The most recent polls show that most Americans still support Ukraine and deem Putin as evil, all-the-while Trump’s pixie-dust has blurred the vision and changed the minds of people like Marco Rubio and Lindsay Graham who were once staunch supporters of Ukraine. I’ve been protesting at many rallies in DC, but when it comes to foreign policy, it really seems like Trump and his acolytes are holding all the cards. Can our protests make a difference in foreign policy? Zelensky is a world hero as far as I’m concerned, - and the question seems to be whether or not Zelensky can recruit enough support from Europe and other countries to win this war WITHOUT U.S. support? He SHOULD be admitted to NATO but with Trump in office, that will most likely not happen now.
Both foreign and domestic affairs will suffer immensely in the time before Trump vacates the office. The inner and outer circles around him likely will continue to capitulate, but if there are enough Republicans who finally cross the isle for the sake of democracy, he will be gone in short order.
Regarding Republicans crossing the isle for the sake of democracy, I'm not holding my breathe. There's something wrong with the Republican Party... and it can be summed up with one word: Power.
As long as they think they can remain in office, they will not cross Trump. And thanks to gerrymandering, GOP Congresspeople feel safe. And I know of no GOP Senators who are in trouble come the next election either. Please correct me if I'm wrong about their sense of job security.
This sentence of yours is very key: “As long as they think they can remain in office, they will not cross Trump.” I totally agree. That’s where relentless pressure from we the people comes in. We must be more feared than Dumpster.
Don't kid yourself that Rubio or Graham are blinded by the pixie dust. They know what Trump is and have clearly articulated this in the past. They are just sellouts, period.
So, Mr. Art of the Deal is a lousy negotiator, what a surprise.
It’s all of a piece, really. Selling Ukraine and the US down the river to suck up to his boss, Vladimir.
Why else would our Manchurian Candidate president come into office and methodically dismember the entire US government, its soft and power, and those parts of civil society that give America its world stature. Even or especially those parts that advance the wellbeing of the citizens he claims to represent.
His actions do not benefit the country he supposedly represents. But it all makes sense when you realize Trump is working for Putin who wants to bring America to its knees.
Trump’s betrayal of Ukraine only makes obvious what is already apparent.
Trump is a fake President. Yes, he was elected all based on now obvious lies. He took a sacred oath to our Constition, knowing he lied, and has repeatedly broken that oath, and doesn’t care. Not about anyone in America, or anything we stand for in the world. He has shown his true colors over & over again. Hopefully the courts will stop him and help get him & his unqualified minions out of office ASAP.
Nadine, I experience Trump as incapable of sincerity...always having a duplicity of motives that require gaslighting one or both sides of any stance he's taking. In this case, my guess is that he wants to appear to be a tough guy, speaking forcefully about "peace." He puts on a show because, on the one hand, he longs to be seen as a good person, worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize. But on the other hand, he's trying to give Putin, his idealized father-figure, what Putin wants...for Zelenskyy to surrender parts or all of Ukraine so Putin can regain the feeling of being at the head of a Russian empire. Putin knows to ignore whatever Trump says in public because it's all fake...just for show.
Thanks, Ruth! Friends— there is something you can do to protect democracy, and you can do it from ANYWHERE. Judge Allison Riggs (D) was elected to the NC Supreme Court this fall. Her opponent is trying to overturn the election results by throwing out thousands of votes. Get updated by Judge Rigg at this virtual meeting. Find out what YOU can do to make sure these folks’ votes count. Here’s sign-up info:
I was relieved and happy to hear Ruth, Democrat Ben Rhodes, and ex-Ambassador Michael McFaul, on Nicolle Wallace's program today, each affirming that one can't understand Trump's behavior unless one understands that Trump has never functioned to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the U.S. of America. From the moment he implored, "Russia, if you're listening..." he demonstrated his fealty to Putin. But millions of Americans, including those in the media, haven't seen it, haven't wanted to see it, or have no way of explaining it so the fact that Trump treats Putin like a powerful father whom he wants to please and dares not criticize, goes barely mentioned except by Nicolle Wallace, some of her guests like Ruth, and a few other intrepid souls in the media.
Ruth made a particularly important point today when she reminded the audience that when autocrats speak of "peace," they only ever mean that there'll be 'peace' when the other side surrenders, and the other side's refusal to surrender is what is preventing 'peace' from happening.
Trump gives Russian president Vladimir Putin everything he wanted - Heather Cox Richardson
Trump Shows His Hand as a Putin Partner - Ruth Ben-Ghia
Ukraine in maps: Tracking the war with Russia - BBC
Donald Trump Has 'Obligations' to Those Who Brought Him to Power - Newsweek
What areas do the Russians occupy? What atrocities have Russian forces committed in Ukraine? Follow the Putin - Trump collusion? Who are Putin's operatives, oligarchs and Republican cheerleaders? Check this StoryMap and decide Putin's likely end goal for yourself ?
