State elections could spell doom of Germany's
oldest party
Posted By: Moritz55, 2/18/2026 2:13:15 PM
The center-left Social Democrats (SPD), Germany's first political party, are struggling to muster their optimism in a year when five of Germany's 16 federal states are set to elect new parliaments. According to the latest opinion polls, the SPD could be voted out of power in two states that is has governed for decades. In two others, the SPD is polling in the single digits. To understand what went wrong, we need to look back: The SPD was founded as a traditional workers party in 1863, which makes it the country's oldest political party. In that period, it aimed to be the political representative of factory workers, whose precarious lives
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Moritz55"
The center-left Social Democrats (SPD), Germany's first political party, are struggling to muster their optimism in a year when five of Germany's 16 federal states are set to elect new parliaments. According to the latest opinion polls, the SPD could be voted out of power in two states that is has governed for decades. In two others, the SPD is polling in the single digits.
To understand what went wrong, we need to look back: The SPD was founded as a traditional workers party in 1863, which makes it the country's oldest political party. In that period, it aimed to be the political representative of factory workers, whose precarious lives
President Joe Biden not only allowed 6 million to 10 million illegal aliens to walk across the border during his term — he also granted a “quiet amnesty” to nearly 1 million.
We’re only learning this now, as the Department of Justice revealed Biden officials improperly “terminated,” “dismissed” or “closed” that many cases before the nation’s immigration tribunals.
The tool for this deception was the DOJ’s Executive Office for Immigration Review — “EOIR,” pronounced like Winnie the Pooh’s sad donkey friend — which oversees deportation cases.
The decline of religion remains a fundamental reality in most Western countries, particularly in Europe, where over 50% of those under age 40 do not identify with any faith. Even in more religious America, some estimate that as many as 100,000 churches will close in the near future. Meanwhile, the ranks of “Nones,” those outside religious communities, have grown so large that their numbers rival those of Catholics and evangelical Protestants.
Yet, as we document in a new report for the Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy, there are signs that religion is enjoying more than a nascent revival.
Ongoing tensions in Iran featured prominently at this year's Munich Security Conference (MSC), coming after the Islamist regime's deadly crackdown on protesters, and with US President Donald Trump continuing to put pressure on Tehran to end its nuclear program.
As Iran's hardline rulers hang on to power after the largest anti-regime protests in decades, Reza Pahlavi, the son of the late Iranian king and a political activist-in-exile, was active at the conference, pleading his case for regime change in Iran.
At a panel about Iran's future on Friday, as well as at a press conference on Saturday, Pahlavi called out the Iranian regime's suppression of human rights, especially the brutal crackdown
Marco Rubio delivers tough love to Europe
— and the overgrown teenage brats know
‘Dad’ is right 12 replies
— and the overgrown teenage brats know
‘Dad’ is right 12 replies
An American statesman was born on a German stage over the weekend.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s impressive performance at the Munich Security Conference gives us an alluring glimpse of the president he could be one day.
Rubio drew a standing ovation from the assembled European heads of state, intelligence chiefs, and military leaders for a speech that was no less forceful or frank than VP JD Vance’s address that jarred the same forum last year, but was delivered with a mellifluous voice and calm humility that disarmed even the most arch Euro-socialist.
After interim leader Rodriguez announced an amnesty law last month, some political prisoners have been freed. But one has already been rearrested, and analysts say reforms must accompany the new law. It is not uncommon to hear glowing words about Venezuelan unity at the National Assembly in the capital Caracas. Acting President Delcy Rodriguez did not hold back when she presented her draft amnesty law for political prisoners last month. After it was approved in a first reading, Rodriguez said it was a major step "towards peace and reconciliation."
North Carolina Republican state Rep. Allen Chesser said he was taken by surprise when a Democratic sheriff who has long opposed cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could not answer a basic question about how the government works. A North Carolina House Oversight Committee hearing spurred on by the recent killing of a young Ukrainian woman, Iryna Zarutska, in Charlotte, took an unexpected turn when Chesser asked Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden, "What branch of government do you operate under?"
McFadden, who is the top law enforcement officer in the county where Zarutska was killed, simply answered, "Mecklenburg County,"
What happens to democracy when a major political party loses its way and loses its connection with the electorate?
As an Israeli American and an independent U.S. voter, I’ve seen firsthand the damage that can be done in Israel, and now – if Democrats aren’t careful – in America. We can’t let the same mistakes happen here because a competitive party system is critical for a functioning democracy.
