Democracy 2024: # 40

I woke up this morning not feeling all that well. Right away, from television, I got an idea of what had happened in Israel and that whole situation made me feel a lot worse. Basically, I had to make the choice to avoid watching coverage today hoping to feel better. So, I basically just watched college football and the MLB playoffs. Hopefully, I will feel better tomorrow. I do not know how much of what I write next will even make a lot of sense or flow properly.

Just the idea of making a detailed post here is probably not a good idea for me today. A lot happened this week, from Donald Trump's civil trial in New York and all the behavior related issues he exhibited there to historical drama on Capitol Hill where Kevin McCarthy was indeed deposed as Speaker. That is something that has never happened in America before and there was much I could have written about that situation, but it just does not feel like a good idea at this time.

Unfortunately, the chaos in the House, which pleased some Republicans and angered many others, while also leaving Democrats pretty bemused by the whole situation, is looking like there could be more unpredictability ahead. Aid to Ukraine is complicated, at least in the short-term, and now there is the issue of aid to Israel at play as well. Again, in regards to all the nuances of the last 24 hours in the Middle East, I probably know less than most news junkies at this point.

To be brief, with McCarthy gone, the battle for Speaker is waging and this is all an unprecedented situation. The top two Republican contenders appear to be Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Jim Jordan of Ohio. Scalise would be next in line to move up in Leadership, but apparently, he somehow ran afoul of McCarthy who has been said to be working the phones for Jordan. Furthermore, Donald Trump has endorsed Jordan. Putting all thoughts about Scalise aside, Jordan is a far worse option. If he were to become Speaker, that would be very bad for the Republican Party and the country and would seriously raise even more questions about just how Congress would support Ukraine. The issue of Ukraine is a major fault in today's Republican Party. The vast majority of elected officials support aiding them in their fight to defeat Russia, but the grassroots of the party is siding with Trump (and some others) who seem to be of the isolationist mindset. There may be a Speaker by this time next week and there may not be. I think Kevin McCarthy deserved what he got but its pretty sad to think that his replacement could wind up being a lot worse.

What I do know is that Hamas terrorists took part of an organized attack within Israel early in the morning there. Many are comparing it to Israel's 9/11. There have to be many questions as to how Israeli intelligence failed to see this coming.What is done is done though and Israel is retaliating against Hamas and they will be doing so disproportionately. That is both unfortunate but completely understandable. The United States would be doing the same thing. At this time, like all times, the United States of America must stand with Israel. Whatever one thinks of Benjamin Netanyahu and his policies, the embattled long time Prime Minister of Israel is now tasked with leading his nation during a time of war in what is a perpetual battle for their survival and indeed the survival of the Jewish People.

From what I have gathered, President Joe Biden today offered his unequivocal support to Israel. That is good. There will be many questions in American politics though in the days and weeks ahead. Republican Presidential candidates and others will look to somehow cast blame on Biden for the actions of Hamas and their Iranian sponsors.

Some of that is justified. Just some though. The foreign policy decisions of Joe Biden, going back long before he was President, have not been good ones, by and large. The U.S. government under the Obama/Biden Administration foolishly overlooked all common sense in a futile attempt to somehow get Iran to agree to not want nuclear weapons. What happened in Afghanistan during this Administration was an absolute disaster and one that has continued to go unacknowledged by the person at top. I have largely supported Biden on his policy to Ukraine, but at times, it has been too little too late in what we have done to help that nation. Needless to say, the Obama/Biden Administration was dangerously and demonstrably wrong in how they approached Russia during their eight years in office and how they mocked people like Mitt Romney who saw Putin for what he was.

As we have seen today, the world is a very dangerous place. That should be the number one issue in this election.While Donald Trump's Administration was right in some foreign policy arenas (and very wrong in others), he is absolutely the last person who should ever be President of the United States. He cares about himself above all else, not the safety and security of any ally or of America itself.

While I am very critical of Biden on foreign policy, the attacks against him on the right are likely to be overstated and not exactly true. Politics today is a bloodsport where both sides will try to use any advantage they have. As it relates to Biden, the questions about his age and basic competency are real and unlikely to go away.

Still, above all else, Biden is the Commander in Chief of the greatest nation on Earth and the one country that has the obligation to lead the world in the battle for freedom against totalitarianism. When it comes to Ukraine and Israel I will be rooting for him.

I will also be rooting for there to be a legitimate choice next year between two candidates who understand the role of America in the world so that we can at least pick the best possible option.