'The beginning of an invasion'

Among scores of astute observations, our first president, whose birthday we celebrate today, made the following statement about political parties, for which he had little use: "Much indeed to be regretted, party disputes are now carried to such a length, and truth is so enveloped in mist and false representation, that it is extremely difficult to know through what channel to seek it.” Wise, prophetic words those were. There's much to despair of in the Ukraine situation. For Americans, one of the more distressing is the fact that influential voices on the far-right are essentially taking sides with Vladimir Putin in the conflict, parroting his propaganda and claiming to have greater respect for the Russian dictator than the American president. Party identity is so total for these folks—and they’re so “enveloped in mist and false representation”—that they see in President Biden not a domestic political foe, but an international enemy. And in Putin, a murderous authoritarian, they see a consummate leader. Putin has been mightily successful in manipulating this cohort to take a position most would have thought unthinkable not so long ago. In George Washington’s words, much indeed to be regretted. —Melissa Amour, Managing Editor

Ed. Note: Be sure to join us for this week’s RAM Chat tomorrow, Feb. 23, at 2pm ET, when we’ll be joined by Rep. Cindy Axne.

• Jury finds Ahmaud Arbery's killers guilty of federal hate crimes —CNN

• China foreign minister, U.S. Secretary of State Blinken discuss Ukraine —CNBC

• Supreme Court turns away Trump's appeal in dispute with House Jan. 6 panel —The Hill

• Havana Syndrome: High-level national security officials stricken with unexplained illness on White House grounds —CBS News

• Credit Suisse faces fresh scrutiny over culture after client data leaks —CNBC

On the brink

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an executive order yesterday formally recognizing two breakaway regions in the Donbas area of eastern Ukraine—the Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic—as independent states. Hours later, Putin ordered troops into these regions, which are controlled by Kremlin-backed, pro-Russian separatists, on a so-called “peacekeeping” mission. Russian lawmakers have authorized Putin to use military force.

President Biden ordered heavy U.S. financial sanctions against Russian banks and oligarchs today and promised more sanctions if Putin proceeds further. The U.S. joined the 27 European Union members who unanimously agreed to levy their own initial set of sanctions targeting Russian officials. In a brief address from the White House today, Biden accused Putin of flagrantly violating international law and announced that additional U.S. forces would move from their current European locations to new posts on NATO’s eastern flank. —Associated Press

• Germany halts Nord Stream 2. In response to Russia’s latest aggression, Germany has halted the certification of the gas pipeline designed to bring natural gas from Russia directly to Europe. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said his country would not accept the recognition of the two separatist regions in the Donbas and would “reassess” the situation regarding Nord Stream 2. —CNBC

• A dire situation. For Ukraine, so much is at stake. The U.S. informed the United Nations that it has credible information showing that the Kremlin is compiling lists of Ukrainians “to be killed or sent to camps following a military occupation.” A letter to the UN human rights chief alleges that Moscow’s post-invasion planning would involve torture, forced disappearances, and “widespread human suffering.” —The Washington Post

• “We are not afraid.” A defiant Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed his nation at 2 a.m. today, declaring that Ukraine will not concede “anything to anyone.” He called Russia's actions a violation of Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty, and added that Russia was merely legalizing the Russian forces that had been in the Donbas since 2014, when Russia invaded and later annexed Crimea. —Insider

MORE: U.S. agencies say Russian hackers compromised defense contractors —ARS Technica

Boot: Ohio Republicans’ race to the bottom

“If you want to see the calamitous impact of Trumpism on the GOP, look no further than the party’s primary to succeed Sen. Rob Portman, who is retiring. The two loudest voices in the contest belong to J.D. Vance and Josh Mandel. … These faux populists, who are, in fact, exemplars of elitist striving, are locked in a race to the bottom to see who can say the dumbest, vilest things to rouse the MAGA hordes. Vance may have just won the offensiveness Olympics—and lost his soul—by trashing one of America’s most distinguished soldiers. It all began when Vance said during an appearance on a right-wing podcast: ‘I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine.’ That led to a withering riposte from retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey: ‘JD Vance is a shameful person unsuitable for public office. His comments are those of a stooge for Russian aggression.’” —Max Boot in The Washington Post

Max Boot is a Washington Post columnist, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, and the author of “The Road Not Taken: Edward Lansdale and the American Tragedy in Vietnam.”

MORE: Jim Jordan should be disqualified from ballot over Jan. 6: Protestors —Newsweek

The disinfo convoy

There’s a saying in politics that one should never let a crisis go to waste. Apparently the same principle applies to online scammers. Earlier this month, Facebook removed dozens of groups dedicated to Canada’s anti-government “Freedom Convoy” protests. Networks of hackers and profiteers, some based as far afield as Vietnam and Romania, had set up the groups using fake or hacked Facebook accounts in an attempt to make money off the political turmoil. Social media platforms have cracked down on “inauthentic activity” since 2016, when Russian troll factories’ operations created big problems during the presidential election. Since then, the global disinformation industry has made hay by creating content for various conspiracy movements and far-right groups online, including anti-vaccine protesters, QAnon followers, and now trucker convoys. —The Guardian

