replaced with flags from a country that doesn't exit, Palestine, by rioters who support outright violent actions against France's Jews, French authorities and western civilization. 

As for the solutions from the political "right", that's delusional.  They're only to the right of the far left.  They all subscribe to the welfare state, it's just a matter of degree. 

•  Le Pen and AfD Join Forces: Heavy Headwinds for Von Der Leyen’s EU Mega-Budget 
•  Could a President Le Pen Dismantle the EU From Within?

The government says they're going to "reduce" the welfare benefits of convicted rioters.  I'd say this falls under the "whodathunkit" category.    Has someone in France grown a backbone?  Nah, as I see this as coverup and a distraction from the failure of the French government and the French people.  After all, if they've been not only been convicted of rioting, but looting, drug trafficking and other crimes, why should they get any welfare benefits at all?  Let's face it, there's no Charles Martel in France. 

If anyone doubts this is a massive worldwide conspiracy pay attention to how these radicals are destroying the food stocks in Europe's grocery stores by hacking their refrigerators and freezers.  That's an international criminal act of war.

1. France, West, Under Fire: 'Their Goal is to Dismantle Us', 2026-10-13
2. France: A Sick Country on a Sick Continent, 2026-10-04
3. Europe in Free Fall, 2026-08-23
4. Trump's Apparent Confusion: Who Are Friends of His and Who Are Friends of the West, 2026-07-22
5. Is Saving Europe Still Possible?, 2026-06-07

Update:

1. Muslim Mob Beats French Group Unconscious for Singing Catholic Songs - “Throughout the assault, the attackers allegedly yelled “dirty whites,” “dirty fascists,” “We’re gonna f–ing kill you” and even “I’m Muslim, I’m 16 and I’ll f–k up your mother,” the victims said.” “They treated us like enemies,” said a fourth victim. Because you are the enemy.  Contemplate for a moment what would happen to Christians living in most Muslim countries if they started singing Catholic and other Christian hymns in public. France has swung its doors open to unvetted, illegal Muslim migration, so it should be no surprise to anyone to see the character of France shift to reflect the norm in Muslim countries........

P&D Geopolitics Edition: Middle East and Africa

By Rich Kozlovich  

I've stored a lot of information over the last couple of months from around the world, much of it from subscription sites so I can't link the information, so you'll just have to take my word for what I'm presenting... or not.... as it pleases you.  However, I think I can say without much argument, the world is a mess.  More and more information links the Middle East with African nations.  Some of it involving the Iran issue, and some of it involving their own internal issues, especially with western and northern African nations.   

The UN peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara has ended after 35 years, which wasn't all that effective anyway.  Now Morocco, which controls about 80 percent of the nation, will now ultimately control all of Western Sahara claiming they will allow "limited self government" for the Polisario Front that administers the "interior/eastern territory and refugee camps", about 20 percent of the nation, but will not allow independence.  The Polisario Front rejects that maintaining the "Sahrawi people", who are a distinct ethic group differing from those of Morocco, and have the sole right to self-determination."  While Morocco says they support the peace fire agreement, that won't last long.  Once again we see tribalism at work here, and this will not end peacefully.  

There was a report that Algeria was sending troops to Niger: A Warning for Morocco and Israel, with Russia being involved in this convoluted mess, with a lot of history behind it.  Ya just gotta read the article to get a glimmer of understanding of what a convoluted mess this is.  

Eastern Libya has taken pro-Turkish tilt with those blaming the US for being passive as "the agreement drew a new Mediterranean map, cutting across Greek islands and reflecting Turkey’s expansionist policies", yet as I see it this is just one more area where the United States has no skin in that game.  

• Bernard Haykel on Saudi Arabia at War - Houthi conflict escalation: Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia surged in summer 2026, following the closure of the Hormuz Strait. The Houthis aim to establish a “bridge to Iran” for arms and supplies, complicating Saudi defense efforts and threatening vital infrastructure. Iranian influence and strategy: Iran supports the Houthis with supplies through Oman, despite blockades, bolstering their missile capabilities..

As I've said in the past, what Saudi Arabia brings to the table with the Mecca Pact, the defense agreement between them, Pakistan, Turkey, and now Syria is money, lots of money.  Syria was encouraged to sign on to this "Sunni" alliance and got this in return:

"The Saudi Fund for Development signed six concessional loans worth more than $403 million. The largest loan is $105 million for 25 civil defense centers. The rest goes to hospitals and clinics, the Aleppo thermal power plant, up to 10,000 damaged homes, 300,000 smart water meters and the Finance Ministry’s digital systems. Reuters reported last month that Damascus was weighing military help for the kingdom against the Houthis."

The conflict in areas where African nations and Middle East nations interact is an on going mess and when you see what's going on it's easy to understand why the economics of these nation are in the toilet, with the exception of those nations that are oil rich.  But their stability is fraying as radicals are attacking them with missiles killing civilians.  And now Saudi Arabia is feeling the economic consequences of the Iran/Houthi alliance.  To avoid the conflict in the Strait of Hormuz companies are building pipelines to by pass the Strait, but the Houthi are attacking oil shipments in the Red Sea and I have no doubt will attack pipelines.  It appears if Saudi Arabia wants this fixed it will have organize a real war with Iran and it's proxies to bring this to an end.

