I was very heartened by President Biden’s State of the Union message. I am very proud of his working to unite our European Allies after Trump thumbed his nose at them and NATO. I am frustrated that we can’t do more to help Ukraine in its fight against the Russian Army.
I was so very happy to hear him say that we will build our infrastructure with materials totally made in America! We must bring the majority of manufacturing back to the United States. Made in America encourages unification and pride in America.
I was also happy to hear that Intel will be building a large plant to make those semi-conductors that we need so badly and that the lack of has caused the price of new cars to rise to heights not seen in a long time, if ever.
I was pleased that President Biden moved back to his more moderate side while not throwing some important Progressive causes out.
I for one am more enthusiastic about the future of the Democratic Party after tonight.
Nice recap. Biden is doing what many of us (just me speaking, now) find so hard to do.Honestly, I think I would not have been able, as President, to speak in such a unifying manner. I would have felt the need to call out the bigots and haters for what they are. It would have been normal and natural to rally our base. After all, we're really angry. And angry people love and desperately respond to furious rhetoric.
But Joseph Biden has done what Obama did. He took the high road. He exceeds my expectations by attempting to be the President of all Americans. Makes me proud, again. Standing ovation here.
Two more “unity agenda” highlights noted by CNN’s Brian Stelter:
- we must address “the harms of social media” — a first SOTU reference ever
- journalist Luke Russert on Biden’s ad lib, with clenched fist, “Go get ‘em!” Rather than referring to Putin, Luke said his dad, Tim, meant it as, ‘let’s go forward, try hard and win America.’”
You bet, chief. I will ignore the poorly conceived headlines and drive. Lies, damn lies, and statistics—as usual.
Your excellent report on Biden’s speech makes me hopeful ( I haven’t owned a TV since W was elected.) I will join locals today in a Zoom meeting that addresses political problems and especially health care, affordable care, and poverty.
I believe the world will never forget Zelensky and Ukraine for their courage in this crucial moment.
I thought the Biden speech was excellent because it indirectly debunked some of the Republicans attack lines around “ sleepy Joe” and “ defunding the police”. President Biden did not appear sleepy to me and the audience who watched his address. Unfortunately a large number of voters did not watch last night and get their news and comments from biased media outlets. I have come to the conclusion that Biden wins because actions speak louder than words in key voter issues, their pocketbooks, their health and the safety of their families and their jobs and potential for the future. That is where the 2022 elections will be won and lost. Biden is not running in 2022 but members of his party are and President Biden who brought NATO and the EU together to fight Russian aggression now must bring the Democrats together to fight Republican aggression against Democracy
Another excellent newsletter, Robert. And here I am going to digress from all the worthwhile topics in this column. I want to say "thank you" for not only your daily inspiration, but the ability of any interested reader to sign up for your newsletter. It can be free, where readers can read it in its entirety and even read the comments, or as a "paying" subscriber which limits only the ability to comment. I subscribe to many worthwhile substack newsletters and pay for only a few (this one included, of course). Yet for some reason Charlie Sykes and the folks at the Bulwark have decided to try and snare your interest with a cogent and interesting snippet then say if you want to read the whole thing you must subscribe. This morning's "Never Again" Morning Shots did just that. While I would have liked to read what they had to say, I refuse to be blackmailed into paying for it. So, again, Thank You!!!!!
Thanks, Annett. It's a complicated world out there for bloggers and journalists. This newsletter is free and always will be, but I am deeply grateful to readers like you who allow me to rearrange my life in a way that I can effectively devote full time to the newsletter. Thank you!
Biden was right in calling for unity and not calling out Republican intransigence (a nicer word for what they actually do). Now, it's up to us to inform other voters, especially Independents who might actually listen and be persuaded, how Biden's proposed policies will help all Americans. Bravo, Biden!
I’m afraid I have to disagree with you again, Robert. If T___p were president (is there a more horrifying thought?) Putin would not have invaded Ukraine. He wouldn’t have had to, because T___p would have presented it on a platter.
As for Biden’s speech, it reads better than it sounded, but that’s OK, because the text is what will live. Joe continues to show patience, to wait for the actual results, not the headlines in the next news cycle. There’s a name for that kind of conduct: leadership. And that’s what we need. I just hope that we out here in the hinterlands are worthy of him.
