# The Lunatic Fringe is now up to 23% of the US?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lunatic-fringe-is-now-up-to-23-of-the-us/992100>\
**Category:** Politics & Elections\
**Created:** [October 25, 2023, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lunatic-fringe-is-now-up-to-23-of-the-us/992100 "2023-10-25T18:47:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2023, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lunatic-fringe-is-now-up-to-23-of-the-us/992100/61 "2023-11-04T15:34:56Z")

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> [@Omar\_Little](#):
>
> Let’s let 100,000 people die so that Trump can get re-elected

I can well believe it. These are foreign people. Republicans don’t give two shits about them. Do they have money to give the R campaigns? No? Then to hell with them.

Do you think these congress people have compassion for strangers? Ha ha.

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**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2023, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lunatic-fringe-is-now-up-to-23-of-the-us/992100/62 "2023-11-05T03:28:10Z")

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> [@Airbeck](#):
>
> “you know Ukraine is the most corrupt country in the world”

On a scale of #1 least corrupt (Denmark) to #180 most corrupt (Somalia), Ukraine came in at #116 in terms of public sector corruption in 2022. Assuming you accept their methodology, according to Transparency International [they are tied with Algeria, Angola, El Salvador, Mongolia, Philippines and Zambia](https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2022). So it is in fact a pretty corrupt country, if hardly the worst.

Which is neither here nor there in terms of the Russo-Ukraine War. Russia is even worse at #137, tied with Mali and Paraguay. It’s also not exactly like Russia invaded on a crusade to reduce bribe-taking in Ukrainian patent offices. The morality and realpolitik of the war have literally nothing to do with government corruption - it’s a straw man.

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**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2023, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lunatic-fringe-is-now-up-to-23-of-the-us/992100/63 "2023-11-05T19:43:55Z")

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But – to be fair – Ukraine’s legendary corruption was, almost inarguably, a significant factor in why Trump figured he could send Giuliani there, hold $300M of US taxpayer aid money hostage, and ‘encourage’ Ukraine to get creative with oppo research on the Bidens.

Most of which was happening at the same time as Trump was excising anti-corruption machinery that was starting to make a dent.

“I want their corruption. I _need_ their corruption!”

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