• "Lebanon’s government is separating itself from Hezbollah on the Yemen front as well as the Israeli one, and the work is being done by the prime minister’s statements and a judge’s warrants rather than by the army. A state that can condemn, charge and telephone the head of the Saudi-backed government in Yemen is further along than it was a year ago. It still has not disarmed Hezbollah."... 
• Lebanon wants to avoid being drug into "foreign" wars for the benefit of others, and Hezbollah is part of that problem.  Red Sea’s African shore is dividing into blocs. Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea are lining up against Ethiopia, and Rabat has decided that the end of the UN mission ends UN monitoring of the ceasefire in the Sahara. 

It was reported yesterday regarding the Badr Agreement which is a Sunni defense agreement between Pakistan, Turkey, Qatar, and Indonesia needs to be watched, and the Mecca Pact is already fraying at the edges, which doesn't surprise me at all, and done so because "Pakistan, Turkey and Qatar each have ties to Islamist groups. Pakistan shelters Islamist militant factions. Turkey and Qatar both support the Muslim Brotherhood and host Hamas figures."

The Turkish Parliament voted on support of the Mecca Pact but "has yet to provide any offensive military support to Saudi Arabia against the Houthis in Yemen, and Pakistan’s contributions are more in homeland defense."   Ethiopia, Sudan, the UAE are in conflict, and even Egypt has been drawn into this, with one observer asking Why Does Ethiopia Get the Russian Jets Washington Denied Egypt? 

What's called Kurdistan isn't really a country. It's a ethnic cultural geographical region made up of parts of Turkey, Iran, Syria, and some say parts of the Caucuses, and the Kurds want their own independent nation combining those regions, all of which are in dispute. While they may not have a recognized nation, they do have a 100 seat parliament and have chosen a new Speaker, who only got 51 votes, which I think is really interesting since they don't have a country, they hate everyone and everyone hates them, and they don't seem to even be harmonious among themselves.

Israel has been given American go ahead to continue attacks against Iran on one day and then President Trump says he may not continue attacks.  He's vacillated on this from the beginning, is it any wonder the American public is irritated at him over this?  Is it any wonder Israel is mired in their internal politics over this.    Iran's goal in the Strait has been to "frustrate efforts by the United States and its allies to bring down global oil prices”, and has been successful in sinking ships.  Anyone accused of supporting Reza Pahlavi and Israel are being executed, and their internal security is so vast it's impossible to organize a movement against the Iranian tyranny.  

Strikes in Gaza continue taking out senior officials working against the ceasefire agreement.  How true it may be, the State Department claims “we are making real progress toward a demilitarized Gaza”.  That just might be a little bit delusional.  

Hamas Found to Be Storing Weapons in Mosques - Wow, who saw this coming? As everyone knows, Islam is a beautiful religion of peace, and mosques are peaceful houses of worship, akin to churches or synagogues, places of prayer, contemplation, worship, and the healing of the soul. 

Anyone who thinks otherwise, and especially anyone who gets the crazy idea that mosques might have something to do with jihad violence, is just a greasy Islamophobe — right? 

Well, as it turns out, Hamas is full of greasy Islamophobes.  Israel National News reported Tuesday “the IDF and Shin Bet on Monday struck and destroyed five Hamas weapon storage facilities and a Hamas launch site in several strikes across the Gaza Strip.” What’s that? You thought Hamas had already turned in all its weapons, as it was supposed to do under the terms of Trump’s grand plan for lasting peace in the Middle East?

Is this the real explanation behind October 7? Rumors are rife in Israel that October 7 was indeed made possible thanks to a leftist plot to destroy Netanyahu.

Somalia is tearing itself apart, which shouldn't shock anyone, over efforts to have President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's term extended and their Supreme court says that's not legal. So, the military has surrounded their Supreme Court.... I guess they feel that's a very strong legal argument in their favor.  In Nigeria their Federal High Court has "nullified the election of former Senate President David Mark as the leader of the opposition African Democratic Congress party, or ADC, and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission not to recognize any decision made under his leadership, including the nomination of Atiku Abubakar as the ADC's presidential candidate in Nigeria's Jan. 16, 2027, general election...."

What could possibly go wrong? 

What I'm Reading

 By Rich Kozlovich

Twice monthly John Droz Jr. puts out an e-mail newsletter called Media Balance Newsletter, that provides access to information that's well worth viewing on every issue we're facing, and it's free. As an example, it turns out NYC teachers promote nearly 100% of students, with half of them lacking proficiency on either math or reading.    One writer noted her son was admitted to one of "New York’s top-rated schools, we had every reason to believe he would continue to excel."  As it turns out he wasn't a "A" student as his grade cards showed in middle school. In fact he couldn't do basic math let alone algebra.  

"The DOE enables failure in minority communities by constantly lowering their standards instead of grading our children accurately, and by failing to collaborate with families to address issues kids may be having. They don’t even police chronic absenteeism. How can our kids get jobs if they can’t read or do math, and not even taught the value of showing up? I soon found out my family was not alone in feeling cheated."

What higher education does to these young people is even worse, they're teaching them to hate America, and has given way to corrupted history promoted by people like Howard Zinn.  

In the nation's universities teaching "law, nursing, psychology, medicine, and social work", they're still operating under DEI mandates.  Is it any wonder how so many of the public has become so mentally deranged they chose those who are openly promoting tyranny in this last mid term election?  As a result 14 Million in four of America’s largest cities will now live under Socialist mayoral rule.  

