What do you do when your country breaks your heart? When not once but repeatedly it fails to live up to the aspirations of even those citizens with the most modest of aspirations for it? When the ideals of its founders are left to yellow and be forgotten in archives and museums?
What do you do when the political discussion is commandeered not by those w/merely a different ideology but by people who are fundamentally corrupt, evil and valueless. They drape themselves in the flag and profess devotion to their God and demean both every time their lips move.
What do you do when their champions in the media are a brigade of third and fourth-rate intellects, sneering, hateful, sanctimonious arsonists of journalism, enemies of truth, defenders of the indefensible?
What do you do when reason is so often confounded and decency so regularly kicked aside? What do you do when liars and thieves and abusers are lifted up and public service ceases to be even the nominal objective of public servants?
What do you when those who seek power do so only to enrich themselves and their cronies and then to tear down the institutions on which this society like any other depends upon to survive, when they attack the system of justice, the rule of law and basic ethical standards?
What do you do when they turn against those they are supposed to serve--women, people of color, immigrants who have come to our country to help build as has been done for generations before ours, the LGBTQ community, and even their own "base" that they ruthlessly exploit?
With each of their victories we drift further from who we are supposed to be, worse still from who we might become. And it is heartbreaking. Shattering. Demoralizing. Over time, the unthinkable becomes commonplace and the unacceptable seems to demand to be accepted.
What do you do then? Curl up in a ball? Weep? Lament it to your friends? Tune it out? Shake your fist? Give up? Or do you recognize that moments like these are when the character of a democracy is tested? Do you realize that it moments like these that make rebirth possible?
At the beginning of this country we faced worse. When slavery divided this country we faced worse. When world wars threatened this country we faced worse. When depression rocked our economy we faced worse. The enemies today are bad, as evil and corrupt as we've ever seen.
But they are not so bad that we cannot be reborn of this crisis as we have been so often before. he least among us is better than them. They remind us of that daily. The secret is in seeing their depredations as inspirations, today's defeats as the start of tomorrow's victories.
We should only lament our future if we lack the will to fight for it. I've found this week to be one of the worst in my memory. I have been heartbroken. But I also recognize this week's defeat as a call to action. There is an election in just a month.
We must remember their fears of the results of that election--that the American people will make themselves heard--is what made them rush for with this bleak charade of a Supreme Court nomination battle. They know we can win. They expect us to win.
And now we must do what we have to to win. Use how bad this moment feels. Use how angry you are. Use it to mobilize friends and family, to become the activist you never were, to be a donor, to be an advocate, to turn out the vote.
The final verdict on how the Kavanaugh vote will be seen will not be in the newspapers this weekend or in how the White House spins it. It will come on the night of November 6th when we see whether it mobilized America to turn the tide against these enemies among us.
And it will come thereafter as Democrats, now again empowered, have the opportunity to show what real leadership is, what an appreciation for American ideals can bring when it is embraced by our leaders, what the rule of law should mean, the role decency can play in our lives.
Today is the first day of the victory for America that was inspired by the abuses of the Kavanaugh nominating process, of a president who has betrayed the country, of children in cages, of the tragedy of Puerto Rico, of humiliation abroad, and of rampant corruption everywhere.
That's what happened today. It won't be reported in the news. But I believe it. I believe it will be seen as a turning point. I believe this is a moment for great hope. But if that is to be true, it is also a moment for resolve and action. Now. Starting right now.

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More from @djrothkopf

Feb 22
A rebuttal to the idea that the West contributed to the current crisis by supporting NATO expansion. 1.) It is naive. It accepts Putin's false rationale for his action. He obliterated this argument when he made his real argument: That Ukraine does not exist & is part of Russia.
2.) Putin's argument that the historical boundaries of the Russian empire or Soviet Union should fall under Moscow's control only underscores how important it was that former Soviet states were able to join NATO and gain its protections.
The reason Ukraine was targeted was because it was not a member of NATO not because it was. It was vulnerable and Putin, a predator, sought and seeks to take advantage of that.
Read 5 tweets
Feb 22
The easiest job in the world is foreign policy critic. I know because I not only play one on TV...it's what I do. No one gets everything right. No one controls all variables. There are always complications and options that could've, should've been considered.
But as easy as it is to critique and say, "I'm smarter, if only they'd done it my way," it is almost impossibly hard to actually conduct effective foreign policy, especially for a superpower like the U.S. There are so many moving parts.
There are so many institutional hurdles. There are so many political obstacles. There are so many factors and egos and allied interests and variables to contend with. Especially on big, fast-breaking issues of global concern.
Read 8 tweets
Feb 22
The @POTUS response to what he accurately condemned as Russia's flagrant violation of international law was strong and smart. It was made stronger and smarter by the coordination with the wide-ranging sanctions and responses of our allies in Europe.
This was not just an example of a good performance by the president or presentation of professional crafted well-calibrated set of measures, it was also the result of tireless diplomacy and behind the scenes preparation.
The decision to move forces into the Baltics and to underscore our commitment to helping Ukraine defend itself also added an important and necessary security dimension to the measures. And there are still very substantial and meaningful measures we can introduce if needed.
Read 4 tweets
Feb 22
So, what is wrong with saying, "International law demands Ukraine be allowed to determine its own future. So long as the people of Ukraine seek to preserve their independence, we will work with our allies to provide the support they need to do so. And...
...we will use all tools available to us to penalize Russia for violating Ukraine's independence. That includes not just sanctions, but sweeping sanctions. And not just temporary sanctions, but long-term sanctions that grow longer/deeper the longer Russia's aggression lasts.
We will seek to systematically isolate Russia within the international community and limit their ability to participate in international forums. We will target Putin and those closest to them, reveal their corruption, freeze their assets, make it impossible for them to travel.
Read 6 tweets
Feb 21
While I appreciate the swiftness of the WH response re: sanctions on the territories recognized by Putin, I'm afraid they are inadequate and inappropriate in several respects. They are likely to be of only minimal economic consequence. Further...
...they punish the people of the territories rather than the wrong-doers, Vladimir Putin and his government. They also suggest that our severe sanctions will also come not unless there is an invasion--even if Putin unilaterally claims what would be one of the goals of invasion.
The threat of force should not be seen as an acceptable or "minor" international offense in a case like this. (You don't need to fire a gun for the penalties for armed robbery to kick in.) Proportionality is good. But, this feels light to me.
Read 5 tweets
Feb 21
I don't even the US policymakers having to formulate a response to Putin's remarks. He has said there will be no concessions. He has said he doesn't care about sanctions. He has framed himself as a threat to both Ukraine and all the former Russian Empire.
What is the point of negotiations with someone who clearly is entering them cynically and in bad faith? If the only point is to avoid an invasion--and that's clearly the main point and a worthy one--where do you go if there are to be no concessions on the other side?
If he has asserted rights over the future of Ukraine that he does not have, should the sanctions come now? Failing to levy them enables him to claim one of the prizes invasion might have brought at no cost.
Read 6 tweets

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