President Biden Makes Republican Detractors Look Out of Touch With Reality

President Biden Calls Putin a War Criminal

There's something that comes out of the White House almost every day that blows holes in the GOP muttering about President Biden's age being a "diminishing factor," and that his approach to foreign policy, particularly with regard to Ukraine, is "weak."  

That's laughable and ridiculous, not only in light of their own record of support and praise of Vladimir Putin, and their chasing around after a genuinely "diminished by age," demented, insane former President 45, but in light of what is happening just about every day.  

Many of these duplicitous Republican wannabees had nothing but high praise for Reagan's bold bashing of Russian autocrats, particularly Mikhail Gorbachev.  Nor was Reagan all that kind to Gorbachev's predecessors, either.  President Biden hasn't minced any words about Putin, ever.  Not as Vice-President when he moved into the Donbas and into Crimea, and certainly not now.  This is a very calculated and edgy foreign policy move.  Putin has rattled the nuclear sabre and let that make up for the lack of military prowess his army has shown as it retreats, regroups or whatever you want to call it.  President Biden is pushing back, showing no fear of the threats and making a few of his own in the form of devastatingly accurate intelligence and the ability to make a few phone calls and further debilitate Russia's economy. 

Let's be very clear about the contrast between President Biden's approach and what would have taken place had FP45 been in charge.  Putin jumped into Ukraine before a NATO alliance plunged into uncertainty by the FP's deliberate cold shoulder and failed leadership could bring it into the alliance.  He attacked because FP's treatment of the NATO alliance and our allies created the uncertainty into which he could invade.  He knew FP45 was a real coward, interested only in his own bank account and possible future investments and deals in Russia and could care less about NATO, the EU, or Ukraine.  He knew that he had influenced the 2016 election and he got what he wanted out of our former President.  

I don't want to downplay the Ukrainian military or the Ukrainian population's efforts to save their country.  They would have fought this hard whether they had US and NATO support or not.  US intelligence, laid out deliberately and publicly well before the invasion, gave the Ukrainians their battle plan.  The US and its NATO allies have supplied all kinds of effective weaponry that wouldn't have been there had FP 45 been in the White House.  And there wouldn't have been any American sanctions, without which the European effort would not have succeeded.  

So here we are, with yet another major accomplishment for the Biden Administration happening at the beginning of the first week in April.  President Biden is making his Republican detractors, who keep parroting the same old tired themes, look really bad.    

Why This Christian Prefers Democrats Over Republicans

It is my personal preference to no longer identify as an "Evangelical Christian."  While I still am a member of a church that would probably be classified that way because of its theology and doctrine, and its worship style and ministry engagement, the term "Evangelical" is now used much more frequently in a political sense.  My political views would not be categorized as consistent with those that are identified with religious right wing politics.  So I prefer to be identified as "Christian" rather than "Evangelical Christian." 

I don't believe that a case can be made, philosophically, ideologically and especially spiritually, that links the practice of Christianity by Caucasian Americans to the political right.  In the Old Testament, the nation of Israel was a theocracy, believing themselves to be called and commissioned by God to reveal his existence and presence to the world.  But in the New Testament, the record of the "new covenant," Jesus clearly made some changes, noting "My kingdom is not of this world," and also making it quite clear that while the Jews expected a political "messiah" to restore the glory of their nation, Jesus was building a spiritual empire to focus on God's glory.  The Christian gospel took faith and belief in God out of a political realm and built a church on faith, not politics or military might.

"We're Right and Everyone Else is Wrong" 

The political involvement of Evangelicals has involved wrapping much of their doctrine around political perspectives, creating a position in which a rejection of a political point is considered rejection of the faith.  This is a completely false perspective, a complete corruption of the gospel of Jesus Christ itself, a heretical departure from Christian faith as it has been traditionally interpreted.  

Some of that is due to misinterpretation of the historical context of Old Testament passages that pertained to the theocratic government of Israel and their literal mis-application to the relationship between the Christian church and government.  And some of it is rooted in the general belief held by many Evangelicals that their particular brand of Christian faith is accurate, and that other branches of Christianity are in error.  It is very common among more conservative Evangelicals to reject other Christian groups who don't emphasize or share their particular "distinctives."  So, when a particular political perspective is linked or tied to a doctrinal or theological perspective, a difference of opinion is considered a rejection of truth.  

