VERSE AND VOICE FROM SOJOURNERS 15JUL25

 

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Trump is reorienting America’s moral compass 2MAR25

The signs say STAND WITH UKRAINE / WE STAND WITH UKRAINE / UKRAINE STRONG / STOP RUSSIA

DO NOT equate NOT MY president drumpf's / trump's and NOT MY vice-pres vance's perverse and twisted "morals" with my morals. The only thing we have in common is we were all born Americans but after last Friday's scene in the corrupt oval office drumpf / trump especially made it very clear again they are not true Americans. Pres Zelensky showed the world what true leadership and real patriotism looks like. The drumpf / trump-vance administration's actions in the oval office with Zelensky and then voting the same as Russia, Iran and N Korea and other authoritarian states at the U.N. shows just how un-American, how anti-American they have become. Ukrainians are proud of Pres Zelensky. Most Americans are embarrassed by and ashamed of NOT MY pres drumpf / trump and NOT MY vice-pres vance.

Trump is reorienting America’s moral compass

President Trump’s actions make one question whether America is still a force for good in the world.

March 2, 2025 at 3:25 p.m. ESTMarch 2, 2025

President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office on Friday. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

Over America’s long history, Americans have often hesitated to support foreign wars and international machinations. George Washington’s Farewell Address warning against entangling alliances cast a long shadow. But from the nation’s beginnings, Americans have usually known whom to root for — those who seek freedom — and whom to condemn — those who try to crush liberty.

Across the United States, you will find statues honoring people such as the 18th-century Polish patriot Thaddeus Kosciuszko and the 19th-century Hungarian freedom fighter Lajos Kossuth, who sought liberation for their people from the Russian and Habsburg empires — and who found enthusiastic support in an America that was still a young and weak nation. When Germany invaded Belgium in 1914, even though it initially stayed out of the war, America organized what was then the largest food aid effort in history to help the victim of aggression. During the Cold War, though it could not help militarily, Washington refused to recognize the Soviet annexation of the three Baltic republics, which are now proud and independent nations. America as a superpower sometimes acted unwisely — in places such as Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan — but even in those cases, it saw its involvement as the protection of freedom and democracy.

Not anymore. The strangest aspect of the past few weeks of American diplomacy — which culminated in the disaster at the White House on Friday — is that the president of the United States has seemed utterly unwilling to say plainly that he supports the victim of aggression against the aggressor who started the war. Or that he admires Ukrainian democracy more than Russian dictatorship. Instead, he and Vice President JD Vance spent Friday’s photo op at the White House publicly scolding Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, telling him to say thank you (which he has repeatedly) and accusing him of being disrespectful. Zelensky’s fault was simply to point out that Ukraine had in fact signed a ceasefire deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2015 but that Putin had continually violated it. President Donald Trump used the occasion to remind all that he felt a special bond with Putin.

Zelensky did not handle himself well. He got emotional, responded too often and took the bait that Vance laid for him. He should have studied how French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer handled Trump: constant flattery and deference. Churchill said of his relationship with his American counterpart, “No lover ever studied every whim of his mistress as I did those of President Roosevelt.”

But Zelensky is leading a nation at war that has lost tens of thousands of people. He is fighting for his survival. And he and his nation are fighting for the values of freedom and democracy that America has supported since its founding — against a rapacious dictatorship that actively seeks to undermine the United States, its interests and its allies at every turn. It should not be hard to figure out where your sympathies lie.

Friday’s turn of events took place after weeks of diplomacy in which the Trump administration has bullied U.S. neighbors, asked Canada to cease to exist as a country, pressured Denmark to sell Greenland and Panama to hand over the Panama Canal. It has threatened to impose higher tariffs on its allies than its foes. And it has shuttered almost all the food and medicine programs it promised to the poorest people in the world. Conservative former British cabinet minister Rory Stewart asks on X, “Was it for this that the US spent 80 years building power and alliances? Not to be a force for good. But instead to impoverish neighbours, threaten those it protected, rob minerals from war-torn countries, and break its promises to 100s of millions of the poorest in the world?”

Trump is not just changing American foreign policy. He is reorienting America’s moral compass, a compass that has been firmly set since the country’s founding almost 250 years ago.

By Fareed Zakaria

Fareed Zakaria writes a foreign affairs column for The Post. He is also the host of CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS.

Presidential Moral Leadership Less Important to Republicans 29MAI18

IF you are surprised by this then you have not been paying attention since drumpf/trump started running for president. From Gallup.....