Hi, John. See my response to Steve Cohen above about Biden's oration skills. It was a good speech, and the beginning and ending were strong--a good choice in an hour-long speech.
I understand the monster that must be defeated. Agreed. But here is where many will part company. Who created the monster? We did and we always do. During and after the breakup of the Soviet Union, we promised not to expand NATO then we went back on our promise. And even if it wasn’t a promise, we took advantage of a weakened Russia and expanded a military defense pack. That’s history. Putin is a product of the Soviet Union as he was deployed in East Germany. All he wanted was a promise to keep Ukraine neutral. Was that so difficult to understand? Apparently it was. Was it difficult to understand that a build up of the Russian military was a prelude to a massive invasion? Apparently so. Did anyone take into account the massive deaths and destruction that would result? Probably not. So who is the other monster in this room? We are, of course. Shame on us for deciding that humans are a necessary casualty of inevitable war. I have consistently said through much of my life that America is the most dangerous, destructive, war mongering killing nation on earth bar none. Ok, we’ve had some good competition through the years. But our Yankee ingenuity has pulled up back out in front during those times of fierce competition of who can kill more. So today, we’ll make Russia and Putin the Darth Vader of Destruction.
Hi, Bill. Where and when did the US agree not to expand NATO? As you know, no such agreement exists in writing. Something of such monumental significance would surely have been memorialized. The claim that NATO agreed not to expand its pre-cold war borders exists only in talking points from Russian leaders when they want to invade a sovereign country.
The genesis of the false claim that the US agreed not to expand NATO relates to discussions of deployment of NATO forces into East Germany if Russia agreed not to block re-unification. Those discussions related to the location of troops in a united Germany, not a promise to freeze the cold-War lines.
The simplest proof that there was no agreement to freeze NATO to cold-war lines was given by Putin last week. In his unhinged speech, he mentioned that he asked Bill Clinton if Russia could join NATO. Clinton said no, but the fact that Putin asked to join NATO puts the lie to the notion that NATO made any agreement to freeze its membership.
Vladimir Pozner, in a talk as a guest at Yale three years ago, referenced this and it is his understanding that backed with documentation. If you want, I’ll go to mymPC and link you to the talk and you can judge for yourself. Pozner is no fly by night journalist.
I would be happy to be educated on this subject if I am wrong. FWIW, NATO's home page provides the following information:
The idea of NATO expansion beyond a united Germany was not on the agenda in 1989, particularly as the Warsaw Pact still existed. This was confirmed by Mikhail Gorbachev in an interview in 2014: "The topic of 'NATO expansion' was not discussed at all, and it wasn't brought up in those years. I say this with full responsibility. Not a single Eastern European country raised the issue, not even after the Warsaw Pact ceased to exist in 1991. Western leaders didn't bring it up, either."
Declassified White House transcripts also reveal that, in 1997, Bill Clinton consistently refused Boris Yeltsin's offer of a 'gentlemen's agreement' that no former Soviet Republics would enter NATO: "I can't make commitments on behalf of NATO, and I'm not going to be in the position myself of vetoing NATO expansion with respect to any country, much less letting you or anyone else do so…NATO operates by consensus."
Robert, did you have a chance to watch the Posner talk? I’m curious to read your reaction. We all can only feel comfortable with our opinions based on our reading, watching and experiencing.
Please open link and if you want to save some time, push forward to 16 minutes into the talk where Posner speaks of Paul Wolfowitz plan. This whole talk is almost two hours and frankly I think its worth it but if you want to zero in on the part which I have to believe something and someone and why not an independent, internationally known journalist unless you think he has an agenda. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X7Ng75e5gQ
This info does speak to my long held beliefs, and believe it or not, at the time of the spread of NATO, I ruminated how this expansion would only antagonize Russia. How I ever came to that conclusion, who knows. I have no formal or informal studies in international politics and/or European history. I'm just a little ole art dealer.
I agree with the premise that "America is the most dangerous, destructive, war mongering killing nation on earth bar none." Vietnam and Cambodia - a pointless horror. Afghanistan - a complete invasion when tactical surgery could have sufficed. Iraq - another horror, no legitimacy, just an arrogant grab. All three failed and millions upon millions suffered. Our national treasures of young men and women were lost. Our national treasury was raided off budget by trillions. Utter madness. Money that could have fed kids, cared for the elderly, helped small farmers, provided clean water, subsidized clean energy...helped save the planet.
