News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

@Spike31
I think you are so far off base on Duda that you cant see straight. Duda has no appetite for winning, his campaign is a laughing stock outside of PiS to all challengers. He is embarrassing and offers no stability. You clearly arent seeing any other news other than TVP.

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

@Spike31
You are way off. Coming out of a pandemic and a clear recession coupled with inflation, more people than ever are looking for substance. This is not an emotional election except for the old PiS guard who will do anything to hold on to power. The problem is they dont know how to use the power, and the country has seen the corruption and failed leadership for five years. Duda is not capable to framing a picture let alone framing his opposition. He is simply incompetent. We will all know the direction of things starting in 17 days though. Momentum is a curious thing. Like an avalanche it can pick up speed and crush everything in its path. Momentum is not something PiS has and they dont have enough time to create it. Its going to be fun to watch.

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

@Ironside
Isn't it sad the the President of Poland has zero leadership responsibilities if that's the case? Shouldn't that change? While I would agree that the Prime Minister likely has more power, he isn't even a real leader and has no leadership qualities. Its absolutely clear they all got to power by promising money to people who wanted it and not by any real plan or change.

Watching JK on TV is really quite funny though. The leader of the "party" looks half dead, and the country allows this man to dictate policy through the PM and President? Some of the things this group has done is really globally embarrassing. Censorship of a song because JK actually broke the law when no one else could? WOW Talk about gutless leaders, they cant even take the heat of their own actions. Then the paid rants on TVP against the competition, sound like spoiled children saying who's ideas are better to build the lemonade stand.

The EU will eventually fail. It is simply a bad experiment. The EU president is more of a CEO of a big board of directors and he simply manages those meeting and agendas based on the boards suggestions and wants. I don't know enough about Germany to say anything intelligent so I will accept your comparison.

The only point i am trying to make with any of this discussion is that Poland, while having tremendous opportunity to develop into a European power is squandering the opportunity on needless arguments. It is wasting money, and killing the thought of growth. This is not what leaders do for their country, it is what people do who usually get investors money to run a company and then they end up bankrupt pointing the finger at everyone else.

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

@Spike31
Maybe Bosak would beat Trzaskowski, but thats not what is going to happen. Everyone will seek to destroy Duda and PiS in turn in the debates. Judgmental about his looks is not really a platform that even PiS supporters would buy into. Even PiS supporters want to hear something substantive.

Looking at Duda I personally see an incompetent clown with JK's arm so far up his a$$ that if Duda opens his mouth to wide you see JK's fingers. Duda doesn't come across as a leader, or even manly. The guy has zero presidential charisma. He is not someone who can motivate people or lead people. He has had 5 years and has done absolutely nothing.

Maybe Trzaskowski drinks latte, who knows, and who cares. He knows the issues, has the pedigree, and education to be respected on the world stage of Politics. I can imagine how Trump laughs about Duda and how weak he is. Trump may be many things but he is at least a leader, right or wrong he picks a direction and goes. Putin is a leader. Even the donkey Boris in England is a leader. Duda has zero leadership qualities. Not once in five years has he had an idea of his own. Maybe we should focus on who does the best for the most people in Poland and not who serves his one antiquated idea master.

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

Duda cant escape the debates. He will look absolutely amateur in comparison. This may actually be funny. Karta Rodziny will be forgotten about after today's holiday. Its not even worth the attention it got yesterday. Most of what he proposed he cant even do without support of the government which he wont get.

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

Its an interesting exit poll. One of the reasons I think most polls are off is because the government ordered people home at the beginning of the pandemic. Lots of young people came home from their jobs abroad, lots of them who are going to be politically active in 17 days that may or may not have been if they were still abroad.

While PiS is certainly the choice with the older demographic, their numbers really jump after 50 yrs of age. KO is steady throughout every demographic. Konfederacja drops off after 30 but the collective opposition is pretty steady when you look at things.

PiS has really pooped the bed, the campaign is really laughable on their end. Only people who blindly follow the party will buy into what they are selling. Trzaskowski comes off as young, intelligent, energetic, and representing the "Poland" that people want to have the world see. I he also resonates with some of the older demographic who simply want a change in the message. The PiS message is really just more of the same. It doesn't energize people. 17 days to stop a tidal wave that grows every day is not something that is likely to happen at this point.

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

Watching and reading the news, and it really is comical how Duda is being portrayed now with this Karta Rodziny. With all the children standing behind him holding these propaganda cards? What are they thinking? These kids don't even know what is going on, and they think using them will sway voters who have not decided? Again, all this does is harden the core of support and likely makes people who are undecided go the other way.

Maybe there is some truth to JK wanting to have Duda gone. Have someone to blame, look for a fight to win someplace else. It wouldn't be a smart strategy though when PiS would turn into a much less powerful group for five years. Who knows if JK is even around in five years.