So much for freedom of conscience, huh?  

For example, while the common goal might be to slow down and reduce the number of abortions being performed each year in the United States, the only Evangelical perspective on this subject is to elect politicians who are committed to overturning Roe v. Wade.  Advocating for health care support among those living in poverty, and without much in the way of access to medical care, which occurred during the Obama administration, would not be considered the correct approach, even though the evidence is clear that those programs brought the actual number of abortions down considerably.  The same goal is achieved, but if the method doesn't agree with the overturning Roe perspective, it's considered wrong. 

Defending Constitutional Rights is More Than Just Defense of Religious Freedom

As a Christian, my conscience and lifestyle is influenced by my faith.  Being Christian is more than just a ticket into the pearly gates.  The very words of Jesus himself, recorded by the writers of the gospel, make it very clear that the essence of Christian faith and practice is tied directly to the way a Christian treats other people.  

Many Evangelical Christians condemn even their fellow Christians for lack of ageement on certain doctrinal and theological distinctives within its various sects.  Most conservative Evangelicals do not believe Catholics, Orthodox Christians or members of some branches of Mainline Protestantism are "Christian" and are rejected by God because their doctrine and practice differs significantly.  Some of the more conservative Baptists, Pentecostals and groups like the Churches of Christ, teach that God only recognizes their particular group as having authentic faith, while the others are "apostate," or have departed from true faith and therefore their members are blinded to the truth and will be sent to hell when they die.   

Among these conservative branches of Evangelicalism are some extreme "worldviews" in which the adherents believe that they are destined by God to bring truth and light to the world, and those who oppose them are the enemies of God.  So, even though we all live in a constitutional republic where individual rights are guaranteed, these people do not believe it is "God's will" for those they consider to be outside the faith to have rights at all.  They believe it is their mission and calling to take over the government and impose their religious views on society, extending individual rights only to those who profess the same faith as they do in the same way.  

It is that mentality, that "worldview," within the conservative side of Evangelicalism, that is dominating Republican party politics right now.  It has been given several labels, "Dominionism," "White Christian Nationalism," "Christian Fascism," but that's the prevalent Evangelical-political view in the GOP.  It's why they are able to hypocritically set aside Trump's immoral, worldly lifestyle and embrace his politics, uniting around him in a way that they won't unite around the teachings of Christ.  

It is a perspective that limits the protections of individual rights only to those deemed worthy by their adherence to a specific set of Christian doctrines.  It is belief in an extension of the prohibition of rights and privileges to those who don't share the same beliefs.  For example, there are many Evangelical churches and denominations on the more conservative side of that branch of Christianity that do not offer communion, or the Eucharist, to individuals who are not members of their own body.  So they also believe that the founding fathers actually reserved the protection of individual freedoms only for those who were of a particular racial, ethnic and religious background and did not intend for those rights to extend to other people, like native Americans, black slaves or immigrants who came from predominantly Catholic or Orthodox countries of Southern and Eastern Europe.  

Those restrictions have now extended, along the course of a social agenda within this particular philosophical and political group, to individuals whose personal lifestyle is not based on conservative Christian faith.  

That is neither true Christian faith and practice, nor is it true American idealism and patriotism.   And that's why I won't support Republican candidates for office who identify with this particular perspective.

There Are Risks With an Inclusive Worldview

As a Christian, I have a set of convictions and beliefs which govern my behavior and which affect the way I live my life.  Those convictions and beliefs are based on precepts which are found in the Biblical narrative, particularly the New Testament which was written mostly by the Apostles who were eyewitnesses to Jesus' teaching and preaching, and interpreted through centuries of church history.  Those texts have been interpreted and practices through centuries of Christian history by church leaders who had a major impact on the development of the church and spread of the gospel of Christ, the combination of which has produced a rich deposit of doctrine and theology for us in this century. 

The core values of Christian faith are found in a short narrative in Matthew's gospel at the beginning of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, chapter 5, verses 1 through 16.  These are not values that can be imposed by political edict.  They are taught by example and influence, as Jesus makes perfectly clear at the end of this narrative.  They are values which cannot be subdued or silenced even in the face of the most severe persecution, as the Christians in the Roman Empire of the first through third centuries demonstrated.  Because they must be adopted by conviction, they cannot be imposed without losing their character.  The history of the state-controlled church is one of the corruption of its mission and purpose, and its leadership and membership as it is used to achieve political ends that contradict its values.