But blaming the US for Ukraine is like blaming the kid on a playground for standing up to a bully. Putin has considered Ukraine part of Russia forever. Ukraine considers itself independent. Putin has wanted to rebuild the USSR for decades. He was just looking for the best land grab possible and Ukraine looked like an easy win.
If we want to look for US blame, look no further than TFG who opened the door for Putin by being weak. The right move may have been to actually admit Ukraine to NATO and the EU. Putin would have been declaring war on the free world by such an invasion - he may be unhinged and too full of himself, but he is not that stupid.
Putin is a bully, a thug and while he has been lauded as a chess player, he is obviously really lousy at strategy. He is failing and his enterprise is about to go into a spiral dive - after thousands suffer. This foolish and needless invasion will end his rule.
Putin would have attempted to annex Ukraine regardless of any promises we made. He does not care about words. Putin lies for purpose. He understands only the blunt instrument of a large scale force. Like the unity of the world against him. Yes, we (US and EU) could have been tougher and fully embraced any nation that wanted to join the organizations which stand together for peace and democracy. I suggest that Ukraine is our fault not because we would not guarantee Ukrainian neutrality...but because we did not fully embrace a fledgling democracy with the full might of the free world. JMO.
I say all this knowing I could be wrong. It happens all the time. Just ask my wife.
And another unspoken truth; that men (and women) going to war tend to think that America needs to be saved one way or another and their preoccupation with guns follows them through their lifespans. Guess which support group the former disgusting Divider-in-Chief retains?
There is, Bill, a long tradition, going back to the Monroe Doctrine, and buttressed by the Roosevelt Corollary, that it is the bounden duty of the United States to keep at least the western hemisphere free from "imperialist influence". So what did we do? We became imperialists ourselves! In fairness, President Monroe put forth his policy because of British intrusion into the newly independent nations of Middle and South America. What followed was the natural human concept that more is better. Then, there was the Treaty of Versailles, the terms of which could be SAID to have created the monster that was Hitler-yet that Treaty had nothing to do with the rise of Mussolini, Franco, Quisling or Hirohito, all of whom helmed countries that had either been allied with us in WWI, or had been neutral in the Great War.
Let me give you an analogy. The WWI Allies were not blameless in the draconian punishments they leveled on Germany, for the rise of Hitler. But Hitler still had to be stopped.
Yes, foolish American policy after the Cold War led to the rise of the Russian oligarchy that gave rise to Putin. It would have been better to allow the gradualist unwinding of Communism that Gorbachev wanted instead of the “end of history” nonsense that the US pushed.
Ellen, I did read it in its entirety. She is mainly speaking to Putin’s behavior today, not how he it it came to be. I hope you have watched Vladimir Posner’s talk. That focuses on the origins of today’s actions. Fiona hardly takes notice of it.
Thanks again for your clear-headed insights; we must be clear that Republicans have no agenda apart from sowing distrust, disunity, and pandering to dictators like Putin.
Excellent summary of our current situation. If you or readers are interested in more information about the Ukrainians’ resolve, I recommend watching the Netflix documentary “Winter on Fire” about the 92 day protest on the Maidan in Kiev. These are people fighting for Democracy in a way we have never had to. It builds my own resolve to help our country!
The polls, the polls... 78% of those polled by CBS, last night, approved of the President's speech. It's all relative, and reactive. As for Putin, he's come up with a sure-to-win strategy for showing the stock market how the cow chews the cabbage- "You can't sell off your assets, because I am shutting you down!" I'm surprised Trump never thought of that. Oh, wait, he himself had too much invested.
Thanks for the data point, but when I saw that the networks were conducting "instant polls" I shut off my television. As a trial lawyer who had the luxury of using jury research before big trials, I was treated to the frightening spectacle (from behind two-way mirrors) of mock jurors discussing evidence and argument that had just seen minutes before. The apocryphal story of Zhou Enlai's response to a question about the French Revolution bears repeating here. A reporter asked Zhou what he thought about the French Revolution. Zhou allegedly said, "It's too early to tell." If the story isn't true, it should be.
