-- BIELAN: TUSK IS ONCE AGAIN TRYING TO USE EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO DESTABILIZE THE SITUATION IN THE COUNTRY, MÜLLER: FROM TUSK'S PERSPECTIVE, IT LOOKED LIKE SOME POLITICAL MANIFESTO, LIKE USING THE SITUATION TO SOW DOUBTS IN THE ARMY - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2023/10/11/ -- "IT IS VERY PAINFUL THAT YOU ARE TARGETING US WITH YOUR FILMS AND INTERNATIONAL PROPAGANDA, DESTROYING OUR LIVES." WIFE OF A BORDER GUARD OFFICER IN A PIS CAMPAIGN AD: https://300polityka.pl/live/2023/10/11/te-wybory-sa-o-tym-czy-polska-granica-bedzie-chroniona-nowy-spot-pis/ -- GENERALS MUST IMMEDIATELY EXPLAIN THEIR RESIGNATIONS - JACEK ŻAKOWSKI IN RZ: "As a citizen who, on the eve of elections, has reason to worry that Kaczyński's words about the chaos awaiting Poland under the opposition's rule are a copy of Piłsudski's propaganda of chaos preceding the coup in 1926, I have the right to expect that the generals who have resigned will immediately provide us with their reasons. They should explain it to us in sufficient detail to dispel or confirm all fears. Perhaps we still have a chance to avoid misfortune. Or perhaps there is no reason to expect it." -- IN SUCH A SITUATION, THE RESIGNATION OF THE HIGHEST MILITARY COMMANDERS IS COMPROMISING FOR THEM, UNLESS THEY WERE BRUTALLY FORCED TO DO SO - ŻAKOWSKI CONTINUES: "I apologize for writing this harshly and directly. In such a situation, the resignation of the highest military commanders is compromising for them, unless they were brutally forced to do so. Because their duty to the constitution and to all of us was to ensure that the army would do what is necessary if the political power or any part of it attempted to overthrow the constitution by force. The highest commanders could ensure this. Former commanders no longer have this opportunity." https://www.rp.pl/opinie-polityczno-spoleczne/art39245021-jacek-zakowski-generalowie-musza-niezwlocznie-wytlumaczyc-sie-ze-swojej-dymisji -- RESIGNATION OR DISMISSAL WOULD HAVE HAPPENED ANYWAY. THE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE DEFENDED GEN. ANDRZEJCZAK FOR A LONG TIME, BUT FINALLY GAVE UP ON IT - WE READ ON THE DORZECZY PORTAL: "It turns out, however, that the truth is somewhat different from what the leading left-liberal media present. – Resignation or dismissal would have happened anyway. The Presidential Palace defended Gen. Andrzejczak for a long time, but finally gave up on it. It was recognized that he is an irresponsible person in this position – a person associated with the military leadership tells us." -- PUT SIMPLY, GEN. ANDRZEJCZAK HAD A GOOD MEDIA IMAGE BECAUSE HE FOCUSED MAINLY ON IT, NOT ON REAL ACTIONS - DORZECZY FURTHER CLAIMS: "The fact is that there were tensions between Gen. Andrzejczak and the Minister of National Defense, Mariusz Błaszczak. What were they due to? – In short, Gen. Andrzejczak had a good media image because he focused mainly on it, not on real actions. For example, he spoke a lot about the need to create a new vision, which sounded good, but ultimately nothing came of it. In addition, there were occasional statements that were absolutely irresponsible – another person associated with the military tells us." https://dorzeczy.pl/kraj/490887/rezygnacja-gen-andrzejczaka-ujawniamy-nowe-informacje.html -- IS TUSK CLOSE TO LOSING HIS MIND? - JAKUB MACIEJEWSKI ON WPOLITYCE PORTAL: "This is accompanied by absurd conspiracy theories that the government wants to stay in power using the army, which is why generals are resigning, that a dictatorship is imminent, that Tusk has keenly sensed a coup. These are already new orbits of hysteria rapidly heading towards the clinical needs of future patients. What's next? Will Tusk appear as Napoleon Bonaparte, granting a constitution to the Duchy of Warsaw? Will he declare himself Pope? Both the ridiculousness and the madness intertwine in all of this, but whatever is pushing the leader of PO to destabilize the state, the effect