The Ukraine War Exposes Continuing Biden Incompetence That will Compound Dems' Losses in November

   

   The war in Ukraine is far from over, and the outcome is unknowable at this point. The reports in the media so far emphasize the bravery and valor of the Ukrainian troops and people, in the face of Russian aggression that has crossed the line into war crimes territory. The EU and NATO have responded to this crisis as a serious wake-up call, with nations like Germany upending decades of energy policy. There has also been an unprecedented stiffening of the spine among those nations geographically closest to Russia. The US seemed to be on board with this uniting of the Western allies, for the first week or so. Pres. Biden, in his State of the Union speech, sounded triumphant, as if the tough new rhetoric alone had won the war already. It was the first of many political blunders he made in that speech.

   Unfortunately, Pres. Biden's bluster was just that, and in the face of it's first real test, Biden folded like a cheap suit. Apparently, Pres. Putin decided that he had nothing to lose by raising the stakes, and threatening a wider war with NATO. Talk of nuclear strikes and WWIII was almost certainly a bluff, but it certainly had some effect. The "no-fly zone" that Pres. Zelensky asked for was ruled out shortly, and then came the plan to give Ukraine some Russian MiG-29s that were in Poland's possession. Poland came up with a plan to transfer them to Germany, then to Ukraine. This would give NATO's largest European member buy-in, and give Russia pause in retaliating. The US seemed on board, with Sec. of State Blinken saying they were supportive, and working on resupplying Poland with new American fighters to replace the MiG's.

   I don't know anything about how it happened, but the Biden team nixed the deal, leaving our NATO partners, not to mention Sec'y Blinken high and dry, twisting in the wind. Again, I'm not privy to national security negotiations, but something had to be important enough to the Biden team for them to cave. If it was worries about Russia's reaction, as the WSJ reports, then they exposed themselves as not having the spine of nations much more directly threatened. If it was political, then they show an ineptitude that dwarfs the accusation of spinelessness. Of course, either option fits in with every other political policy move they've made since taking office, as in the worst possible decision.

   US political sentiment is overwhelmingly behind supporting Ukraine, across party lines, with some glaring exceptions. On the right, there have been some that seem to support treating Putin as another "friendly dictator" that we should have good relations with. Some even praise Putin for what they call his "anti-woke" cultural oppression. On the left, some see our support for Ukraine as an example of "white supremacy," because we weren't as outraged over similar Russian aggression in Syria, or other "non-white" nations. Those are both fringe positions that are fading fast into obscurity, thanks to geopolitical reality, and their basic ridiculousness. An honorable mention goes to John Kerry, whose opposition to the war is based on the amount of greenhouse gasses it will release. It's not clear if his statement was solely aimed at Putin, or at a robust military response to Putin's invasion by the West.

   The Kerry question leads to the bigger point: The Biden administration is not doing anything to face the long term causes or consequences of what's happening in Ukraine. Overall, they seem to just stumble from one policy blunder to another, and Ukraine is just the latest example of that characterization. What's worse is the ease with which they gaslight the public, claiming success in obvious failure, or placing blame on anyone else but themselves (their favorite targets being Pres. Trump, his supporters, the private sector, non-union workers, and public school parents who speak out). One might think that the Biden team welcomed Putin to invade Ukraine, just to blame the already surging gas prices on something other than their policies. Pres. Biden's comment about "a minor incursion" sounds different, in that context.

   Pres. Biden continues to prevaricate about more than just the issues surrounding the war in Ukraine. He continues to try selling the public a false bill of goods on so many issues. From race, with his illiberal "equity" agenda, which promotes the fraudulent "anti-racist" ideology, to his overbearing regulatory agenda, which is destroying free market decisions, in the name of the progressives' "anti-capitalist" ideology. These policies, and others, are working against everything that has made America the exceptional nation it has been for two centuries. Luckily, we can stop it, by exposing the bullcrap Pres. Biden is shoveling, such as this:

   "A group of four companies control the majority of meat processing in the US" (to paraphrase), Pres. Biden said, to explain why meat prices are soaring. That's funny, because that was also true for decades before he was elected, so why haven't meat prices been this high for years? Are they part of some conspiracy to sabotage his presidency, along with the oil companies, the timber industry, and every other "big business," except for big tech? This is why the "average Joe" voter sees through his "Average Joe" schtick. It's also why his poll numbers are crashing with almost all demographics. When he ran, he said some pretty presumptuous and disdainful things about African American voters, and a lot of them are listening to what he says now in that context.