MORE: Who is behind QAnon? Linguistic detectives find fingerprints —The New York Times

Tyson & Mendonca: It’s the voting, stupid

“[P]olls reveal that a majority of Americans do not rank voting rights as a top priority. About two-thirds of respondents think the U.S. is headed in the wrong direction, that the overall state of the U.S. economy is poor, and that economic issues should be the top policy priority. Only 22% believe that policing state-level voter restrictions should be a priority, and only 26% believe that expanding voting access in federal elections should be Congress’ top focus. Finally, just 6% identify ‘voting laws, voter fraud, or voting issues’ as the top problem on which the government should be working in 2022. American democracy is facing its greatest crisis since the Civil War, and U.S citizens, their focus trained on the economy, are failing to connect the dots.” —Laura Tyson & Lenny Mendonca on Project Syndicate

Laura Tyson is co-chair of the California Governor’s Council of Economic Advisers and a professor at the Graduate School at the Haas School of Business. Lenny Mendonca is a senior partner emeritus at McKinsey & Company and chair of the California High-Speed Rail Authority.

MORE: Thousands of Texas ballots rejected as new voter ID law causes 'bizarre situation' —Yahoo! News

Focus on voting and elections 

At Topline, we invest a lot of space in bringing attention to threats to our democracy—especially when those threats are running for office. Endorsed by Donald Trump, Mark Finchem, who's running for secretary of State in Arizona, would take over the administration of elections in the state if he's victorious. He's the same guy who worked closely with Rudy Giuliani to overturn the 2020 election in Arizona, called on Congress to block the state’s 11 electoral college votes for Joe Biden and instead accept “alternate electoral votes” for Trump, and attended the Stop the Steal rally on Jan. 6, 2021. If elected, he could have a major impact on 2024. —The Guardian

• Wyoming. Arizona’s not the only state where Trump is attempting to influence a 2022 race. In Wyoming, he’s pushing state lawmakers to back legislation that would bar Democrats and other non-Republicans from casting ballots in statewide GOP primaries. The move, of course, is intended to hurt Rep. Liz Cheney's prospects for renomination by the party. —Insider

• Arkansas. A new front in the legal war over the Voting Rights Act was opened in Arkansas last week. U.S. District Court Judge Lee Rudofsky said he would dismiss a suit brought by the Arkansas Public Policy Panel and the Arkansas chapter of the NAACP—which challenges legislative district maps approved by the GOP-controlled legislature that would divide some minority communities in and around Little Rock—unless the U.S. Justice Department joined the case as a plaintiff. “[T]he Court has concluded that this case may be brought only by the Attorney General of the United States,” Rudofsky wrote. —The Hill

• North Dakota. Indigenous nations in North Dakota have sued the state over what they call “sickening” gerrymandering. Days before a new legislative map was set to be introduced, leaders of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa and Spirit Lake Nation sent a letter to the governor and other state lawmakers arguing that the proposed map is illegal and dilutes the strength of their communities’ voice. The suit charges that the map violates their voting rights and will handicap tribe members who run for office. Stay tuned. —The Guardian

MORE: Defiant GOP impeachment voters gear up for Trump-backed primaries —Politico

Ellis: America needs to find its way back to unity

“We seem to be rowing in opposite directions as we struggle to chart the future course for America. But at our core, we forget that we are more together than apart. And when tested, as we are today—and as we have been in the past—it was our core and collective will that enabled us to rise from the muck and mire, and it kept us from drowning. Will there be enough of us willing to get our bearings and row in the same direction, once again, to make sure America remains a safe harbor?” —Janice Ellis in Georgia Recorder

Janice Ellis is a columnist analyzing educational, political, social, and economic issues across race, ethnicity, age, and socio-economic status.

MORE: Rodger Dean Duncan: In such a polarized world, how can we work together? —Forbes

Short of a new political party, my view is that other efforts are, though well-intentioned, simply Band-Aids on an increasingly broken political system. The oscillations on a badly divided, overly simplistic two-party arrangement will continue to magnify until we have a completely dysfunctional system. One could argue we are already there. For a country with over 300 million in population, it is long overdue to have choices which reflect the majority of mainstream Americans. Life is not as simple as you are either labeled as "this" or you are "that.” The silence of the majority (with a few exceptions, like Murkowski, Romney, Cheney, Kinzinger, Sasse) of GOP Congressmen and Congresswomen shows that they are content to be a party of followers, afraid to speak up for what is right for the preservation of democracy and for the Constitution. It is highly unlikely that there will be any significant movement in the percentage of people who exhibit courage before forthcoming elections. 

While we have delusional GOP conspiracy theorists and spineless followers who threaten and potentially fracture our democracy, Russia and China strengthen ties with increasing threats to U.S. allies, including potential loss of life. Speaking of the latter, my father fought against the Russians when they invaded Finland. I have been to Finland numerous times. People died. These are not idle threats from Russia. Many of the conspiracy-leaning GOP members have no experience in world affairs nor any comprehension of the reality of these types of conflict. Now is the time to act and create a new, mainstream political party for the preservation of our democracy and regain strength on the global stage. —Cary J., Colorado

The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff, the Renew America Movement, or the Stand Up Republic Foundation.