may ultimately be truly dangerous for Poland." https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/666126-tusk-wzywa-wojsko-paranoja-narasta -- AFTER THE RESIGNATION OF THE GENERALS, LET'S DEFEND THE HONOR OF THE POLISH UNIFORM. FROM PIS - MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI IN RZ: "Contrary to the national-patriotic and God-and-fatherland bluster, it was not the opponents of PiS who slandered the Polish uniform, but this very government did. And if we take the slogan 'Shoulder to shoulder with the Polish uniform' seriously, we should demand the depoliticization of the army and stop treating the defenders of our homeland as mere ornaments looking good in photos." https://www.rp.pl/komentarze/art39244681-michal-szuldrzynski-po-dymisji-generalow-bronmy-honoru-polskiego-munduru-przed-pis-em -- EVEN GENERALS ARE NO LONGER "SHOULDER TO SHOULDER" - PAULINA SIEGIEŃ IN KRYTYKA POLITYCZNA: "Since Mariusz Błaszczak has turned the army into a decoration serving his personal political ambitions and PiS's party interests, the generals have devised political revenge and dropped a reputational bomb on the Minister of Defense a few days before the elections." -- SINCE THEY HAVE TAKEN SUCH A SERIOUS STEP NOW, THEY SHOULD EXPLAIN THEIR MOTIVATIONS TO ALL OF US, THE PUBLIC - SIEGIEŃ CONTINUES IN KRYTYKA: "Generals Piotrowski and Andrzejczak have consciously decided to engage in political combat in the final stretch before the parliamentary elections; they have the right to do so, and they probably have solid reasons. But since they have taken such a serious step now, they should explain their motivations to all of us, the public. We would be happy to listen. Especially in Podlasie." https://krytykapolityczna.pl/kraj/dymisja-generalow-przed-wyborami/ -- THE SUDDEN DEPARTURE OF THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN THE POLISH ARMY BEARS THE HALLMARKS OF REVENGE AGAINST MINISTER BŁASZCZAK, WHO TURNED THE ARMY INTO A SCENERY FOR POLITICAL AGITATION FOR PIS - MAREK RABIJ IN TYGODNIK POWSZECHNY: "Neither Andrzejczak nor Piotrowski has made public the reasons for their resignation. The Ministry of Defense does not intend to do so either. However, signals from military circles suggest that the departure of two prominent commanders five days before the elections is their revenge on Minister Błaszczak, who turned the army into a scenery for political agitation for PiS, and recently did not hesitate to declassify parts of the Republic of Poland's defense plans in order to then play them for voter support." https://www.tygodnikpowszechny.pl/jeszcze-nie-rokosz-ale-juz-kryzys-wojsko-polskie-bez-glownych-dowodcow-184958 -- WE DON'T SEE A TREND IN FAVOR OF THE OPPOSITION THAT WOULD HAVE EMERGED AFTER THE MARCH OF A MILLION HEARTS, WHICH WAS VISIBLE IN OTHER POLLS - MICHAŁ DANIELEWSKI AND PIOTR PACEWICZ IN OKO.PRESS: "What is concerning for democrats is the comparison we always make at OKO.press: the support for the 'right-wing' (PiS + Confederation) compared to 'pro-democratic forces'. At the end of September, the pro-democratic trio was better (47% to 43%). In the October survey, we returned to a tie, with a slight edge for the 'right-wing' (45% to 44%). In the previous two polls, it was like now – a tie. These are not statistically significant differences, but we do not see a trend in favor of the opposition that would have emerged after the March of a Million Hearts, and which was visible in other polls." -- KO, THIRD WAY, LEWICA – ONLY 208 SEATS - OKO AUTHORS CONTINUE: "according to the above proportions, we distributed the undecided: 29% of them were attributed to PiS; 44% were distributed proportionally among the remaining parties (excluding PiS); 27% were distributed proportionally among all parties. As a result, we obtained the following simulation of the election results as of October 10. Among the committees that crossed the electoral threshold, it looks like this: PiS: 39.56%; KO: 30.83%; Confederation: 9.91%; Lewica: 