For those of you still reading, the most dispiriting part of conducting those jury simulations was learning the jurors' response to the question, "Who is your hero?" I will send a $25 Starbuck's card to the first reader can identify the person who always ranked #1. The answers overwhelmingly named this person to such a degree that the researchers stopped using it as a control question because it generated no differentiating information. You will be surprised, I guarantee it. Look for the answer at 1:00 PM in a reply to this post.
I did not think the SOTU a GREAT speech. It was a good solid workmanlike speech that presented strength and Biden’s vision. It’s unfortunate that Biden is not a great orator and frequently trips over his words, which the GOP shamelessly portrays as weakness. But that can’t be helped.
The glaring omission was probably a deliberate decision to avoid hammering the GOP on their flaccid fealty to Trump on Ukraine and other issues. Have we allowed them to turn on the dime from thinking Putin a “genius” to blaming the war on Biden’s weakness?
Well, I can understand Biden’s decision to take the high road on this last night. But somebody on a national scale besides MSNBC anchors needs to get down and dirty with them. The GOP is far from taking the high road. Looking at you, VP Harris!
Biden is Biden, and we knew who he was when we elected him. Is he great orator? No. Is he an effective speaker? Yes, because he is genuine, likable, and decent. And to be clear, he is a stutterer who must work harder than you and me to ensure a smooth word flow. If you listen to my nightly reading of the newsletter on audio, you will see that I trip over a dozen words each night--and I spoke for a living as a trial lawyer. It's not as easy as it looks, especially when the world is watching.
I was very heartened by President Biden’s State of the Union message. I am very proud of his working to unite our European Allies after Trump thumbed his nose at them and NATO. I am frustrated that we can’t do more to help Ukraine in its fight against the Russian Army.
I was so very happy to hear him say that we will build our infrastructure with materials totally made in America! We must bring the majority of manufacturing back to the United States. Made in America encourages unification and pride in America.
I was also happy to hear that Intel will be building a large plant to make those semi-conductors that we need so badly and that the lack of has caused the price of new cars to rise to heights not seen in a long time, if ever.
I was pleased that President Biden moved back to his more moderate side while not throwing some important Progressive causes out.
I for one am more enthusiastic about the future of the Democratic Party after tonight.
I'm with you on that!
Nice recap. Biden is doing what many of us (just me speaking, now) find so hard to do.Honestly, I think I would not have been able, as President, to speak in such a unifying manner. I would have felt the need to call out the bigots and haters for what they are. It would have been normal and natural to rally our base. After all, we're really angry. And angry people love and desperately respond to furious rhetoric.
But Joseph Biden has done what Obama did. He took the high road. He exceeds my expectations by attempting to be the President of all Americans. Makes me proud, again. Standing ovation here.
Two more “unity agenda” highlights noted by CNN’s Brian Stelter:
- we must address “the harms of social media” — a first SOTU reference ever
- journalist Luke Russert on Biden’s ad lib, with clenched fist, “Go get ‘em!” Rather than referring to Putin, Luke said his dad, Tim, meant it as, ‘let’s go forward, try hard and win America.’”
You bet, chief. I will ignore the poorly conceived headlines and drive. Lies, damn lies, and statistics—as usual.
Your excellent report on Biden’s speech makes me hopeful ( I haven’t owned a TV since W was elected.) I will join locals today in a Zoom meeting that addresses political problems and especially health care, affordable care, and poverty.
I believe the world will never forget Zelensky and Ukraine for their courage in this crucial moment.
