We need a hero
“Where have all the good men gone And where are all the gods? Where’s the streetwise Hercules To fight the rising odds?”– Bonnie Tyler
No one could call Ukraine a fake country. It is the largest country in Europe and would be much more well-known if it were in Western Europe. The perception of Ukraine was probably that it was a de facto part of Russia trying to make a go of independence. We were supposed to feel sorry for them.
Looking pathetic would have created a similar effect as to what we have seen. Millions of Americans and citizens of other NATO countries would feel sorry for the Ukrainians and want to intervene. In essence, the Ukrainians haven’t played their part in that morality play.
The leader in Ukraine is a legitimate badass. Volodymyr Zelenskyy got his start as a comedian and satirist. His rise to prominence would be most similar to Al Franken in our own country if you remove the sex scandal and instead make Franken the president of the United States. Zelenskyy has a presence and charisma that few American politicians can muster. He’s needed every bit of that over the past few weeks and more.
Something special has happened in Ukraine. Great sports teams often take on the personality of their coach. I suppose bad teams do as well. The Ukrainian people have embodied the spirit of their leader and are winning over the citizens of the world. They are fighting all the way down to the last adult, often making weapons through Google searches and whatever supplies they can find on hand.
Meanwhile, they are getting support from some of the unlikeliest of places. No one could scarcely say that the entire world is behind them. Even the most cockeyed of optimists wouldn’t go that far. However, it is pretty safe to say the majority of the world is behind Ukraine and that support has caused some Russia backers here in the U.S. to change their tune. They know who they are, so there is no need to belabor the point.
Meanwhile, the Russian army has embodied the spirit of their leader. They came in with a big, imposing force hoping to bully the Ukrainians into submission. Yet, their effort was largely disorganized and many of the soldiers don’t seem to have the will to continue. They may eventually overwhelm Ukraine, but they certainly haven’t looked good doing it.
Since the Cold War days you could credibly say that the U.S. and Russia were mirror images of each other. That might be more true than we thought. One wonders if we would even be capable of mounting the same kind of defense that Ukraine is mustering. All people are capable of acts of courage and bravery collectively and we are no different. Yet, you have to wonder if we have any leaders capable of doing what Zelenskyy is doing. Even if we did you’d openly wonder how many people would actually follow them.
Lord knows why these things happen. There are certainly no shortage of working theories here. Many think our former president was either an unwitting or witting Russian agent. Others just think he saw himself as an autocrat and therefore gravitated towards those kinds of guys. Maybe that explains guys like Tucker Carlson too. I’ve never been much to buy into conspiracies, so I’m not about to start now. What I do know is that we could use own Zelenskyy right now.
My DIL’s parents are Russian and live in Moscow. He has run a very successful business for years. He’s not an oligarch, but he is quite well off. The banks are closed, the ATMs are empty, the internet is down…so they have no access to their money. Most Russians have no idea what is happening in the Ukraine and those that do…who are anywhere near an anti-war gathering… are arrested. It is terrifying times for most Russians.
1Ukraine is the bread basket of Europe. Has been for generations. They have some of the best growing soil on the planet. Decades ago when I was in undergrad school, my professors pointed this out to us students as an excuse for brigands to try and grab the country. Well, Russia had it in its grip for some time and wasted the opportunity with their usual mismanagement. Us students couldn’t figure out why even miraculous growing soil would be worth the blood of invasion. Surely Russia had other areas where they could fork up enough foodstuff to feed their people come hell or high water. Well, they screwed up in that direction as well. So along comes Putin using Hitler’s old playbook. Just as Hitler invaded Sudetenland, Putin jumped on Crimea and eventually remanufactured the old saw of saving Russian speakers in Ukraine. Yeah, he’s throwing about everything except the kitchen sink at the Ukrainians and its really not working like he thought it would. There are protests in the streets of Mother Russia as well as around the wold. And that “other” world is joining up to bring a financial beatdown on the man who wants to be the Tsar of Russia. Just what Russia doesn’t need, another damn Tsar.
Will he expand his plans to all adjoining countries. Hell, yes, with a bow on it. Will his highest ranking military officers play along with it? Not really. You can bet money that at least one of them has made some ferocious plans to take over, save Mother Russia and save the world. And this is where everybody needs a seat belt.
2lol Say wot, Nick? Wasn’t TFG supposed to be all that? All the best, etc. Historically even the best of intentioned tyrants have taken a few hits. Consider DeGaulle in post WWII France, or Marcos in the Philippines. Neither was totally a “bad actor,” but certainly heavy handed with their efforts to raise their respective countries out of the post war circumstances. Whereas TFG, Duterte, Putin, Kim et al were most definitely all about their own welfare while screwing their countries.
So our Zelenskyy? Where is he or she? Maybe we’ll find them in several places. With the possible elevation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to SCOTUS, perhaps VP Harris to POTUS in 2024 with let us hope a US attorney general with let’s say a little more “spark” than Merrick, say like a certain NY AG aka Leticia James?
Potatoe, putato, Nick. You say Zelenskyy, we’re thinking more RFK, but obviously in a dress: Harris, Jackson, and James with some other excellent candidates.
Joe Biden certainly passes all the hallmarks of a nice guy recently. Yeah we’d sure prefer to have a beer with him than Dubya. Just a guess though, if we were to invite the Bidens to dinner, FLOTUS would be the bright spot of the evening.
