In late August 1968 John Bartlow Martin , a former Indiana newspaperman, freelance writer for national magazines, and speechwriter for a num...

Paul Goble Staunton, Sept. 25 – The arrest of Aleksandr Kynyev, one of Russia’s most prominent independent electoral analysts, on drug charges just five days after the Duma vote highlights the Moscow’s increasing desire to “depoliticize repression” by using ordinary criminal charges rather than “political” ones against its opponents, Abbas Gallyamov and Olga Romanova say. The former Putin speechwriter and now Putin critic and the head of the Russia Behind Bars organization respectively make that point, arguing that it serves the Putin regime by suggesting that its opponents are mere criminals rather than political actors (t.me/abbasgallyamovpolitics/11179 and echofm.online/opinions/narkoticheskie-stati-pozvolyayut-depolitizirovat-repressiyu). There are three reasons why Moscow is increasingly choosing to use ordinary criminal charges rather than political ones, Romanova says. First and most important, doing so allows the Kremlin to “depoliticize repression,” giving it the opportunity to treat those who act in ways it doesn’t like not as political opponents but as ordinary criminals. Second, she continues, charges like possession of drugs carry far more weighty sentences than do the political provisions of Russian law. If Kynyev and others charged like him are found guilty and there is little doubt he and they will be, all of them could face as much as 20 years behind bars, not the far fewer that political paragraphs of the law allow. And third, manufacturing and presenting evidence in drug cases is far easier and less dangerous than in political ones, easier because drugs can be planted and less dangerous than having what the accused have actually said and done and makes it less likely that supporters will attract more support for those the state is repressing. “To say that drug laws are the main instrument of political repressions in present-day Russia would be incorrect,” Romanova says. “Now it is much easier to use the paragraphs about extremism, terrorism, military ‘fakes’ and the like. But the drug laws are an old and well know instrument precisely for cases when the powers want to make their actions look non-political.” Kynyev is a perfect case for using ordinary rather than political charges, she suggests. He is a very public political scientist who has already been designated a foreign agent. But it is unclear just who made this decision. Normally it would be Putin and the Presidential Administration; but a Vyorstka report says the PA was “surprised” by it. If so, Romanova says, that “could mean that this initiative did not originate from the usual political channels” but instead came from the FSB. In that case, this is another piece of evidence showing that the FSB is increasingly setting the weather even in cases where the PA had done so in the past.

Madeline Summerville political analyst and political strategist and legal analyst and jury consultant and speechwriter and communications expert - she was recently on CNN and Fox News as a debater aga...

Exclusive: Alan Lockey, Keir Starmer’s former No 10 speechwriter, argues that the new leader should make working-class opportunity his cause

Exclusive: Alan Lockey, Keir Starmer’s former No 10 speechwriter, argues that the new leader should make working-class opportunity his cause

Exclusive: Alan Lockey, Keir Starmer’s former No 10 speechwriter, argues that the new leader should make working-class opportunity his cause

The article discusses a political analysis by David Frum, a conservative columnist for The Atlantic and former speechwriter for George W. Bush, who appeared on 'The Jim Acosta Show' to discuss the potential for midterm election sabotage. Frum argues that U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) holds the power to influence the outcome of the 2026 midterm elections, rather than President Donald Trump. Frum explains that if the Democrats win a significant number of seats, Johnson would have limited options, but in a close race, the House itself could decide disputed seats, as it did in a 1984 Indiana congressional race. The Constitution grants the House the authority to judge the qualifications of its members, meaning Johnson, as the Republican majority leader, could potentially decide which candidates are seated. Frum warns Johnson that he faces a critical choice: either cooperate with Trump to sabotage the election results or accept a lucrative lobbying position on K Street. Frum emphasizes that the decision rests solely with Johnson, not Trump, and questions whether Johnson would prefer to be remembered for a 'Jan. 6' style incident or choose a quieter exit. The article also notes that Frum cautions against overinterpreting Republican polling data, suggesting that GOP-leaning voters may be less likely to respond to polls, and recommends adding 'a point or two' to Republican numbers in any race. The analysis highlights the political dynamics at play in the 2026 midterms, focusing on the balance of power between the executive and legislative branches and the potential for electoral manipulation through procedural means.

The Republican Party has given a sure sign that they have given up on a major midterm fight, according to the D.C. insiders at Pod Save America, and are now scrambling to mitigate the potential damage. In the latest edition of the Pod Save America podcast, the hosts, composed of former Obama administration officials and staffers, discussed the latest signs that the GOP is about to get wiped out by a blue wave in November. In particular, host and former White House speechwriter director Jon Favreau highlighted a new update from The Cook Political Report, which declared, "GOP on track to lose House majority as 15 race ratings shift toward Dems." "So, they say that the most likely outcome at this point is that Democrats pick up anywhere from five to 15 House seats," Favreau explained. "Which even at the low end would mean no more Speaker Mike Johnson." Dan Pfeiffer, a former senior communications adviser to Barack Obama, explained that the dire odds for the House GOP have led to a dead giveaway that the party has fully thrown in the towel in terms of potentially retaining its majority in the chamber, and it all comes down to the districts where they have opted to spend their considerable funds. "You can tell the Republicans know the House is gone because they've moved much of their money to districts that Trump won by 10 to 15 points," Pfeiffer explained. "So, there's three districts that Trump won by 15 points that they're investing in right here in Texas. They're doing all across the country. And the goal here is not to preserve the majority. It's to limit the size of the Democratic majority to make it easier for them to potentially get it back in 2028 or 2030." Pfeiffer noted further that this sort of mitigation tactic is where the GOP's sizeable fundraising lead over Democrats will come in handy. "And this is where having basically unlimited money matters because it allows the Republicans to play in a whole bunch of races to shore them off the Democrats cannot," he added. "We do not have that money, so Democrats have to be incredibly disciplined about how to do it. And it's like, we want to win as many seats as possible. Want the largest majority possible, [which] allows us to do the most stuff. It also sends the most powerful message to the country, to the post-Trump Republican Party, to the CEOs, law firms, media companies who have kowtowed to Trump, that politics has changed in America."

We live in a post-material world, or do we?

Do we still live in a material world?

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), not President Donald Trump, will hold the power to sabotage a narrow midterm outcome, a political analyst warned.The Atlantic's conservative columnist David Frum, who was previously former President George W. Bush's speechwriter, made the case in a Saturday episode on "T...

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), not President Donald Trump, will hold the power to sabotage a narrow midterm outcome, a political analyst warned.The Atlantic's conservative columnist David Frum, who was previously former President George W. Bush's speechwriter, made the case in a Saturday episode on "T...