The issue of the legality of abortion provides an excellent illustration of this point.  Christian doctrine relies on a few passages of the Bible which indicate that life begins at conception.  There is also a fairly clear teaching that the act of having a child is one that blesses a marriage union and should be considered with the serious nature of the responsibility that accompanies it.  So I believe that having a medical procedure performed which ends a pregnancy is morally wrong.  

There are several notable Democratic politicians who share a similar conviction, and that list includes former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, former Secretary of State and Democratic nominee Hillary Rodham Clinton, Senator Cory Booker, Senator Mark Kelly, Vice-President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden.  How do I know this?  I've read the comments they have made on this issue.  But they are all opposed to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and believe that the decision of whether or not to have an abortion does not belong to government, it belongs to the individual making it.  

That does not make them "baby killers," as the opposition likes to claim.  It simply means that they recognize that the belief that life begins at conception is exclusively a religious belief, rooted in the Christian conviction that there is enough Biblical evidence to confirm it.  And they recognize that one of the constitutional limitations on government is that it can make no law "respecting an establishment of religion."  Almost two thirds of Americans have, over the past three decades, expressed a different view.  

That does not prevent Christians from acting on their own convictions, nor does it stop them from finding ways to prevent abortions by expanding their evangelistic outreach or their ministry to those considering abortions because of circumstances beyond their control, mainly poverty.  In proportion to the amount of money and effort the conservative/political right spends on campaigning, the amount of resources they commit to actual ministry that would deal with the root cause of abortion, whether spiritually or physically, is a pittance.  Those few church and denominational ministries that do address the root problems find success.

On the other hand, when Democrats have tackled the issue of poverty, especially when it comes down to providing pre-natal care and economic stability for women who consider abortion because of their financial situation, the number of abortions performed in a year drop.  The most significant drops in abortion numbers since the Roe decision occurred during the Clinton and Obama Administrations, because of their women's health care and prevention initiatives.  Nothing, except an aversion to helping people in need, keeps the same thing from happening under Republican leadership.  

Social Issues Come From Cultural Issues

In the United States, we have always had a significant proportion of the population that is not Christian in its religious convictions.  Christianity has been a major influence in the formation of this country and throughout its history, and it continues to be so.  But in order for Christians to have the "free exercise of religion" the constitution must permit all other religious beliefs, and all of those who do not practice any religion, equal protection under law.  We have always had the adherents of different world religions present in this country from its earliest days, the only difference is that it has taken years of application of the law by the courts to recognize their religious freedom and define where the boundaries are located to avoid infringement on the rights of others.  

Christianity is free to compete in the marketplace of ideas without restriction, as is any other religious belief.  I believe trying to tilt the playing field in its own direction, using politics and government to give it an advantage, is counterproductive.  The Evangelical branch of American Protestantism is seeing sharp, rapid declines in church participation and membership as some of its more prominent leaders have ramped up their partisan political preferences and push and endorse candidates, especially those who do not reflect Christian values and convictions at all, like Donald Trump.  The largest, and one of the most exclusive, Evangelical denominations in the United States, the Southern Baptist Convention, has seen the number of conversions drop in half since 2016, and has lost more than two million of its members since then.  It has become embroiled in bitter, vicious controversy as some of its leadership abandon Christian values for more worldly interests at Trump's prompting.  

Supporting Democrats doesn't require party or political loyalty.  There's a bigger interest in helping people over helping millionaires, which is a Biblical value whether they admit it or not.  What Republicans falsely label as "socialism," Democrats consider helping people who need it.  And it's pretty clear that the Democrats are the party that supports representative democracy and the rule of law under the Constitution.  They didn't interfere with the peaceful transfer of power or try to pull a coup on January 6th.  There's plenty of room for my "worldview" and the convictional practice of my faith in a party that respects and believes in individual rights.  In the Evangelical-Political right, there's no tolerance for dissent or disagreement.

 

Just This Week...

