What Putin wanted most was a weakened America pitted against itself so it was neutralized in its ability to combat Russian aggression abroad. He saw Trump as his way to achieve this as well as a compromised @GOP that hacking their headquarters allowed him to finalize control over
And look at how successful he was; he tore us apart. He understood that a United America could never be defeated. But through Trump, the GOP, and the right wing echo chamber of disinformation and propaganda he’s been able to convince tens of millions that Dems are the true enemy.
He’s been able to convince almost a third of the nation to remain unvaccinated while his puppet sabotaged our response and set the stage for the GOP to go all in on continuing these efforts; he’s killed nearly a million Americans without firing a single shot. Now he wants Ukraine
It frustrates me that people were so quick to dismiss Russia’s influence in 2016 and beyond. It was obvious to me even though it was only the third Presidentual election I was old enough to vote in. The extent of it wasn’t apparent; but it was clear we were being targeted.
The @GOP’s love affair with the Kremlin is much simple; they decided in the mid-1990s that Russia’s religious fundamentalism and overt white supremacy aligned much more with their “values” than the increasingly egalitarian, multiracial & progressive democratic America.
But the purpose of this is to remind you that we had a President directly under the influence of hostile foreign powers (all of which are enemies with diametrically opposite priorities & values to that of America) which still controls most of the Republican leadership in the U.S.
So while it’s fine to criticize Biden on his foreign policy initiatives and approaches and suggest ways you think he could improve diplomatic relations with our adversaries as well as our allies; it’s also important to appreciate that Biden works for the United States of America.
I have never pretended to be a foreign policy expert. But I have educated myself about how Trump came under the thumb of the Kremlin as well as the rest of the @GOP because it’s both fascinating, infuriating, and necessary to know in commenting on the current Ukraine situation.
Why did Trump’s entire team have suspicious ties to Kremlin oligarchs; why did he repeatedly capitulate to Russia against the U.S.; why has he gone to such extreme lengths to keep his tax returns hidden; and why does he praise Putin incessantly while attacking our government?
I’m hopeful that we will still get answers to these questions. But in the meantime, this is an important framework through which to evaluate all @GOP commentary on Biden’s moves toward Putin and the escalating situation in Ukraine.