American Voters are Not Dumb
They are watching
The Kremlin-infected global right is desperately trying to create a mirage that helping Ukraine is not the popular sentiment. They desperately want to steer the conversation past this groundswell of support that shows no sign of cracking even after two long years of war. They want non-Americans to think America is completely lost. If you have been made to feel that way, here is my shocker for you.
When the Pew Research Center went around asking Americans about global conflicts, about 74% of them said that the war between Ukraine and Russia is important to U.S. interests and to them personally.
The survey also found that a whopping 81% of Democrats and 69% of Republicans view the war between Ukraine and Russia as important to American interests.
This the reality.
The situation on the ground.
How could this be?
America has four major problems
- The political landscape is overshadowed by fringe elements that are corrupting the two major political parties from the margins.
- Mainstream media in the United States has the scale and reach, but they are lacking in quality.
- There is a small group of money-hungry billionaires who believe that turning America into an oligarchy is in their best interests.
- There are religious groups that seek to establish Christian nationalism.
This can be exhausting to read, can’t it? Imagine enduring this constant barrage year after year, yet still maintaining the clarity to recognize the importance of safeguarding democracies worldwide. That is the true essence of America.
You cannot walk into a prison on the outskirts of a large city, stroll past the cells of murderers, rapists, and psychos, then walk out and declare the city a crime syndicate. You cannot do that, because that is what the prisoners want you to believe. They want you to assume they are not the weeds but a normal part of society.
To the outside world, the election of Donald Trump is seen as concrete proof that America is in decline, engaged in internal struggles.
Nope.
Not at all.
In 2016, Americans took a chance with Donald Trump. Yet, he never garnered a full mandate; the majority of Americans cast their votes for Hillary Clinton. Despite being the least favored presidential candidate in recent history, Clinton received more votes than Trump. Trump’s victory must be attributed to the electoral college system, which assigns different weights to each state. He prevailed due to his success in key states, allowing him to secure the White House through electoral votes.
But it didn’t take Americans long to realize that they shouldn’t have taken a chance with Donald Trump. They sent him a resounding message during his second year in office.
This was the headline BBC published in 2018: US mid-terms: How election results just got worse for Trump
Although the size of the victory in terms of seats is dwarfed by the Republican waves of 2010 and 1994, it is the largest Democratic House gain since the post-Watergate election of 1974.
When Donald Trump acted as though he hadn’t received the message in 2018 and began relying on reality TV tactics to boost his polling numbers, voters delivered a resounding rebuke.
In a democracy, one vote more is enough to declare the winner. Donald Trump lost the 2020 election by…
7,060,140 votes
Donald Trump followed one record breaking loss, with another record breaking loss.
The continuous involvement of Donald Trump in the electoral process of the United States is not evidence of American decay. Instead, it demonstrates that anyone can ascend to the top, but staying there requires delivering what the American voters demand.
The most promising news for the entire world is that America has no option but to hit the reset button.
Biden — 81 years
Donald Trump — 77 years.
This year, it is almost certain that we will witness a rematch between these two men. By the time the next Presidential election rolls around, both of them will be out of the political calculus.
No one has the capacity to rally the right like Donald Trump. The governor of Florida attempted to emulate him as a mini-Trump, but it ended in disaster. The right wing in America is a personality cult that revolves solely around Trump. Once he is gone and the Kremlin is defeated, the momentum driving the far right in the United States will dissipate.
An American reset will occur one way or another. It will be a complete reset if both Trump and Putin are no longer in power simultaneously. However, it will be only a partial reset if Putin continues to operate in the shadows.
One persistent problem, in my opinion, is the media landscape in the United States. Mainstream media in the United States is subpar, to say the least. Consider their coverage of Israel, for instance. They relentlessly criticized Israel when it was the victim, but they struggle to hold Israeli politicians accountable when they went off track.
I read their stories on Ukraine every day, as do millions of Americans. However, I don’t believe them, and neither do millions of Americans. A significant majority of Americans believe the war in Europe is important. Despite this, most publications have relegated their coverage of Ukraine to the back pages.
Why?
Because they believe they have other fish to fry.
That is why.
They are disconnected from reality and driven by sensationalism. They live for the moment and fail to respond, even when the majority of Americans explicitly express what they consider important. Crossing this bridge seems daunting, and I have no idea when or how the fourth estate will return to its objective role. However, the decline of far-right influence will alleviate some of the media’s issues, although it won’t entirely resolve them — it will merely mitigate them.
The Kremlin aims to convince Europeans and the rest of the world that America is in decline. For whatever reason, President Biden assembled one of the worst national security teams in recent history. His performance has fueled this theory of America’s decline. Many now perceive the transition from Trump to Biden as a continuation of America’s internal policy issues.
President Biden is wrong. We have every right to critique his performance. President Trump, on the other hand, was clueless. When you have a man who openly asks, “What’s in it for me?” it’s easy to be manipulated in the world of geopolitics. Trump consistently prioritized his electoral interests over American interests. Therefore, comparing President Biden’s performance to that of Donald Trump is like comparing apples to oranges.
If you are an European reading this story, please don’t overlook the survey indicating that more than 7 out of 10 Americans believe that the war in Ukraine must be addressed by the United States, as it is in their best interests. This is not what the media is conveying to you. It is also not what American politicians are telling you.
American voters are not advocating for isolationism or nativism. They are not urging America to be selfish and neglect assistance to others. Nor are they demanding that America abandon its allies. Quite the opposite is true.
Never underestimate American voters. They consistently find a way forward. They did so in 2020, and they will continue to do so in 2024 and beyond.
There is no Ukraine fatigue in the world
After two years of war, it’s understandable to anticipate that the world may grow weary of the situation in Ukraine and seek to move on. However, such an approach would be misguided. The level of support for Ukraine’s cause remains high among many people, indicating that abandoning Ukraine in its struggle would be unjust.
A Gallup poll published in November last year revealed that 57%of Americans believe that America is either spending the right amount or spending less in its assistance to Ukraine. Those who felt America was spending too much on Ukraine constituted a minority. In a democratic nation, this represents the extent of public opinion. The majority supports America’s aid to help Ukraine win this war.
The numbers were higher in Europe according to a poll by Eurobarometer published in December last year:
“Support for a range of actions taken in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine remains very high.
Almost nine in ten (89%) agree with providing humanitarian support to the people affected by the war, and more than eight in ten (84%) agree with welcoming into the EU people fleeing the war.
72% agree with providing financial support to Ukraine. The same proportion (72%) support economic sanctions on the Russian government, companies, and individuals.
Around six in ten approve of the EU granting candidate status to Ukraine (61%) and of the EU financing the purchase and supply of military equipment to Ukraine (60%).”
Every time we entertain the notion that support for Ukraine is diminishing globally, we play right into the trap set by the Kremlin. Let’s not even entertain that idea.
American politicians are sending confusing messages to the world, as is the mainstream media. However, neither Americans nor Europeans are confused by these messages.
My Ukraine stories are in the public domain, outside the paywall.