The President, that's Joe Biden for clarification, announced the release of a million barrels of oil a day from the strategic oil reserves.  Normally, this would only be used to step up production if foreign oil sources are disrupted but apparently this President is serious about helping people and is looking for ways to reduce the price of gasoline until it comes back down on the global market.  It's doing that, but we have that American tendency to use news like this to make an extra buck.  

The President, yes, still Joe Biden, announced a drop in the unemployment numbers to their lowest point since the pandemic, 3.6%, and the private sector creation of 450,000 new jobs.  

The Democrats in the House, with very little actual Republican support, passed a bill that would cap the price of insulin at $35 a month.  It's higher in the US than almost anywhere else in the world, not because its scarce, but because diabetics don't have much hope of life without it.  Republicans once again side with the price gougers, but want to blame inflation on Biden completely.  

The President started the week out by not backing down from his statement during his speech in Warsaw.  Good for him.  

I think we picked the right guy for President in 2020.   

Evangelical Support for Trump is Not Consistent With Christian Doctrine

I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral persons--not at all meaning the immoral of this world, or the greedy and robbers, or idolaters, since you would then need to go out of the world.  But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother or sister who is sexually immoral, or greedy, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard or robber.  Do not even eat with such a one.  For what have I to do with judging those outside?  Is it not those who are inside that you need to judge?  God will judge those outside.  "Drive out the wicked person from among you".  I Corinthians 5:9-13, NRSV 

The political attraction of Donald Trump to conservative, Evangelical Christians is not all that hard to understand.  He tells them what they want to hear from him politically.  They have narrowed down their political interests to getting enough government favor to do their work for them when it comes to ending abortion and overturning the Roe v. Wade decision.  More recently, white supremacy has blended itself into the mix, along with opposition to equal rights for lesbian, gay and transgendered persons but all of their political eggs fall into the same basket. 

Trump's political interest is much different.  He pursued a clear path to reducing or eliminating altogether any tax obligation for the wealthiest Americans and laid the groundwork to stuff his own pockets, along with those of some of his billionaire buddies, with the resulting cash from our pockets.  In exchange for the votes he needed to get into office, he decided that he could change his position on a few social issues that he found personally meaningless.  

Support for Trump is Inconsistent with Biblical Doctrine

There is no basis in Christian theology for trading off support for a politician in exchange for political benefits.  The church, according to the Apostolic writers of the New Testament, neither needs nor desires political power to achieve its purpose.  The problem that is created when a political deal is made is that it changes the focus of the church from its spiritual mission, which is to glorify God and testify to the gospel message of Jesus, to one of having to support secular political positions that drain its resources and strangle its credibility.  

It is inconceivable that a group of Christians in the United States who claim their faith is closer to the genuine Christian church that Christ established because they belief in the inerrancy and infallibility of the Bible as the written word of God would turn to one of the most worldly, corrupt public figures in the world as the candidate they would support for President of the United States.  For most white Evangelicals--pardon the pun--political influence trumps Biblical doctrine and theology and they are willing to set aside their strict hermeneutical principles to twist a few select scripture references out of their context to justify the unjustifiable practice of endorsing a secular politician.

Trump built his public reputation on the kind of worldly debauchery and immorality that the Apostle Paul was condemning in the passage I cited at the beginning from his first letter to the Christian church at Corinth.  Trump went to great lengths to make sure the world knew about his marital unfaithfulness, including who some of his famous partners were.  The dishonesty of his financial business is off the charts, and he made a lot of his money on casinos and strip clubs, and still does.  

There are those who say that this passage doesn't apply to their support for Trump, because it is a condemnation of those who are sexually immoral inside the church, not of outsiders.  But that argument doesn't hold water here.  Trump was brought inside, accepted and endorsed by many self-proclaimed Evangelical "leaders."  Some of them have been his most ardent apologists and defenders, even though he has never claimed to have had a conversion experience.  Evangelicals have made him theirs.  Now, they have to own him.  And if they have endorse him, and encouraged their followers to vote for him, then they are guilty of disobedience to this Biblical directive.