What's coming into focus for me as I read all of these jaw-dropping stories and your insights about autocrats is this: They are so far from the norm of human behavior and motivation that typical people, who tend to ascribe to others what they themselves would think and do, don't really 'get it' about them. And this makes us vulnerable via a kind of paralysis, like a mouse facing a snake. Nah, he wouldn't swallow me, would he? Keep putting the truth out there, Ruth. We're learning some uncomfortable, but so, so necessary facts from your analysis.
As I seek to understand the primal motives in the battle we are fighting I find clarity in Jesus’ explanation in his extended metaphors of the good shepherd in John 10. He says the enemy of the sheep comes”to steal, kill, and destroy.” The self -consumed autocrat wants to blot out the image of God revealed in every human being while ironically obliterating it in themselves. By contrast Jesus says he came to give full life—by voluntarily giving up his own life. Sadly this core of the gospel has been worn thin through eons of hollow words without action.
But Ruth, what do you make of Jeffrey Sachs’ analysis that Biden’s proposal to admit Ukraine into NATO first of all violated our promise to Russia that NATO would not be extended farther East, and that Putin felt seriously threatened by a NATO member on its border? While there’s no justification for an aggressive or “preventive” war,
Back in 2008 I visited Sochi, Russia, a very depressing resort town, immediately followed by a visit to Sevastopol, Ukraine. The difference was hard to miss. Sevastopol was a much more pleasant place. I did not find out until Putin's war, that the residents of Crimea were of Russian heritage. It was clear to me that Ukraine was a much better place to live. It strikes me that apart from his wanting to recreate the Soviet empire, Putin doesn't want any Russians to live where they can be happy. Autocratic ambitions aside, I'm not surprised about trump's definition of peace. He knows nothing about anything positive. IMO.
The most recent polls show that most Americans still support Ukraine and deem Putin as evil, all-the-while Trump’s pixie-dust has blurred the vision and changed the minds of people like Marco Rubio and Lindsay Graham who were once staunch supporters of Ukraine. I’ve been protesting at many rallies in DC, but when it comes to foreign policy, it really seems like Trump and his acolytes are holding all the cards. Can our protests make a difference in foreign policy? Zelensky is a world hero as far as I’m concerned, - and the question seems to be whether or not Zelensky can recruit enough support from Europe and other countries to win this war WITHOUT U.S. support? He SHOULD be admitted to NATO but with Trump in office, that will most likely not happen now.
Both foreign and domestic affairs will suffer immensely in the time before Trump vacates the office. The inner and outer circles around him likely will continue to capitulate, but if there are enough Republicans who finally cross the isle for the sake of democracy, he will be gone in short order.
Regarding Republicans crossing the isle for the sake of democracy, I'm not holding my breathe. There's something wrong with the Republican Party... and it can be summed up with one word: Power.
As long as they think they can remain in office, they will not cross Trump. And thanks to gerrymandering, GOP Congresspeople feel safe. And I know of no GOP Senators who are in trouble come the next election either. Please correct me if I'm wrong about their sense of job security.
This sentence of yours is very key: “As long as they think they can remain in office, they will not cross Trump.” I totally agree. That’s where relentless pressure from we the people comes in. We must be more feared than Dumpster.
Maybe Thom Tillis.
Don't kid yourself that Rubio or Graham are blinded by the pixie dust. They know what Trump is and have clearly articulated this in the past. They are just sellouts, period.
Two infographics that illustrate your points:
Putin’s payday: Trump sells out America, and America.
Follow the collusion and money with these interactive maps. What is kompromat?
https://thedemlabs.org/2025/02/18/putins-payday-trump-sells-out-america/
Trump tariffs the world but exempts Putin’s Russia: Follow the collusion timeline
https://thedemlabs.org/2025/04/05/trump-tariffs-the-world-but-exempts-putins-russia-follow-the-collusion-timeline/
Putin’s Puppet Performs: Follow the collusion timeline
https://thedemlabs.org/2025/02/28/trump-putin-collusion-russia-ukraine-volodymyr-zelenskyy/
Exactly! Thanks.
So, Mr. Art of the Deal is a lousy negotiator, what a surprise.
It’s all of a piece, really. Selling Ukraine and the US down the river to suck up to his boss, Vladimir.
Why else would our Manchurian Candidate president come into office and methodically dismember the entire US government, its soft and power, and those parts of civil society that give America its world stature. Even or especially those parts that advance the wellbeing of the citizens he claims to represent.
His actions do not benefit the country he supposedly represents. But it all makes sense when you realize Trump is working for Putin who wants to bring America to its knees.
Trump’s betrayal of Ukraine only makes obvious what is already apparent.
.
trump only looks to benefit trump. He cares not one whit about the rest of the country. Everything he does is designed to get him what he wants.
Our two perspectives are not mutually exclusive.
I agree.
💯🎯
Trump is a fake President. Yes, he was elected all based on now obvious lies. He took a sacred oath to our Constition, knowing he lied, and has repeatedly broken that oath, and doesn’t care. Not about anyone in America, or anything we stand for in the world. He has shown his true colors over & over again. Hopefully the courts will stop him and help get him & his unqualified minions out of office ASAP.