8.81%; Third Way: 8.81%. If this were the election outcome, translated into seats, it would give a solid majority to a hypothetical PiS-Confederation coalition, which could count on a total of 251 seats, while KO, Third Way, and Lewica would only get 208 seats." -- IT IS HARD TO NOTICE ANY EFFECT OF THE MARCH OF A MILLION HEARTS - OKO AUTHORS CONTINUE: "It is hard to notice any effect of the March of a Million Hearts. KO's ratings remain around 30%, which, given the larger number of undecided voters, means an almost identical result as in June, but no jump has been seen since the end of September. PiS is stronger than before the holidays, Confederation – weaker, but it has slightly recovered in October. This is doubly bad news for the pro-democratic opposition, because Confederation, with its third-place result, blocks the chance for a majority for KO, Lewica, and Third Way." https://oko.press/sondaz-ipsos-pis-stoi-w-miejscu-opozycja-lekko-spada -- LOOKING AT THE POLLS, I AM A BIT AFRAID THAT SUPPORT FOR PIS MAY BE UNDERVALUED, AND THE THIRD WAY MAY BE OVERREPRESENTED, BECAUSE IT'S SUCH A SAFE OPTION TO ADMIT TO THE SURVEYER - PRZEMYSŁAW SADURA IN CONVERSATION WITH ŁUKASZ LIPIŃSKI IN TYGODNIK POLITYKA: "In the last few days before the elections, everyone knows more or less how they will vote. We fetishize these undecided voters; many of them have already made up their minds but don't want to reveal it. Looking at the polls, I'm a bit afraid that support for PiS may be undervalued, and the Third Way may be overrepresented because it's such a safe option to admit to the surveyor. But perhaps they are indeed able to reach Poles who are discouraged by political conflict." https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/kraj/2230462,1,przemyslaw-sadura-dla-polityki-pis-posluguje-sie-przemoca-jaki-kostium-ma-tuz-przed-meta-ubrac-opozycja -- IT WILL TURN OUT WHOSE VISION, DETERMINATION, AND DESIRE TO INFLUENCE THE FATE OF THE COUNTRY IS STRONGER. THOSE WHO CARE MORE WILL WIN - MARIUSZ JANICKI AND JERZY BACZYŃSKI IN TYGODNIK POLITYKA: "Everything can really still happen, because the political situation is dynamic, exceptional, the campaign is intense, brutal, there are great emotions. Many voters make decisions at the last moment, and even the slightest deviation in one direction or the other will be significant. In polls, a possible measurement error is 3%; in elections, it is 0%. This leaves a large space for surprises. And a chance for further play, because victory does not have to be simple, but more complicated. The question is whether the opposition's voters are ready for this, even for further, early elections." -- POLITICS IS A TOUGH GAME, AND POLITICIANS WILL HAVE AS MANY CARDS IN THEIR HANDS FOR FURTHER PLAY AS THEIR SUPPORTERS PROVIDE THEM. AND TO WHAT EXTENT THEY CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THEM AFTER THE ELECTIONS - JANICKI AND BACZYŃSKI CONTINUE: "Polish politics requires strong nerves. The situation immediately after the elections may turn out to be unclear, ambiguous, perhaps it will not clearly lead to the prime minister and the ruling structure. Today's polls show that the fight will last until the very end. But this should not discourage or alienate anyone, or lead to internal emigration. PiS voters will dutifully turn up at the polls, although they are also not sure of their favorites winning. Politics is a tough game, and politicians will have as many cards in their hands for further play as their supporters provide them. And to what extent they continue to support them after the elections." -- KACZYŃSKI'S FORMATION PROVED TOO CLEVER FOR MANY JOURNALISTS, EXPERTS, AND ALSO POLITICIANS AND VOTERS, WHO COULD NOT CONNECT THE DOTS, DID NOT NOTICE HOW UNWITTAKENLY THEY REPEATED PiS'S MESSAGES - JANICKI AND BACZYŃSKI CONTINUE: "This efficiency also applies to political PR, all those marketing tricks, covers, and diversions that are intended to mobilize PiS voters and discourage, demobilize