They Have Much in Common

For such boasters are false prophets, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.  And no wonder!  Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.  So it is not strange if his ministers also disguise themselves as ministers of righteousness.  Their end will match their deeds.  2 Corinthians 11:13-15, NRSV

Right smack in the middle of the Trump administration, one of his most ardent and loyal supporters, Jerry Falwell, Jr., the heir to the Falwell empire that included the presidency of Liberty University, was caught in a major sex scandal that came to light after some questionable photos of Falwell, with another woman not his wife, turned up.  That led to revelations of an adulterous affair involving one of their younger employees and Falwell's wife.  Falwell himself made the arrangements, and apparently took photographs.  

The list of prominent, well-known Evangelical pastors and evangelists who have had to step down and admit to adulterous affairs over the past four years is an indication that these scripture passages not only apply to the church in Corinth, but to Evangelical Christians in 21st century America.  This includes very prominent individuals like Ravi Zacharias, Bill Hybels of Willow Creek Church in metro Chicago, and Frank Page, former executive director of the Southern Baptist Convention, along with Falwell.  There is also a long list of financial misdeeds, mishandling of abuse and rape accusations in churches and ministries.  There's a link on the side of the blog to Julie Roys, who regularly reports on such scandals and issues among Evangelicals, and you can read plenty. 

Birds of a feather, hey? 

Trump Junior Claims the Bible is a Manual for Suckers and Losers

Bush Speechwriter Slams Trump Jr. for Saying the Bible is a "Manual for Suckers and Losers"

When they go on the record, it is very hard to deny that the "left wing media" is doing this to them.  

Trump Junior told a group gathered at a Turning Point USA rally in Arizona that following the teachings of Jesus, when it comes to loving your enemies or turning the other cheek, causes Christians to be excluded from positions of power in social and cultural institutions.  

"We've turned the other cheek and I understand, sort of, the biblical reference, I understand the mentality," he said.  "But it's gotten us nothing. OK?"  

Sorry to let reality break in on the fantasy world that Trumpies generally live in, but denying a core teaching of Jesus, and replacing it with a worldly principle learned by aggressive, vengeful politics, is not Christian.  It is what the Bible refers to as "anti-Christ."  

Spiritual Questions Are Not Answered by Politics

Am I now seeking human approval , or God's approval?  Or am I trying to please people?  If I were still pleasing people, I would not be a servant of Christ.  Galatians 1:10, NRSV

There are many sincere Christian believers who have been deceived by this whole charade.  It is to those people that I am writing.  The church does not need political affiliations to accomplish its mission and purpose.  Jesus put this in simple terms, saying that Christians are to be like salt and light (Matthew 5:13-14).  They are to be an influence and a presence.  Christian practice cannot be mandated by law, it must be accepted and practiced by belief and conviction.  

Salt enhances the flavor of food, especially when it is used in cooking or baking.  Light makes it possible to see, driving away the darkness and illuminating the surroundings.  That's how Christian faith is supposed to work.  Those who are sincere believers, who practice its ethics and morals and believe in the abundant fulfillment of this life that it brings, in addition to eternity, become encouragers and influencers.  I believe that one of the reasons Evangelical Christianity is in a steep decline in terms of membership and participation in this country is that it has depended on its political influence and the influence of its numbers, and it has failed to show itself as a faith that brings about abundant fulfillment because of the relationship it creates between God and human beings.  

Most of these church scandals happened during the previous four-year administration when the relationship between white Evangelicals and the Republican religious right wing tightened up.  Well, why turn to God and to Christian ethics and morals when turning to the world gets you all the influence and power than you've been craving?  It's not an accident, either, that membership and attendance in white, Evangelical congregations in the United States has dropped by 18% during the same period of time.  

 

Time to Capitalize on the Politics of the Day

The midterm elections are not that far off.  I've determined that there are circumstances that are beyond my control and I'm not going to waste my time worrying about them.  There are people who, no matter what kind of leadership comes from the President, are determined to be oppositional.  Thanks to the extreme right wing media imitators of the likes of Rush Limbaugh, the principles that make a democracy work--things like negotiation, compromise, give and take, and independent thinking--have disappeared.  They've been replaced by hatred, mindless loyalty, "alternative facts" which is just a nice way of saying outright lying, and unjustified disrespect for people who hold different opinions and beliefs.  