I thought the Biden speech was excellent because it indirectly debunked some of the Republicans attack lines around “ sleepy Joe” and “ defunding the police”. President Biden did not appear sleepy to me and the audience who watched his address. Unfortunately a large number of voters did not watch last night and get their news and comments from biased media outlets. I have come to the conclusion that Biden wins because actions speak louder than words in key voter issues, their pocketbooks, their health and the safety of their families and their jobs and potential for the future. That is where the 2022 elections will be won and lost. Biden is not running in 2022 but members of his party are and President Biden who brought NATO and the EU together to fight Russian aggression now must bring the Democrats together to fight Republican aggression against Democracy
Another excellent newsletter, Robert. And here I am going to digress from all the worthwhile topics in this column. I want to say "thank you" for not only your daily inspiration, but the ability of any interested reader to sign up for your newsletter. It can be free, where readers can read it in its entirety and even read the comments, or as a "paying" subscriber which limits only the ability to comment. I subscribe to many worthwhile substack newsletters and pay for only a few (this one included, of course). Yet for some reason Charlie Sykes and the folks at the Bulwark have decided to try and snare your interest with a cogent and interesting snippet then say if you want to read the whole thing you must subscribe. This morning's "Never Again" Morning Shots did just that. While I would have liked to read what they had to say, I refuse to be blackmailed into paying for it. So, again, Thank You!!!!!
Thanks, Annett. It's a complicated world out there for bloggers and journalists. This newsletter is free and always will be, but I am deeply grateful to readers like you who allow me to rearrange my life in a way that I can effectively devote full time to the newsletter. Thank you!
Biden was right in calling for unity and not calling out Republican intransigence (a nicer word for what they actually do). Now, it's up to us to inform other voters, especially Independents who might actually listen and be persuaded, how Biden's proposed policies will help all Americans. Bravo, Biden!
Nicely done, needs no other comment. Thanks and have an awesome day.
I’m afraid I have to disagree with you again, Robert. If T___p were president (is there a more horrifying thought?) Putin would not have invaded Ukraine. He wouldn’t have had to, because T___p would have presented it on a platter.
As for Biden’s speech, it reads better than it sounded, but that’s OK, because the text is what will live. Joe continues to show patience, to wait for the actual results, not the headlines in the next news cycle. There’s a name for that kind of conduct: leadership. And that’s what we need. I just hope that we out here in the hinterlands are worthy of him.
Hi, John. See my response to Steve Cohen above about Biden's oration skills. It was a good speech, and the beginning and ending were strong--a good choice in an hour-long speech.
I understand the monster that must be defeated. Agreed. But here is where many will part company. Who created the monster? We did and we always do. During and after the breakup of the Soviet Union, we promised not to expand NATO then we went back on our promise. And even if it wasn’t a promise, we took advantage of a weakened Russia and expanded a military defense pack. That’s history. Putin is a product of the Soviet Union as he was deployed in East Germany. All he wanted was a promise to keep Ukraine neutral. Was that so difficult to understand? Apparently it was. Was it difficult to understand that a build up of the Russian military was a prelude to a massive invasion? Apparently so. Did anyone take into account the massive deaths and destruction that would result? Probably not. So who is the other monster in this room? We are, of course. Shame on us for deciding that humans are a necessary casualty of inevitable war. I have consistently said through much of my life that America is the most dangerous, destructive, war mongering killing nation on earth bar none. Ok, we’ve had some good competition through the years. But our Yankee ingenuity has pulled up back out in front during those times of fierce competition of who can kill more. So today, we’ll make Russia and Putin the Darth Vader of Destruction.
Hi, Bill. Where and when did the US agree not to expand NATO? As you know, no such agreement exists in writing. Something of such monumental significance would surely have been memorialized. The claim that NATO agreed not to expand its pre-cold war borders exists only in talking points from Russian leaders when they want to invade a sovereign country.
The genesis of the false claim that the US agreed not to expand NATO relates to discussions of deployment of NATO forces into East Germany if Russia agreed not to block re-unification. Those discussions related to the location of troops in a united Germany, not a promise to freeze the cold-War lines.
The simplest proof that there was no agreement to freeze NATO to cold-war lines was given by Putin last week. In his unhinged speech, he mentioned that he asked Bill Clinton if Russia could join NATO. Clinton said no, but the fact that Putin asked to join NATO puts the lie to the notion that NATO made any agreement to freeze its membership.
Vladimir Pozner, in a talk as a guest at Yale three years ago, referenced this and it is his understanding that backed with documentation. If you want, I’ll go to mymPC and link you to the talk and you can judge for yourself. Pozner is no fly by night journalist.
