Jeff Roush Profile picture
Feb 26 13 tweets 3 min read
Right now, before our eyes, we are seeing unfold before us the best reasons to reject the “America First” foreign policy ideas of the prior administration. While this moment of crisis is terrifying right now, it could have been much more so. (Thread)
First, a note: some on both sides of the aisle might argue, and not without merit, that this isn’t the time for that discussion. Trump is both out of power and a doddering idiot, and our focus should be on what those in power need to do.
But since so many on the right remain in the thrall of both Trump and Trumpism, to the point of praising Putin in this moment, the alternative to the leadership we have in place is neither as hypothetical nor as remote as one might wish. The big ideas matter as much as ever now.
1. The most obvious area in which the current administration is better equipped to manage this is its treatment of our allies. Trump wanted to withdraw from NATO, and alienated our allies in Europe. Biden has worked from the start to repair that damage.
We cannot control what Putin does; all the US can do is affect the response. And more options are on the table when we are working with our allies. Both diplomatic and militaristic options are open in ways they would not have been under “America First.”
2. I’ve been seeing an argument that Biden’s approach to Putin provoked this. That is short-sighted. Trump wanted to avoid conflict with Russia through flattery and acquiescence: give Putin everything he wanted, and praise him throughout.
The idea that Putin valued praise over power is ludicrous. He was directing cyber-attacks and disinformation campaigns before 2016 and never stopped. The preparation to weaken our democracy began long ago. All evidence suggests helping Trump was part of that strategy.
And Putin’s plan to invade Ukraine didn’t start when Biden was elected either. This is a long game. But having a president already preparing to stand up to Russia is better than one who was always ready to bend over for Putin.
3. Our democracy is not as solid as it once was. If we are to take leadership in defending a democratic Ukraine against the invasion of a despotic Russia, we need a leader who believes in democracy. This is not a small thing.
Trump abandoned the notion of world leadership, because he is not a leader. He is a boardroom bully who showed neither acumen nor interest in actual leadership, whether within our borders or in the world all nations share. This crisis can’t be managed that way.
The whole premise of “America First” almost requires abandonment of world leadership. That Trump is praised by weaklings and sycophants makes his lack of leadership qualities no less stark; if anything, it only displays that failing much more clearly.
I don’t know how this crisis will unfold; there are too many variables and too many unknowable elements. But I am glad we have the president we do in this moment, rather than the one we had two years ago, and might have had today.
Those seeking to capitalize on crises to attack the president are interested in neither the world order nor having actual leadership. They value power over the ideals on which our nation was built. Whatever happens in the coming days and weeks, don’t forget that reality.

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More from @JeffRoushPoetry

Feb 26
For hackery, selective memory, and GOP buffoonery, @SenJoniErnst earns tonight’s #FridayLimericks. #LimerickRhyme
Joni Ernst will keep claiming out loud
She’s an Iowan honest and proud.
But her party comes first;
Truth be told, she’s the worst—
kicks up GOP lies in a cloud.
She attacked health care workers en mass
With a Q-anon lie dark and crass.
But when she jumped the line,
She considered it fine;
Joni’s games stayed devoid of all class.

newsweek.com/joni-ernst-spa…
During impeachment, with justice denied,
She claimed “unity,” letting Trump slide.
“Let’s move forward as one,”
She said, aiming the gun
To wage war on the Democrats’ side.
amp.cnn.com/cnn/2020/01/28…
Read 7 tweets
Feb 25
There is so much misunderstanding about trans people in this world. I’m still learning, and probably always will be trying to understand more. But it is not about gender conformity, or about trying to fit a child into the parents’ gender boxes.
As the parent of a trans child, I never would have made the leap from gender non-conformity to her being trans. She came to me, with some trepidation—not because she didn’t trust me, but because she was still learning to trust who she was. It was a lot for her to process.
I’ll admit to being unsure at first. I hugged her, told her I love her, and started using what she told me is the name she wants to use. Meanwhile, I read all I could, reached out to others who have been through the self-discovery process she is going through.
Read 6 tweets
Feb 24
The prior administration denigrated our European allies, weakened our national intelligence, and favored Putin in all matters—and did so with full support from almost every republican in Congress. That clown show’s consequences are revealing themselves for us all.
That these rank hypocrites are now blaming Biden for the predictable result of Trump’s Russian appeasement is nothing but blatant political opportunism, lashing out against an administration taking seriously the threat that the prior president helped enable.
Biden is working with the allies Trump alienated, to try to manage diplomatically the catastrophe Trump enabled. We need to focus on the moment at hand, and we have a leader who is doing so. Those attacking him are trying to return us to the conditions that led us here.
Read 4 tweets
Feb 13
Inflation impacts people. It’s reality, and we have to face it. But rather than stepping up to help combat it, Republicans are cheering it on. So let’s look at some of the causes, and what can or can’t be done to help. (Thread)
1. One cause of inflation is a market recovery. People have more money to spend, due to relief efforts and booming jobs. While someone like @RandPaul thinks giving Americans funds to stay afloat during a pandemic was a bad thing, people with more money to spend is positive.
The good news: this one will level off. Coming out of a pandemic, it’s like opening a dam. The water pours out hard and fast—but the market catches up, and the flow will find a normal rate soon, absent forces working to keep it artificially high.
Read 9 tweets
Feb 13
When we watch someone like @RepKatiePorter work, we marvel at how clearly she breaks everything down. She is brilliant—but shouldn’t we expect this from everyone we elect? If, when confronted with a problem, someone starts throwing out buzzwords, ask yourself why. (Thread)
Finding solutions to seemingly intractable societal problems is hard—but it gets infinitely more so when you don’t take time to understand the problems. An elected official should start there: what is the problem? What causes it? What solution would help?
When you hear most Republicans speak these days, they are doing one of four things: they are (1) making up problems that aren’t really problems; (2) working to divide people; (3) working for the interests of their donor class; or (4) shouting utter nonsense into the wind.
Read 9 tweets
Feb 11
#FridayLimericks today go to @RealPNavarro for truly not knowing how anything works. #LimerickRhyme
Pete Navarro hopes all will succumb
To his own little slice of the dumb.
When Pete opens his mouth,
Common sense goes straight south;
Just ignore as a good rule of thumb.
Navarro is good for one feat:
So few men are as bonkers as Pete!
When the crazy’s unfurled,
His mind’s out of this world.
Buckle up—and hold on to your seat.
rollingstone.com/politics/polit…
Besides being nuts, he’s a jerk;
Many say he’s abusive at work.
Pete will thump on his chest—
But when put to the rest,
Fragile egos like his go berserk.
vanityfair.com/news/2020/09/p…
Read 7 tweets

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