In NYC two Muslim cops apparently decided it's time to start imposing Sharia law on NYC citizens... you know... just like they do in Iran.  A nurse walking her dog was threatened with arrest and seizure of her dog for the crime of........oh wait, it turns out she didn't commit any crime at all, and the cops refused to answer what crime she committed when asked..... just like Iran.  Fortunately there were witnesses that prevented them from getting away with this, but the question that needs to be asked and answered is this: What will the Mamdani administration do about this?  Answer? Nothing.  

Another question that needs asked and answered is:  Did America really choose these radicals?  As Dan Rather used to intone with great gravity: "Questions remain". 

It’s interesting that in 2022 there were 51.3 million Democrats who voted. In 2026 there were 70.4 million Democrats who voted. Where did that extra 20 million Democrat voters come from?

1. Smoking gun? New report reveals algorithmic pattern on how Dems 'stole' 2026 election.
2. Maricopa County Republican Committee Executive Director says some voters told MCRC they had no idea ballots had been cast for them
3. MORE IMPOSSIBLE 2026 ELECTION RESULTS: In State After State, GOP Down-Ballot Republicans Received More Votes than the Senate and Governor Races
4.  The Math Doesn’t Add Up. Texas, Kansas, Mississippi – and Everywhere Else 
5.  “Missing” Memory Card Flips Georgia House Race — Republican Candidate Surges from 58-Vote Deficit to 262-Vote Lead After Seminole County Discovers Uncounted Ballots
6. This Is Odd… Three States Flip GOP Senate Seats to Democrats But Pass Voter ID Laws at Same Time – We’re Talking a 30 Point Spread – How Is That Possible?
7.  'We want to know how this happened': Cities across multiple states being investigated for counting illegal ballots
8.  Are There Any Honest Mathematicians in America Today? Latest Turnout Numbers from 2026 Midterms Look Suspicious and Frankly Impossible …More Updates
9.  WAYNE ROOT: Something Smells Rotten in Texas. And Kansas. And Mississippi. And Everywhere Else Too. Was This a 2020 Rigged Election All Over Again? Here are a Few Simple Questions About This Midterm Election.

One online commenter noted he was seeing an " increasing groundswell on the Right saying the entire election was stolen", and says we need to be careful and use "discernment" over this. Here's the thing I can't answer. If this election was stolen, how can it be proven? If it can be proven how could that overturn the election? If it can be overturned, who has the power to do so? Finally, if this election was stolen, and there's no way to prove it and stop the corruption that allowed this election to be stolen, what does that mean for 2028?  If these strange people can get elected can we doubt someone like Governor Newsom, with all his gigantic failures as governor of California, can be elected as President of the United States?

People like Meghan McCain and others claim the Republicans chose candidates who couldn't win, insisting RINO'S like Cornyn and Tellis would have won, which I doubt. What I really found strange is the Democrats chose radicals as candidates who are openly and stunningly weird and destructive to the nation, like Abdul El-Sayed who's declared Michigan is the ‘Capital of Arab America’.  Tree moss should have been able to beat them. 

Now I think it's time for a little satire from someone allegedly named, Exavier Saskagoochie, who published this piece, Russell Brand Converts to Islam; All Charges Dropped.

Cartoon Roundup and The Week That Was

By Rich Kozlovich 

As a result of his travels to many different lands, all with their unique cultures 2500 years ago, Herodotus noted that “culture was king’, and the results of this midterm election shows America’s culture has a serious problem.

California elected a governor who can reasonably be held responsible for the exploitation of children. There will be up to ten Muslims in the Congress who want to impose Sharia law and dump the Constitution and eight men who claim they’re women.  Not to mention there are Members of Congress that openly demand Republicans not only be prosecuted, some want them shot for daring to oppose them.   

This didn’t happen overnight.  For 237 years this effort to destroy western civilization's Judaic/Christian culture was the long game in Europe and in America it’s been the game plan since late 19th century, we can reasonably say almost 150 years. We’re not going to overturn that with court cases, and even elections.  As it is now; culture is king, and corruption is queen, and the battle has to taken into the schools and the churches/synagogues which seriously need to be purged of their woke corrupt leaders. That will take time.  We may not have the time, the demographics nor the consensus to accomplish that.

Thune and company smugly and arrogantly squandered their time in “power”.  In the time between now and January when the Democrats take complete control, it's too late for any meaningful legislative action.  Where a 60 vote requirement is necessary the Democrats will filibuster. Where 60 votes aren’t required the RINO’s will not support a Republican majority vote. The Republican party is heading to an accounting with the base and if there’s not a purge it’s leadership before 2028, all is lost.  However, Ireland my be rejoicing as Rosie O’Donnell says she may return to the U.S. 

 

The Week That Was

1. Only He Who Commands Can Be Blamed 
2. P&D Geopolitics Edition
3. Saving "Our Democracy" Through Tyranny 
4. The 2026 Midterm Election Results
5. What I'm Reading: The "Big Tent" Hypocrisy
6. The 2026 Midterm Election, Part VII

Cartoon Roundup 

 

The above cartoon is from American Thinker

 

   

 
 

 

Only He Who Commands Can Be Blamed

By Rich Kozlovich

The US Navy is different in many ways than the rest of America's military with it's many traditions.  When these traditions were developed Navy Captains were usually thousands of miles away from higher authority and were often forced to make decisions that would usually be made by higher authority, but they didn't have radios in those days, and they were on their own.  If their decisions worked, they got promoted.  If their decisions caused problems, they were kicked out.   Often times the very same decision could be acceptable in one arena and not acceptable in another.  Being a Naval Captain in those days could be tricky, which I will come back to.   