Presidential Moral Leadership Less Important to Republicans

by Jeffrey M. Jones

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• 63% of Republicans say moral leadership is very important
• Down from 86% under Clinton
• 59% of U.S. adults say Trump provides weak moral leadership

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Republicans are much less likely now than they were during the Bill Clinton years to say it is very important for the president to provide moral leadership for the U.S. Democrats, on the other hand, are more likely to believe moral leadership is important now, with Donald Trump in office, than they were under Clinton.

Importance of President Providing Moral Leadership for the Country, by Political Party, During the Clinton and Trump Administrations

How important do you think it is for the president to provide moral leadership for the country -- very important, somewhat important, only slightly important or not at all important?

	Clinton administration (1994-1999)	Trump administration (2018)	Change
	%	%	pct. pts.
U.S. adults	72	66	-6
Republicans	86	63	-23
Independents	69	62	-7
Democrats	64	77	+13
Figures are the percentage who say it is "very important." Clinton data based on an average of four polls conducted between 1994 and 1999. Trump data based on May 1-10, 2018, poll.
GALLUP

Across four polls conducted during the Clinton administration, an average of 72% of U.S. adults said it was very important for the president to provide moral leadership for the country. A May 1-10 update of the question finds 66% of Americans holding that view.

The modest change at the national level obscures more significant shifts among partisans -- a 23-percentage-point decline among Republicans and a 13-point increase among Democrats.

Both Clinton, a Democrat, and Trump, a Republican, faced substantial controversy during their presidential campaigns, and it followed them after they were elected president. It appears that some partisans may discount the importance of the president providing moral leadership when a sitting president from their own party is under scrutiny. At the same time, some supporters of the opposition party may magnify the importance of moral leadership when this is a weak area for the incumbent.

This turning of the tables is evident in the flip in Republican and Democratic views about the importance of the president providing a good moral role model between the Clinton and Trump eras. Republicans, by 22 points, were much more likely than Democrats to say it was very important for the president to be a moral leader when Clinton was in office. Now with Trump in office, Democrats are more likely than Republicans to hold this view, by 14 points.

Independents are slightly less likely now (62%) than during the Clinton years (69%) to regard presidential leadership on morals as important.

Americans Say Trump Provides Weak Moral Leadership

By 59% to 40%, Americans believe Trump provides weak rather than strong moral leadership. Republicans and Democrats diverge greatly on this question, with 77% of Republicans believing Trump provides strong moral leadership and 91% of Democrats saying he provides weak leadership. Seventy-eight percent of Democrats believe his moral leadership is "very weak." Independents are much more negative than positive about Trump's leadership on morals.

Overall, what kind of moral leadership do you think Donald Trump provides as president -- [ROTATED: very strong, somewhat strong, somewhat weak (or) very weak]?

	Very strong	Somewhat strong	Somewhat weak	Very weak	Total strong	Total weak
	%	%	%	%	%	%
U.S. adults	11	29	18	41	40	59
Republicans	22	55	14	8	77	22
Independents	9	29	24	36	38	60
Democrats	2	6	13	78	8	91
May 1-10, 2018
GALLUP

The partisan difference could result from Democrats being convinced that any questions about Trump's moral character are true, while Republicans would tend to be more skeptical. To the extent that people's conceptions of a president's moral leadership are related to his policy positions, Republicans would likely be satisfied with Trump's positions on such ethics-related issues as abortion, immigration and the environment, while Democrats would find his views and actions on these highly objectionable. It is also possible partisans may just more superficially respond positively to any question about a president of their own party and negatively to a question about a president of the opposing party.

Gallup asked U.S. adults to assess Bill Clinton's moral leadership twice during his presidency, and the results varied. In 1996, more Americans regarded his leadership in this area as strong (53%) rather than weak (45%). Two years later, when Clinton's affair with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky was the focus of a federal investigation, 30% said the president provided strong moral leadership and 68% weak leadership.

Democrats' opinions about Clinton's moral leadership in 1996 were similar to Republicans' views of Trump today. Seventy-eight percent of Democrats thought Clinton was a strong moral leader in 1996, while Republicans and independents were more likely to regard him as weak.

After the Lewinsky scandal, all party groups' opinions of Clinton worsened, including a 32-point drop in the percentage of Democrats regarding him as a strong moral leader.

Overall, what kind of moral leadership do you think Bill Clinton provides as president -- [ROTATED: very strong, somewhat strong, somewhat weak (or) very weak]?

