If Ukraine is subdued and out of the news by mid year it will have little impact on the midterm elections. The Soviet Union and the Cold War ended 23 years ago. The median age of the US population is 37. A 37 year old today was only 14 when the Soviet Union collapsed. A huge segment of the US population has little or no memory of the Cold War and the Russian threat. For those voters Russian actions in Ukraine, and the European continent, are distant and inconsequential.
Certainly the core Democrat constituencies care very little about Eastern Europe and Russia. They are focused on domestic issues - abortion rights, wealth and income redistribution, government control of healthcare, gun control, green energy, minority rights, and amnesty for illegals. Were Russian tanks to swarm across Western Europe Democrat voters will not be concerned unless social welfare programs are threatened or they face the risk of being drafted into the army.
Few voters who fear the resurgence of Russia, and loss of American power, voted for Obama or will vote for Democrats in the 2014 mid term elections. Therefore Obama, Kerry, and Democrat politicians do not need to consider how they are perceived by the public as they pursue diplomacy and saber rattle with no will or intent to take meaningful action. Most of the mainstream media coverage will ultimately parrot the administration’ stalking points. The few negative comments in the press today will be forgotten by election time when the media will be 100% a propaganda organ for the Democrats.
Obama is acting with zero constraints. He has no fear of any negative domestic political repercussions from anything he does in conducting foreign affairs. Even if he blunders badly he will not be held accountable by the media, by Congress, or by the majority of the American people.
Unless the US homeland is attacked directly, or Obama directly engages large numbers of US military forces abroad, votes in the upcoming mid term elections will be cast based on domestic issues. While the GOP is right to criticize the inept foreign policy of this administration, highlighting the foreign policy disaster will not win over swing voters, much less energize the conservative base. The party must convince enough voters it has specific and better plans than the Democrats for getting the economy going and fixing healthcare. Simply being the alternative to status quo is not enough as Romney proved in 2012. Another “Contract With America” will draw more votes in the mid terms than sending John McCain out to pontificate on foreign policy.
There’s nothing Obama can do ....Europe has this in their court...Putin has oodles of monies spread throughout banks etc. over the entire EU....they will simply find a way for Putin to come out of this looking good.
Obama has squat influence there....
I read a commentator a couple of days ago who said that neither Putin nor anybody else is worried about our reaction, since it is obvious that Obama is spending all his time and energy pursuing his domestic enemies (that would be anybody who opposes his policies). Like his voters, he just doesn’t have time for the world affairs stuff.
Well said and spot on.