   If I was an African American voter, I might resent being taken for granted by the Democrats. I might also take issue with their policies on crime and education. Exactly why are so many African Americans failing in school, and getting arrested, especially in cities run by Democrats (often African Americans themselves)? I'd also ask why do these officials seem to care about minority criminals, but not minority victims of crime?  In education, why do the bureaucrats seek to lower or eliminate standards and testing, rather than challenge teachers and children to succeed? I would be mad at these so-called "leaders," and not want to be associated with such sell-outs. What's worse is all of the local prosecutors who are letting violent criminals off from prosecution. One has to question their concern about all of the minority victims. All of their campaigns are being funded by George Soros, a major Democrat donor. Pres. Biden has never denounced this well-known phenomenon.

   The Democrats, as embodied by Pres. Biden, have embraced the furthest left-wing policies, and driven away much of their historically diverse base. Another group worth mentioning are Latinos, or as the left likes to call them, Latinx. For some reason, Democrats think that an "open borders" policy, in regard to illegal immigration, will garner more votes from citizens of that heritage. It has not. In fact, perhaps because it shows the same condescending attitude as his statements to African Americans, it has resulted in unprecedented numbers of Latinos registering as Republicans, especially in heavily Democrat counties in southern Texas. People don't like being stereotyped by their race, and I would be remiss if I didn't note that much of the progressive cultural agenda is opposed by a plurality of both Latinos and African Americans.

   I'd like to mention Asian-Americans as well, because they are really being caught in the progressive "meat-grinder," so to speak. Pres. Biden and the national Democrats like to say things like "Stop Asian Hate," but I don't see them supporting the Asian students that are being discriminated against in high schools and universities across the country. The Biden administration asked the Supreme Court to decline hearing a lawsuit against Harvard University alleging bias against Asian Americans. Can the Dems, and Biden be any more clear about how little they care? I might also point to other progressives, who say that Asian Americans are associated with "white supremacy," if you can believe it. It's called "white adjacent" in this article, but often, it's not so subtle. I'll go one step further, and say that the majority of the recent surge in hate crimes against Asians have been committed by members of other minority racial groups, not whites. Once you get into racial politics, it gets complicated, and Asian Americans don't fit neatly into Biden's "equity" agenda. 

   Meanwhile, Americans of all heritages are experiencing the punishing effects of inflation. Those of us who have a basic understanding of the economy know that oil and petroleum products are vital to most industries, especially farming. This war with Russia is going to push petroleum prices higher, and add to the cost of everything else, which means inflation. There is a group of policies that the US could do that would counter the Russian-Ukraine war's impact on inflation. For some reason, the House Democrats want to ban Russian oil, but not increase our output. The financial pain to the poor, and the middle class mean nothing to them. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigeig is telling people to buy electric cars, as if that's a sensible answer. This Biden crew is sounding like Marie Antoinette, and they're heading for the same political fate.

   If Pres. Biden keeps screwing up NATO and the West's response to the Ukraine war the way they've messed up every other policy, there may not be any Democrats left in office after November. Speaker Pelosi and Leader Schumer are already history, but they can still try to do something useful before the election. I hope they do, but they'll have to go against every progressive loud mouth that they've been kissing up to for the last few years. It's sad to say that while the Green party in Germany got right on board with switching to a realist agenda, but the US progressives still have their heads firmly in the sand, but maybe they really want to destroy America, and the free market capitalist system. 

   I have never seen a party so out of touch with the public, and not just the opposition and independents. They are driving away a significant part of their own base. To put it in perspective, my estimate is that more Democrats oppose Biden's progressive agenda than Republican's opposed Trump's agenda. We'll have to see the numbers after November, but I'm confident that Biden's ineptitude, combined with the cadre of extreme leftists that are guiding him will prove to be a larger political problem than the Russia collusion hoax, and all the stupid and obnoxious tweets were for Pres. Trump.

   There is no reason to think that the Biden team will change course. The State of the Union confirmed that. The American people have lost all faith and patience with the President and his party. Come November, the GOP should be looking at majorities in both houses of Congress, and they better have a plan. There have been several proposals, mostly modeled on Newt Gingrich's "Contract With America." That's a good place to start. Regardless of how large or small their majorities are, they will have to forcefully challenge this administration on every front. This is not just about smart politics, it's about promoting policies that will save this nation from the malaise Biden and the Democrats have ushered in.