Phantom? More like fractal.

We are Ants. You will be assimilated. Your biological and technological distinctiveness will be added to our own. Resistance is futile.

So, the more time an organism has to evolve, the more sophisticated their abilities to adapt. You see this in many ancient species. Adaptation itself is in it's genes.

I wonder if harvester ants have already eaten all the Republicans in their midst....? This might be a good evolutionary strategy.

From politicususa.com:
Self-discipline, delayed gratification, and long-term planning: Republican financial deregulation policies have ushered in a new era of manipulated markets and short-term shakedowns of the economy. They want to sell off public assets and resources, not build. It is the Democrats who want to save our infrastructure, develop industries for the future, and promote the education that is itself a form of delayed gratification and that increases a person’s lifetime self-sufficiency.