A sign of true leadership.

January 25, 2022

[Audio version here]

          Russia’s military buildup near Ukraine dominated headlines on Monday. The U.S. announced that 8,500 troops were placed on alert for possible deployment to Eastern Europe along with an equal number of NATO troops. President Biden held a 90-minute conference with NATO representatives and said that the allies are in “total unanimity” in their resolve to dissuade Russia from invading Ukraine. The situation is fraught, complicated, and unsettling. But the U.S. is in a stronger position today than it was a year ago when Trump’s “America First” foreign policy translated into “America Alone.”

          Trump was barely on speaking terms with our NATO allies and tried to withhold military aid from Ukraine in exchange for non-existent political dirt on Joe Biden. Notwithstanding Trump’s effort to extort Ukraine, Trump said on Monday that he would be in a better position to resist Russia’s impending invasion of Ukraine than Biden. Yet another reminder that Trump was (and is) detached from reality in a way that should motivate every American to ensure Trump is handed a humiliating defeat if he tries to run for president in 2024.

          Although the situation in Ukraine is complicated, there is an easy way to discern the correct path forward: Listen to the recommendations of Fox News personality Tucker Carlson and do the opposite. Russian news programs have been running clips of Carlson’s commentaries in which he essentially defends Russia’s right to invade Ukraine. See Newsweek, “Tucker Carlson Backs Russia, Compares Ukraine Joining NATO With China Controlling Mexico.” Carlson’s analogy is so bad, it’s not even wrong. Moreover, Carlson incorrectly asserts that the U.S. is “pushing” Ukraine to join NATO—a falsehood. Ukraine has been seeking NATO membership for nearly three decades—a status that can only be granted by the unanimous vote of the NATO allies. But Tucker Carlson does not let pesky facts get in the way of an indignant rant. For the real story, see NYTimes, “NATO Won’t Let Ukraine Join Soon. Here’s Why.”

          Russian President Vladimir Putin is essentially demanding that NATO cease recognition of the sovereign status of states formerly associated with the USSR. But Russia has no special rights to control “Eastern bloc” nations—just as the U.S. could not threaten to invade Canada or Mexico if those nations chose to enter into alliances with China or Russia. Sovereign nations have the right of self-determination. If Ukraine wants to join NATO, Russia has no say in the matter. But Putin has demanded a promise from NATO that it will never offer membership to Ukraine or any of the Eastern European and Central Asian countries formerly associated with the USSR. See NYTimes (12/21/2021), “Russia Lays Out Demands for a Sweeping New Security Deal With NATO.”

          As I noted above, the situation is fraught, complicated, and unsettling. Biden is walking a fine line between resisting Russian expansionism and keeping the U.S. out of a proxy war in Ukraine. Whatever the outcome, we can trust that Biden is representing the interests of the United States in accordance with the best foreign policy advice possible.

After Republicans blocked voting rights protection (for now), what next?

          Although the immediate efforts to pass voting rights protection legislation in Congress have foundered on the shoals of the filibuster, we must not relent. But what does it mean to advocate for voting rights protection after Manchin and Sinema dashed our hopes for victory in January 2022? Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor under Clinton and now a professor at Berkeley’s prestigious Goldman School of Public Policy, has published a great list of actions that we can pursue now to protect voting rights. See Robert Reich, “The Weeks Ahead: The future of voting rights and democracy (substack.com).”

          Reich urges that we maintain pressure on the “fifty Republicans and two Democrats” who refused to modify the filibuster, that we hold the DOJ to its promise to protect voting rights through enforcement of existing laws, and demand that Biden fully implement his executive order of March 2021 calling on agencies of the federal government to promote registration and voter turnout. Check out Reich’s list and see if there is something that you can do now to protect voting rights.

          One item mentioned by Reich is the reform of the 1887 Electoral Count Act, which controls the “counting” of electoral ballots by Congress. The Act is ancient, ambiguous, and full of gaps that can be manipulated to defeat the people’s will. The good news is that there is momentum building in the Senate to amend the Act to reduce the opportunities for mischief and corruption. See Politico, “Group of senators pursuing bipartisan changes to [Electoral Count Act] has doubled since its inception. Per Politico, nine Republican Senators are involved in early discussions regarding changes to the Electoral Count Act. There are seven Democratic Senators involved in the effort—a promising start to a sorely needed reform.