But, those kinds of people, whom former Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called "deplorables," are a definite minority of the population.  Their minds can't be changed, and that's the "base."  There are plenty of people in all of the conservative constituencies who do think for themselves most of the time, who are not driven by hatred or mindless loyalty, who are discerning when it comes to "alternative facts" and who see that democracy thrives on the give-and-take that is required for government to work.  Enough of them were horrified by the actions and words of former President 45 to step back and help President Biden get 80 million votes and win the White House.  

I'm convinced that there are enough of those kinds of people, who aren't on that hard right, to take the present circumstances into consideration before they cast their ballots in 2022, and realize that they can't put the Republicans back in charge.  I like to say this is an election that can be won "on the margins."  Eighty million people cast ballots for Joe Biden in 2020, many of them Republicans and conservative independents who were objective enough to be concerned about the incompetence and corruption they'd seen.  January 6th just confirmed, for many of them, that they made the right choice.  

The "politics of the day" are in our favor and I am committed to doing everything I am able to do to help as many Democrats win elections in 2022 as I can.  First, I contribute regularly to the DNC and leave the contribution open to be used wherever they see the most need.  Second, I will use this blog, which gets anywhere from 1,300 to 2,500 hits every month, to promote Democrats running for office and encouraging people to turn out and vote for Democratic candidates.  Third, I already volunteer to make phone calls and help increase voter turnout in one of those "marginal" congressional districts across the state line.  My district, area and state are so blue, you can see the glow in the sky at night. 

So where can we capitalize and what are the issues that are lining things up for Democrats? 

• President Biden's foreign policy has been absolutely outstanding.  The intelligence provided about the attack on Ukraine was right on target, and broadcasting the exact information beforehand was a brilliant strategy that helped the US gain back all the trust that had been lost as a result of Trump's incompetence.  The sanctions are waging an even more effective war against Russia than Ukraine is at the moment.  And while the best news here would be that the Russians withdraw and leave Ukraine to develop into a prosperous European democracy, this  is something that can be used to turn voters out on those margins.  
• There is nothing more I can say about all of the gifts that January 6th keeps giving.  Prosecution of the cases by the justice department in the courts has the potential to eliminate a lot of potential Republican candidates for office, too late to replace or do anything about.  And having all of those crimes right back in front of the voters just in time for the election will be good for Democratic turnout. 
• The economy is booming, unemployment is dwindling, the economy is booming, unemployment is dwindling.  Yeah, there's inflation right now but we can see it starting to resolve as production ramps back up and things get back into place after the pandemic. 
• The infrastructure bill is already starting to produce results.  Even in conservative states, politicians are enjoying finding ways to spend that money.  I've never understood conservative attitudes toward tax dollars, this is our money and spending it on us benefits everyone, including private business.  
• The social issue harping about Critical Race Theory and all of the conspiracy theory garbage is base motivation for far right wing Republicans, but polling data shows that most of that agenda doesn't connect with about 70% of the electorate.  So what does it take to get those 70% to the polls to vote against the politicians who push it?

There are multiple other political issues that should turn voters on the margins toward the left.  There was a major student loan forgiveness that recently occurred, where is the allegedly "left sided" press on that one?  

Turnout wins elections, especially mid-terms and the politics are such that there is plenty for Democrats and Independents that should motivate enough turnout to keep control of Congress and keep moving back toward the liberty provided by our constitutional democracy.  The other side has nothing to offer except obstruction.  I'm going to work hard to make sure Democrats win big in 2022.  

Please join me.  If you read the Signal Press you will find that the themes of the posts here will be dedicated to factual commentary that promotes the candidacy of Democrats running for office at every level.  I'm just an independent blogger, so you can help when you find something here that may be useful in keeping people informed, post a link so that others can see it and we can spread the word.  The major themes will focus on the Biden Administration's achievements and the significant events of the President and Vice-President, their foreign policy, protection of the constitution and representative democracy, the booming economy, the Supreme Court nomination, the January 6th commission including pointing out the corrupt Republicans who were involved in the Trump Insurrection, arguments which are aimed at turning Evangelical and conservative Christians toward Democrats and away from the corrupt GOP, and debunking all of the social issue myths and misconceptions of the GOP and Evangelicals.  Here's the link.  The Signal Press

You will never see, on this blog, a statement conceding that "the party in power always loses seats in the midterm."  I'm committed to doing my part to change that.  