I would be happy to be educated on this subject if I am wrong. FWIW, NATO's home page provides the following information:
The idea of NATO expansion beyond a united Germany was not on the agenda in 1989, particularly as the Warsaw Pact still existed. This was confirmed by Mikhail Gorbachev in an interview in 2014: "The topic of 'NATO expansion' was not discussed at all, and it wasn't brought up in those years. I say this with full responsibility. Not a single Eastern European country raised the issue, not even after the Warsaw Pact ceased to exist in 1991. Western leaders didn't bring it up, either."
Declassified White House transcripts also reveal that, in 1997, Bill Clinton consistently refused Boris Yeltsin's offer of a 'gentlemen's agreement' that no former Soviet Republics would enter NATO: "I can't make commitments on behalf of NATO, and I'm not going to be in the position myself of vetoing NATO expansion with respect to any country, much less letting you or anyone else do so…NATO operates by consensus."
Robert, did you have a chance to watch the Posner talk? I’m curious to read your reaction. We all can only feel comfortable with our opinions based on our reading, watching and experiencing.
Please open link and if you want to save some time, push forward to 16 minutes into the talk where Posner speaks of Paul Wolfowitz plan. This whole talk is almost two hours and frankly I think its worth it but if you want to zero in on the part which I have to believe something and someone and why not an independent, internationally known journalist unless you think he has an agenda. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X7Ng75e5gQ
This info does speak to my long held beliefs, and believe it or not, at the time of the spread of NATO, I ruminated how this expansion would only antagonize Russia. How I ever came to that conclusion, who knows. I have no formal or informal studies in international politics and/or European history. I'm just a little ole art dealer.
I agree with the premise that "America is the most dangerous, destructive, war mongering killing nation on earth bar none." Vietnam and Cambodia - a pointless horror. Afghanistan - a complete invasion when tactical surgery could have sufficed. Iraq - another horror, no legitimacy, just an arrogant grab. All three failed and millions upon millions suffered. Our national treasures of young men and women were lost. Our national treasury was raided off budget by trillions. Utter madness. Money that could have fed kids, cared for the elderly, helped small farmers, provided clean water, subsidized clean energy...helped save the planet.
But blaming the US for Ukraine is like blaming the kid on a playground for standing up to a bully. Putin has considered Ukraine part of Russia forever. Ukraine considers itself independent. Putin has wanted to rebuild the USSR for decades. He was just looking for the best land grab possible and Ukraine looked like an easy win.
If we want to look for US blame, look no further than TFG who opened the door for Putin by being weak. The right move may have been to actually admit Ukraine to NATO and the EU. Putin would have been declaring war on the free world by such an invasion - he may be unhinged and too full of himself, but he is not that stupid.
Putin is a bully, a thug and while he has been lauded as a chess player, he is obviously really lousy at strategy. He is failing and his enterprise is about to go into a spiral dive - after thousands suffer. This foolish and needless invasion will end his rule.
Putin would have attempted to annex Ukraine regardless of any promises we made. He does not care about words. Putin lies for purpose. He understands only the blunt instrument of a large scale force. Like the unity of the world against him. Yes, we (US and EU) could have been tougher and fully embraced any nation that wanted to join the organizations which stand together for peace and democracy. I suggest that Ukraine is our fault not because we would not guarantee Ukrainian neutrality...but because we did not fully embrace a fledgling democracy with the full might of the free world. JMO.
I say all this knowing I could be wrong. It happens all the time. Just ask my wife.
And another unspoken truth; that men (and women) going to war tend to think that America needs to be saved one way or another and their preoccupation with guns follows them through their lifespans. Guess which support group the former disgusting Divider-in-Chief retains?
And they spew the nonsense that "God is on our side". Oy.
There is, Bill, a long tradition, going back to the Monroe Doctrine, and buttressed by the Roosevelt Corollary, that it is the bounden duty of the United States to keep at least the western hemisphere free from "imperialist influence". So what did we do? We became imperialists ourselves! In fairness, President Monroe put forth his policy because of British intrusion into the newly independent nations of Middle and South America. What followed was the natural human concept that more is better. Then, there was the Treaty of Versailles, the terms of which could be SAID to have created the monster that was Hitler-yet that Treaty had nothing to do with the rise of Mussolini, Franco, Quisling or Hirohito, all of whom helmed countries that had either been allied with us in WWI, or had been neutral in the Great War.