Also, the Navy is the only branch of the US military that can defend the nation entirely on their own.  Why?  First, the Navy has...the Navy.  Secondly, the Navy has the finest military ground force in the world; the US Marines.... and yes... the Marines are part of the Navy.  Third, the Navy has the finest aviators in the world...Top Gun is Navy... and there's not a Air Force pilot alive that can land on the bucking deck of a carrier.  Fourth, the Navy has the finest special forces unit in the world, the Navy Seals, and they are all capable of scaring .... everyone!

The Navy also has a rule (going back to my first point about Navy Captains) only he who commands can be blamed, which brings me back to this midterm disaster, which is huge.  As of right now, Democrats will control the Senate 54-44, and 228-139 in the House, and that number may increase.  

Trump is being blamed by just about everyone for this midterm disaster, and while I think he merits criticism, the blame deservedly needs to be well distributed. Vance, in what seems to me an attempt to assure his nomination in 2028 is making sure Trump and Hegseth are getting the blame by saying the GOP loss was because of the war.  While a great deal of the blame needs to be spread among the RINO's, nonetheless, Trump has to take responsibility for that failure since he commands.  

It appears Mike Johnson .... and I think wisely.... will not seek to remain House GOP leader, with "get 'er done" Ohio Representative Jim Jordan running as the minority leader in the House, and I think that's a shoo in.   John Thune, who I think deserves a huge degree of blame for this humiliation, actually has the crust to think he should run as the Republican Minority Leader in the Senate.  The outcome of those election choices will be telling about the Republican leadership, and the 2028 election.  

Have no doubt, the conservative base is going to demand accountability from the Republican leadership, not only at the national level, but among the state party leaders as well.   Will they get it?  We'll see, but given the history of the party, they'll get nothing more than a token response.  Unlike the Navy the Republican party has few in their leadership that could be the equivalent of a Top Gun or Marine force, and no special forces to send in to deal with unfolding disasters, and no Navy to go out and get things done.   The Navy is scary, and configured to defend the nation, but the Republican party is configured in such a way it's incapable of defending the nation, and they don't scare anyone.  

Now we have is a Marxist/Islamist cabal running the Congress, a cabal where one side are champions of DEI, "secularism, feminism, LGBTQ, and economic equity" and the other side that "demands the supremacy of its interpretation of sharia over secular law, rejecting individual liberty, religious pluralism, and equality under the law."  Their common enemy?  Whites, conservatives, traditional Christians and Jews, and the American Constitution.  What happens when their common enemy is defeated?  This is a cabal heading for a conflict where only one can survive, and if you want to see what will happen. Take a look at South Africa.  

The black population of South Africa are not descendants of an indigenous black population.  They're the descendants of those who migrated to South Africa for economic reasons.  An economy created by the white European settlers.  The demands by the leftists of the world, especially from the celebrities, to end apartheid destroyed a prosperous stable white controlled nation and turned it into a violent corrupt black run sewer.  The celebrities of today with their Marxist/Islamist demands are of the same breed of nitwit, and their demands will cause the same kind of disaster for America and western civilization as they caused in South Africa.

 

P&D Geopolitics Edition

By Rich Kozlovich 

I've stored a lot of information over the last couple of months from around the world, much of it from subscription sites so I can't link the information, so you'll just have to take my word for what I'm presenting... or not.... as it pleases you.  However, I think I can say without much argument, the world is a mess. So, let's do this alphabetically starting with Africa.    

Nations all along the Red Sea and Persian Gulf are in throes of agony of some kind.  Somalia has been a mess for years, but say they will hold elections next spring but the opposition is unsatisfied.  Being unsatisfied is almost a foundational social paradigm throughout the Middle East, but Somalia is a poster child for dissatisfaction.  

Ethiopia is at war with itself, and with Eritrea which supports the Ethiopian insurgents, which could draw in Egypt and Sudan.  The Congo's political arena is facing turbulent waters as there's a new "a new political-military coalition that aims to challenge President Felix Tshisekedi's government and restore state institutions, including through the use of force"

I thought this was worth a moment of time as this kinda comes out of nowhere:

Morocco Turns Israeli Weapons Technology Into Defense Industry as Algeria Watches - Rabat is moving from buying Israeli systems to building them, with deliveries planned from March 2027, while Algeria, armed by Russia, keeps backing the "Polisario Front, which is an armed national liberation movement seeking independence for Western Sahara."

In Asia South Korea Wants to Take Wartime Military Command Away From American General, which would put a South Koran commander in charge not only of S. Korean forces but American forces... if I understand that correctly.  Given how this new South Korean government wants to execute their former president for treason and is getting cozy with N. Korea and China, perhaps it's time American forces came home as South Korea is engaging with Russia to offset North Korea's militant attitude.

South Korea is considering an "expanding military mission in the Middle East" as an anti-piracy measure from the Gulf of Aden to the Gulf of Oman, near the Strait of Hormuz.  I would have to assume oil is the issue, but if they can do this, they should be able to defend themselves, and North Korea is going to spend massively to upgrade their navy to "off set" the forces of surrounding nations. 