I also volunteer to help register Democratic voters in a marginal district across the state line in a battleground state, and I contribute as much as I can afford every month.  I will do whatever I can to secure a Democratic majority in Congress and to keep this administration moving forward and making progress.  Let's make a difference!

Not Walking Back: Real Presidential Leadership from a Real President

Sometimes it seems like the media in this country sounds like a bunch of chattering magpies.   They all use the same terminology, the same themes, and report the same news without much variation.  

After the President's Warsaw speech, in which he inserted nine words and made a clear, firm statement that expressed exactly how he feels about what Vladimir Putin is doing to Ukraine, the media terminology started to come out.  I heard "walking back" to describe Secretary of State Blinken's remarks attempting to explain exactly what President Biden meant by the remarks and I heard the word "gaffe" applied to the President's words themselves. 

Baloney. 

On MSNBC's Morning Joe program yesterday (3/29) Joe Scarborough really did a great job of putting the whole statement in its perspective.  He was one of a few journalists who took the President's remarks at face value.  Well, Scarborough has been around long enough, has enough experience and knows how bi-partisan politics work.  He's also been around for most of Joe Biden's career in politics and he knows him, who he is, how he operates, what he thinks.  And he thinks President Biden didn't mince any words in expressing himself.  

It was not a gaffe, certainly not one of the kind of "off the top of his head" remarks that Trump came up with every time he held a microphone in his hand, making himself look confused, contradicting what he'd said before and demonstrating his ignorance.  Nor was it the first time, looking back, as Scarborough pointed out, that a President of the United States has talked tough to Russia, or about Russia.  The President was sending a message.  And you can bet it was clearly received.  There's no need for anyone to try to walk this back and the President has made that very clear.  

So much for Republican talking points about this President being "weak."  

No NATO Alliance Without President Biden's Leadership

The support that President Biden has rebuilt among our NATO allies is the result of his years of experience in foreign policy, his grasp of the way things are right now, especially with Russia and Putin, and his reputation for his past work that the leaders of NATO countries have either seen first-hand, or know by reputation.  The involvement of the United States was crucial to getting sanctions at a level that has crippled and devastated the Russian economy in just a month.  The President's Warsaw speech, on top of everything else he has done, is the icing on the cake.  Those nine words say an awful lot, not only about how the President feels about what's happening, but they also put Republican criticism of his "weakness" in the trash bin.  This is neither a weak President, nor a demented one.  

And the same cannot be said about his predecessor.  

If Trump had remained in office, there would be no sanctions.  He wanted to throw out the ones that were in place from Putin's invasion of the Donbas and Crimea, but was prevented from doing so by constitutional limits on his powers.  The Europeans, who are much closer to the Russian threat than the United States, would very likely have gone ahead with sanctions of their own, but without the power of the world's largest economy behind them, would have not had anywhere near the devastating effect that they have produced.  Pulling this alliance back together is a critical move in preserving liberty and representative democracy in the world, and Trump wasn't interested in doing that at all.  The question wouldn't be one of Ukrainian resistance and survival, it would have been which Eastern European democracy was Putin going to destroy next.  

Putin Must Still Be Defeated in America

I haven't heard any of the media talking heads actually ask a Ukrainian, especially one of the refugees, what they think about the seditious Trump insurrection of January 6, 2021.  The answer might prove to be too embarrassing, especially with the images of the destruction occurring in Kharkiv, Kiyv, Mariupol, and other Ukrainian towns and cities.  Americans, who live in liberty, trying to subvert their own constitution and fighting against the votes and the will of the people, would not make sense to most Ukrainians, many of whom still remember what life was like under the Soviet Union.  

Putin's fingerprints were all over that January 6th Trump insurrection.  That violent insurrectionist mob was fighting against everything that the Ukrainians are now fighting for.  Maybe seeing the images of Ukraine's ruined cities, and the refugees flooding into Eastern Europe will get not only Democrats, but all Americans moving to make sure that everyone who was associated with the planning and conducting of that Trump insurrection is brought to justice.  We can't afford to be apathetic or indifferent, or afraid of the inflated balloon of "political consequences."  We're providing weapons and money to help the Ukrainians get Putin out of their country.  We need to provide the incentive and put the pressure on our politicians to get him out of ours.  

President Biden was right.