@Bill Katz
Let me give you an analogy. The WWI Allies were not blameless in the draconian punishments they leveled on Germany, for the rise of Hitler. But Hitler still had to be stopped.
Yes, foolish American policy after the Cold War led to the rise of the Russian oligarchy that gave rise to Putin. It would have been better to allow the gradualist unwinding of Communism that Gorbachev wanted instead of the “end of history” nonsense that the US pushed.
But Putin still has to be stopped.
I’m not talking ancient history. I’m talking a month or two ago announcing Ukraine a NATO free country to avoid the catastrophe unfolding.
And then Biden gets condemned as an “appeaser” by the same crowd that savaged him over the Afghanistan pullout, plus the Republicans.
Someone shared a link today to an interview with Fiona Hill. You might find it interesting. https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/02/28/world-war-iii-already-there-00012340
I’ll be happy to read it. It looks like that’s all I’ll be doing today. Thanks.
Ellen, I did read it in its entirety. She is mainly speaking to Putin’s behavior today, not how he it it came to be. I hope you have watched Vladimir Posner’s talk. That focuses on the origins of today’s actions. Fiona hardly takes notice of it.
Appreciate this so much. Namely the redirection of thoughts and energies to what we CAN do (voter registration) at this moment.
Thanks again for your clear-headed insights; we must be clear that Republicans have no agenda apart from sowing distrust, disunity, and pandering to dictators like Putin.
Excellent summary of our current situation. If you or readers are interested in more information about the Ukrainians’ resolve, I recommend watching the Netflix documentary “Winter on Fire” about the 92 day protest on the Maidan in Kiev. These are people fighting for Democracy in a way we have never had to. It builds my own resolve to help our country!
The polls, the polls... 78% of those polled by CBS, last night, approved of the President's speech. It's all relative, and reactive. As for Putin, he's come up with a sure-to-win strategy for showing the stock market how the cow chews the cabbage- "You can't sell off your assets, because I am shutting you down!" I'm surprised Trump never thought of that. Oh, wait, he himself had too much invested.
Thanks for the data point, but when I saw that the networks were conducting "instant polls" I shut off my television. As a trial lawyer who had the luxury of using jury research before big trials, I was treated to the frightening spectacle (from behind two-way mirrors) of mock jurors discussing evidence and argument that had just seen minutes before. The apocryphal story of Zhou Enlai's response to a question about the French Revolution bears repeating here. A reporter asked Zhou what he thought about the French Revolution. Zhou allegedly said, "It's too early to tell." If the story isn't true, it should be.
For those of you still reading, the most dispiriting part of conducting those jury simulations was learning the jurors' response to the question, "Who is your hero?" I will send a $25 Starbuck's card to the first reader can identify the person who always ranked #1. The answers overwhelmingly named this person to such a degree that the researchers stopped using it as a control question because it generated no differentiating information. You will be surprised, I guarantee it. Look for the answer at 1:00 PM in a reply to this post.
I did not think the SOTU a GREAT speech. It was a good solid workmanlike speech that presented strength and Biden’s vision. It’s unfortunate that Biden is not a great orator and frequently trips over his words, which the GOP shamelessly portrays as weakness. But that can’t be helped.
The glaring omission was probably a deliberate decision to avoid hammering the GOP on their flaccid fealty to Trump on Ukraine and other issues. Have we allowed them to turn on the dime from thinking Putin a “genius” to blaming the war on Biden’s weakness?
Well, I can understand Biden’s decision to take the high road on this last night. But somebody on a national scale besides MSNBC anchors needs to get down and dirty with them. The GOP is far from taking the high road. Looking at you, VP Harris!
Biden is Biden, and we knew who he was when we elected him. Is he great orator? No. Is he an effective speaker? Yes, because he is genuine, likable, and decent. And to be clear, he is a stutterer who must work harder than you and me to ensure a smooth word flow. If you listen to my nightly reading of the newsletter on audio, you will see that I trip over a dozen words each night--and I spoke for a living as a trial lawyer. It's not as easy as it looks, especially when the world is watching.
As a fellow trial lawyer, I certainly agree with you about that.
Go Biden, team and allies! The CivicCenter.org has postcard campaigns to young voters & turnoutpac.org/postcards has postcard campaigns to swing states.
thecivicscenter.org
Thanks Barbara!