Lordy maybe we’ve accidently stumbled onto something. America doesn’t need “its Zelenskyy.” Hot dang. America isn’t as dismal as the polls would indicate. Maybe we are ready to evolve, relax and experience women in the lead. FSM knows nearly 300 years of our democracy experiment with old white men in charge is definitely due a recharging.
#2022 #2024 Out with the fossil fuels and full speed ahead with estrogen. Yeah. That needs work. Too long for a bumper sticker. But. It is the thought that counts.
3I’m with you Jane and PKM. I got a little lazy with the pronouns, but agree that leadership can come from anywhere and any gender. Many of the badasses in Ukraine are women. I like Biden. He’s basically a good guy with a good heart. He’s likely the leader we needed in the moment to get to the leader we really wanted. We needed someone decent that would appeal to our decency and humanity before moving to the person that could move us forward. It could be Harris. I just don’t know yet.
4While Zelenskyy has made a living as an actor and comedian most writers fail to mention he also has a degree in law.
5Report says Zelensky has survived three assassination attempts, so far.
Another report says Putie’s security forces at home are being overwhelmed by the citizenry. Might it be the citizens can take out their own trash and clear the air of Putin’s stench?
Thanks to Putie and drumpf, two more countries will need to be rebuilt and that will take longer than many of us have left.
6when Russia annexed Crimea…a local Ukranian wrote an interesting article in our local newspaper. During WW II, the western part of Ukraine was mostly aligned with Germany…yes, the Nazis. The eastern part was aligned with Russia AND SO THEY WERE OUR ALLIES. The atrocities committed by the western Ukranians against their eastern counterparts were horrific by any standards. Whole towns were burned to the ground with the inhabitants either imprisoned or executed. There are those in Russia of a certain age who can NEVER forget!!! Putin can always count on those folks for support. But, as my family in Moscow tells us…most Russians have no idea what is going on in the Ukraine.
7I wonder if Elba is still available? However part of me thinks like the UN speaker the other day suggesting that Putin find a bunker and make like another tyrant did in 1945. As for the Old Pretender, if he wasn’t raking in the cash with his rantings, his family would have put him in a dementia unit years ago.
8“One wonders if we would even be capable of mounting the same kind of defense that Ukraine is mustering.”
I will say no, we’re not capable of it at this time. That sort of defense requires sacrifice for the good of the whole and true courage – things in short supply in the U, S and A these days.
My parents – dad served in the Navy in WWII and mom kept hope alive in the home front – are spinning in their graves. Freedom to do as you please, damn everyone else, is not the freedom they fought for.
9We had our Zelensky. He saved the nation before an assassin killed him 157 years ago. We could use another one now.
10“if you remove the sex scandal and instead make Franken the president of the United States.”
11Yes please.
IMO, not sure this essay and the comments in part are on point with the Ukraine comparison. Excluding the universal nuke threat, we are not about to be invaded by a Russia on our border with conventional weapons. We do have equivalent putins in the right wing politics along with over 700 billionaires plus the almost billionaires who, IMO, are nearly all on the putin philosophical side.
12Biden is a relatively good guy esp compared to trump. But he is no Zelensky. Lincoln and Washington were forged in a life&death home front war. Zelensky is in real danger of joining this group. ;>) We don’t this kind of leadership at this time because we don’t have the same type of existential dangers.
Related to this post imo.
13John Stewart today calls out tucker carlson as a “dishonest propagandist” in his comments about Ukraine defending putin among all his many years of lies for profit. Main point here is what I have saying about murdoch for years on this site; ie, that, of all the bad actors over the last 40 years murdoch was the most dangerous because of his newspapers and fox.
“Stewart later questioned why Fox founder Rupert Murdoch was “trying to destroy the fabric of this country.” “I don’t know if it’s ideological or he just thinks, this is where the money is,” Stewart said. “But how somebody can in good conscience put a shithead like that on television every night to say those types of things? That’s where the responsibility lies in my mind.”
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jon-stewart-tucker-carlson-putin_n_6221c9d2e4b042f866ebd784
Two things about the nuclear weapons age, it makes reasonable leaders (like Biden) steer clear of getting into WWIII, but it allows someone like Putin to get away with murder and war crimes (so far). N Korea and China are probably looking at this with great interest.
14I sure hope a charismatic Democratic leader steps forward for us in 2024. It could be Kamala Harris (I really think she could be great), but Biden needs to put her out there more because I don’t see him being the candidate that can win in 2024. I think he’s dealt with the historic shitshow he inherited as well as any leader could, but that’s not going to get him re-elected.
https://www.businessinsider.com/bolton-putin-waiting-for-trump-to-withdraw-from-nato-in-2nd-term-2022-3
15Al Franken, sex scandal? That so-called scandal was nuthin’ compared Cheeto Jesus and his “Grab ’em by the woo-woo.”
Kirsten Gillibrand, I heard, had a bit to do with Al resigning.
16Since Franken’s sex charges came from a woman grabbing Country music stars butts in stage I put no trustin them.
Al always talked about his wife , Frankie, the picture showed he was not touching her. Comedy is usually raunchy.
But I will say this, Al is one brilliant man and was a great Senator. I doubt he would put them through a Presidential race,
17Thanks to Republicans they are the worst in my long lifetime.
I leave you with this video from captured Russian soldiers, titled,” Illegal Orders!”
https://youtu.be/0DU_aAwXUl0
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