The Democratic Party is facing a serious challenge from the far left that mirrors the dynamics which drove the Israeli Labor Party from absolutely dominant to afterthought by the beginning of this century.
A Golden Age Needs A Strong Fed
2 replies
After years of inflation shocks and policy-related uncertainty, the U.S. economy may finally be on the cusp of a growth cycle. Rising investment commitments and renewed business confidence are creating expectations of stronger expansion in the coming months.
At such a pivotal moment, economic leadership matters. With Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent guiding fiscal policy, attention now turns to monetary policy, where the Federal Reserve under Jay Powell has struggled to provide clear direction. President Trump’s nomination of Kevin Warsh to lead the Fed is, therefore, a welcome move. Warsh understands that sustainable growth and price stability must go hand in hand, making him a strong choice at a critical moment
Donald Trump did not win the 2024 election because America suddenly became meaningfully more Republican.
He won because voters, many of them independents and crossover Democrats, many of them young, had lost trust in the system and believed he was willing to confront it. In our (Rasmussen) final 2024 polling, 42% of Trump’s electorate came from independents and Democrats. That is not a MAGA monoculture. It is a fragile coalition built on one thing: accountability.
Voters did not elect Trump to manage decline. They elected him to fix things that were not working. That is why DOGE mattered.
In just one weekend, Melania’s $7 million, three-day weekend haul has already out-grossed the entire domestic run of five 2025 movies nominated for this year’s Academy Awards. This includes — tee hee — two Best Picture nominees.
The Secret Agent: $3.25 million — Four Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Actor, Casting, and Foreign Film.
Sentimental Value: $4.57 million — Eight Oscar nominations for Picture, Director, Actress, Supporting Actor, Original Screenplay, Foreign Film, and Editing.
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You: $1.09 million — Best Actress.
Blue Moon: $2.11 million — Best Actor, Original Screenplay.
It Was Just an Accident: $1.78 million — Original Screenplay, Foreign Film.
Dr. Jill Biden's ex-husband Bill Stevenson is charged with the murder of his wife Linda, who was found unresponsive in her Delaware home in December and later pronounced dead. Bill was indicted on a first-degree murder charge and taken into custody without incident on Monday Feb. 2, the New Castle County Police Department said in a press release. "Officers immediately administered life-saving measures; however, despite their efforts, Linda was later pronounced deceased," police said, and confirmed her body was discovered in the living room of the home.
Most Active Articles (last 48 hours)
Jesse Jackson, civil rights icon and former
US presidential candidate, dies aged 84,
family reveals 41 replies
US presidential candidate, dies aged 84,
family reveals 41 replies
Civil rights icon Reverend Jesse Jackson has died at the age of 84. Though a cause of death was not immediately given, Jackson's family said he died peacefully surrounded by loved ones on Tuesday morning. In a statement, the Jackson family said: 'Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world. 'We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our extended family.
In one of the most insulting moves ever, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is introducing legislation to make the LGBTQ pride flag a congressionally authorized symbol, giving it the same federal protections as the U.S. flag, military flags, and POW/MIA flags.
Yes, you read that right.
Chuck Schumer wants the pride flag to have the same status as Old Glory and the flags honoring those who served and sacrificed for this country.
Schumer's legislative push comes in direct response to the Trump administration's removal of the Pride flag from the Stonewall National Monument outside the Stonewall Inn earlier this month.
Mamdani threatens 9.5% property tax increase
to fill NYC budget gap if Albany won't
tax rich 35 replies
to fill NYC budget gap if Albany won't
tax rich 35 replies
Mayor Zohran Mamdani laid out two potential paths Tuesday to close what he says is a $5.4 billion dollar budget gap in New York City. In one, Albany would raise taxes on the richest New Yorkers. In the other, the City would raise property taxes for the first time since the late 2000s. The City could generate $3.7 billion by raising the property tax by 9.5%, Mamdani said. (Snip) “If we do not go down the first path, the city will be forced down a second, more harmful path. Faced with no other choice…we would have to raise property taxes.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is facing widespread ridicule after making a series of embarrassing gaffes in Germany that highlighted her ignorance in foreign policy.
On Friday, she spoke at the Munich Security Conference where she was questioned about the United States defending Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion.
AOC’s performance suggests she is not quite ready for the world stage.
When asked directly by Bloomberg TV’s Francine Lacqua, “Would and should the U.S. actually commit U.S. troops to defend Taiwan if China were to move?,” the congresswoman gave a halting, word-salad response filled with pregnant pauses and qualifiers to avoid a clear yes or no answer.
A senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) general declared the United States is “finished” and claimed that even deploying America’s entire aircraft carrier fleet against Iran “won’t be able to do a damn thing” as U.S. and Iranian officials concluded a second round of nuclear talks in Geneva Tuesday under the shadow of an expanding American military buildup across the Middle East.
General Mohammad Reza Naghdi, a senior adviser to the IRGC’s commander-in-chief, made the remarks last Wednesday in comments to an Iranian state-affiliated news agency, according to a translation released by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).
Democratic politicians have found themselves indirectly defending Islam’s 7th-century hatred of man’s best friend, dogs.
Several Democrats have instinctively accused Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) of racism after he reacted to a New York-based Muslim advocate, Nerdeen Kiswani — who said house pet dogs will not be welcome in a non-secular, Islamic New York.
“NYC is coming to Islam,” said a February 12 tweet from Kiswani, referring to the November electoral victory of Zohran Mamdani, the Ugandan-born, Indian-origin, immigrant, populist, and Muslim Mayor of New York. [snip] Fine responded three days later, on February 15: “If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one.”
A man walked up to a 13-year-old boy and slashed his throat in an unprovoked attack near Daytona Beach Pier on Valentine’s Day.
The boy miraculously survived the attack.
The boy’s father said he could see “all the way down to the meat” after a man slashed his son’s throat.
The Clarke family was walking down the boardwalk in Daytona Beach on Saturday when 44-year-old Jermaine Long approached 13-year-old Sullivan Clarke and intentionally sliced his throat.
“I thought he was stealing Sully’s phone,” the boy’s mother, Lori Clarke told Fox 35. “As soon as he slashed him, I yelled, and I said ‘Hey!”
“I could see his neck gashed wide open.
Joe shared the story yesterday: a terrible shooting occurred at an ice hockey rink in Rhode Island, involving a domestic murder-suicide. The shooter was a biological man who was pretending to be a woman named Roberta Esposito but was born Robert Dorgan. (X) Dorgan shot and killed his wife and three of his children. Three others were also injured in the attack and are in critical condition.
We also got a glimpse into his social media activity, and you know the saying, ‘there’s always a tweet.’ Well, look what Dorgan posted before his attack. (X) The shooter also had a slew of mental health issues: (X)
Iran’s supreme leader taunts Trump,
US as high-stakes nuclear talks begin:
‘Slapped so hard’ 20 replies
US as high-stakes nuclear talks begin:
‘Slapped so hard’ 20 replies
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei openly taunted President Trump, insinuating that the US military, which has amassed a powerful naval presence in the region, could be “slapped so hard, it cannot get up.”
The 86-year-old tyrant’s scorn came as mediators for Washington and Tehran met in Geneva to discuss Iran’s nuclear programs and broader tensions between the two countries. The U.S. President says their army is the world’s strongest, but the strongest army in the world can sometimes be slapped so hard it cannot get up,” Khamenei chided, in comments published by Iranian media.
The dictator — whose brutal crackdown on nationwide protests last month has killed at least 7,000,
At least a dozen House and Senate Democrats will skip President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address next week to instead attend a rally on the National Mall organized to protest the first year of his second term.
Several progressive leaders will use the “People’s State of the Union,” hosted by MoveOn and liberal media outlet MeidasTouch, to present an alternate vision for the country as Trump takes the podium for his second address before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night. That list includes Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), considered a 2028 presidential hopeful, as well as Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX), the chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
It's Racist to Like Dogs, Apparently
18 replies
A pro-Hamas activist who made her name during the Israel-Hamas war has caused quite a stir with her call to ban dogs in NYC. If that sounds absurd on its face, you haven't been paying attention to what has been going on in Western cities where Muslims have become a significant fraction of the population. Zohran Mamdani has already made significant moves to Islamize New York, including blasting the Islamic call to prayer five times a day. [snip] if you think the idea is absurd, you should know that this idea has gained a lot of traction in the UK.
For years now, the left has treated mass migration as this moral, beautiful thing. And if you questioned it, that meant you were some heartless, xenophobic, or stuck in some outdated nationalist fantasy loop. Borders were sold as cruel, enforcement (ICE) was framed as oppression, and “diversity is our strength” wasn’t just a slogan; it was a cult
Now suddenly, two of the most powerful Dems in modern politics are singing a very different tune.(snip)
When Hillary Clinton says mass migration has been destabilizing and went too far, and Barack Obama says we are a nation of laws with borders that must be orderly and fair, that is a direct slap
Comments:
Interesting parallels to the Democrat party‘s situation. Bear in mind that this is not written by a conservative.