Pollster Frank Luntz shared on X (formerly known as Twitter) a citation stating that"Russia has lost a staggering 87% of the total number of active-duty ground troops it had prior to launching its invasion of Ukraine, and 2/3 of its pre-invasion tanks"
Now, because this report surfaced on the day Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was in Washington, D.C. seeking more U.S. aid, some may view it skeptically. While skepticism is understandable, even if the numbers are only 50% of active-duty ground troops and pre-invasion tanks, that figure alone remains staggering.
Make no mistake, Russia is an enemy of the United States and free nations. If you cannot seem to grasp that, you can stop reading now.
What struck my interest about Mr. Luntz's tweet, is a reply which stated, "Why does that matter to Americans working 12 hours a day?" I am not going to say this question was not sincere, so let me explain why it does matter to the men and women who work 12 hours a day.
First, the White House and Congress HAVE to be able to chew gum and walk at the same time. That is why they were elected. Therefore, because we focus on assisting Ukraine defend their borders and sovereignty, we should also be diligently securing our borders, focusing on the fentanyl crisis (families have a bigger role in this tragedy than anyone is discussing), balancing our budget and reducing our national debt, etc. One urgent matter does not exclude another matter being worked through.
Second, Russia will not stop in Ukraine. It may not be next year, but within the decade and it will be a NATO ally. Here are the members of NATO. Which the United States is obligated to defend with our soldiers. Those same sons and daughters of the 12 hour a day worker. How do I know? History. Russia does not deserve the benefit of the doubt.
Third, China is watching. China is our primary adversary. Our lack of will, only shows this brutal dictatorship we are unwilling to keep out commitments, too weak, and too erratic to stop them from their aggressive, dynastic expansion.
Fourth, Ukraine is destroying the Russian military. They are doing this without American blood being shed. Russia started this; Ukraine did not invade them. Obama's weak approach to their invasion and occupation of Crimea only emboldened Putin.
Fifth, Democrats hate to accept this, but Putin invaded Ukraine because he looked at our defeat in Afghanistan and concluded that America is too weak to push back against him. If we pull the rug from under Ukraine, then, China will arrive at the same conclusion and move on to annex Taiwan. But if we show resolve, the Chinese communists will think twice before making their move, knowing that America will help Taiwan and humiliate China the same way we are helping Ukraine to humiliate Russia.
When Putin first annexed Crimea in 2014, Republicans rightfully criticized Barack Obama for being weak. It is not time to act like Obama.
Sixth, we have the once in a lifetime opportunity to cripple for a decade or more one of the heinous actors of the Axis of Evil. And send a sign to other malicious actors like North Korea and Iran to keep their inhumane aggressions within their borders.
Seventh, concerning American taxpayer dollars, most of the military aid we spend in Ukraine stays in the United States. The Bradley armored vehicles we send to Ukraine are made by working-class Pennsylvanians and Alabamans who earn high wages. Howitzers used by Ukraine are manufactured by working-class Americans in Michigan, Oklahoma, Minnesota, and South Carolina. People in Arizona and Florida produce the Javelins that have been destroying Russian tanks. These are all well-paid jobs for working-class Americans.
Eighth, for the conservatives who have been warning that our military is not ready to fight China and have been demanding modernization, this is going to force the Democrats to do exactly that: modernize our military. The weapons and systems that we send to Ukraine are mostly outdated. Now that we are emptying our stocks, Democrats have no choice but to refill them with better weapons that we need against China.
Finally, it should matter to the working class because this is a matter of American security and prosperity. Ukraine is a large supplier of the world’s grains, and the price of food in America is affected by the global price. If you think that food inflation is bad now, wait until thug Vladimir Putin can control your grocery bill.
Russia will use its influence over food to force other food import, depending countries into concessions we will not like. As it is growing closer to China, it can use its influence on European countries to force them to side with China against the United States or to force third-world countries to restrict our access to the natural resources we import from them. By doing this, everything that we use will be much more expensive, and it doesn’t matter whether you are rich or poor, upper class or working class.
Additionally, Russia can exploit this control over food exports to the Middle East, Africa, and even Latin America, artificially inducing food shortages and refugee crises. Do we truly wish to provide Russia with the means to exacerbate our border crisis?
The country that Ukraine exports most of its agricultural products to is China. This is a good thing. If we are ever at a standoff with China, we want Ukraine on our side to use its food exports to China as leverage against China.
While I give these points, this does not suggest I support Ukraine aid being sent as a stand-alone appropriation. Our southern border is sieve and a direct threat to our national security and American families. Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) warned that Republicans will not budge on aid for Ukraine without action on the border.
“At the end of the day, Republicans aren’t budging until we secure the border. That’s the question that all of America is asking Joe Biden right now: ‘Why do Republicans have to beg Joe Biden to secure the border?’ That’s part of his job,” Marshall said on “The Hill” on News Nation.”
They shouldn’t cave on this point. Shame on Biden and Democrats for not realizing the perilous position and crisis on the southern border.
Destroying the Russian military benefits that 12-hour day worker more then he or she could ever imagine. Stability in the world means peace. Let’s help Ukraine destroy the Russian military so the sons and daughters of America and our NATO allies never have to go fight Russians.
Note: the opinions expressed herein are those of Chuck Warren only and not his co-host Sam Stone or Breaking Battlegrounds’ staff.