The contrast between reality and facts and what the right wing media and extremist conspiracy theorists attempt to report as reality has always been visible. It gets worse when their favored politicians are not in office, and the obfuscation, distortion of truth and outright lying has been as bad as it ever was since Biden was overwhelmingly elected, legitimately and fairly drumming Trump into the ground in November of 2020. But Putin's threats against Ukraine, and the unprovoked and misguided attack that has been launched this week is putting an awful lot of pressure on the extremists in right wing media as people turn to more credible sources to get information, and as their reporting of unfolding events fails to match what is actually happening.
Their theme, since well before the 2020 election, was that Joe Biden suffers from dementia because of his age. They have a few, selective little clips of video here and there, edited and played out of context, to "prove" their claim. I have yet to see footage that shows Biden giving a long speech, stumbling over words, mispronouncing and misusing terminology, incoherently babbling and losing his train of thought with the pinched lips and blank stares like many of Trump's rally speeches, and several of his State of the Union addresses, but those are facts, and facts never deter the extremist right from their agenda.
The country is economically sound, unemployment is dropping like a stone in a well, trade and economic growth is up, recovery from COVID is happening on all fronts, and several major pieces of signature legislation have been passed even with resistance from a couple of Democratic senators playing the role of "maverick." Those are not signs of a bumbling, demented, incompetent Presidency. The US response to the Ukrainian crisis has been nothing short of remarkable in its organization, its effectiveness in unfying world opinion and in restoring the confidence of the free world in the United States and its leadership.
We have a real President who knows what he is doing and has the experience to do it right. Unlike his predecessor, he does not make himself the source of all authority and declare that he is "the only one" who can do something. He finds the best advisors and associates, those with experience, education and common sense, gives them a job and lets them do it. Gathering intelligence on what was happening, and then letting everyone know exactly what was happening was brilliant, and the fact that everything they were saying was accurate and trustworthy was a key factor in uniting NATO and the free world against an autocratic dictator's unprovoked and evil attack on an emerging democratic state.
And I see a few signs of frustration coming out of the extremists on the right. Even some of Trump's more dishonest advisors are trying to damp down his praise and adoration of Putin. Is being oblivious to reality a sign of dementia? If it is, Trump is demented because he doesn't seem to see what's been happening since Putin's attack on Ukraine. But then, this is a guy who still thinks he won the election and keeps saying so, and that's behavior which is a clear sign of insanity.
Some of his more obnoxious apologists have wisely decided to lay low and adopt a posture of silence being better than speaking out. A few others now seem to be regretting their previous words and are playing a game of "how far can I walk this back until I get caught?" Some of the establishment Republicans who obviously loathe Trump and wish he would go away and leave the party alone, like Mitch McConnell and the cringing sneak, Lindsey Graham, now wait to see which way the cat jumps before they open their pie hole. I don't think either of them care whether the United States is a democracy or an autocracy as long as they can keep their money, luxuries and their power.
I expect nothing to change in the extremist right wing media. These are people without a conscience or a soul. But I hope that some of their audience, and some of the politicians who frequently march to their drumbeat, actually do develop some sympathy for the Ukrainian people. They followed our example in building their nation, they wanted what we have when it comes to our freedom and our opportunities. They are having that taken away from them by a brutal dictator who doesn't want that forhis people and who is trying to destroy what they have because they happen to be right next door. We need to get on their side and support them in every way possible and that means leaving the politics in the dust.
One of the ways we can help others in the world who look up to our country and see the freedom we enjoy, the opportunities we have, and the rights for which we fight is to make sure we elect politicians who are committed to keeping our democracy strong. Those who are identifying themselves by their words of admiration and praise for Putin are telling us, in no uncertain terms, that they do not support American ideals and values, that they support someone who is committed to keeping his own people from freedom and to taking it away from his neighbors who also have it.
That is a point that needs to be driven home with clarity and resolve on election day, November 2022, in no uncertain terms.
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