The "Freedom Convoy" Falls Apart; Accomplishes Nothing

https://www.politicususa.com/2022/03/27/dc-trucker-convoy-falls-apart-as-their-leader-runs-away.html

Here's a key quote from the article:

"The group has no leadership, no goal, and no plan for an actual protest.  They are a group of angry Trump supporters hanging out and marinating their resentments. The truckers should realize they have the freedom to go home. They have accomplished nothing but peeing themselves, assaulting bikers and driving in circles.

The protest that the Republicans thought would mobilize voter anger at Democrats and give them momentum heading into the midterms has been a dud." 

Peeing their pants?  Yep.  As you read that Politics USA article, click those links for explanations.  The tweets are very entertaining.  I think, in much of the rhetoric coming from the tweets and other social media comments of those involved, and some of their supporters, you can see exactly why the protest failed.  Ignorance reigns supreme among this group.  Driving in circles around the Capitol Beltway has not yet achieved their goal, whatever it was.  The numbers of truckers and vehicles necessary to achieve their goal, whatever it was, never materialized and now many of them, including the leader, are leaving.

They got the idea from the Canadian truckers who clogged up downtown Ottawa for a while and made a nuisance of themselves.  Of course, their protest did nothing except make a lot of people in Ottawa angry.  It did not get a single COVID mandate repealed.  It made Canada's Prime Minister even more popular, and conservatives less so.  

And politically, as the Politics USA article says, this has been "a dud."  I think there are several reasons for this.  First of all, the main reason given for this whole convoy idea was to protest COVID mandates.  Almost all of the mandates are from states, not the federal government, so trying to make that kind of change by clogging up traffic in Washington, DC is pointless.  None of them are permanent.  They are all aimed at reducing the death rate and the infection rates of a pandemic and as they have succeeded in doing so--and their success can't be denied factually and scientifically--and as the pandemic wanes, the mandates have been lifted.  Why protest something that has been successful and isn't in effect any more?  Unless you are too ignorant to understand how that works.  

But I think another reason is that there really aren't all that many people who think the mandates regarding COVID are all that bad.  Over 70% of the population has been vaccinated.  Most people realize that the rapid distribution of vaccinations has been one of the biggest mitigating factors in reducing the COVID pandemic in this country and elsewhere, and the scientific evidence proving the effectiveness of mask mandates is overwhelming.  All of the resistance and opposition was just Trumpian nonsense, and frankly, there aren't as many of those kinds of people around as he, or his supporters, want you to think. 

The venue they chose wasn't exactly prime country for an extremist right wing Trumpie rallying point either.  Even rural areas of Maryland are predominantly Democratic, and so are the counties of Northern Virginia.  In the city of Washington, the only Republicans are people from outside the city who live there and work for Republican legislators or think tanks or the GOP.  The city is overwhelmingly Democrat, and not just the African American population.  Maybe, in a place like Dothan, Alabama or Traveler's Rest, South Carolina, people might line the overpasses and cheer the Freedom Convoy on, but the few scattered supporters around the beltway got bored after just a couple of days of seeing trucks driving under, but not much of a protest or a traffic jam or a nuisance. 

A Mid-Term Rallying Point

If this was a rallying point for Republicans going into the mid-terms, then I wish for them the same level of enthusiasm and success as this trucker rally generated.  

Griping about "tyranny" and hollering about "freedom" while a million of their fellow Americans have died in just two years from this deadly virus is callous and uncaring, selfish and ignorant.  Continuing to gripe while real tyranny is forced on the Ukrainian people is even more of the same.  Is this what Trumpism stands for?  Then those of us who have committed to rooting it out by voting it out are doing the right thing. 

I would like for one of these anti-vax, anti-mask protesters to point to one constitutional right of theirs that has been interferred with as a result of COVID restrictions.  And if you're vaccinated for polio, or measles, or small pox, you have no argument. 

I'm one of those who holds the opinion that the Democrats are going to reverse the trend and actually gain seats in both houses during the mid-terms.  Yes, the President's job approval rating is still a shade south of 50%, but the Republicans are clearly running on all of this Trumpie social garbage, and none of it has anywhere close to 50% support. And if they're going to run on Trumpie social garbage, then it is worth noting that Trump's unfavorable number is a solid 65%.  Run on that, then, and see how that works out for you.