China's export issues remain, as China wants to impose export controls on "40 technologies across artificial intelligence biomedicine and photovoltaics, including outright export bans in some cases."  Why?  I have no idea.  China's also having issues with the EU as the European council now backs "market-closure instrument, safeguards on chemical and machinery due to unfair trade practices or coercion."  In September China bought soybeans from the U.S. to the tune of 1.3 metric tons. 

China is not a freedom of expression nation, and most certainly not a freedom of religion nation, and doesn't even like it in nations that practice it as Falun Gong practitioners were attacked outside of the Chinese Consulate in Toronto. 

In Central Asia Kazakhstan is becoming more economically independent from Russia as they've now joined the "World Bank's Metals and Minerals Compact, becoming the first Central Asian participant and setting a target to attract $20 billion in mining and processing investment."  Where is this heading? Kazakhstan is a land locked nation that has very real economic potential but they can't be seen as taking sides, and they're not.  China likes the influence they can exert there because no matter what anyone says, China and Russia are not friends. Russia ...and I'm guessing here.... should like it because it creates an economic sphere from which Russia can benefit, and Russia needs that, but they're doing a high wire balancing act, and it seems to me they're doing it pretty well.  As this writer says, Kazakhstan is a bridge between the North, South, East and West.  

In the Middle East, and I will have more on this in another post, the Houthis are out of control and even attacked the Presidential palace in Aden.  All this is giving drive to what's called the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey, to which Syria is now wanting to join, which I find interesting as there are issues between Turkey and Syria.  And we're shocked why?  Have no doubt this will become more about Israel and the "Palestinians" than Iran and the Houthi down the road. 

"Syria is considering joining the Mecca joint defense pact with Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani said. Talks are underway, al-Shibani indicated, describing Syria as an integral part of regional security. He also emphasized that regional stability depends directly on what happens in Gaza and finding a path toward an independent Palestinian state. Israel will oppose Syria's membership, but it likely can;t stop Damascus from joining."

Saudi Arabia is most likely to respond with "intensive" air strikes and are outsourcing ground operations to Yemeni allies.  Are full scale military operations on the table?  Supposedly, but this is Saudi Arabia, ....lots of money, stunningly weak military..... and a nation that's taking some serious damage to their economic bottom line over oil exports.  If Saudi Arabia can't be filthy rich, it can't be a nation.  I will have more on that in the next Geopolitics Edition. 

"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to offer Saudi Arabia direct military aid through U.S. mediation, but the offer so far has fallen flat, as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman remains reluctant to openly accept Israeli support, despite his country's escalating campaign against the Houthis in Yemen." 

"U.S., Iran: Two Ships Sink Around Strait of Hormuz as Iran Expands Attacks on Commercial Vessels-Two cargo vessels sank around the Strait of Hormuz in recent days after being struck by projectiles, marking the second and third vessels to sink in the region since the start of the Iran conflict in February."

"What Tehran Owes -Trump answers Iran's reparations demand with a counter-invoice, and the American courts wrote the numbers years ago: ninety judgments, $102 billion outstanding, zero paid. Plus the main section: the corporate enablers of Iran that Western governments documented in their own files and never sanctioned."

I think this piece is really thought provoking, and I agree. 

Tom Barrack Will Demolish Trump’s Legacy (Oct 13): Michael Rubin argues that Tom Barrack, the ambassador in Ankara and envoy for Syria and Iraq, has reworked American policy in Turkey’s favor, from the F-35 to a waiver for the S-400, and that the consequences will be laid at the President’s door.

I really don't understand Trump's reasoning over Turkey as it's making a lot of noise in the Mediterranean with Greece over Cyprus, and injecting itself into the politics of African nations.  They're not a force for stabilization in my view, in fact, I think they're just the opposite.   

I have a lot more stored and will continue this discussion again tomorrow.  I probably should have one every day, but I hate jumping the gun as so very often I find a story needs time to fill out properly, and I like having a lot of background information.  

Saving "Our Democracy" Through Tyranny

By Rich Kozlovich

There was a big backlash against Senator Elissa Slotkin for:

.......threatening legal persecution for young people who took jobs in the Trump administration: "I want young people coming out of school to say, 'Should I work for the Trump administration? Like, that sounds fun. I might get an opportunity… I want them to be like, 'Lord, that might be buying myself a ton of problems that I don't want.' I want that deterrence message sent."

She not only threatening "young people who might choose to consider working for the Trump administration, which is probably illegal, she went on to claim Trump is going to ‘come up with national security incident’ to change election outcome."  What evidence does she offer?  None!  One has to wonder whether or not she's certifiable... actually.... being potentially certifiable is a common thread in the Democrat party. 

1. Washington Warned Us About Slotkin’s ‘Deterrence Message’
2. Who is Hiding Senator Elissa Slotkin's Secret Work With Joe Biden's Ukrainian Crime Syndicate

While she took some heat, she actually was openly demonstrating the fascist streak that runs through the entire democrat establishment.   

1. Schiff once again wants to impeach Trump
2. Carville: Dems Will 'Investigate the Hell Out' of Trump's Corruption
3. House Dem: ‘My Priority Number One’ Ousting Hegseth
4.  Democrats’ Plan to Weaponize the Govt. Takes Shape
5.  “Subpoenas,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) wrote.
6. “Noem, Markwayne, Miller, Homan, Bovino, what’s up?” Rep. Delia C. Ramirez (D-IL) .....“Clear your schedule.”
7. “Thank you, Mr. President. Our thank you will come in January — with subpoenas,” Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ) 

The Republicans warned Democrats would go back to weaponizing government and go after the first family, business leaders, and cabinet secretaries. 