	Very strong	Somewhat strong	Somewhat weak	Very weak	Total strong	Total weak
	%	%	%	%	%	%
1996 May 9-12
U.S. adults	11	42	27	18	53	45
Republicans	4	25	31	39	29	70
Independents	6	40	34	16	46	50
Democrats	22	56	17	4	78	21
1998 Sep 14-15
U.S. adults	10	20	23	45	30	68
Republicans	4	9	13	72	13	85
Independents	8	23	24	43	31	67
Democrats	19	27	30	22	46	52
GALLUP

Gallup has asked this moral leadership question only during the Clinton and Trump administrations, as it was less of an issue for presidents whose administrations were far less consumed by scandal.

Implications

On the whole, Americans believe the president should provide moral leadership for the country. However, Republicans' and Democrats' commitment wavers when moral leadership is a point of concern for their own party's president.

Arguably, Trump and Clinton have had more character concerns than other recent presidents, but their political allies stood by them. Doing so may have forced their supporters to minimize the importance of having a president who is a strong moral leader. At the same time, those who opposed the president may have played up the importance of that presidential responsibility.

Partisans also find ways to regard scandal-plagued presidents as exhibiting strong moral leadership, either because they discount the moral charges against them or because they focus more on the president's issue positions.

These findings underscore the degree to which partisanship colors views of the president, but also how extensively opinions on seemingly normative questions are subject to change, depending on the prevailing political conditions.

SURVEY METHODS

Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted May 1-10, 2018, with a random sample of 1,024 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. For results based on the total sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. All reported margins of sampling error include computed design effects for weighting.

Each sample of national adults includes a minimum quota of 70% cellphone respondents and 30% landline respondents, with additional minimum quotas by time zone within region. Landline and cellular telephone numbers are selected using random-digit-dial methods.

View survey methodology, complete question responses and trends.

Learn more about how the Gallup Poll Social Series works.

TOM PERRIELLO FOR GOVERNOR OF VIRGINIA

CHECK out these ads from the Perriello campaign, they give you an introduction to the man we need to elect as our next governor. Then go to Tom Perriello's campaign website, check out his issues page, you will be impressed with his bold, progressive views and campaign platform. Donate if you can, and please vote for Tom this coming Tuesday, 13 JUN 17 in the Democratic primary. The polls are open from 0600 / 6:00 AM to 1900 / 7:00 PM. Remember, DEMOCRACY IS NOT A SPECTATOR SPORT!

Tom Perriello Releases Two New TV Ads, Featuring Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Outlining His Vision for Virginia, and Urging Voters to Believe ‘Progress is Possible’

Today, Tom Perriello is releasing the fourth and fifth ads of his Democratic campaign for Virginia governor. The ads will air across Virginia in the final eight days of the primary campaign.

In the first ad, “Make Change,” U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, who has endorsed Tom, speaks about Tom’s values, saying, “He’s somebody who says: I am going to make change — and I’m gonna make change not for the richest, not for the most powerful. I’m gonna make change to make this economy work better for hard-working families. That’s who he is.” The ad features footage from Tom’s rally with U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders this spring and his 2010 rally with President Barack Obama in Charlottesville, before closing with Tom speaking about his vision to leave no race or region behind in giving Virginians opportunities to succeed. Finally, Virginians are urged to vote June 13 as Tom says, “Let’s prove that Donald Trump’s values are not Virginia values.”

The second ad, “Progress is Possible,” features Tom speaking directly to Virginians, urging them to believe that progress is possible, despite threats to our values by President Donald Trump. “We’re not a nation of hate,” Tom says, before speaking of his family’s immigrant history. He then goes on to outline his agenda and vision for Virginia as governor, saying, “I’m running for governor because every Virginian deserves a shot, regardless of race or region. That means higher wages, good jobs in forgotten communities, and lower student debt. It won’t happen overnight, but we can never stop believing progress is possible.”

The ads will air statewide, joining previously released ads on air, until primary day, June 13.

Make Change

Progress is Possible

Full ad transcript for ‘Make Change’:

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren on Tom Perriello: He’s a guy with values. He’s somebody who says: I am going to make change — and I’m gonna make change not for the richest, not for the most powerful. I’m gonna make change to make this economy work better for hard-working families. That’s who he is.

Tom Perriello: I’m Tom Perriello, and as governor, I’ll fight to make sure every Virginian gets a fair shot, that leaves no region or race behind. Let’s prove that Donald Trump’s values are not Virginia values.

Full ad transcript for ‘Progress is Possible’:

We’re not a nation of hate. My immigrant grandfather came to America with a dream, and my dad lived it as a pediatrician here in Virginia. But these values are threatened by President Trump and an economy where too many struggle to get by.

I’m Tom Perriello, and I’m running for governor because every Virginian deserves a shot, regardless of race or region. That means higher wages, good jobs in forgotten communities, and lower student debt.

It won’t happen overnight, but we can never stop believing progress is possible.