This is certainly entertaining now. Watching hardliners squirm at the thought of young people making the rules. It was going to happen eventually. Like it will happen in other countries. The old ways simply aren't what the majority of people want today. People are concerned with progress, measurable impacts on their lives. Not rhetoric and inaction.

USA, Canada / Can Americans Travel To Poland After JUN 16, 2020? [13]

Plenty of other airlines flying into Poland all summer. Prices are great now, but starting in August prices are way up. Visit or not, the borders will be open, just as they have been with flights in and out of Warsaw all the time.

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]


Ok. Duda is actually starting to become funny. He just a few months ago said he would consider signing a rights law for some gays, outside of adoption and other items. Today he goes on a homophobia rant on Karta Rodziny. He said not long ago that he deals with people who have a different sexual orientation all the time and it doesnt bother him. Clearly it bothers someone. Maybe JK? Hardening the core of PiS supporters is the absolute dumbest strategy, who ever is running this campaign for Duda is really either a moron or someone secretly working for the opposition! lol

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

@Spike31
Not opposing or saying that certain groups deserve certain rights is not supporting a group in totality. There are a whole bunch of Gays in Warsaw, like it or not they are there and they are Polish. So if they are going to be there, they should be able to inherit each others things at death and obtain medical information if someone is ill. Just as much as couples who live together, or cant get married in the church should be able to do the same things.

Adoption should be off the table for LGBTQ IMO. So should certain teachings that being LGBTQ is "ok". Because those two things are not socially excepted norms in a civil society. If they want those things people can move to where those things are practiced.

If his political opponents focus on this narrow issue, they will be destroyed in the general election. There is only one opponent that can even dare bring it up and thats Duda. But Duda is so weak on nearly every other issue he cant win a fight. I really cant wait to watch these debates. The challengers are smart, they wont attack each other. They know its more important to beat PiS than it is who actually beats them.

Still, none of these parties have presented a vision for the future. What about that? Forget the free money bribery. How about some real substantive growth plan?

Back from Katowice and Chorzow today. Opinion of people there is that the miners got paid 100% and they couldn't, is being seen as another bribe for votes. But the miners, they are still unhappy about not working, and that they were subjected to this when the government knew months ago that confined spaces place people at greater risk. They think the government used them deliberately putting them at risk. Amazing what you can hear from people in public when they are upset.

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

@amiga500
I don't recall reading where Trzaskowski has said he will support all EU edicts or programs. I don't think he is that stupid either. The resistance to forced immigration is actually something I like about Poland. Not PiS, but Polish people in general regardless of party dont want this immigration from third world countries.

I also dont think that the LGBT movement would be a big part of Trzaskowski campaign. Again, he is too smart to let a fringe minority group open him up to attacks. He is Polish and knows the majority of people dont want it. In office he would likely make some conditions more friendly but I dont see him ever giving full rights. This is not a campaign of extremist party values.

Just spent the day in Opole yesterday. Duda has nothing happening there. The others have support everywhere. As I suspected, when I asked colleagues about the new 500 pln promise for holidays, they all laughed. One said, "Yes, two nights hotel in Opole is what you get for 500, until you add VAT. Its not worth leaving home for." This morning and afternoon in Chorzow and Katowice and as I have been there before I expect more of the same. People are simply tired of Duda and PiS. They haven't accomplished anything on their own

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

@delphiandomine
Lets be honest, does anyone really think a 500 pln "voucher" for holidays will swing the vote? What does 500 get you these days? Not much.

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

@delphiandomine
Trzaskowski simply has the skill and pedigree that Duda could only hope to have. If that many people are already mobilizing, this is going to be very interesting for the world to watch. Imagine, someone claiming voter fraud now with those postal votes? Instead of the opposition making the claim it could be PiS.

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

@delphiandomine
This will likely save some lives. A responsible move in that regard. It is probably the end for him in Silesia. They were walking away from him with the acceleration of solar energy production to begin with. This will likely seal the deal for him.

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

This is so similar to Trump/Clinton where no one believed Trump could win. But he was very smart in how he ran his campaign. Polls were completely wrong and he won. Everyone this year thought Saunders or Warren would win the Democratic nomination, until at the last minute Biden stepped in and crushed both of them. Trump the incumbent like Duda has a slight advantage. Unlike Duda though, Trump just got a huge bump in employment numbers, where again, people thought there would be a decline and there was actually a huge increase. Duda when the second quarter numbers start to come out will look very bad, and those numbers will start to leak out right before the election. In politics there is no sure thing, and Duda is definitely not a sure thing. Trzaskowski has a lot of momentum right now, and in the second round I dont think Duda can keep up. Duda is fading with the mining community fast, and he has completely lost the small business owners. This will be close, a lot closer than many would have believed two weeks ago.