 "Saving Democracy" By Prosecuting Political Adversaries: A Roundup - Here in the U.S., with few exceptions, we have a commendable tradition that victorious politicians do not use the criminal justice system to prosecute or otherwise disable their rivals and adversaries.    At the presidential level, before Trump the two most prominent examples against that tradition were the prosecution of Aaron Burr by Thomas Jefferson in 1807, and the prosecution of Eugene Debs by Woodrow Wilson in 1918. Otherwise, our defeated presidential candidates have gone peacefully to retirement.    

But then, after Trump was defeated in 2020, that tradition was abrogated in rather spectacular fashion........ Notable about all the Trump prosecutions is how completely flimsy were all the charges against him. The idea was rather transparently to use control of levers of government power to disable the main adversary in the political arena. Meanwhile, the people involved sanctimoniously wrapped themselves in a claim that they were "saving our democracy."

They're using the same kind of rhetoric now as they've done since the beginning of the socialist movement.  Whether it involved social issues, environmental issues, or politics in general, they're always saving humanity.  But once in power, they deliver tyranny because "Inside every progressive is a totalitarian screaming to get out"!  Most People Have No Idea How Insane Democrats Have Become, and "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore".   

The 2026 Midterm Election Results

"The people have spoken, and now they must be punished." - Mayor Ed Koch

By Rich Kozlovich 

Well, I gotta tell ya... I'm shocked... but one thing is now clear, the demographics of America is now just like France, England, and Europe; embracing national suicide.  As I watched the obviously insane policies promoted by the left, and all the violence they perpetrated I actually believed it would shake up the general population against them.   As it turns out; support for violence, irrational behavior, and insane polices "is" the general population. 

Thoughts on the midterm election - Democrats.......flipped both the Senate and the House and did so massively. According to The New York Times, Democrats currently have 54-44 control of the Senate and 228-139 control of the House. Both numbers could improve for Democrats in the next days and hours. 

That’s not a tiny victory; that’s huge.......

What rational person would believe El-Sayed with his support of terrorists could win in Michigan, or Talarico, a truly strange man, would win in Texas?  The man who Republican John Cornyn couldn’t wait to congratulate! In Minnesota Peggy Flanagan, the Lt. Governor who was part of the administration that allowed massive levels of fraud to be perpetrated in their state won.  And who really thought "the semi-incestuous Troy Jackson", another truly strange man, would defeat long-time Senator Susan Collins in Maine? 

In Ohio, DeWine's pick for the Senate to fill Vance's seat, John Husted, lost to of all people, Sherrod Brown, and Vivek lost to that amazingly incompetent, and I think corrupt, Amy Acton, who was responsible for massive economic pain in Ohio for her lies over COVID.  Truthfully, I thought Husted was corrupt and Vivek was corrupt and lazy, but they were picked by the party, and is a clear demonstration Ohio's Republican leadership needs purged of the intellectually corrupt Kasich/DeWine cabal.  

1. Somalis Celebrate After Ilhan Omar Easily Wins Reelection in Minnesota, Despite Criminal Investigation
2. Darline Graham Loses Lindsey Graham’s South Carolina Seat to Pediatrician
3.  Democrats Just Flipped Another House Seat and Republicans Have Max Miller to Thank
4. The Red-Green Alliance Has Seized New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District 
5. Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms Flips Georgia Governors Seat Against Rick Jackson
6.  New Jersey GOP Rep Kean Loses Reelection, After Long, Unexplained Absence From Congress
7.  Scandal-Plagued Democrat David Crowley Wins Governor’s Race in Wisconsin
8.  Ilhan Omar Shares Excitement Over Illinois Democrat Juliana Stratton’s U.S. Senate Win: ‘Inshallah’
9.  Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms Flips Georgia Governors Seat Against Rick Jackson
10.  Democrat Chris Pappas Defeats Republican John Sununu to Win New Hampshire Senate Race
11.  Democrat Rebecca Bennett Flips U.S. House Seat in New Jersey
12.  Moore Wins Second Term as Maryland Governor
13.  Democrat Rob Sand is next governor of Iowa.
14.  Letitia James wins reelection.
15.  Greg Abbott loses in Texas.
16.  Republicans lose in Kansas.
17.  Kathy Hochul wins easily.
18. Democrat Megachurch Pastor Adam Hamilton Unseats Sen. Roger Marshall in Kansas
19. Becerra Wins Ca Guv
20.  Josh Shapiro Wins Second Term as Pennsylvania Governor
21.  Klobuchar Wins Minnesota Governor’s Seat
22. Booker Wins in N.J.

As massive a loss as this is, there were a few bright spots and at this point it looks as though Alaska might pick the Republican Dan Sullivan, and yet this is still a close race in spite of all the election corruption of the Peltola campaign that's been exposed.  If neither of them get over 50% there will be a runoff election since Alaska has that stupid Ranked Choice election process, which is why the Democrats ran a fake Dan Sullivan to dilute the vote.  Ohio chose radical Democrats for the Senate and Governorship, but supported Ohio Issue 3:

 "Ohio's Issue 3 passed, which enshrines voter ID into the state's constitution. Ohio already requires photo identification to vote in person, but moving that rule from statute into the constitution means legislators can no longer change it without voter approval."  

