JD Vance: Europe Risks “Civilizational Suicide” Without Border Control

The Ingraham Angle ^ | March 15, 2025 | Laura Ingraham

[joesbucks]

You deflected!

[Political Junkie Too]

The variables would be whether lefty politicians have been similarly charged/convicted and want to still seek office.

That should be easy to determine, shouldn't it?

Here is a perplexity.ai Q&A:

Q: how many right-wing politicians have been banned from running for office in Europe or South America

A: Marine Le Pen, the leader of France's far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National), has recently been banned from running for public office for five years. This decision was made after a court found her guilty of embezzling European Union funds to finance her party. In addition to the political ban, she received a four-year prison sentence, with two years under electronic monitoring and two years suspended.

While Marine Le Pen's case is the most prominent recent example in Europe, there is no comprehensive data in the search results about other right-wing politicians banned from running for office in Europe or South America. However, similar controversies have occurred in South America, where right-wing leaders have faced legal challenges. For example, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been investigated for anti-democratic activities, though no information indicates he has been banned from office.

Q: Are there any other prominent right-wing leaders in Europe facing similar bans

A: Currently, there are no reports of other prominent right-wing leaders in Europe facing bans from running for office, similar to Marine Le Pen's recent case. However, there are discussions and controversies surrounding far-right parties and leaders in various European countries:

1. Germany: The Alternative for Germany (AfD), a far-right party, has faced scrutiny and debates over its anti-democratic ideologies. There have been considerations about potentially banning the party entirely, though no concrete actions have been taken yet.

2. Hungary: Viktor Orbán, Hungary's Prime Minister and leader of the nationalist Fidesz party, has been criticized for authoritarian tendencies. However, he remains in power without any legal restrictions on his political activities.

3. Italy: Giorgia Meloni, Italy's Prime Minister from the far-right Brothers of Italy (FdI), has faced criticism for her policies but has not encountered legal challenges or bans.

While these leaders and parties face criticism and legal scrutiny in some cases, outright bans on running for office remain rare in Europe.

Q: didn't turkey ban a candidate from running for office?

A: Yes, Turkey has effectively barred Ekrem İmamoğlu, the mayor of Istanbul and a prominent opposition leader, from running for office. İmamoğlu was arrested on March 19, 2025, over allegations of corruption and links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a group designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its allies. These charges have been widely perceived as politically motivated attempts to remove him as a challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the 2028 presidential election.

Additionally, İmamoğlu's academic degree was revoked by Istanbul University due to alleged irregularities. If upheld, this revocation would disqualify him from participating in future elections. His arrest has sparked nationwide protests, with many accusing Erdoğan's government of suppressing political dissent and obstructing opposition figures.

Q: Didn't Romania ban a candidate from running for office?

A: Yes, Romania has banned two prominent far-right candidates from running for presidential office:

1. Călin Georgescu: The central electoral authority disqualified Georgescu, a pro-Russian ultranationalist, from participating in the May 2025 presidential election re-run. This decision followed allegations of Russian interference in his campaign during the annulled November 2024 election. Georgescu, who had led the first round of voting, is also under criminal investigation for charges including association with a fascist group and spreading false information about campaign financing. His appeal against the ban was rejected by Romania's Constitutional Court.

2. Diana Șoșoacă: Another far-right candidate, Șoșoacă, was barred from running in November 2024 due to declarations deemed "contrary to democratic values." Her exclusion was upheld for the May election re-run. Known for her pro-Kremlin propaganda and anti-Semitic rhetoric, Șoșoacă has faced criticism for her controversial statements and actions, including opposition to COVID-19 measures.

Both cases have sparked protests and debates about democracy and political freedoms in Romania, with accusations of political bias and suppression of dissenting voices.

Q: Why weren't the Turkish and Romanian candidates included in the original answer?

A: The Turkish and Romanian candidates were not included in the original answer due to an oversight in addressing the scope of right-wing politicians facing bans. Both cases are significant examples of political disqualifications:

1. Turkey: Ekrem İmamoğlu, Istanbul's mayor and a key opposition figure, was arrested on corruption and terrorism-related charges, effectively barring him from running for the presidency in 2028. His academic degree was also revoked, further disqualifying him if upheld. These actions have been widely perceived as politically motivated by President Erdoğan's government.

2. Romania: Two far-right candidates were banned:
   • Călin Georgescu, a pro-Russian ultranationalist, was disqualified over allegations of Russian interference and campaign finance violations. He is under investigation for affiliations with fascist groups and spreading misinformation.

   • Diana Șoșoacă, another far-right figure, was barred due to anti-democratic rhetoric and pro-Kremlin propaganda.