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

@delphiandomine
Great info. I was in Nowy Sacz yesterday, lots of advertising for Holownia and Kamysz. Lone Duda advertising outside of town was vandalized in a not so flattering way. I really dont think Malopolskie is the Duda stronghold that some think it is. Lots of angry people here over the economy and the way the pandemic was handled. Lots think that cities should have been locked down based on infection rates, and not the whole country. Not saying its right or wrong.

I take these polls with a grain of salt, I simply dont think they are accurate based on polling being inaccurate just about everywhere these days. That said, Kamysz is an interesting candidate. He may prove to be a big ally of who ever goes against Duda in the second round.

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

@Ironside
You make a great point. We are talking about very rare cases, very controlled potential environment for these aborts to take place. I certainly understand your position, and I respect it. I disagree with it though. No amount of discussion will likely change either of our opinions. This is true throughout society as well. Which in my opinion is why the rules in Poland should not become more restrictive. It is a waste of time debating it politically, when the politicians should actually be doing something for the country.

I cam to Poland for many reasons. Namely though, I saw opportunity in the largest emerging economy in Europe. That economy was built on small business, not state owned or foreign corporations who have operations here. The small business owner has been decimated by this pandemic, and nothing has been done to help them. The street where the language school I attend is located on, now has 9 empty store fronts that before the pandemic had nice thriving small business operators. That is one street. In Katowice, Opole, Chorzow, Nowy Sacz, Nowy Targ, where I have been in the last two weeks, it is the same. This is a failure of colossal proportion on PiS part. It could have easily been avoided, and still nothing is being done.

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

@Ironside

Couldn't the same be said about denying women the opportunity of limited choice? Isn't that "authoritarian"? This isn't about stupid people getting pregnant and regretting it. This is about a criminal act being committed against another person and forcing that person, their entire family, friends, associates and others to be constantly reminded of the violent act. It is about that woman's mental health as much as her physical health.

This election is less about the moral fiber of each party and more about moving the country forward. Forward meaning strengthening schools, hospitals, and the economy after the virus. It is a simple fact that the more advanced economic countries spend more time and money on these things. If Poland is to ever realize its true potential, this has to be the direction taken, or young people will continue to leave.

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

@mafketis
That rape victims should be forced to have the child of a rapist and torture them for the rest of their lives? Yes. Sound policy there. Until its your daughter.

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

@Dirk diggler
I would guess that a pretty large segment of Trzaskowski supporters want to keep Poland snow white as can be, and do not want the multiculturalism that Germany and others have screwed themselves into. I would bet several EU members regret their decisions.

Sure they may want the LGBT community to have some rights, but I don't think adoption would be one of them or marriage would be either. Probably civil unions, some medical rights, and rights to inherit would be good enough to make them happy. Who cares about that stuff anyway, its happening in the country, though its not legal.

The paranoia exhibited by people thinking gays are going to run the streets and that its going to turn into the embarrassment of San Francisco is simply crazy.

Women when raped, or have a severely deformed fetus should be able to have the choice to abort. To make them have a child of rape, or one that can never take care of itself is simply the idea of a sick minded individual. Who are we to impose our beliefs on someone else with no consequence to ourselves?

PiS cant decide what it is. They have multi personality disorder. They want to give away money they don't have for wasteful programs to buy votes, like Democrats in the USA. Yet they want immigration controls and stricter rules more aligned with Bible teachings like the Republicans. They have no idea how to manage the economy without EU money flooding in. They have offered nothing to small business owners who employ more people than large business operations. With all due respect to what the Office of the President of Poland should be, Duda is embarrassing for the country. Singing happy birthday to Trump like Marilyn did to Kennedy is still a priceless memory. He exhibits no strength. Not one person I know here in Poland or in the USA thinks he represents anything Presidential.

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

And whats in the 4th business relief package for small business.......NOTHING. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Once again PiS completely drops the ball. Gives loan forgiveness for three more months, for people who lost their jobs, not people who have been brought back to work but are still struggling, then gives the money to the banks to subsidize interest payments they are loosing on these loan delayed payments! An extension of more child care money and thats it. Great leadership. Wouldnt even pay attention to the small business owners demonstrating and throw them a little something. This is why PiS can not lead, they simply dont know how.

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

If Holownia made a deal with Trzaskowski, it would be the end of Duda. Imagine somehow Holownia becomes President of Warsaw, and all his supporters move for Trzaskowski. This would be what the Dem's should have done with Clinton and Saunders in the last election if they wanted a real chance to win.