It's amazing how the Republicans can snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory.... but ....again.... the people have spoken, and now they must be punished.  

1.  Tommy Tuberville Is Alabama’s Next Governor, Barry Moore Wins Senate Seat
2.  GOP Sen. Shelley Moore Capito Wins Reelection in West Virginia Senate Race
3.  Republican Ashley Moody Beats DSA Democrat Angie Nixon for the US Senate
4.  GOP Harriet Hageman Wins Wyoming Senate Race
5.  The Arkansas Line: Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Tom Cotton Both Bring Home Big Wins
6.  Republican wins in Oklahoma, rare blowout tonight.
7.  Byron Donalds is next governor of Florida.
8.  Former MLB star Mark Teixeira wins U.S. House seat in Texas
9.  GOP Sen. Ashley Moody Defeats DSA Candidate Angie Nixon in Florida Senate Race

The exit polls claim 60% blame Trump for higher prices, and 88% say cost of living was the key factor their vote. Yet the prices are less that they were under Biden, and the price of energy overall is lower than under Biden, and the economy has surged.   Under Democrat control and regulations the Democrats wanted in order to send the price of energy through the roof.  Somehow the public thinks those who created this problem will fix it?  Imagine that.

So, what's next? What's next isn't good.  In Virginia they passed and amendment for right to murder the innocent unborn right up until the moment of birth.  Efforts to make abortion on demand will be driven by Congress, and efforts to make sure only American citizens can vote will be stopped.  The Democrats promised if they won they would resort to lawfare to destroy the lives of Republicans, and they will. They'll pass the Green New Deal and Medicare for all, and make no mistake, this is the DSA's coming out party.  DEI, with all the Woke insanity that goes with it will be back with a vengeance.

• 2026 Ballot Measure Results: Voters Decide on Abortion, Voter ID and Tax Questions Across States

Here was Victor Davis Hanson's take on what all this means, including for 2028, and how I see it.  Our government has evolved into an imperial presidency, as demonstrated by Bill Clinton and Obama when they lost the Congress in their second terms. While Trump will still pretty much do what he wants on foreign policy, and domestically he'll use executive orders, just like Obama who had "a pen and a phone".  He will not be able to get federal judges or prosecutors appointed for the next two years as the Democrat controlled Senate will refuse to confirm them.  "The Democrats will overreach, And we know that in the House, there will be a circus of subpoenas, impeachment, and lawfare. We’ll see that nonstop."   "It will be pure Lavrentiy Beria stuff: “Show me the man (or woman), and I’ll show you the crime.”

•  New Chairman of House Oversight Threatens: Lawyer Up!

He can veto Democrat legislation but the Democrats will end the 60 vote rule to override a veto, as that's a Senate rule, not a Constitutional requirement, and I expect that will be among the very first things they change, as a result, his vetoes will all be overturned.   

 

Is there a bright side to all this?  Maybe!  This might be the wake up call needed to purge the Republican party leadership. Not only at the national level but at the state level. I find most leadership roles in most states are filled with arrogant Kasich style “conservatives”, who like Kasich “define conservatism as they see fit”. Which in my opinion is why Ohio Republicans picked two losers who lost to Sherrod Brown and Amy Acton.   Here's J.D. Rucker's the Seven Silver Linings for the GOP and America After Midterm Obliteration.

1. America Gets a Full Preview of the Democrat Agenda Before 2028
2. The GOP Establishment Can No Longer Pretend Their Stewardship Worked 
3. Trump’s Executive Authority Remains Intact for Two Years
4. The Base Will Demand Real Accountability Instead of Excuses
5. Cultural and Economic Pain Will Create a Clearer Contrast
6. A 2028 MAGA Reshuffle
7. Faithful Americans Will Finally Stop Looking to Politics for Salvation

Finally, this article appeared in Insight and Issues, Gridlock Is Good quoting M. Stanton Evans saying:   

 

“Gridlock is the next best thing to having a constitution.".......  So, the only thing we know for sure is that for the next two years, Washington, D.C., will be in a state of gridlock while Democrats unleash a torrent of investigations, impeachments, and endless claims of corruption and wrongdoing........ 

That’s not to say there is no risk. Democratic socialist wins today can provide tremendous momentum going into 2028. And if Democrats, God forbid, do win the White House that year, the country will be all but lost. But it’s just likely that emboldened radicals in the Democratic Party will turn off far more voters than they gain.   So, our advice is to let Democrats have their celebrations. Enjoy the gridlock for the next two years. And get busy laying the groundwork for massive victories in 2028, when the elections really matter......

Many years ago I read about a study to see why people made the choices they made.  The took students and broke them up into two groups.  The first group, the larger of the two, was in on the scam, and other group, which was substantially smaller, was the control group and were expected to just answer as they saw fit.  

They showed two sentences, and asked the students which was longer?  Sentence one was longer than sentence two, but those in on the scam all voted that sentence two as being longer.  Over 90% of the control group voted in agreement ignoring the reality of their own eyes fearing to stand up for what was right.  After this election, I'm not so sure this can be turned around since the nation's demographics are against it, the nation's system of education is against it, the deep state is against it, the main stream media is against it, and the public has demonstrated, just like these kids, it doesn't have the courage to stand against the crowd and are stunningly stupid, and you can't fix stupid.  