          But we should not underestimate the willingness of the Republican caucus to reject any legislation that might level the playing field for all parties. So, let’s hope for the best, but not get ahead of ourselves in assuming victory. Whatever happens with the Electoral Count Act, the count of ballots in January of 2025 will be presided over by Vice President Kamala Harris—a fact that might encourage Republicans to remove some of the ambiguities in the statute.

The GOP War on Culture.

          Instead of focusing on matters of substance, Republicans are fixated on grievances rooted in the religious and racial identities of white Christian evangelicals. The Supreme Court has been a willing accomplice in the effort to codify the social and religious views of a minority of Americans. On Monday, the Court signaled that its reactionary majority would once again reverse the social and civil progress over the last fifty years to a more open, tolerant, and diverse society. The Court granted review of two affirmative action cases that threaten to prohibit consideration of race in admissions decisions at schools and universities. See Vox, “Supreme Court will hear the Harvard case that could doom affirmative action.” As explained in the Vox article, Court watchers assume that the remnants of affirmative action will be declared unconstitutional posthaste. We cannot reform the Supreme Court soon enough.

          Florida Republicans have taken their culture war a step further. They have introduced a bill in the Florida Senate prohibiting school districts from encouraging discussion of gender identity or sexual orientation. The bill will authorize parents to sue school districts and administrators and award attorney fees to parents if they win. See The Guardian, Florida: Republican panel advances bill to ban LGBTQ+ discussion in schools.”

          Although the bill is cloaked in the garb of parental rights, it will have the inevitable effect of stigmatizing LGBTQ+ youth, who already suffer from disproportionately high suicide rates. The Trevor Project issued a statement noting that suicide rates decline in school districts that discuss sexual orientation and gender identity. Chasten Buttigieg condemned Ron DeSantis, tweeting: “This will kill kids … You are purposefully making your state a harder place for LGBTQ+ kids to survive in.”

          Ron DeSantis is running for re-election in 2022. Denying him a second term will make Florida a safer and healthier place for all school-age children in that state.

And for some good news  . . . .

          Judges in Georgia’s Fulton County granted the application of the Fulton County District Attorney to impanel a special grand jury to investigate efforts to subvert the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. Although the special grand jury cannot issue indictments, it can issue subpoenas to gather evidence and testimony—which will allow the D.A. to obtain indictments from other grand juries. Good. Trump should be looking over his shoulder in Georgia. See Business Insider, “Court OKs Special Grand Jury for Atlanta DA’s Trump Election Probe.”

Concluding Thoughts.

          After a press briefing regarding Ukraine, a Fox News reporter shouted a question to Biden, asking if the president thought that inflation was a liability. Biden answered the question under his breath on an open microphone, saying (sarcastically), “No it’s a great asset. More inflation. What a stupid son of a bitch.” Of course, Biden said what everyone was thinking but had the misfortune of having his comments overheard on an open microphone. For most media outlets, the story began and ended with, “Gotcha, Joe Biden!”

          The real story is that Biden later called the reporter to apologize, saying, “It’s nothing personal, pal . . . you’ve got to [do your job].” Biden made a dumb mistake and owned up to it—something that many people (and most politicians) lack the character and courage to do. Being able to admit that you made a mistake is an invaluable skill in a leader who must make hundreds of decisions a day, each of which affects the lives and safety of millions of people.

          The small act of humility and self-awareness by Joe Biden involving an obnoxious reporter gives me comfort that he will set aside ego and pride when dealing with the crisis over Ukraine. The best course of action for the U.S. and its allies may be one that does not conform to the “John Wayne School of Foreign Policy” that other leaders would follow to enhance their domestic standing. It is easy to make mistakes, it is harder to admit them, and it is a sign of true leadership to learn from them. We are lucky to have Joe Biden in the Oval Office during this unsettled time on the global stage. We should all do our best to help him succeed!

          Talk to you tomorrow!