What to make of "Vladimir, STOP!"?
Nadine, I experience Trump as incapable of sincerity...always having a duplicity of motives that require gaslighting one or both sides of any stance he's taking. In this case, my guess is that he wants to appear to be a tough guy, speaking forcefully about "peace." He puts on a show because, on the one hand, he longs to be seen as a good person, worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize. But on the other hand, he's trying to give Putin, his idealized father-figure, what Putin wants...for Zelenskyy to surrender parts or all of Ukraine so Putin can regain the feeling of being at the head of a Russian empire. Putin knows to ignore whatever Trump says in public because it's all fake...just for show.
Very likely. Thank you!
Thanks, Ruth! Friends— there is something you can do to protect democracy, and you can do it from ANYWHERE. Judge Allison Riggs (D) was elected to the NC Supreme Court this fall. Her opponent is trying to overturn the election results by throwing out thousands of votes. Get updated by Judge Rigg at this virtual meeting. Find out what YOU can do to make sure these folks’ votes count. Here’s sign-up info:
DATE/TIME: Fri 4/25 (TODAY) 5:30 pm EDT
LINK TO SIGN UP: https://mobilize.us/s/IP85Lx/a
Here's a brilliant analysis of the state of the "Ukraine peace plan" Trump is pushing (as Putin continues to attack). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iawCUxRFjx8
I was relieved and happy to hear Ruth, Democrat Ben Rhodes, and ex-Ambassador Michael McFaul, on Nicolle Wallace's program today, each affirming that one can't understand Trump's behavior unless one understands that Trump has never functioned to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the U.S. of America. From the moment he implored, "Russia, if you're listening..." he demonstrated his fealty to Putin. But millions of Americans, including those in the media, haven't seen it, haven't wanted to see it, or have no way of explaining it so the fact that Trump treats Putin like a powerful father whom he wants to please and dares not criticize, goes barely mentioned except by Nicolle Wallace, some of her guests like Ruth, and a few other intrepid souls in the media.
Ruth made a particularly important point today when she reminded the audience that when autocrats speak of "peace," they only ever mean that there'll be 'peace' when the other side surrenders, and the other side's refusal to surrender is what is preventing 'peace' from happening.
Mapping Trump’s Plan to Sell Out Ukraine and America to Putin
https://thedemlabs.org/2025/04/24/trump-plan-to-sell-out-ukraine-and-america-to-putin-collusion-timeline/
This StoryMap includes details from:
Trump gives Russian president Vladimir Putin everything he wanted - Heather Cox Richardson
Trump Shows His Hand as a Putin Partner - Ruth Ben-Ghia
Ukraine in maps: Tracking the war with Russia - BBC
Donald Trump Has 'Obligations' to Those Who Brought Him to Power - Newsweek
What areas do the Russians occupy? What atrocities have Russian forces committed in Ukraine? Follow the Putin - Trump collusion? Who are Putin's operatives, oligarchs and Republican cheerleaders? Check this StoryMap and decide Putin's likely end goal for yourself ?
What's coming into focus for me as I read all of these jaw-dropping stories and your insights about autocrats is this: They are so far from the norm of human behavior and motivation that typical people, who tend to ascribe to others what they themselves would think and do, don't really 'get it' about them. And this makes us vulnerable via a kind of paralysis, like a mouse facing a snake. Nah, he wouldn't swallow me, would he? Keep putting the truth out there, Ruth. We're learning some uncomfortable, but so, so necessary facts from your analysis.
As I seek to understand the primal motives in the battle we are fighting I find clarity in Jesus’ explanation in his extended metaphors of the good shepherd in John 10. He says the enemy of the sheep comes”to steal, kill, and destroy.” The self -consumed autocrat wants to blot out the image of God revealed in every human being while ironically obliterating it in themselves. By contrast Jesus says he came to give full life—by voluntarily giving up his own life. Sadly this core of the gospel has been worn thin through eons of hollow words without action.
But Ruth, what do you make of Jeffrey Sachs’ analysis that Biden’s proposal to admit Ukraine into NATO first of all violated our promise to Russia that NATO would not be extended farther East, and that Putin felt seriously threatened by a NATO member on its border? While there’s no justification for an aggressive or “preventive” war,
Sachs felt that this was a needless and foolish provocation of an autocrat!
i fbbvcxc. ?,?
Back in 2008 I visited Sochi, Russia, a very depressing resort town, immediately followed by a visit to Sevastopol, Ukraine. The difference was hard to miss. Sevastopol was a much more pleasant place. I did not find out until Putin's war, that the residents of Crimea were of Russian heritage. It was clear to me that Ukraine was a much better place to live. It strikes me that apart from his wanting to recreate the Soviet empire, Putin doesn't want any Russians to live where they can be happy. Autocratic ambitions aside, I'm not surprised about trump's definition of peace. He knows nothing about anything positive. IMO.