Both cases highlight political volatility and accusations of suppressing opposition figures in their respective countries.

It's interesting that the AI at first said that no other "prominent" European right-wing leaders had faced similary punishments as Le Pen, and then proceeded to list "prominent" right-wing leaders when pressed, finally calling it an "oversight."

Q: how many left-wing politicians have been banned from running for office in Europe or South America

A: The search results do not provide information about left-wing politicians being banned from running for office in Europe or South America. Instead, they focus on the case of Marine Le Pen, a far-right French politician, who was recently banned from holding public office due to embezzlement charges. If you are looking for specific examples of left-wing politicians facing similar bans, further research or clarification may be necessary.

Do you find it odd that there is a lack of reporting on left-wing candidates being banned from running for office?

Do you think this is due to no left-wing leaders having legal issues like the popular right-wing candidates do, or is it because the left-wing candidates (like Maduro who jailed his opponent and declared himself the winner) control the courts and don't prosecute themselves?

-PJ

[joesbucks]

As you posited in your last paragraph, that is a possibility. Or their crimes left them no chance of being free to run in the future. Or their crimes didn’t come to the level of barring them from public office.

[kiryandil]

Looks to me like the left-wing candidates control the courts and don’t prosecute themselves.

Of course, the NPR stooge pretends that the courts aren’t controlled by the left.

[Political Junkie Too]

That's a lot of "or" there. What do you think is the most likely case of a plethora of right-wing candidate nullifications alongside a dearth of left-wing candidate nullifications?

I get the sense from you that you believe that the left-wing candidates were either tried, convicted, and banned from running in the past without media attention, or they are pure as the wind-driven snow and only the right-wing candidates are corrupt.

I think the left-wing candidates are "strongmen" and are of a government that is preventing opposition by any means possible.

President Trump was too big to rig by our entrenched left (though they tried and tried and tried), but these others in Europe and South America are not so lucky and are getting kicked off of ballots when they become too popular.

-PJ

[joesbucks]

As I noted earlier in the discussion, there are simply too many variables.

[Political Junkie Too]

As I noted earlier in the discussion, there are simply too many variables.

Naahh...

It's simply that totalitarian leaning governments jail their opposition if they get too big to control.

One variable: Totalitarian (Y/N)

-PJ

[joesbucks]

Yes, one variable. But again, there are multiple variables.

[Political Junkie Too]

But again, there are multiple variables.

You keep saying that, but you refuse to list them. When I asked you to elaborate the last time, you only listed one in post 96, yet you continue to insist that there are many.

Can you list a few more of these variables?

-PJ

[kiryandil]

     

Wriggling like a worm on a hook...

[kiryandil]

He's also wriggling in onanistic ecstasy over the news from Wisconsin NPR...

[joesbucks]

I listed one. I agreed to one you listed. Add the far right (don’t they tend to lean toward authoritarian/facism leadership?) not sensible right, tends to get headlines/attention, especially in Europe because of Hitler. We often don’t get a lot of info regarding South America. So it could be the left has the same issues as the right. It could be leftists aren’t interested in pressing on after legal issues. It could be some combination of all of the above.

[Political Junkie Too]

Don't get too giddy at the Wisconsin result.

See my post on the election thread for the realities of redistricting in Wisconsin.

-PJ

[Political Junkie Too]

Thanks for your list.

I'm going to take Hitler off the table as it's been four score minus 29 days since Hitler died. We're almost as far along since Hitler's death as President Lincoln was from the founding of the nation when he gave the Gettysburg address. Unless you think the South is still harboring a grudge against the North, I'm going to assume that Europeans have laid Hitler to rest after four generations. Maybe the modern Soviet Union before it fell is closer to the model for Europeans now?

I'll accept your list of variables, but I'm going to assume that the right is as far from center as the left is. I'm going to discount "far right" and "far right" as those are partisan views of the other side.

That said...

It could be leftists aren’t interested in pressing on after legal issues.

Seriously... when have you EVER seen that happen?!? The left doubles down every time they get defeated on an issue. Have you ever seen them pick up their ball and go home?

In my opinion, if the left thinks they are going to be beaten by a right-wing candidate, that's their justification for nullifying primaries, kicking them off the ballot, and jailing them. If they are surprised and actually lose an election, they assassinate the winner (Polonium-210 anyone?). The next time the left regains control, they crack down on future elections (see Chavez and Maduro in Venezuela, Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua). How many people have fallen out of high-rise windows in Moscow lately? It's just how they roll.

-PJ

[kiryandil]

Robert Fico in Slovakia and President Trump here in the United States.