opponents – these are all those clever messages, imposed topics, and the retraction of their own scandals. It was very effective. Kaczyński's formation proved too clever for many journalists, experts, and also politicians and voters, who could not connect the dots, did not notice how unthinkingly they repeated PiS's messages, costlessly strengthening its propaganda.' https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/kraj/2230456,1,wygraja-ci-ktorym-bardziej-zalezy.read -- BY HELPING THE THIRD WAY ENTER PARLIAMENT, WE ARE SECURING THE VICTORY OF THE DEMOCRATIC OPPOSITION, WE ARE WORKING TO ENRICH THE FUTURE COALITION - MARCIN ŚWIĘCICKI IN GW: "This time I will vote for the Third Way, for a candidate from Poland 2050, although I have many friends on the KO list in Warsaw. (...) The Association of Tadeusz Mazowiecki has called on the democratic opposition, regardless of political sympathies, to consider 'tactical' voting for the Third Way. By helping the Third Way enter Parliament, we are securing the victory of the democratic opposition, and we are working to enrich the future governing coalition, both in terms of personnel and program." https://wyborcza.pl/7,162657,30284240,marcin-swiecicki-dlaczego-zaglosuje-na-trzecia-droge-choc.html -- WE KNOW THE GREAT WINNER OF THE DEBATE ON TVP. IT IS RACISM - PAULINA JANUSZEWSKA IN KRYTYKA POLITYCZNA: "I am horrified when I read in comments by pro-democratic publicists that Krzysztof Bosak performed brilliantly in the election debate, even though anti-refugee bile poured from his mouth. I also consider it disgusting that within the framework of civilized discussion in Poland, racism is acceptable, but criticism of the Pope and an institution that robs Poles and protects child rapists is not. (...) Look, Bożenka, the question will soon be asked if PiS will lose or gain support? Then a few pre-election polls about the opposition, a discussion will be commissioned about how divided Poland is, terrible polarization, a boring duopoly, and again there will be complaints that the debate was so monotonous. And that some migrants are being slandered? That there was no word about abortion? About women's rights? LGBT+? Persons with disabilities? Oh, come on. Who would listen to that?" https://krytykapolityczna.pl/kraj/znamy-wielkiego-zwyciezce-debaty-w-tvp-to-rasizm/ -- AFTER ALL, TODAY THOSE WHO YESTERDAY WERE PUTTING HOŁOWNIA BELOW THE THRESHOLD ARE NOW ERECTING VIRTUAL MONUMENTS TO HIM - GALOPUJĄCY MAJOR IN KRYTYKA: "One can only imagine what would have happened if the protests, including those of the 'symmetrists,' had not been heeded and the democratic opposition had decided to run on a single list. We would have had Tusk, Morawiecki, and Bosak in the debate, with the latter, as the 'anti-system' voice, collecting all the cream. Will the left, which is now massively apologizing to Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus for its doubts, also apologize to those who did not want a single list for their numerous insults? I highly doubt it. After all, today those who yesterday were putting Hołownia below the threshold are now erecting virtual monuments to him." -- THE WORSE TUSK PERFORMED, THE BETTER THE DEMOCRATIC OPPOSITION PRESENTED ITSELF AS AN ALTERNATIVE - MAJOR CONTINUES IN KP: "The weakest, even pathetic, in this debate was Tusk himself. Nervous, tired, and most importantly, unprepared, he was improvising all the time. Even the most pro-Tusk fanboys online were not very convincing in pushing the narrative that the leader of PO had won the debate. However, the biggest paradox of this debate, which was of course set up by TVP, was that the worse Tusk performed, the better the democratic opposition presented itself as an alternative, which, in my opinion, is a much bigger problem for PiS." https://krytykapolityczna.pl/kraj/a-jednak-lewica-nie-zawiodla-w-debacie/ -- BIRTHDAYS: Barbara Fedyszak-Radziejowska, Sławomir Siwek, Stanisław Bisztyga, Krzysztof Lipiec, Jerzy Halbersztadt.