As for more, or actually any "stimulus" money to small and medium sized business from PiS I will believe it when it happens. Delays in paying ZUS are simply a downsized version of PiS policy of robbing Peter to pay Paul. As for those loans and subsidy, the money is gone to big business before the small business even gets the paperwork sorted out. That said, I did receive 5000 pln for keeping my company open during the pandemic. It took 32 days to receive it after my attorneys did the paperwork. 32 days? For other company's that is just long enough to be forced to close.

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

@amiga500
Cut VAT and pay for all these EU program how? Why assistance for cash strapped local authorities? Civil employment should be the first to cut back expenses. Money to small business is whats needed. Electric cars that the vast majority of people dont want and wont buy, brilliant. More infrastructure welfare jobs? Not a path to prosperity.

USA, Canada / Is Poland accepting incoming airplanes coming from the USA? [18]

@Crow
Like through chartered flights that have ticketing through airlines. Like you get notified by the embassy if one is available via email. Flights every day to and from Warsaw.

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

@amiga500
You don't help poor people by giving them a way to not work. You help them by creating jobs or creating an environment that allows for job creation. PiS creates taxes, and rising ZUS costs to fund these programs. I have no problem with 500+ for kids. I have a problem with young families pumping out babies every year so they don't have to work and can live a meager life in the country. Have you seen the twenty something families with 4 or 5 children already? I have a problem with 500+ for cows. I have a problem with state funded companies who in turn pass profits back to cronies.

PiS has created more red tape that inhibits business growth. They create an environment that discourages investment. The regulations for foreigners to invest, or open companies to create employment opportunity for Poles are staggering. The costs associated with successfully getting through the process are simply cost prohibitive for most. To think that money is going to come from Poles is counter intuitive because they aren't earning enough to create their own opportunity.

You can not continue to rob Peter to pay Paul, which is what PiS has set the system up to do. Same as the USA did, and look at how bad the USA is now financially. It will one day have to pay its bills to China who owns most of the debt, or it will have to go bankrupt.

As for the LGBT, immigration policy and those things. I support some of it, but I am not prepared to sacrifice financial wellbeing of my neighbors in order to support those things. Those people can always go somewhere else, but they want the controversy just as much as PiS wants to get rid of them. It's childish on both sides.

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

@amiga500
How some are so quick to make assumptions. Funny how you know nothing about my political views, or how I donate my own money to those less fortunate than myself.

Ideological baggage? You mean like the baggage of actually knowing how to develop profitable business where employees enjoy coming to work? My heritage and ideological baggage comes from Polish immigrants who had nothing when they arrived, who always sent money back to Poland to assist those who didn't leave.

You don't live here. You likely have never lived here. You don't pay taxes here or build anything constructive for anyone who does live here. Yet, you want to have an opinion and speak your mind about things that will never effect you. You assume to know things because you read about them or see them on the news, but you don't live them or watch others living with them. When you actually have something at stake in the game let us all know, until then you're just another paid mouthpiece of PiS.

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

This PolYank moved his company from USA to Poland two years ago, creating jobs, paying taxes and paying ZUS. Not laying one person off during the virus, not skipping one ZUS payment. I have invested in two other company's in the last few months, keeping Poles who would have otherwise lost their jobs employed. This one actually pays taxes here amiga500, and you don't. My employee's, their families, and a whole lot of other people get pretty offended when our money is spent on senseless projects.

The "primary function of becoming a mega cargo hub" won't happen. We know it wont happen because the demand is not there. If it were, studies and reports for expansion of existing airports would have already been filed as a justification for these projects.

Berlin should have hired a "multinational" corporation to manage the project? Really? What about the argument of creating jobs for Germans? Which is the same argument you used about creating jobs for Poles. I am sure we all believe that PiS supporters wont be dipping their hands in those construction funds. Maybe we can buy some hammers at ten times the retail price like we did for masks that had fraudulent safety labels? Yes. Lets keep the well checked and well spent money flowing to all PiS supporters, family members and friends.

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

LMAO and I am supposed to take a TVP, paid PiS mouthpiece report? A quote from two years ago when he did not have to consider the national interests. Please, this game playing is the same BS the press did in the USA to Trump. Same is is doing to Biden. It's coward reporting and biased politics. This is not an example of the free press. This isnt even a reporting of the facts piece. It is an opinion piece stitched together by the writer who is obviously a PiS shill

15 years of airport building in Berlin! Amazing success story there isnt it? LOL Its still not ready to open. Yes. A great example of German engineering. Hmmmm I wonder how much air traffic will increase anywhere in the next few years? Do some research on that and get back to me. Tell me then how great an airport with no one flying into it will be.

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

And where did anyone say they wanted to stop the airport? Berlins new airport? How long did that take to build and how much did it cost again?

USA, Canada / Is Poland accepting incoming airplanes coming from the USA? [18]

@Polakito
Yes. Very limited flights. But in order to get into Poland you need to be a citizen, or resident or have some other official documents requiring your entry.