 

 

 

What I'm Reading: The "Big Tent" Hypocrisy

 By Rich Kozlovich 

Over the last few days the left has been reeling over Democrat Representative Haley Stevens endorsement of Mike Rogers with Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) calling her endorsing Rogers over El-Sayed sad.  Well, Dingell has never been one of the brightest pebbles in the brook, so, let's analyze this a bit.  

Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers for Senator from Michigan over Abdul El-Sayed, who is an Anti-America, anti-Constitution, anti-capitalism, Muslim/Marxist antisemitic who is on the side of terrorists, and so the Democrat leadership wants to expel her from the party, but not El-Sayed.  Did I get that right?  I didn't' miss anything did I?

Jon Stewart rages at Haley Stevens for not supporting El-Sayed, so can we assume he's also anti-America, anti-Constitution, anti-capitalist, and a supporter of Islamists and Marxist who are antisemitic and is on the side of terrorists? Right along with Debbie Dingle and the Democrat leadership who supports El-Sayed and must support all he represents?  Did I get right also?  Interestingly, no one from the Pravda bothered to ask Debbie or any of the rest of them that question.  Imagine that. 

The hypocrisy from the Democrat leadership is rampant, and we're shocked why?  Chuck Schumer betrays the Jews and Israel:

 For most of his years in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, a Democrat and currently the Senate Minority Leader, declared himself the champion of the Jews, especially the country of Israel. But he has ignored his allegiances, condemning a fellow Democrat who refuses to support a candidate whose values, as shown by his personal and familial history, his affiliations (e.g., Hasan Piker and virulently radical Muslims), and his own statements, are anti-American and virulently antisemitic......

Let's take Nancy Pelosi for instance who is one of her loudest detractors saying:

"Haley Stevens has chosen to dangerously betray Michigan families’ healthcare, freedoms and future with her horrific endorsement of Mike Rogers. @AbdulElSayed must win — because Michigan and our country deserve better."

Yet just a week ago she proclaimed:

“When you say Israel doesn’t have the right to be a Jewish state, that’s antisemitic as far as I’m concerned with all that… it’s more than concerning. It’s wrong. It’s wrong. And it isn’t a reflection of the Democrats in the Congress of the United States.”

What was so different between Nancy Pelosi's views and Haley Stevens views? 

“We have to stand with country. We can’t stand with hate, we can’t stand with Hasan Piker… when you see hate, when you see him standing with Hasan Piker, and repeated hate, it’s not acceptable.”

Nancy Pelosi has never had an ounce of intellectual integrity her entire career. She’s the one who said they had to pass Obamacare to see what’s in it. One thing she represents is another solid argument for age and term limits on Congress, right along with the federal judiciary.  

But ya just gotta love America's Gollum, James Carville, a man who's a gift that keeps on giving as he declared:

 "Your political career is over,"......."If you think that these Republicans are going to treat you as anything other than what they view you as, and that is, let me just break the news to you, a used condom. The Democrats don't even think you're worth a used condom. But that's about where you are." "You made your bed, sleep in it," 

Am I the only one who thinks Carville is just a bit certifiable?  No, apparently not!  "The Western Lensman added: "Carville's cheese has slid all the way off the cracker.... "Commentator David J. Freeman said: "Their elder statesman went straight for the gutter. Democrats lecture you about respecting women right up until a woman steps out of line."...."Political pundit Scott Jennings noted: "Never seen anything like the anti-woman crash out going on [right now]. Wow."

Greg Gutfeld hit them where it hurts, and there's no rational come back to his statement:

......Democrats have been saying for months that they are a ‘big tent’ party. So the tent is big enough for people like Abdul El-Sayed and other radical leftists, but not big enough for Haley Stevens?  The truth is that Democrats have reduced their entire world view into either being on their side or being seen as the enemy.

Daniel Greenfield says if they can expel Haley Stevens, for opposing hate, they can expel the DSA for promoting hate.  "The excuses are gone." The Democrat party reality is that Anti-America, anti-Constitution, anti-capitalism, Muslim/Marxist antisemitic who is on the side of terrorists, party members like "Rep. Ilhan Omar.... Mamdani’s DSA insurgents like Dariazila Avila Chevalier, the WTC terror sheikh’s translator, Hisham ‘Adam’ Hamawy, .....Graham Platner and Abdul El-Sayed", are all acceptable but Haley Stevens is not.  The Big Tent is "just a lie to fool the electorate....."

As for the Pravda media's take on all this, former Trump official noted to a CNN panel:

When Republicans break with our party, Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger and others, you guys lionize them as being ‘courageous’ and so ‘brave.’ And now you guys are like, she’s lost her mind! She’s clearly wacky. But when it’s our team, you guys are like, look how brave, what a profile in courage.

As it turns out not only is Hayley Stevens unshaken by loud mouth leftists she actually attended a church service with Mike Rogers.  So, what's my take on all this?

First, maybe her political life really is over... but so what... politics isn't a real life anyway.  Family and the upholding of traditional values that creates a stable society is real life, which is what so many prominent people refuse to grasp and why so many in entertainment have failed marriages.  

Second, she might become a Republican after the midterms, whether that's a good thing or not, but it's still a possibility.  

Third, she just might be a lot more popular among a silent cabal of old line moderate Democrats than is realized, and form a cabal that could become a powerful caucus in the party.  I don't see that happening because the base is filled with far left radicals who are violent, virulent, unrelenting and cruel, and it would take a level of courage to defeat them that simply doesn't exist.  

As the reporter in Charlie Wilson' s War said... We'll see!